Ah them aahs, I can't get it right

[D-Tuned]

I'm working on my backing track closely based on the Byrds' renditioin of The Bells Of Rhymney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6JhTSzZXzg

But I can't get the ending right, the aahs tracks in my rosegarden work don't just sound as good, I'm missing something in these chords, maybe I should put them and more in a single segment?

aahs.png (106.98 KiB) Viewed 1985 times

TIA for any ideas

[folderol]

Don't use the same Ahh sound for all notes in a chord - use sounds that fit the S,A,T,B pattern. Also (and this is hard to do with notation) don't start and stop them all at exactly the same time.

[D-Tuned]

Don't use the same Ahh sound for all notes in a chord - use sounds that fit the S,A,T,B pattern. Also (and this is hard to do with notation) don't start and stop them all at exactly the same time.

Soprano, alto, tenor bass, more stuff to learn...

Spreading the edges as it were sounds like a good idea too but I was thinking PITCH when I posted. If I increase the last chord (the one meant) another octave, even only in one track, then it sound too high. The answer might include chord construction in addition to pitch to get the same sound as the original (actually the Byrds did not do the original but their rendition is superb for my likes).

[tseaver]

@D-Tuned
Given that you are writing for a "human" choir, it would be best to use staff notation which will be familiar to them. The normal SATB convention[1] would be to have the soprano and alto parts on a shared treble clef, with the soprano part using upward stems, and the alto part using downward stems. The tenor and alto parts would normally be presented on a shared bass clef, with the tenor part using upward stems and the bass part using downward ones. E.g., from the Welsh hymn tune Hyfrydol:

Screenshot_2023-08-27_21-39-23.png (50.77 KiB) Viewed 1867 times

Note that, as in this example, the stem direction rules aren't always strictly followed.

The alto clef and tenor clefs used in your example are normally only used for certain instruments (violas for the alto clef, I think bassoon and cello for the tenor clef). I can pretty well guarantee that no human alto singers would want to read their part in the alto clef, nor any human tenors in the tenor clef.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATB#Notation

[D-Tuned]

@tseaver

Thanks for the expertise; alas, I'm still parsecs away from writing notes on the staff for
pro singers!!! My struggles revolve around getting the sound I want from 5 cent chipsets.
I'm trying to get the same pitch as in the linked song but without much success