[Author's note: I am quoting from some material I received when I was teaching beginning arranging at Midwest (CSD) COTS/mini-HC. You will note that the "Expanded Sound" we hold so dear is not the result of anything that has happened since 1980. It's been around quite a while; and, I have to admit, it keeps getting better all the time when you sing good barbershop.]
What are we trying to preserve? We're trying to preserve principles. The principles involved with good barbershop music are many, and no one or two of them alone will do it. The higher the song rates on all principles, the better the song is for barbershop -- and vice versa.
Most of our experts would agree that Principle #1 would have to do with the melody. Does it lie within the normal, good quality range of the average quartet lead? Do awkward skips make it tough to sing accurately or tune to? Does it suggest good barbershop harmony to the ear? And -- do most of the melody notes fit in that harmony?
Principle #2 would concern the lyric. A good barbershop lyric is not arty, nor is it too sophisticated or impressionistic. It's down-to-earth, often nostalgic, and is the kind of language used by popular songwriters during the "era" of barbershop (turn of the century into the 20's) and, of course, in good taste by any standard.
Principle #3 would have to do with chords. Without getting technical, we use harmonious chords -- no passing tones that aren't in the chord, no "modern" sounds, and a lot of "barbershop sevenths."
Principle #4 has to do with chord progressions, and that's complex (you've heard of the circle of fifths?). But if the song has a lot of variety of harmony -- and that harmony is mostly the barbershop seventh -- you can probably do a pretty fair job of woodshedding it. When that happens, you're using barbershop chord progressions.
Principle #5 is about embellishments -- often called "Tiddelys". If a song doesn't offer opportunities for "Tiddelys" it isn't going to sound barbershop. Imagine no swipes, echoes, patter, back time, blossoms, pyramids, cascades, or bell-chords. Just imagine!
Principle #6 might be called mechanics, or the nuts and bolts of song construction. Elements of meter, rhythm, and form are important considerations in unaccompanied quartet singing. Rhythmic patterns too complex, metrical schemes too irregular, and songs not symmetrical in shape are not in our ball game.
Principle #7 would be the voicing of the chords. If the tenor isn't singing mostly thirds and sevenths, when the baritone is consistently singing above the lead, or when you hear chords voiced mostly within the octave -- you're not hearing the best barbershop. Good, or not so good, voicing of chords is directly related to the melody and the key.
Principle #8 could be described as the potential for interpretation. We might decide not to sing "Honey, Little 'Liz" in contest because there may not be enough opportunities for interpretation. It sure is fun to sing -- and one of our favorites -- and if it doesn't have all the interpretive potential of "If All My Dreams Are Made Of Gold", that doesn't mean it's not barbershop.
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