On Harmony
by Johnny Stewart

I was almost one of the next "Beach Boys."

I remember one summer afternoon in 1963 at the YMCA after swimming, my friends and I found ourselves in the recreation room. Someone had left the piano unlocked. After a couple renditions of Chopsticks, Hearts And Flowers and Louie Louie we proceeded to write our first hit song. This song sounded a little bit like Surfer Girl by the Beach Boys, but we changed the words and spead it up a little. Well a lot. After that we figured the song was legally ours.

Our new musical group never went on tour. It never even left the recreation room. However, we had a lot of fun. Writing our own songs and imagining what we were going to do with all those groupies.

Karaoke gives many people an opportunity to follow their own dreams. Occasionally two singers will sing a duet. Or a group of people will jump up on stage and sing together because they are too shy to get up alone.

There can be a lot more to singing. Karaoke offers the musical background. You the singer can do what ever you want on top of it. Change the words, change the melody, bring in your harmonica or make up harmony parts just like the Beach Boys. Find a song that was done by a harmony group. Listen to the harmony parts and try it your self. Or find a song that was never a harmony song at make it so.

Harmony comes naturally to some and not so naturally to others. Keep listening and you will get it. If you can't, maybe someone else in the group can. They can then teach the part to you. Harmony can be memorized as if it were a melody. In fact it is, simply another melody.

It is a lot of fun getting together with your friends, practicing harmonizing to favorite songs. Once you have it together bring it to the club and show it off. We'll look forward to hearing your song.