Nearly every group has its internal lexicon and Sweet Adelines and barbershop have plenty of phrases you will hear on the risers at rehearsal or in conversation between Sweet Adelines! Below we’ve listed some of the terms that will help you get familiar with the wonderful world of ringing chords!
| A cappella | Choral music without instrumental accompaniment. Cappella (Italian) chapel: a cappella in the manner of the chapel |
| Afterglow | Cast party after a show or performance |
| All-in-One | A one-piece undergarment sometimes worn under our costumes (for torture and difficult trips to the restroom) |
| Break a Leg! | Said to wish someone well in performance. Also: Break a Lip! Break a Lash! |
| Bubbling | Also called trilling, a vocal exercise used to relax the lips, jaw, and throat, to open resonators, and to produce a resonant sound. |
| Chest Voice | Singing using the lower range of the voice, this resonates primarily in the chest, although including the upper resonators. |
| Chord worship | Reveling in the sound of a ringing chord, usually to the detriment of forward motion and entertainment of the audience! |
| Chorus Breathing | Taking a quick breath in other than a planned breathing place so as not to run out of air at the end of the phrase. Chorus breathing is done by leaving out a word or syllable, or breathing while holding the vowel of a word. It is NOT done between words (which causes out-of-sync). Also known as: sneak breath. |
| Chorus Position | Downstage foot slightly in front of the other foot, facing the director |
| Cluster Chord | When more than four parts are being sung (someone singing a wrong note) |
| Cone | Balance of barbershop sound |
| Coning | The art of adjusting to maintain the proper balance of a barbershop chord, with the broadest strength at the bottom of the chord and the lightest on the top. |
| Coronet Club | Association of all past International Champion Quartets |
| Diphthong | Two vowel sounds sung on one note, with greatest stress on first vowel (A =Ay-ee, O = Oh-oo, I = Ah-ee) |
| Double | Two parts on the same note, usually an octave apart (bass on low F, lead on F above middle C.) |
| Downstage | Toward the front of the stage |
| Dynamic Contrast | Planned volume changes to enhance performance of song |
| Embellishment | Swipe or other musical addition to song for added interest |
| Fanny Rails | Rails attached to top riser row (also known as sissy bars) |
| Forward Motion | Sense of lyrical flow, with vocal line moving toward |
| Hang Ten on the Risers | Standing forward to the front edge of the riser (also called toe-ing the risers). |
| Hard Palate | Firm part of the roof of the mouth |
| Head Voice | Singing using the upper range of voice register. |
| Inside Smile | Lifting of the soft palate |
| Interval | The distance between two notes |
| Intro | First part of a song (or the Edge). |
| Key | Letter name of the scale in which a song is written. This note is blown on the pitch pipe (tonic) |
| Lifted phrase ending | To have enough air at the end of the phrase to keep the tone fully supported and energized so as to not let the phrase just die out. |
| Lock and Ring | The ultimate barbershop sound. To achieve it requires excellence in all phases of singing—a good musical arrangement, good vocal technique, well balanced and blended voices and accuracy of intonation. In combination, these qualities can create an audible overtone that sends a chill up the spine of singers and listeners alike. |
| Mask | Facial muscles under the eyes into the temples, around the nose, in the lip, and from the temples down to the chin |
| Mass Sing | A Sweet Adelines tradition. This is a public event integrated into the business of a convention. Everyone in attendance is invited to gather in a public place and present listeners with a sample of barbershop harmony. It is often used as a way to thank the city hosting the gathering. |
| Octave | An interval of the 8th, with the lower and upper notes having the same letter name. |
| Off Paper | Being able to sing your part without referring to the music. |
| Onion skins | The small tuning adjustments needed for locking the chord. These are a laymen’s term for the degrees of tuning sound vibrations. |
| Overtone | Unsung tone heard above the highest tone of a properly balanced and matched chord |
| Patter | Harmony parts singing different words while lead sings melody |
| Physical Warm-Ups | Warming up of body to provide a suitable environment for the singing mechanism to operate and to release tension which would interfere with vocal freedom. |
| Pickups | A note or series of notes leading into the first full chord of a phrase. |
| Pitch Pipe | Cookie-shaped musical instrument used to help singers begin in the same pitch; electronic pitch pipes also are used. Also, The Pitch Pipe is the name of the magazine published by Sweet Adelines International. |
| Progression | A sequence of chords, using the Circle of Fifths. |
| Quartet Etiquette | Displaying courtesy by not singing along with a foursome – unless you are asked. |
| Queens of Harmony | International champion quartet |
| Resonators | Any of the cavities or parts of the vocal tract that serve to reinforce and enrich the phonated tones of the singing voice. |
| Ringing Chord | When a barbershop chord is balanced, overtones are produced and an exciting “ringing” sound results |
| Ripple | Choreographed move that starts at one side of the chorus and travels to the other side (the same principle as a wave) |
| Soft Palate | Soft, squishy area of your mouth near the back (behind the hard palate). |
| Stage Left | The performer’s left, when onstage facing the audience |
| Stage Right | The performer’s right, when onstage facing the audience |
| Stagger Breathing | In chorus singing, taking a quick breath in other than a planned breathing place, usually within a word or by omitting a word. Also known as sneak breaths. |
| Swipe | A slide from one note to another, sung on one word or syllable, which creates harmonic tension then resolution. |
| Tag | The final portion of a barbershop arrangement, usually containing very interesting chord progressions that are fun to sing. Tags may be sung separately from the song and are often used both by quartets and choruses for the purpose of practicing to achieve complete chord excellence. Many barbershoppers may not remember entire songs, but many will memorize hundreds of tags. |
| Take It From The Edge | Start at the beginning of the music, or “take it from the top” |
| Tidley | Tiny swipe done by one part |
| Traffic Pattern | Designated and carefully timed path backstage followed by choruses and quartets on competition day |
| Tuning | Refers to the ability to sing both “in key” and “on pitch” |
| Upstage | Toward the back of the stage |
| Unison | Two or more voice parts singing the same note |
| Vibrato | A wavering in the vocal tone that keeps chords from locking and ringing. |
| Vocal Warm-Ups | Getting the voice ready to sing and our ears listening to each other. |
| Wood shedding | The art of singing barbershop “by ear,” without a written musical arrangement |
| (Adapted from Houston Horizon Chorus membership materials and The Pitch Pipe) | |