So… there IS definitely an audible overtone present here, but I believe it’s actually the third of the chord (D#5), NOT the B5. There is an audible slide up to that B5, which would not exist in an overtone. The precision of the open 4ths and 5ths in that scenario would be perfect for the third to ring out in the harmonic series.
You wouldn’t get an overtone on the third THAT strong from only a root and an octave below, since that’s not the structure of the harmonic series. There is a D#6 overtone though, but it’s not as loud as the B5.
Kasey is completely right, Ben is wrong - the D# isn't being sung, but is present as an overtone, which would mean it is less present in the overall sound, which it indeed is. If anything, that "high B overtone" (that's definitely being sung) that everyone is dreaming about would definitely not ring out as clear as this if it was just an overtone. Quite impossible.
I think your explanation of the "overtone" phenomenon in the description is missing a crucial point-that barbershop overtones are a *psychoacoustical* occurrence. It's not the case that the B5 frequency is so audible because it's reinforced via being in the overtone series of the sung notes-B5 isn't in the overtone series of D♯5 and F♯5, and yet the full triad is necessary for the overtone to be heard so loudly. The more precise thing that's going on is that the even-higher overtones in the harmonic series are the ones being reinforced, like F♯7 and D♯8, and your brain responds to their greater-than-expected prominence by assuming there's a B5 fundamental producing them, and making you think you hear that B5. So if you've ever perceived "undertones", where you hear, say, C2, when the only notes actually present are C3, G3, C4, E5, etc., then these barbershop "overtones" are the same thing, except the fundamental frequency your brain hears by assumption is *above* the sung notes, and the frequencies that your brain is using as the source of the illusion are reinforced overtones rather than fundamental frequencies.
@@jasonfieler for sure. Not trying to insult your description as incorrect, it's just a complex thing that deserves a whole lot of explanation! I'm so digging all the barbershop videos lately.
No no, he's right. This is exactly what happens and although difficult to wrap your head around undertones above notes being sung, this is what's going on. I'll add that the "overtone (er...undertone or whatever) the B5 IS inside of the bass post on the B3. So the undertone of the upper notes is getting "reinforced" a tad, even if it's happening in your brain
@@joeplavin Here is a good one from AOH just doing some tuning and with just 3 parts you can hear ringing overtones like crazy! th-cam.com/video/sCdQVqQXkzc/w-d-xo.html
@@joeplavin Also, here is a different view of the above clip - but you get to hear the overtone longer before the audience applause drowns it out. th-cam.com/video/BqwhRkobcNA/w-d-xo.html
a baritone singing a D#5 and the tenor on a F5 bro this is getting out of hand man im so impressed by the range of these people. How are you possibly belting those notes man, thats insane. These baris ought to be tenors :D
Are we sure that the D# isn’t an overtone? The High B sounds too good to just be an overtone, maybe the bari somehow went up to that B? Idk it doens’t sound possible for it to be THAT clean, my gosh
It does sound like that, especially because the B slides up to it just a bit rather than locking in immediately with the other notes. Sounds more like the 3 octaves of Bs and the F#5, with the D# resultant tone.
Yeah, it's much more common to hear a major 3rd as an overtone. There's a bit of a scoop to the B as well, which would rule it out from being an overtone.
@@duncanrobertson6472 No, the B is 100% an overtone. It’s sounding the octave above the high-root, so that as the lead briefly scoops up, the harmonic goes up with it. They don’t have a fixed pitch. You can hear that it’s an overtone from the sound quality (doesn’t have a distinct vowel sound like the sung notes do).
This is one of my all time favorite memories on stage. Thanks for bringing it back to life with the video and transcription! -Jonny Tillery, Lead of The Vagrants
do you maybe have any more videos with very audible overtones? I often see comments on barbershop videos talking about the CRAZY overtones but I never hear them
Hello there, mr D#, nice to meet you. I'm so nearly tone deaf, I can barely tell pitches apart, so I'm just amazed by the (supposed) D# in the baritone.
People need to actively educate audiences to shut up until the performance is over. This doesn't happen everywhere in the world. It's an issue only in one country mostly.
Agreed! The stuff they do with Instant Classic is also super awesome! And since they got fourth this year, I’m sure they’ll soon be international champs soon!
Ok so basicaaly when a chord is sung with perfect tuning and positioning, you start to hear notes above that aren’t even being sung. You can look up what “overtones” or “the harmonic series” is to find out how it works more precisely, it’s just a really long but very interesting topic :))
Not an expert but I believe that it's a natural property of sound that when you have more than one really in tune pitch playing together they can create an 'overtone' which basically creates the illusion of extra notes
Overtones are frequencies that naturally exist in every pitch, as ratios of the fundamental (the pitch you're actually hearing). The relative strength of different overtones is what gives each instrument its unique sound, but the fundamental dominates so you hear that as the note being played/sung. If they all sing different fundamentals that contain the same overtone frequency (as a different ratio of each fundamental), and they're so in tune with each other that their overtones reinforce each enough, you can hear the pitch of the overtone. What's happening here is even more interesting than that though. The 5th pitch we're "hearing" is not actually an overtone of either the D#5 (the middle voice) or B5 (the high voice). But we're hearing other overtones of those pitches so prominently that our brains assume there's a B6 in there somewhere. So the fifth note that we're "hearing" is actually a PSHYCO-acoustic phenomenon.
First off: this is very much an audible fact - noe one is singing the D#. Use your ears. Second off: The whole point of not singing the D# is that it will still be there as an overtone. However, I think everyone agrees that yes, as a rule if thumb, you don't leave out the third of a chord, and especially not in barbershop. But, again, use your ears. The bari is definitely not singing the D#. And it works - the no-third chord is a powerful statement to end this tune with, and the third is still "felt" because of the overtone series. Do you really think that super-clear B on top is just magically appearing? Once again we can (say it with me) use our ears and it becomes very apparent that the high B is being sung - it's even being glissed up to! This video is the most clickbaity stuff, just aiming to decieve (unless the creator of this transcription somehow actually believes this is what's happening himself), and somehow everyone is buying it, although by LISTENING WITH YOUR EARS (as opposed to with your eyes) it becomes very clear what is really going on here.
@@JMHV The D# won’t be there as a strong overtone without a 5th below it … that isn’t how the harmonic series works. It’s being sung … you can clearly hear the move up to it from the D-natural. The first chord has a D# overtone, the second has an F# overtone, and the third has a B overtone, as the voicing flips upwards each time. You can’t argue that they’re all being sung since there are only 4 voices. Overtones don’t have a stable pitch; they’re dependent on the pitch of the note being sung underneath. As the lead scoops up to the high root, so does the overtone above. I’m afraid you’re just plain wrong.
It’s a shame the audience couldn’t hold back their cheers for just 2 more seconds
But it's also cool to hear a crowd go wild for an overtone
Tyyyy
Ever been excited before? Sometimes it results in spontaneous events like clapping and cheering. 🙂
@@cpjds1 he didn't blame them, he said it's a shame
For real, I couldn't even hear the overtone because of them
So… there IS definitely an audible overtone present here, but I believe it’s actually the third of the chord (D#5), NOT the B5. There is an audible slide up to that B5, which would not exist in an overtone. The precision of the open 4ths and 5ths in that scenario would be perfect for the third to ring out in the harmonic series.
You wouldn’t get an overtone on the third THAT strong from only a root and an octave below, since that’s not the structure of the harmonic series. There is a D#6 overtone though, but it’s not as loud as the B5.
Kasey is completely right, Ben is wrong - the D# isn't being sung, but is present as an overtone, which would mean it is less present in the overall sound, which it indeed is. If anything, that "high B overtone" (that's definitely being sung) that everyone is dreaming about would definitely not ring out as clear as this if it was just an overtone. Quite impossible.
@@JMHV you fairly obviously haven’t listened to much barbershop 😂
I was there live for it!! This is one of my favorites!! Thinking about doing a multi-track video of this one!!
So jealous! (BTW I listen to your cover of danny boy daily haha, you've made me cry before :D)
@@_Simon that’s awesome!! Thanks so much. I’m glad you like it!
@@TimWaurickMusic Yes. Please do this tag. Of course, you could probably sing that overtone with your range!
PLEASE DO
PLEASE DO
I think your explanation of the "overtone" phenomenon in the description is missing a crucial point-that barbershop overtones are a *psychoacoustical* occurrence. It's not the case that the B5 frequency is so audible because it's reinforced via being in the overtone series of the sung notes-B5 isn't in the overtone series of D♯5 and F♯5, and yet the full triad is necessary for the overtone to be heard so loudly.
The more precise thing that's going on is that the even-higher overtones in the harmonic series are the ones being reinforced, like F♯7 and D♯8, and your brain responds to their greater-than-expected prominence by assuming there's a B5 fundamental producing them, and making you think you hear that B5.
So if you've ever perceived "undertones", where you hear, say, C2, when the only notes actually present are C3, G3, C4, E5, etc., then these barbershop "overtones" are the same thing, except the fundamental frequency your brain hears by assumption is *above* the sung notes, and the frequencies that your brain is using as the source of the illusion are reinforced overtones rather than fundamental frequencies.
Thank you for the specification! I'm new to this so I do appreciate it, and that does make much more sense
@@jasonfieler for sure. Not trying to insult your description as incorrect, it's just a complex thing that deserves a whole lot of explanation! I'm so digging all the barbershop videos lately.
My brother in Christ, could you include a spectrum analysis graph highlighting the present peaks in the sound to validate your claim?
@@voidedspace5510 wow, very distinguished
No no, he's right. This is exactly what happens and although difficult to wrap your head around undertones above notes being sung, this is what's going on. I'll add that the "overtone (er...undertone or whatever) the B5 IS inside of the bass post on the B3. So the undertone of the upper notes is getting "reinforced" a tad, even if it's happening in your brain
that "DAMN DAMN!" really got me
One of my go to videos to highlight a "ringing chord" and why barbershoppers LOVE this style of singing!
Got any other ones?
@@joeplavin Here is a good one from AOH just doing some tuning and with just 3 parts you can hear ringing overtones like crazy!
th-cam.com/video/sCdQVqQXkzc/w-d-xo.html
@@joeplavin This also a good example of overtones with just 2 notes -- and OUTSIDE!
th-cam.com/video/0nwrgg3G-Os/w-d-xo.html
@@joeplavin Also, here is a different view of the above clip - but you get to hear the overtone longer before the audience applause drowns it out.
th-cam.com/video/BqwhRkobcNA/w-d-xo.html
@@joeplavin th-cam.com/video/hkK8IOEhI6o/w-d-xo.html
0:16 a capella THX sound test.
I know everyone is mad about the audiences cheers but can we appreciate them because they clearly understand how amazing this is
no
Once in college choir practice, we all heard an overtone high above the sopranos register, and it was awesome!!
That one guy that was filming was just like "DAYUM"
This video is a classic and I love that you transcribed it, however I wish that the "Damn, Damn!"' was also notated. 😆
a baritone singing a D#5 and the tenor on a F5 bro this is getting out of hand man im so impressed by the range of these people. How are you possibly belting those notes man, thats insane. These baris ought to be tenors :D
Not to be picky but only the lead is belting the B4. The D#5 and the F#5 are sung in falsetto
@@timsanduleac1646 well that makes more sense
Barbershop baritone is more like a regular tenor. Barbershop tenor gets up to soprano range.
"While we bust a-" 🤨🤨🤨🔍🕵🏿
Chord.
love that random guy going DAMN
Oh my gosh, the parts go to the sky! Except for the Bass. The moment they hit the final B Major Chord, you instantly hear the overtone - and I love it
Man......did they bust a chord tonight!
Me 2 months later: Does this mean the 5th voice was…*bites fingernails * the auditorium😱😱😱
Are we sure that the D# isn’t an overtone? The High B sounds too good to just be an overtone, maybe the bari somehow went up to that B? Idk it doens’t sound possible for it to be THAT clean, my gosh
It does sound like that, especially because the B slides up to it just a bit rather than locking in immediately with the other notes. Sounds more like the 3 octaves of Bs and the F#5, with the D# resultant tone.
It's an undertone your brain is inferring, not an overtone. There's a great comment above about it
Yeah, it's much more common to hear a major 3rd as an overtone. There's a bit of a scoop to the B as well, which would rule it out from being an overtone.
@@duncanrobertson6472 No, the B is 100% an overtone. It’s sounding the octave above the high-root, so that as the lead briefly scoops up, the harmonic goes up with it. They don’t have a fixed pitch. You can hear that it’s an overtone from the sound quality (doesn’t have a distinct vowel sound like the sung notes do).
Damn they fucking nailed that last note
This is one of my all time favorite memories on stage. Thanks for bringing it back to life with the video and transcription! -Jonny Tillery, Lead of The Vagrants
Oh wow! It's an honor! What an amazing quartet and such a stellar performance, must have felt absolutely amazing to be a part of
unless the quartet includes lalah hathaway
Very niche joke
Me singing 2 notes:
Attempt 1: AAAAAAAAA-
Attempt 2: *clones myself*
Morey Dumo 1: AAAAA
Morey Dumo 2: AAAAAA
I’ve rewatched this a bunch and I love how the camera guy goes damn when they hit it
I'm sour over no "bu-bust a chord" and the bell chord lol but nice ring!!
Joey Buss is a freak
Damn I didn't see it was Joey
There's a video of this same performance that you can listen much better
do you maybe have any more videos with very audible overtones? I often see comments on barbershop videos talking about the CRAZY overtones but I never hear them
"DAYUM"
Hello there, mr D#, nice to meet you. I'm so nearly tone deaf, I can barely tell pitches apart, so I'm just amazed by the (supposed) D# in the baritone.
As a classical musician, I wish the audience would stfu so I can hear the chord.
Woo! go me!
Okay now this guy is just posting transcriptions of my favorites playlist
"DAMMM DAMMM"
2econbd
People need to actively educate audiences to shut up until the performance is over. This doesn't happen everywhere in the world. It's an issue only in one country mostly.
The Vagrents were one of a kind! One of my favorite colligate quartets
Is that Joey from the Newfangled Four???
Yep!
@@jasonfieler I knew I could recognize him singing a high note like that any day... thank you!
No, they didn't sing it...but they did create it!
Yo Jason, you've gotta check out the GQ women's barbershop quartet, they're absolutely phenomenal and would have a wonderful spot on your channel!
Pass
Agreed! The stuff they do with Instant Classic is also super awesome! And since they got fourth this year, I’m sure they’ll soon be international champs soon!
0:38
1st
Can someone tell me how this works, or am I just stupid
Ok so basicaaly when a chord is sung with perfect tuning and positioning, you start to hear notes above that aren’t even being sung. You can look up what “overtones” or “the harmonic series” is to find out how it works more precisely, it’s just a really long but very interesting topic :))
I have no idea what you mean by this overtone stuff.
倍音聞こえすぎてヤベェ
why am i crying
Wow, just ..... wow !
I’m confused how is this possible
Not an expert but I believe that it's a natural property of sound that when you have more than one really in tune pitch playing together they can create an 'overtone' which basically creates the illusion of extra notes
Overtones are frequencies that naturally exist in every pitch, as ratios of the fundamental (the pitch you're actually hearing). The relative strength of different overtones is what gives each instrument its unique sound, but the fundamental dominates so you hear that as the note being played/sung. If they all sing different fundamentals that contain the same overtone frequency (as a different ratio of each fundamental), and they're so in tune with each other that their overtones reinforce each enough, you can hear the pitch of the overtone.
What's happening here is even more interesting than that though. The 5th pitch we're "hearing" is not actually an overtone of either the D#5 (the middle voice) or B5 (the high voice). But we're hearing other overtones of those pitches so prominently that our brains assume there's a B6 in there somewhere. So the fifth note that we're "hearing" is actually a PSHYCO-acoustic phenomenon.
This is fake news though, the top B is being sung. No one is singing the D#.
No barbershopper would miss out a third on the last chord of a tag like this. It’s just not a thing people do. The bari definitely has the D#.
First off: this is very much an audible fact - noe one is singing the D#. Use your ears.
Second off: The whole point of not singing the D# is that it will still be there as an overtone. However, I think everyone agrees that yes, as a rule if thumb, you don't leave out the third of a chord, and especially not in barbershop. But, again, use your ears. The bari is definitely not singing the D#. And it works - the no-third chord is a powerful statement to end this tune with, and the third is still "felt" because of the overtone series.
Do you really think that super-clear B on top is just magically appearing? Once again we can (say it with me) use our ears and it becomes very apparent that the high B is being sung - it's even being glissed up to!
This video is the most clickbaity stuff, just aiming to decieve (unless the creator of this transcription somehow actually believes this is what's happening himself), and somehow everyone is buying it, although by LISTENING WITH YOUR EARS (as opposed to with your eyes) it becomes very clear what is really going on here.
@@JMHV The D# won’t be there as a strong overtone without a 5th below it … that isn’t how the harmonic series works. It’s being sung … you can clearly hear the move up to it from the D-natural. The first chord has a D# overtone, the second has an F# overtone, and the third has a B overtone, as the voicing flips upwards each time. You can’t argue that they’re all being sung since there are only 4 voices. Overtones don’t have a stable pitch; they’re dependent on the pitch of the note being sung underneath. As the lead scoops up to the high root, so does the overtone above. I’m afraid you’re just plain wrong.
Keep dreaming
@@JMHV your ears suck, bro.