How to pick parts 4 a choir

[sebstyoung]

hello friends, picking out the soprano and tenor parts has been really easy for me... even subconsciously.
 but d real hitch is getting the alto. it seems hidden except some stereo recording that pans sopranos and altos to the left or right(kirk franklin does this).
 Need answers on how to get d altos easily. Thanks y'all in advance.

[JoanHall]

I agree that hearing those middle parts is harder than hearing the top and bottom.  Here are my suggestions:

• Practice, practice, practice.  Just keep on doing it and you start getting better at it.
• Sometimes if I'm having difficulty discerning a particular note, I'll try singing along with it as the passage plays.  First I'll sing the one note that I think it might be, then I'll try again singing the other note that I think it might be.  Often I'll be able to hear the discord between myself and the recording when I'm singing the wrong note.
• If you have an understanding of chord structure, that can be a guide for determining what note they would probably be singing to fill out the chord.  Of course, some music is more progressive than others, so the choir parts may sometimes differ from the standard chord structure of the song.
• If you have the opportunity to be in rehearsals where a really good director is teaching parts, try sitting in their rehearsals and singing along with all of the parts -- soprano, alto, and tenor -- as they teach them.  This could help develop your ear for hearing alto parts.

And if you'll allow me to promote my business here, ChoirParts.com sells soprano, alto, and tenor mp3s for a lot of choir songs.  And people can make custom orders for songs that are not already in the catalog.

[sebstyoung]

wow! Joan, that's really resourceful.

[iluvjazz7]

Good advice!

[sebstyoung]

Joan, am a pro a parts now. Thanks for the insights.

[JoanHall]

So happy to hear it!  God bless!