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Thread Vocal Harmonies

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1 Vocal Harmonies
Anyone know how Alice In Chains get that dark doubled vocal sound on most of their vocals? At first I thought it was just Jerry and Layne singing together, in fact, Jerry mentioned in an interview once something about "Minor 4th Harmonies" which really doesn't make any sense to me at all, if someone could explain that phrase, thanks.

But when I listen to their solo stuff (Layne: Mad Season, Jerry: Cable Guy Sountrack) they still get that effect without each other, which makes me think it's some kind of doubling trick.

Any thoughts?

If you don't know what I'm talking about and are interested, here are some songs I'm talking about

Alice In Chains, Album: Jar of Flies, Song: Rotten Apple
Alice In Chains, Album: Alice In Chains, Song: Again
Jerry Cantrell, Album: Cable Guy Soundtrack, Song: Leave Me Alone
Mad Season, Album: Above, Song: I Don't Know Anything


Thanks,

Justin
2
Hey!
I used to play guitar for a band where the vocalist and the bass player did that kind of thing...
The thing is, first of all, of course there are 2 different voices recorded there. Then, while the main voice sings normally, the second voice sings at the same time but in a different tune, a different scale, that's where that "Minor 4th Harmonies" comes from. The Harmonic Minor is the name of a scale. Thus that "dissonance" and weird harmony in the vocals. Also, remember that minor chords (and minor scales) kinda evoke more of a feeling of melancoly and sadness, if you know what I mean. That's why their vocals sound always depressive, sad...
To do that kind of thing requires trained vocalists, with a good knowledge of note vocalization, and of course they must practice together very much to get it right.
You can also hear that kind of thing (but not with the "sad" feeling, because they use another scale) on the backing vocals that Richie Sambora does to Jon Bon Jovi, for example.
I'm sorry I can't help you more with that subject, I can't pull that vocal trick out because I am not a skilled vocalist, hehe... But I have played with people that did that, so I am talking from my own "spectator's experience", hehe...
BEST REGARDZ,

DB