Welcome to the world of Barbershop singing.

This website is the central website for The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) and here you will find everything you need to know about Barbershop harmony singing in the UK.

If you need to find a barbershop chorus or barbershop quartet to sing for your event, or want to find a chorus near to you that you can join to sing, or you need to know what barbershop events are occurring in the barbershop singing world, or you need to track down some music, then you will find it all here on this website

BABS holds its national convention in May every year when all the choruses and quartets from all over the UK meet to celebrate this wonderful hobby. There are two major competitions - one for the choruses and one for quartets.

Barbershop harmony is a style of unaccompanied vocal music characterised by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture.

The melody is consistently sung by the lead, with the tenor harmonising above the melody, the bass singing the lowest harmonising notes, and the baritone completing the chord.

Barbershop singers adjust pitches to achieve perfectly tuned chords in just intonation while remaining true to the established tonal centre.

Artistic singing in the Barbershop style exhibits a fullness or expansion of sound, precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill and a high level of unity and consistency within the ensemble. Ideally, these elements are natural, unmanufactured and free from apparent effort.

Barbershop music presentation uses appropriate musical and visual methods to convey the theme of the song and provide the audience with an emotionally satisfying and entertaining experience. The musical and visual delivery is from the heart, believable, and sensitive to the song and its arrangement throughout. The most stylistic presentation artistically melds together the musical and visual aspects to create and sustain the illusions suggested by the music.

To become a member of BABS
It’s best to become a full individual member of BABS by joining one of our local 60+ Registered Clubs, as they will collect your annual BABS subscription of £48 (£24 if under 26). Many of our clubs have mixed choruses so ladies are welcome
For your local chorus click here
For more information please contact the BABS Membership Secretary at:
membershipsecretary
@singbarbershop.com
For other ways to join the Association click here.