Come out of the woodwork and get into the woodshed
Sing by ear and have fun harmonizing without a printed page -- try woodshedding!

By Steve Shannon (Vice-President, AHSOW) and Terry Clarke (Director, AHSOW;Bass, 1980 International Champions Boston Common)

<p\>As proven, proficient quartet singers, you know how much fun it is to be with other men of like talents and abilities. Imagine if there were a special subset of our Society that would:

  • recruit only the finest quartet-harmony singers; and
  • provide special forums for experimental harmonization; and
  • conduct harmony seminars for "regular" Barbershoppers; and
  • preserve and encourage the best of Barbershopping; and
  • challenge quartet men to become even better; and
  • maintain private singing rooms at division, district and international conventions

…just for members.

The name of this group is AHSOW -- the Ancient Harmonious Society of Woodshedders, Inc. The group has more than 1,400 members. Founded at the 1977 SPEBSQSA international convention, AHSOW originated from the vision of Barbershoppers who remembered that our Society began as an "ear-singing" organization. Thanks to AHSOW's co-founders and members, authentic woodshedding has again caught on as a favorite activity for Barbershoppers.

Woodshedding consists of an individual bass, bari and tenor harmonizing to a lead's melody without reference to any written arrangement. Intensely pleasurable for the four singers involved, woodshedding is meant for their ears only, and not for an audience. The idea of woodshedding is to discover appropriate ringing chords rather than to "sing songs." Thus, the best "woodshed" melodies strongly imply many barbershop 7ths and are readily harmonizable. Woodshedders are free to pitch songs where the singing is comfortable.

Authentic woodshedding is a chance to practice and expand upon some personal musical capabilities that you may not realize you have, and an opportunity to discover a Barbershop arrangement all your own.

You're invited to join the club. AHSOW is the new home for great singers. See http://www.ahsow.org for more information.