I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

In "performance" singing, the Lead "leads" -- using proper vocal technique, maintaining the tonal center, adding dynamics, and completing the song. The harmonizers follow the Lead. The Lead can get into trouble in a performance environment by listening too much -- the singing will sound tentative or hesitant, and not that pleasing for audiences.

During woodshedding, all four singers must listen, listen, listen. The Lead is more accurately a "melody-singer." He (she) needs these skills:

1. Awareness that the purpose of woodshedding is to ring chords rather than to sing songs. The aware Woodshed Lead will sing more slowly than he might opt to sing in a performance environment. He will be consciously aware of where harmony-part swipes should or may occur, especially at ends of phrases or where the harmony of the song is changing.

2. Awareness that chords falling on "weak beats" in a measure of music (beats #2 & #4 in 4/4 "foxtrot" meter, and beat #3 in 3/4 "waltz" meter) are equally as important to tune, lock, and ring as are the chords that fall on strong beats.

3. Awareness that some notes of the melody should be held for as long as it takes for one or more of the harmonizers to locate a good note. Woodshedding is "discovery singing," and all four woodshedders are equally involved in creating a satisfying arrangement together.

4. Awareness that songs should be pitched wherever the singing is most comfortable for the participants, especially if someone is off his natural part (e.g., a Bass woodshedding the Bari part). This means that a melody "written" in, say, B-flat could be pitched anywhere from A-flat to C. This flexibility enhances the chance that the singing will be vocally free rather than tense, and thus more chords should ring.

5. The courteous Woodshed Lead will sing a melody straight through "solo" before anything else happens. This is especially critical when one or more of the harmonizers is unfamiliar with the melody to be sung. It's important when one or more of the harmonizers is newer to the art of woodshedding, because of the "reaction time" required to locate and lock notes. It's even a good idea when one or more of the harmonizers is an experienced woodshedder with quick reaction time, as several popular melodies have variations to them. See below for a neat two-part rule for the harmony-singers.

6. The Woodshed Lead gains credibility and authority when he refrains from singing until:

1. The "key" (tune-up) chord is locked and rung; and
2. The first four-part chord of the song to be woodshedded is locked and rung, with everyone sure of his own starting note. This keeps one or more of the woodshedders from being lost for several notes or measures before finally getting a harmonic bearing.

7. Woodshedding is best done at moderate or soft volumes. For one thing, this allows the singers to hear themselves and what's going on.

8. Perhaps most important -- and most different from "performance" Lead-singing -- is a conscious awareness that there is no need to sing an entire song straight through. The purpose of woodshedding is to discover pleasing chords and ring them. Merely blasting through a whole song with inattention to the elements integral to good, fulfilling woodshedding will only result in some of the worst singing that the four of you have ever experienced... and, worse, the lousiest singing that passers-by have heard. Woodshedding must be the best singing that barbershoppers ever do. Working just one or two phrases of a melody, getting it right to the satisfaction of the four of you, can be the biggest Barbershop thrill that you may have experienced all year.

Now -- what's the intriguing mutual responsibility referred to in (5.)? It's the Primary Rule for Harmony-Singers:

Rule 1. The melody-singer is always right. He may not be correct, but he is always RIGHT.

Rule 2. When the melody-singer is wrong, see Rule #1.

In summary, the Woodshed Lead has responsibilities beyond what he (she) may have learned in chorus rehearsal or in a performing quartet. Woodshedding can help you, as a Lead, develop an EAR for music and make it as important as the mouth emitting the tones.