[Harmony Songs for Duets] Songs that feel great to harmonize

Song of LifeManaKana

Manakana – Song of Life

Released in February 2009, this is the fourth single by ManaKana—the twin duo of Mana Mikura and Kana Mikura—who became popular through the NHK serial drama “Futarikko.” Even sung solo, it’s a beautiful ballad for a female vocalist, but if you can harmonize well, its charm and fun will multiply many times over.

Unlike classic Showa-era duets, this song features a slightly more complex choral arrangement, so it may be a bit difficult to accurately pick out each part from the original.

Try studying it with tools like karaoke guide melodies.

When you nail the harmonies, it will surely feel wonderful!

ChampionAlice

Alice Champion

This is Alice’s 14th single, consisting of Shinji Tanimura, Takao Horiuchi, and Toru Yazawa, released in December 1978.

Alice were leading figures in the genre known at the time as “New Music,” which evolved from traditional folk songs, but surprisingly, the only song of theirs to reach No.

1 on the Oricon charts was this “Champion.” I’m introducing this track as their signature song for that reason, but in fact, all of Alice’s string of hits are textbook examples of two-part male harmony.

They’re perfect both for casually harmonizing for fun and for practicing and studying harmony.

The structure, with the two lead singers—Tanimura and Horiuchi—alternating on lead, also makes it ideal for karaoke.

If you’re interested in harmony or want to get better at it, try using this as your study material!

MapleSpitz

Spitz / Kaede

This is Spitz’s 19th single, released in July 1998.

In addition to being used as the opening theme for TBS’s COUNT DOWN TV, it secured tie-ins with several dramas.

A few years ago, it also made headlines when Moka Kamishiraishi sang it in a commercial.

Musically, it’s a very simple slow ballad, but the so-called “ji-harmo” (a harmony that sings the same lyrics as the lead in the chorus) is placed very effectively.

The harmony is a “lower harmony,” where the chorus sings a third below the lead.

While the technical difficulty of singing it is not particularly high, I think it’s crucial to match the timing precisely with the lead.

So when you perform it, be sure the two singers stay perfectly in sync.

main streetRingo Sheena & Tortoise Matsumoto

Sheena Ringo and Tortoise Matsumoto – Main Street

A song by Ringo Sheena and Toraji “Tortoise” Matsumoto of the rock band Ulfuls.

It was released exclusively as a digital-download single in April 2017.

The big band jazz arrangement, reminiscent of a Broadway musical, is particularly striking.

It may be a fairly advanced song to harmonize cleanly at karaoke, but try using features like guide melodies to learn each part well and give it a shot.

Of course, you can also just enjoy it as a simple male-female duet!

AM11:00HY

11:00 AM – HY (Full)

A track from HY’s second album “Street Story,” released in April 2003, by a mixed Okinawan band with three men and one woman.

It consistently ranks near the top on karaoke and ringtone charts, and it was used as an in-show track in the NHK morning drama series “Jun to Ai.” With its upbeat vocals and rhythm, it’s a very pleasant song to listen to, and the dual male-female vocals make each part easy to hear.

It’s interesting that the lower harmony is sung against the female lead.

Be careful not to fall behind the beat during the rap section.

The Rainbow From That Day and Our AnthemSukima Switch

Sukima Switch “The Rainbow of That Day and Our Anthem” Official Audio

Sukima Switch’s harmonies are basically the “lower harmony” in my mind.

The upper harmony is easy to grasp, but isn’t the lower harmony kind of hard to find by ear? Still, their two voices balance so well—I love it, and it always makes me want to harmonize! Especially in this song, the lower harmony right after the final chorus line of the hook feels amazing when it locks in, so that’s my top recommendation.

I think it’s fine to sing with about the same volume as Ohashi! The key with lower harmony is to support firmly without sticking out more than the lead vocal, so it might be tough to pitch at first, but do your best not to get pulled toward the main melody!

My Gift to YouCHEMISTRY

CHEMISTRY “My Gift to You” Official Video

This is the male vocal duo CHEMISTRY’s 7th single, a limited-edition release of 100,000 copies from December 2002.

The fact that they could set the limit at 100,000 copies really shows CHEMISTRY’s star power, and it also evokes the era at the time of release, so different from today when music doesn’t sell as easily.

As a song, it’s a slow ballad with a beautiful male vocal melody, and even as a karaoke pick, I think it’s very easy to sing.

The harmony part might be a bit hard to catch in the first chorus since the harmony is below the lead, but in the last chorus it switches to an upper harmony that blends very nicely.

When you nail that section, it sounds super cool! It’s a very appealing track for a male duo, so definitely practice it and make it your own!