Nice to revisit this thread! 

🤔... thinking more about using our bowed-string instruments 'as' human voices. 

As far as music now, I LOVE where I've heard many individual layers of a melody combined in one track - 'doubling' provides an extremely dense/full sound.  I like hearing the subtle differences in timbre of different violins (or violas) played together.  Not sure if this is how most string players record, but can ssometimes feel consistant throughout a piece.  ...not saying I'm aware of everything I hear. 

It would be very interesting to 'shape' the layers like they were background vocals!  I think background vocals might echo/respond to a part, emphasize with extra dynamics, spot harmonize a word (or phrase), maybe interject blues/jazz riffs - even some counterpoint - all in one song! 

...but would it really seem like anything more than an overly-thick duet, a string quartet on steroids, or just a glorified backing track?  Lots of room to experiment.

Composed vs improvised?  Backing always seems like a great place to improvise, but I also love the idea of taking a great improvisation and making it a permanent part of a composition - for a 'feel' of improv, but with performance consistency.  ...might apply to vocal background, too. 

Anyway, thought it might be worthwhile to check out tips from folks who compose background vocals & also from those who sing them - for more insight on how I might make the fiddle work. 

One thing that struck me in th OP video, had me feeling more nostalgia... elements of Soul, maybe Motown... where my first recollections of hearing backing vocalists came from.  I did a little digging - first, Wikipedia says Michael McDonald sings/plays "Blue-eyed Soul" (R&B & Soul), then I found Behind the Spotlight: The Essential Role of Background Singers in Music at Novecore. 

The history of background singing reveals its evolution as an integral part of music, shaping genres and elevating performances. In the early days, especially within genres like jazz and blues, group singing formed the backbone of many performances. Gospel music, in particular, played a crucial role in the development of background singing. 

As music evolved through the 20th century, so did the role of background singers. The 1950s and 1960s saw the rise of girl groups and doo-wop bands, where background vocals were not just support but a key feature of the music’s appeal. The intricate harmonies and call-and-response style became trademarks of these genres. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, background singing took on a new dimension with the advent of studio technology and multi-track recording.

How Do Background Vocals Transform R&B Music? (ft. Linda Diaz) 

Had to look a The 7 Levels of Vocal Harmony, with 12 Tone!  Heterophony?

I'm still interested in seeing if using my 6-string Fiddle, 5-string Fiddle, & 5-string Viola, in place of background vocals, might lead me to something I like - even though it's easier to grab digital sound samples to layer in DAW... and I would have to use DAW for layering/editing tracks. 

For some great videos on music concepts (in general) - Aimee Nolte Music has more great videos, and Rick Beato 2 has some 'short form content' (compared to his other Channel) worth checking out. 

Making Backing Tracks Thread 

Harmony & Reharmonization Thread

@ABitRusty -

Thanks, I appreciate your insight! 

Since so many trad tunes I know also have lyrics, I was just trying to find a new way of thinking about them (without singing), plus it's been nice learning a little more about the music I grew up with.

I kinda dismissed looping here - mainly because I can't plan, manipulate, or switch between things well while I'm playing.  It does seem more straight foreward to record many single tracks & manipulate them in the DAW - maybe alternating dense areas with a smooth transition to an isolated track.  I do like the idea of recording each unison track slightly different, or with a different fiddle, more than just doubling in DAW.

On a very basic level, just figuring out where the background vocals 'might' enter/leave a song/tune (& what 'kind' they are) could give me the idea to change what I'm playing - maybe in spots I wouldn't normally think to do it.  Might be where I choose to use doublestops or fill with a flurry of notes.  Maybe instead of some counterpoint, I'd change up my rhythm & play a couple measures of a completely different melody.  I also have the option to play with dynamics, change octaves or key/mode - I just don't want to keep doing it the same way. 

Actually, it seems ridiculous, but I'm still amusing myself (way too much) with all the little sounds coming from my bow..."help!  ...help meee!  ...pleeease help meeee!" 

(the fly, 1958)