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Adam's Ten Commandments of Tag Singing

With a busy summer ahead of of barbershop cookouts, barbershop camps, barbershop conventions, and barbershop hanging out in the backyard. it seemed timely to refresh ourselves on some rules of etiquette.

  1. Thou shalt not tag jack (also known as altering the words or notes of existing tags)
  2. Thou shalt not 5th wheel
  3. Thou shalt not encroach upon the space of others
  4. Thou shalt not obnoxiously add 9ths and 7ths to existing tags including and especially the Westminster flat 7
  5. Thou shalt not intrude upon, or ask to sing with an obviously established tagging quartet unless invited by someone in said quartet
  6. Thou shalt not be too exclusive but read the social signals that anyone should be able to read and INVITE others to join or sub in to the next tag. Thou shalt encourage other's enjoyment of tag singing too.
  7. Cousin Shane Scott's tenor rule of “if thou full-voiceth the penultimate 2, thou must also proceed to full-voiceth the 3”.
  8. Thou shalt apply proper balance to the chords (no blastissimo or molto screamissimo thirds, etc)
  9. Thou shalt know all four parts to a tag before proceeding to teach the tag.
  10. Thou shalt not add the second half of the new “Behind” tag (“The world”)to any other tag except said “Behind” tag.