For four Wakatipu women who form the Bellebirds barbershop quartet, the name could not be more appropriate.
Cheryl Collie, of Queenstown, Vicki Buckham, Jill Tremain and Pip Macauley, all of Dalefield, rehearse twice a week, fine-tuning their own rolling chorus to the delight of anyone who happens to hear their a capella harmonies.
Mrs Collie said the women had been singing together for several years, originally part of the Birds on a Wire barbershop chorus, and now hope to become affiliated with the Sweet Adelines - an international barbershop group.
While the origins of the barbershop quartet saw mainly men involved in the four-part groups, Mrs Collie said there were thousands of women now involved.
"Throughout the world, there would be thousands of women who sing barbershop music. It's huge in the United States and Britain and Canada.
"I think a lot of older women may be attracted to it because they've got the time, [but] it's certainly not just for older women: it's across the board."
Barbershop originated in the United States in the 1930s, when men waiting in barber shops would sing to entertain themselves and others while waiting for a haircut.
While many of the songs may be "classics", there was a contemporary movement coming through, with composers adapting pieces from Queen, Billy Joel and The Beatles to enable the four-part harmonies required of barbershop quartets.
The style was difficult to learn, particularly because the singers did not hold music sheets.
For Mrs Macauley, that was the hardest part of barbershop when she joined the Bellebirds three years ago.
"When I first started, I was OK . . . then Cheryl said `Put your music down' and I was absolutely freaked out.
"I thought I could never do this, my memory wouldn't hold it in. It is something you've got to concentrate on," she said.
Now, the women have a repertoire of "easily 20" songs they can stand up and sing anywhere - including at social gatherings, provided all four women are there.
"We've performed at the Jazz Festival and the Arrowtown Autumn Festival, but we really sing for the joy of singing," Mrs Collie said.
The Bellebirds have applied to be part of this year's ASB JazzFest, beginning on October 17.
