Frequently Asked Questions

Learning media includes 13 tracks for standard 4-part songs—a track with all 4 parts together, and 3 versions of separate tracks for each part.

These tracks are:

• • 4-part equal*
  • lead alone
  • lead dominant
  • lead missing
  • bass alone
  • bass dominant
  • bass missing
  • baritone alone
  • baritone dominant
  • baritone missing
  • tenor alone
  • tenordominant
  • tenormissing

For songs with solo tracks there are also solo alone, solo dominant and solo missing, depending on the length of the solo parts.  For 8-part (double chorus) songs there will be 27 tracks - 13 for each "chorus" and one combining them. 

Learning media does not include the sheet music. Click the arranger's name on your selected song title to get contact information for securing the arrangement.

*The single-track, or 4-part equal, is also available for download separately from this package for $1.99, if the sample is not sufficient for your review.

Please note that Kim's learning media is for educational purposes only and includes neither arrangements nor arrangers fees that are required for performance of the songs you select.

No, Kim does not send music with her learning media. The arranger handles the sheet music to be sure their fee and all copyright fees are paid.

You can find contact information for most arrangers on this website by clicking on their name at the top of the page with the song description. You can also find your arranger then click on their name on this list.

Songs that say they are available through SAI can be purchased on the Sweet Adelines International web site.  Most arranger's information is also listed there; for other arrangers that aren't listed you can also try the Harmonet website.

Yes! You may now click on "30 second sample" to hear the first part of the song, or you can purchase the 4-part track for only $1.99.

The single or 4-part equal track is available for purchase and download separately from the full song package, if the sample is not sufficient for your review.

Please note that KimKraut.com does not supply sheet music. Please contact the arranger for details on purchasing arrangments.

With the new search design you can find SAI recordings very easily. Just look at the list of categories and find "Song Available from SAI"!  You can also search by Young Women In Harmony (YWIH) for a list of songs for young women.

If you wish to learn more information about the arrangement for a "Song Available from SAI", make note of the song title and SAI number, then go to the SAI Store. You can search by song name in the "Search Catalog" field, then review the listed arrangements for the corresponding number by clicking the "View Preview Copy" link to the left of the song title. The SAI number is on the top, right cornerl.

Once you have found the song(s) you wish to order, simply add it to your shopping cart. You will then be taken through a secure payment system that allows you to use your credit card or your PayPal account. 

You will then receive an e-mail with a link to download your selected songs. You can then burn your own CD or make the files available to others in your singing group so they may create their own CDs. Delivery of the e-mail link is immediate, so you have access to your songs right after you order them. The package of files is delivered via a ZIP file, which will automatically extract files if you double-click it. All  individual files are delivered in MP3 format, which will easily convert to music CD format or can be directly downloaded to popular MP3 players, such as the iPod.

For security reasons, the availability of download links is limited to 15 days from the date of the e-mail you will receive as a result of your purchase. Once the links have expired, you will not be able to download the titles.

Please note that Kim's learning media is for educational purposes only and includes neither arrangements nor arrangers fees that are required for performance of the songs you select. Arrangement, per copy, and mechanical fees are the responsibility of the purchaser.

PayPal is one of the most popular on-line payment systems available through the Internet. It is a secure, automated payment gateway that allows you to purchase items on-line without disclosing your credit card information to multiple Internet resources (sites).

For the purposes of KimKraut.com SongFinder purchases, you are not required to have a PayPal account, however, having a PayPal account gives you more options for payment (such as eChecks and withdrawl from a PayPal account). For more information on PayPal, see www.paypal.com.

No, you can't download a list of all tracks, but you can VIEW a list of all tracks by clicking the FULL LIST category.

The list is in alphabetical order, and t will probably be help to change the display number at the bottom of the screen to something larger than the default of 20 songs per page.

As part of the new online store, everyone is now required to login and maintain an account to be able to purchase learning media.  There are several reasons for this:

1. It makes ordering easier because once you enter your contact information, it will automatically enter the information for you each time your order.
2. You will have a record of your order history.  If you purchase a download and lose/delete the email with the download information, you will be able to login and get the download link again.
3. Arrangers are sent a report of each song purchased and who purchased it.  Having correct purchaser information will keep us in compliance with the Copyright laws.

No, you do not have to use PayPal. To purchase downloadable tracks you can now either use the Major Credit Card option, which uses the Braintree Payment Gateway, or the PayPal option to pay for them. Even if you do not have a PayPal account, the payment screen you are taken to in PayPal will allow you to use any major credit card.

Both options use proven, secure method for online payment and provides PCI DSS compliant processing for your credit card. That's geek speak for "they protect your number, man"!

If you've forgotten your username or password, simply click the link under the login boxes labeled "Forgot Your Username" or "Forgot Your Password".

If you don't remember your username, you will be sent an e-mail with your username, as long as the e-mail you submit is the one with which you subscribed to the site. If you receive an error after entering the e-mail address, simply "Create a New Account".

If you don't remember your password, you will be asked for your username (which will be verified as you enter it) and your e-mail account. This process will result in an e-mail that provides you a new password, rather than sending your existing password. Use this new password to log onto the site, then go to your profile to change your password to one you can remember!

This process depends upon the fact that when you created your account, you responded to an email asking you to verify your email address by clicking a link. This security measure sets your account to "active" and allows the "forgot username/password" process to work.

If it's not working for you, please send us a help request rather than creating a new account.

The email notification of your download occurs once your order has been confirmed--which means that you completed all steps for check-out and the payment processor of choice has returned a message to KimKraut.com that your purchase was approved--and that there are no email issues between our server and the email account listed in your account information.

Although we rarely have delivery failures with SongFinder purchases, you can login and go directly to your downloads to view all learning media that you have purchased, and click the link for tracks that are still available for download. Downloads expire after they have been downloaded 50 times or after 15 days.

If you do not see your order on the download list, it may mean that your order was not confirmed. Please view your orders to check the status. If the status is created, you can use the "pay with..." button to complete your order.

"All Parts" indicates a single-track, which is the 4-part equal recording within the full learning tracks package. At only $1.99 each, single tracks, or "All Parts", were developed to provide an inexpensive way to hear the entire song, just in case the sample does not allow you to make sure it is a match for your arrangement.

If you purchase the full learning media set, or the multi-track package, the "All Parts" is included and should not be purchased separately, except for the use indicated above. Full, multi-track package costs range from $20.00-$60.00, depending upon the age of the title and the number of tracks, and are non-refundable, so our single-tracks will allow you to ensure that our recording is identical to your sheet music.

Single-tracks also give you an inexpensive way to build playlists on your local device of all of your favorite barbershop songs!

Please note that Kim's learning media is for educational purposes only and includes neither arrangements nor arrangers fees that are required for performance of the songs you select.

There are two ways to use your major credit card while checking out on KimKraut.com:

The "Major Credit Card" option uses a fully secure internet payment gateway called Braintree Payments. Braintree provides secure processing while still on the KimKraut.com site, but no credit card information is stored on our site. Although Braintree is now owned by PayPal, they are simply a wholly-owned subsidiary, so there is no co-mingling of accounts with the traditional PayPal method.

"PayPal", the second option, is one of the most popular on-line payment systems available through the Internet. It is a secure, automated payment gateway that allows you to purchase items on-line without disclosing your credit card information to multiple Internet resources (sites). PayPal allows you to pay via your own PayPal account, or using a major credit card (as long as it is not attached to a PayPal account).

When you place learning tracks into the shopping cart and press the checkout button, but the credit card information you entered cannot be processed, an email is sent to you indicating that your order was "created", and there will be no links to the tracks...because they have not yet been purchased. Don't worry, your credit card has not been charged either!

When you successfully complete an order including payment for your tracks, you will receive an email notification that your order was "confirmed" and the song(s) listed will include links for downloading. 

If you still have an order in "created" status, you can log onto the site, go to your account, and select orders. All of your orders will be listed there, but any for which payment has not yet been made will have a "Pay Now" button next to them. Once you successfully enter a payment method, your order will become "confirmed" and you will receive an email notification with download links.

You can also download purchased tracks directly by going to your Account and selecting downloads. You will see a list of all of your purchased tracks, with links for any that are still within the 15-day or 50 downloads limitation.

Please note that Kim's learning media is for educational purposes only and includes neither arrangements nor arrangers fees that are required for performance of the songs you select. Arrangement, per copy, and mechanical fees are the responsibility of the purchaser.

"MUSIC OUT OF PRINT" is the notification we provide when the chart, or sheet music, is no longer available through SAI, thus cannot be ordered via SAI's online store, or through the arranger.

If you already own copyright to the chart, prior to it becoming "out of print", you may still be able to perform it...as long as the original copyright provider has not removed that privilege. It does mean that if you haven't already paid per copy and possibly arranger's fees, you will not be able to order it now.

We may not know the reasons that an arrangement is out of print, but it is best to check with your arranger directly. You can find their web site or email by clicking their name on our Resources/Arrangers list.

In recent years the capability to download various file types to an iPhone and to retrieve those files has been greatly simplified. Thanks Apple! There is no longer a need to install a 3rd-party app in order to download your purchased learning tracks to an iPhone. Here are the basics ...

On an iPhone you may use the default browser app, Safari, to download both zip and mp3 files. All iPhones come with Safari pre-installed and zip and mp3 files are the file types you'll encounter on our website by purchasing learning tracks or downloading our free track of the month.

When downloading a file using an iPhone and the Safari browser a blue circle/download arrow will appear in the browser web address bar indicating download progress and completion of your chosen file(s).

Tapping on the blue circle/download arrow icon will open a new menu in your browser that contains a "Downloads" option. The "Downloads" option will reveal files you've recently downloaded to your iPhone using Safari.

Now click either on the file in your downloads or click the magnifying glass icon to open the folder containing the file and others in the iPhone Files app. The Files app also comes pre-installed on all iPhones.

If you've downloaded a zip file, hard-press and hold on the zip file until you see a menu appear. The menu contains an "uncompress" option. Select that option and the zip file will be opened and a folder will be revealed containing the mp3 learning track files.

You may also play the mp3 audio files on your iPhone by tapping an mp3 file in the Files app.

If you scroll down on the home page, or go to THIS PAGE, you will see a list of the categories for which tracks are available. You can start by looking for your selected music in Contest Ballads and Contest Uptunes. At the bottom of the page, you can change the "Display #" to all, and scroll through the alphabetized list to find your song.

Songs in those two categories are placed there because of feedback from the arranger of the song representing it as such. Sometimes, there will be reference to its contestability in the description, but not often.

The very BEST way to know if a song is contestable, and our recommended method, is to ask the arranger specifically. They can generally help you understand if it is a strong vehicle for your needs.

There are literally thousands of song titles available in the world of barbershop, and many arrangers create multiple arrangements of their songs. Sometimes, a new version of an existing arrangement is created for a specific group, or to change the key, or to modify an intro and a tag for improvement. The reasons for different versions are varied and abundant.

KimKraut.com learning tracks are generally created when specifically requested (ordered and paid) by a singing group, or sometimes at the request of an arranger as a companion to their arrangements. So, the version of the learning track matches the source of the request at the time of the request.

We have worked hard to put detailed information in the description of each track so that the source of the arrangement recorded can be matched. Likewise, we offer a 30-second clip and a full version of each 4-part recording so that you can be confident that you are buying tracks that are a match for your arrangement.

If you find, however, that your tracks are not an exact match, we recommend that you contact the arranger and ask them for the arrangement that does. You can find arranger contact information here. This is a good time to remind you that KimKraut.com does not distribute sheet music and that it is the singer's responsibility to make sure that all proper licensing and arrangement fees have been paid.

After producing and delivering learning tracks online for around fifteen (15) years, we have some ideas to share with you regarding the use of our site and tracks. We also have to help singers come to the unfortunate understanding at times that they have invested $30-$60 in learning tracks that are not a match with their needs.

We hope this "process" will help you continue to select music optimally, help you purchase learning tracks you can use, and continue to enjoy singing!

1) Use the SongFInder Search, Categories, or Arranger listing to find songs.

SongFinder lets you search for songs in our library by entering words or complete titles. By clicking on the song title, you will see the details about that particular song, including the sample track and the arranger's name, which is also a link to contact information for that arranger.

A list of song categories is found on our home page. These are handy of you have an idea for a song, but don't have specific song titles in mind, or if you are trying to use a specific theme. There are also categories for contest-worthy songs, according to their arrangers.

Finally, if you have found an arranger whose songs you adore, you can use our arrangers list to view all songs by that particular arranger within our library.

If you LOG IN before performing your search, you can add songs to a wishlist of songs you like that can later be converted to your cart for purchase.

2) Listen to samples of songs you like.

Each full set of tracks has a 30-second sample, most of which start at the intro (beginning) of the song. The sample can give enough to know if you want to pursue a song you don't know OR confirm that the sample portion is a match if you already have your arrangement.

3) Purchase the single tracks of the songs you like and believe will be a good fit for your group.

This is a very important step if you already have an arrangement (chart) in hand, and are looking for matching tracks! 

Single tracks are an MP3 that includes all parts singing the entire song. Each song title has a module to the right (or just below, if on mobile) that allows you to purchase a single track. 

Single tracks let you hear the entire song, gives you an idea of the vocal ranges necessary to sing it, the length of the song...all of the goodies!

If you have several songs you are considering, we recommend using single tracks in a playlist for you and others who are in on the selection process that you can listen to for a week or so. At the end of that week, you will generally have a clear "winner" in mind. Or, you might want to make sure you've taken care of the next step before considering it a real contender.

4) Contact the arrangers for preview copies of their arrangements and make sure you have a match (current arrangement = learning tracks).

This is a big one. Nothing will break your heart more than LOVING a song and not being able to secure the arrangement for it...except to also have spent $60.00 on non-refundable learning tracks, too.

The detail screen for each title in our library contains a link to arranger contact information. If you cannot reach a particular arranger, you might try Googling them or searching for them in Facebook.

Please keep in mind that many of these arrangements are now being sold directly by Sweet Adelines International (SAI membership is not required to purchase), which offers an online preview of most songs. 

This review needs to be very thorough, making sure that the tracks are an exact match to the arrangement. We recommend letting a section leader, if a chorus, or each part within a quartet review the arrangement while listening to the single track with a focus on their own part.

5) For your "final decision" songs, now process full purchase and per copy fee with arranger.

Now that you have verified you have learning tracks that match your arrangement, and have decided upon your song(s) of choice, make sure you legally obtain the arrangement, paying arrangement and per copy fees. 

6) Purchase and download full set of learning tracks.

Hooray...you're ready to get ready to learn a new song. With matching arrangement in hand, now you can purchase the full learning tracks for your song. Here's what you can expect in that learning track download. 

7) Load learning tracks to central location that acts as a backup. 

We are contacted by folks every month who have experienced a catastrophic failure on their laptop or PC, and all of their precious learning tracks are gone. Piling on top of that a reminder that songs are only available for download for 15 days after purchase is one of our least favorite circumstances!

Loading your new learning tracks to a cloud location (Google Drive, DropBox, iCloud, etc.) not only helps you share these large files with your fellow singers, it also provides a storage container for learning tracks that is not endangered when your cat knocks your coffee cup over and fries your laptop. Most cloud storage products have direct connection capabiility to your desktop or mobile device, so their location does not mean they are more difficult to play than local copies.

Other storage options are:

• Burn storage CDs
• Save files to a thumb drive
• Save files to an external hard drive

We hope these steps help you maximize your experience with our learning tracks and provides yet another way for you to enjoy singing!