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2023-03-25 Arrangement Reflections: Stars In My Eyes

Mixtape rehearsal Video

Mixtape recording on SoundCloud (better audio quality)

I did this SAB arrangement for Mixtape Chorus in March 2023. We've done quite a few songs by this band (Ball Park Music). What can we say? They write great songs.

My reading of this song: it's about the loss of innocence.

The singers muses:

I'm starting to wonder was it all a lie?

Was there ever a time I had stars in my eyes?

Wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise

Tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes

I decided to leave the fully-formed homophony until the first chorus (the above lyrics). During Verse 1, the sops and baritones sing gentle "oos" while the altos croon the plaintive memories:

There was a place that I used to go

There was a girl that I loved who lived there

This was a long time ago

Why did I start the arrangement this way? The original recording begins with solo guitar and voice - it's intimate, vulnerable, reflective. I wanted the sops and baritones to be involved from the beginning, but not to pull focus from the melody (altos). The texture changes at the first chorus (in the original, more guitars and backup vocals enter, in my arrangement, all voice parts switch to lyrics i.e. homophony).

The chorus chord progression goes:

vi, IV, V

ii, IV, V

vi, IV, V

The magical moment is on the ninth bar where the expected vi chord is replaced with a ii chord. adding poignancy to the vulnerable plea to be a child once more: "wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise".

This drum beat drops in at Verse 2. I had the pleasure of playing this (on my synth).

Here's the song form:

Intro

Verse 1

Chorus 1

Verse 2

Chorus 2

Bridge

Bridge Pt 2

Chorus 3

Ending

Pretty typical pop song format, however the bridge is extended and takes quite a detour texturally (in the original recording, a piano appears with quite a honky-tonk sound, some squealy electric guitar fills, and some audio effects are applied to the backup voices). I gave the piano riff to the alto and baritone parts and let the sops soar on top with the melody for a while.

I did this because for Mixtape Chorus we're usually working with guitar and drums as accompaniment. Other interesting instrumental parts are usually turned into vocal parts (in this case, the altos and baritones sing the piano riff as "doot doo, doo-doot doo"). The sops get a bit of melody for a while.

The bridge is in two distinct parts to my ears - it vamps between chord IV and I for a while, then resumes the vi, IV, V progression established earlier in the chorus (repeating the phrase "tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes").

A sweet drum fill (mostly toms) brings it all home into Chorus 3 (which begins with the magical ii chord this time). NEW LYRICS appear! "So tell me it's over, tell me a lie, tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes". It's enough to break your heart. Ball Park Music seem to know how to combine rock and roll with disarming poignancy and vulnerability.

Anyway, the Mixtapers seemed to really enjoy this song (as did I). I'll probably upload it to the ArrangeMe platform soon, so it will be available to buy on Sheet Music Direct and Sheet Music Plus.

2022-12-02 What do singers want when they come to choir rehearsal?

I’m very interested in how to create positive choir rehearsal experiences for singers. One of the best things I’ve done recently is join another choir as a singer.

Being immersed in the singer’s experience has led to a number of “aha” moments. “I like it when we do THIS in rehearsal.” “I don’t like it when we do THAT in rehearsal.” “I wish we did a bit more of X.” “I was really surprised when we did Y.”

It got me thinking – perhaps there are some general principles we as conductors/directors/choir leaders can use when structuring our rehearsals to maximize the enjoyment and satisfaction of our singers. Putting myself in the singer’s shoes has really helped.

So, I made a Facebook post and posed the question. The response was pretty big! People had a lot opinions on this topic.

Here is my post, followed by some responses I collected from Facebook users. Some of the answers are facetious (these ones came mostly from my friends), some were very thoughtful.

Singers and choir leaders - do you agree with this list? Is there anything missing?

What do singers want when they come to rehearsal?

To sing a lot!
To learn new things - new music, new techniques
To receive positive feedback and praise
To feel a sense of achievement/success
To create beautiful music
To improve
To be a part of something bigger than themselves
To socialize and meet new people
Variety!
To express themselves
???

Answers from Facebook users/friends:

An outlet for their life's experiences
To show off (???)
To create an emotional connection with the audience
To please the conductor (?)
To have fun.
To participate in high level music making with like-minded singers that share my same passion for coming prepared and retaining what is taught.
To feel a sense of belonging.
Memes.
To entertain & even (on occassion) delight, excite & stimulate our audience. To feel the joy of many voices in harmony & the vocal magic that occurs when the Chorus is singing on point & the chords lock. Creative excitement occurs at such times.
Beers.
Baritones to be quiet.
To get the lovely tingly feelings when harmonies work!
Cake!!!
Better mental health. To Enjoy yourself. Make new brain pathways ..... Drink beer afterwards!
To be part of a community.
To sing great songs and dance along.
To also know when one is doing something incorrectly or poorly, so that steps can be taken to make necessary adjustments.
To mix with other choristers, and not fall into cliques. As a Class A Introvert Shy Boy, this is confronting, eg at tea break time when I become anxious trying to make conversation and watching people slowly back away, but in mixed guided vocal exercises/tasks it handles itself and becomes a bonding experience.
To feel the work develop & to feel ownership as an individual and as an ensemble member in that process, eg/ new dynamic moments that reshape how I perceived the song, or being guided personally towards an ensemble sound when I'm the one clashing, then getting the win from feeling the piece working.
Really getting to have moments to worship chords in moments (before then doing something musical with it).
To focus on the moment, forget everything else, relax and just be present to our fellow singers, musical director, and accompanist in our shared musical experience.
To be encouraged and made to feel that they can improve, not to be left behind. You got it about right except there should be good biscuits and even cake.
To watch the choir conductor attempt to sing impossibly high sop notes and improv melodic solos between verse.
To contribute to the group as a person, not just an "instrument" of the choir.
A sense of belonging. "I belong here".
To have fun. Which for some results from the items on your list. At school, with the semester wearing on, I feel like I need to intentionally find ways to make choir fun. For everyone. Thank you for this great list!
To be inspired.
That's a good overall list Dan. I'd add that it's going to be different for each chorus. My approach is to sit down with the chorus and discover what they'd like, look at how that contributes to overall goals and then set a shared vision for rehearsals. Then execute well, get regular feedback from the chorus and adjust as needed over time.
To increase their confidence, to do something just for themselves.
To be inspired by the talent on display!
To gain confidence which they can see the benefit from in other areas of their lives.
Health, mental health and wellbeing.
To de-stress and forget worries for an hour or so.
To experience physical connection with their bodies, practice release and deep listening, experience flow and focus.
I have a retreat each session I offer and we do a group list of desires and vision for the term. I find this super helpful as then the singers can help support each other and be aware of the various desires of the group.
To have a laugh and feel uplifted.
As a choir leader, I agree with all of the above, adding to care about each other.
To have the experience of being surrounded by sound and harmony. And to have fun!
To feel accepted and safe
Perhaps to develop leadership opportunities within the ensemble and school.

2022-11-17 Why repetition is good in a choir rehearsal

Repetition in your choir rehearsal is good - here’s why.

The singers get another chance to get used to the conducting gesture - and the conductor gets a chance to improve the conducting gesture

Singers get a chance to fix their own mistakes - often one more run is enough!
The conductor gets to listen another time, and to learn what the recurring issues are
Lay down another myelin sheath in the brain - the singers get to consolidate what they just learned
During the repetition the conductor gets more time to frame the next instruction/think of what to say
Singers get to sing more!

When teaching a phrase, I'll do a demonstration first then have the singers repeat it back to me. Usually there will be some pitch or rhythm errors, but I don't mention these - I just do another demonstration. A good demonstration is information-rich. Mentioning the errors is unnecessary and breaks the rehearsal flow.

If errors persist even after several repetitions, I'll intervene and fix it by a) slowing it down b) pairing the demonstration with some kinaesthetic gestures c) chunking the phrase into even smaller bits.

I'll frequently give the singers reminders about alignment, breathing, tone. These things are universal and not specific to the actual phrase - but they will help overall and they will help to instil a high regard for technique in the choir culture.

2022-10-21 Minimize Verbal Instruction

A rehearsal technique that has popped up at several conducting workshops is the no-talking rehearsal. The idea is to minimize the amount of talking that the conductor does and communicate non-verbally as much as possible.

Here's a fantastic example in a Harmony University video featuring Don Campbell. I've watched this video at least a dozen times. It's kind of amazing how he can drive the rehearsal through conducting gesture alone. Occasionally I try to emulate this rehearsal technique, although I tend to use more singing demonstrations.

When I employ this technique, this is what I observe:

The singers get to sing more (almost always a good thing)
The singers are more attentive. You can't look away, you can't be buried in the sheet music, you can't check your phone... If you do, you'll miss the visual instructions.
I get to rest my speaking voice (at the end of the night, my voice is less tired, which is nice)
A singing demonstration can often do the work of a verbal instruction, but quicker.
Also, a singing demonstration is information-rich: it can correct pitch errors, model good vowels and tone, correct rhythms...
A non-verbal signal (or 'emblem') can be used to remind the singers of specific concepts. For example, in this video I use an arched hand position for the 'EE' vowel sound (stole this directly from Don Campbell - he has a 'vowel continuum' which is a very useful rehearsal tool).
I use the opportunity to use sol fa/solfege hand signs for the singers to follow. Even if the singers aren't familiar with the system, they pick up the meanings by observing.
One thing to note - it's much faster if you control the pitch source in this rehearsal scenario. In my case, I use a little keyboard on a desk in front of me. Other times I've used a pitch pipe. But it's always controlled by me (as opposed to a singer in the choir, or an accompanist).
Some pre-requisites include: knowing the music very well; knowing how you want it to sound, having a reasonably clear and effective conducting gesture, being able to sing and demonstrate the sound you want for each part.

2022-10-14 Giving the singers visual information

I'm a fan of supplying my choir singers with visual information when possible.

This can come in a number of forms - sol fa hand signs, clear conducting gesture, visual reminders of singing techniques, modelling good alignment, sheet music, even just the lyrics written on a whiteboard...

When I'm at a choir rehearsal I like when the director gives me a visual component to help me learn and sing the music.

Another benefit from the point of view of the director is that you have to answer fewer questions - because the visual info answers it for you. If a singer does ask a question, you can often answer non-verbally by pointing to the sheet music/whiteboard.

In this video, I'm at the Canberra Chordsmen rehearsal venue which has a big projector on the wall. Luxury!

I like to use the projector when I can. It's not situated where I usually like to stand, but for these warm ups I moved myself in front of the projector so that the singers could see both me and the sheet music for It Always Seems To Rain On Choir Night. Sheet music here.

At other rehearsal venues, I bring my own whiteboard and write the round lyrics on it.

If the sheet music is visible, I'll draw the attention of the singers to specific aspects of it. "What's the key signature of this piece?" "What's the time signature of this piece?" "What's the longest rhythm in this piece?" "What it's called when we start with an incomplete bar?" The singers get a chance to demonstrate their knowledge and contribute to the rehearsal.

I usually talk about some vocal technique tips while teaching a round. If I'm using forethought, I'll pair each technique with a non-verbal visual cue as I teach it (i.e. hands on face to remind singers to release jaw/cheek tension). Then, while conducting, I can do the non-verbal cue and remind singers of the technique without needing to speak.

2022-10-06 My Process for Teaching A Round

(also applicable for teaching barbershop tags, song segments or other vocal exercizes)

Recently I started working with a new student who wanted tips on running small vocal groups. I had just recorded a segment of a Strange Weather Choir rehearsal in which I taught a round, and decided to share this and explain my teaching process. So, here ‘tis. Adapt to your group as necessary.

Here I Can See The Wide Blue Sky round - sheet music here

Announce what we’re about to do (“we’re going to learn a round”). I’ve been in situations where a teacher will launch into an exercize without explaining what the exercize is, and it can be disorienting.

Recite the words first (for clarity)

Do a full demonstration so the singers have an idea of what the whole thing sounds like

Supply sheet music or just the lyrics (many singers appreciate having a memory aid). I’ll often write the words on my whiteboard, or email out the sheet music ahead of time.

Teach the round line by line, correcting errors as you go. (I like to give feedback e.g. “very good, 90% success!”)

Be clear about when you are doing a demonstration and when the singers are copying you back (I like to point to myself for the demo, then conduct for the singers)

Sprinkle in singing tips (correct alignment, breathing, pronunciation). Do avoid getting bogged down in technique explanations though; flow is key.

Praise the singers when they do well! People like to know they’ve done the right thing. It irks me when a director doesn’t let me know if I correctly did what they asked a second ago.

I like to use sol fa/solfege as an additional learning tool (singers can “see” the changes in pitch on your hands). You could also just move your hand up and down with the pitches. Very helpful to those who like a visual aid when learning.

Break difficult phrases into chunks to make the learning easier (in this round, the third line “if I had wings, then I would try” has some tricky pitch changes, so I split it into 2 chunks)

Give alignment reminders if needed (keep an eye on the singers – are they staying aligned?) I often give non-verbal alignment reminders.

Do recaps if necessary! By the time you teach the last phrase, they may have forgotten the first phrase.

Give the singers many reps (they will enjoy more singing, and repetition is needed to lock in what they’ve learned)

Sing the round in 2 parts, then 3 or 4! If it’s a barbershop tag, do duets, then put it all together.

2022-09-19 Arrangement reflections: Island In The Sun by Weezer

A great indie-pop bop from 2001. This one was on my Mixtape Chorus to-do list since I started back in 2018. (I have a Spotify playlist called "Mixtape Someday Songs" that will eventually all get arranged)

No one can resist the catchy 'hip hip' vocal hook.

I really enjoy playing synth drums for this one (and blistering synth guitar solo).

The arrangement is pretty simple all round. In the chorus, the Sops and the Boms (baritone part) sing the melody an octave apart, and the altos sing a harmony in the middle (like the filling in a sandwich).

The bridge has some chunky 3-part homophonic chords, and I usually advise the singers to sing smooth wall-to-wall chords here.

2022-09-16 Arrangement reflections: Mingulay Boat Song

A great sea ballad/sea shanty with a rolling 9/8 rhythm. This song was introduced to me by Ewan Lawrie from the Canberra Shanty Club. The version he sent me is the one by The Longest Johns. This song is often sung at the Canberra Shanty Club to close out the night.

I did an arrangement for Strange Weather Choir (based on the Longest Johns version), and taught it at a workshop at Smith's Alternative in Canberra. Video here.

Harmonically, it's very simple: just primary chords the whole way. Satisfying to sing and sway from side to side (drunkenly?).

The choruses are all solid homophonic harmonies (for maximum ring and impact). The texture varies in the verses (one voice on lyrics, the rest on oos for example). The piano also plays a large part in changing up the texture.

The sheet music says 58bpm. I've since decided I like to bump it up to about 62bpm.

Rehearsal tip: advise singers how to pronounce Mingulay. MIH-ng-GAH-LEH-ee (diphthong in the last syllable).

I've had a number of singers in Strange Weather tell me how much they enjoy singing this song.

2022-09-14 Arrangement reflections: And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle

I've loved this song for a very long time. It was one of the first songs I remember having a strong emotional effect on me when I was a child - particularly the lines:

"And when our ship pulled in to Circular Quay

And I looked at the place where me legs used to be

I thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me

To grieve and to mourn, and to pity"

It is a powerful anti-war song. Although not, as Eric Bogle insisted, anti-soldier. The lyrics tell the sad tale of a young man to is drafted into the army, fights at Suvla Bay, gets his legs blown off, and then returns home and reflects on the folly of war.

Musically, it's pretty simple. It stays in D major the whole time, making strong use of primary chords and relative minor chords. It's in waltz time (3/4), and the arrangement stays in strict time pretty much the whole way.

It was satisfying to use some first-inversion and second-inversion chords, especially in bars 69/76 ("Johnny Turk, he was waiting, he'd primed himself well"). I was pleased with the voice leading and overall effect.

A possibly weakness of the song - at least from the point of view of a community choir - is its suitability for performances. It is long (clocking in at 6m25s), emotionally heavy, and really only suitable for an indoors, sit-down audience situation. The gravitas of the song demands a captive audience. And it's something you would put in the middle of a program, probably not at the beginning or the end. That said, when Strange Weather performed it in a marquee at the National Folk Festival, we did get an awe-filled reaction from the audience - so it is worth it for the emotional result.

2022-08-28 Arrangement reflections: On My Way by Alex Lahey

I LOVE this song. Another banger by Alex Lahey - an artist we’ve covered a number of times at Mixtape Chorus. The song is high octane, high energy, full of positivity. A great driving tune.

The song is featured in the soundtrack of the film The Mitchells VS The Machines - a charming family/roadtrip/robot apocalypse movie.

In Verse 4 the altos sing alone, and I love the effect: it's bare, honest, vulnerable. "Feeling what's in front of me, I've got double vision. Take a deep breath, make a decision."

In the finale, we overlay the chorus melody over the pre-chorus melody. This happens in the original song, and I kept it in the arrangement. It's an exciting effect.

I wrote myself a tambourine part and I love playing it (see this video).

2022-08-17 Arrangement reflections: Kitchen By Ruby Fields

One of the best uses of the vi chord in any song I've heard. The verse goes I, IV, I, IV (setting up the expectation) then goes I, vi and the lyrics take on an extra level of sentimentality/sweetness:

"I woke up and you were in the kitchen/Talking with my mum, and she was bitchin'/You couldn't care less but you sat there unblinkin'/Those orange curtains sure bring out the blush in your cheeks."

A sweet song all round - kind of a pub rocker, but also sentimental and full of gratitude.

Has swung quavers - not especially common in modern indie-pop or pub rock songs.

I’m coming to appreciate the power of switching between ride cymbals vs hi hats. I used ride cymbals in the chorus, which to my ears creates a looser, more generous and embracing sound. In Verse 2 it’s the hi-hat which feels tighter, more definite.