- Trills on a Tuesday
- Apr 24
- 4 min read
Elliot was our guest MD this week and he put a new twist on the dreaded tongue circles. Think of a phrase or chorus of a song and hum that tune while you circle your tongue in one direction and when the phrase is finished, do it again circling your tongue the other way. This way you can concentrate on the notes rather than the pain in the tongue!
You’re the Voice, a high energy song, so pace yourself. It needs energy from the start, but you have to keep something in reserve for the big build up towards the end.
The Oohs should crescendo and think bright, so notes aren’t flat.
The rhythms and cut offs are important in this song. ‘We have’ should have a short ‘have’ with a strong ‘v’ sound.
With the next set of Oohs, even though the notes are going down, think up and sing them to the end of the bar. This helps to keep up the energy.
The gaps in the phrasing are critical. ‘…We’re all someone’s son’ count 123 before coming in on ‘How long…’ which is syncopated then a slight gap before ‘…barrel of a gun’
Familiarise yourself with the words so you can look up and watch for the cut offs and timings.
This song should sound like a fanfare! Not quite sure if this is what Elliot mean't
You’ll Never Walk Alone, is a much slower pace. When Altos, Tenors and Basses sing their Oohs from ‘You’ll never walk ooh’, sing (in your head) ‘alone’ with the Sops and you’ll know when your Ooh starts after the ‘a’ of ‘alone’
‘tossed and blown’ - ‘tossed’ is not aggressive but should be emphasised with a very short gap before ‘and blown, but don’t take a breath!
The Sound of Silence is a song by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. It was featured under both the opening and closing credits of the 1967 film The Graduate.
Paul Simon wrote The Sound of Silence when he was 21 years old, later explaining that the song was written in his bathroom, where he turned off the lights to better concentrate. "The main thing about playing the guitar, though, was that I was able to sit by myself and play and dream. And I was always happy doing that. I used to go off in the bathroom, because the bathroom had tiles, so it was a slight echo chamber. I'd turn on the faucet so that water would run (I like that sound, it's very soothing to me) and I'd play. In the dark. 'Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again.
The lyrics of the song are written in five stanzas of seven lines each. Each stanza begins with a couplet describing the setting of the scene, followed by a couplet driving the action forward and another couplet expressing the climactic thought of the verse, and closes with a one-line refrain referring to "the sound of silence".
The progress of the lyrics through its five stanzas places the singer into an incrementally increasing tension with an increasingly ambiguous "sound of silence". The irony of using the word "sound" to describe silence in the title lyrics suggests a paradoxical symbolism being used by the singer, which the lyrics of the fourth stanza eventually identifies as "silence like a cancer grows". The "sound of silence" is symbolically taken also to denote the cultural alienation associated with much of the 1960s.
The first stanza presents the singer as taking some relative solace in the peacefulness he associates with "darkness" which is submerged "within" the ambiguous sound of silence.
The second stanza has the effect of breaking into the silence with "the flash of a neon light" which leaves the singer "touched" by the enduring ambiguity of the sound of silence.
In the third stanza, a "naked light" emerges as a vision of 10,000 people all caught within their own solitude and alienation without any one of them daring to "disturb" the recurring sound of silence.
In the fourth stanza, the singer proclaims in a declarative voice that "silence like a cancer grows," though his words "like silent raindrops fell" without ever being heard against the by now cancerous sound of silence.
The fifth stanza appears to culminate with the urgency raised by the declarative voice in the fourth stanza through the apparent triumph of a false "neon god". The false neon god is only challenged when a "sign flashed out its warning" that only the words of the indigent written on "subway walls and tenement halls" could still "whisper" their truth against the recurring and ambiguous form of "the sound of silence".
Eamonn’s arrangement of this song is very different to the original with many gaps and elongated notes, so beware and be ready! You do NOT want to fall into one of Eamonn’s famous dunce holes!
The gaps get longer as the song goes on, especially from ‘Hear my words that I might teach you…’ (Count 123 in your head) .’Take my arms that I might reach you….’ (count 12345 in your head). ‘….and echoed in the well…’ (count up to 12 in your head).
Don’t be afraid of the silences, they add tension and atmosphere. Feel the emotion in these gaps as if you are in awe!
With over 1billion sales Disturbed's cover of "The Sound of Silence" (originally by Simon & Garfunkel) amplifies the original meaning of a profound communication breakdown, emotional isolation, and societal apathy in a modern, technologically distracted world. The haunting, orchestral arrangement serves as a wake-up call to the danger of failing to connect genuinely with others, with "silence" representing a growing, cancer-like void of indifference.
Both versions carry the same lyrics, but they feel like completely different stories.
One whispers… the other declares.
The Rainbow Connection then changes the style again. It needs to be playful.
Keep the phrasing smooth on ‘… so we’ve been told and we choose to believe it…’ with each word getting the same emphasis making it a sweet and magical sound.
Make the call a response in ‘Have you been half asleep….’ Like a conversation.
Next week Elliot will take us through the rest of You’re the Voice, Crossing the Bar, The Rhythm of Life, Here Comes the Flood and Matthew & Son.
In the gap between now and Tuesday, listen to the tracks and practise your parts!
- Trills on a Tuesday
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
Despite having had a bad fall Eamonn was still there leading the way with a big boot and broken ankle and dislocated knee. It didn’t stop him putting us through our paces.
The knight-errant Don Quixote, accompanied by his faithful squire Sancho Panza, rides out in search of glory, justice, and immortal renown. Fired by the romances of chivalry that have filled his head with visions of enchanted castles, noble quests, and wicked giants, he sees the common world not as it is, but as his imagination remakes it. Windmills become towering enemies with whirling arms, roadside inns transform into lordly castles, peasant girls appear as highborn ladies, and humble travelers seem like villains, sorcerers, or rival knights. At his side, the practical and often bewildered Sancho struggles to keep pace with his master’s fantasies, torn between common sense and loyal devotion. Together they wander through the everyday landscape of Spain, where Don Quixote’s grand illusions collide again and again with ordinary reality, creating adventures that are by turns comic, touching, and strangely heroic.
The Impossible Dream needs to be soloistic at the beginning with the basses singing in a flowing way to help to keep the timing right.
Altos, with your Oohs going down to the lower notes, you are given permission for a tasteful slide down.
No one is allowed to breathe in the middle of the phrases.
Put a clear ‘d’ on the end of ‘And the world…’
‘To reach….’ Is short and strong and ‘stars’ ends with a ‘z’ sound as in ‘Starz’
All My Trials should be tender. Basses, do not sing The Tune, but learn YOUR tune which is a great bass part.
Learn the chorus, so you can look up and watch Eamonn for the cut offs as he wants you in the palm of his hands!
Keep up the tension in ‘Too late my brothers…’ into ‘too late but never mind’
With the last ‘All my trials, Lord’ build up the ‘All’
The Logical Song needs bite. Again, Basses you have your own tune from ‘sensible…’
‘sleep’ and ‘deep’ are short.
Learn the last page with the do do dos and feel it rather than try to read it. There are only 7 ba ba bas at the end.
California Dreamin’, Sop 1s are always Part 1, Tenors are always Part 3, Altos and Basses watch out for an email from Eamonn who will explain where you change Parts.
Make ‘B’ on the ‘Bah’ sound clearly.
Keep listening to the sound tracks and learning the words as much as possible.
Muscle memory in singing is the process of training vocal muscles through consistent, repetitive, and intentional practice to produce specific sounds automatically, reducing the need for conscious effort. It involves developing, then reinforcing, the physical sensations of proper technique, such as resonance, breath support, and vowel placement, until they become habitual routines. In other words keep practising.
For the next two weeks we will have Elliot to take us. Zoom will be provided and a link will be emailed for the next two weeks only.
Coming up, the Sound of Silence
- Trills on a Tuesday
- Mar 26
- 5 min read
Our last rehearsal until after Easter, which seemed to take Eamonn by surprise!
The consequence is we have a lot of homework over the next few weeks until we return on 14 April.
We took a little trip back to the 60's on Tuesday. The 1960s is often called a golden age of music because rapid technological advances, major social change, and a surge of creativity from the baby boomer generation transformed the industry. Music evolved from simple singles into more meaningful, album-focused artistry, influenced by movements like the British Invasion, Motown, and the counterculture. With themes shaped by civil rights, the Vietnam War, and youth rebellion, artists used improved recording techniques to experiment and innovate, creating diverse new styles and a lasting cultural impact.
We started with Thank you for the Days which we last performed in Winter 2024. This song is like a warm hug.
It is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by Ray Davies. In a 2018 interview, Ray Davies claimed that the song was inspired by his sister Rosie moving to Australia. "My sister Rosie had gone to Australia, and we didn't have communication — no Internet in those days. She left and said, 'Say goodbye, my loving brother,' and I said, 'Thank you for being my sister.' So, the song's for her, really, and her generation.
Alternatively, Davies attributed the song's "air of finality" to the Kinks' turmoil at the time, even noting that, at the time the band made the song, he felt it might be their last single. He recollected, "Pop musicians aren't meant to go on forever. And around this time, whenever I finished a session, I thought maybe this is the last record I'd ever make. That's why it has this strange emotion to it."
Fortunately, though the Kinks went on to make other records. Lyrically, the song is a melancholic reflection on someone meaningful who is departing. Ray commented, "It's a goodbye song, but it’s also an inspirational song. It could also mean a new beginning. I wanted to write a sad song with an optimistic praise to it." Davies later named it as one of the songs he would like played at his funeral, alongside ABBA's SOS.
The Tenors start us off (Basses don’t join in until later). Keep it quiet but with very clear diction. Sops and Altos sing ‘Thank you for the’ in your head so you are ready to sing, ‘days’ and it doesn’t come as a surprise!
‘the-days’ and ‘bel-ieve me’ are syncopated giving it a swing tempo.
Build up to ‘me’ and keep it going until the end. Remember the song doesn’t end at this point and continues in a more upbeat tempo.
‘I wish today could be tomorrow…..’ should sound like a ray of sunshine.
‘Let it wait’ is one of these phrases you add the consonant on to the next word ‘Let i twait’
Take a big breath at Bar 13 and be ready for ‘And though you’re gone’
This song starts quietly and gradually increases in volume so you can notice the contrast.
Remember to smile when you, ‘Ah’
Don’t exaggerate the ‘me’ at the end. Keep it clean and simple.
Next, we were sent into total confusion and panic with California Dreamin’, a song which we last performed in Winter 2019. In Flagrante was a much smaller choir in those days and this piece was written for three parts only. Now we have grown so much, Eamonn is arranging this song with five parts. This is fine for those who have never sung it before, they just need to navigate which line they are singing from. For the choir members who have previously sung it they will have to adjust to their new parts!
Don’t panic! Look out for Eamonn’s email where he will explain clearly what part you are singing and when and he will add the voice tracks to Dropbox so you can follow your parts from there. Just do your homework and all will fall into place.
California Dreamin’ is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who released it as a single in December 1965. The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. John would work on compositions late at night and brought Michelle the first verse one morning. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas. Michelle Phillips wrote the lyrics "Well, I got down on my knees / And I pretend to pray", but Cass Elliot had sung "began" on the original recording and had continued doing so on tour until corrected by Phillips.
More panic was evoked after the tea and wine break when The Logical Song was sung. This was another one from our back catalogue last performed in Spring 2022.
This song has very many words to fit in a rather mechanical manner. When we do our warm ups you might think the tongue twisters are fun or maybe a waste of time, but songs like this really benefit from them, so pay attention!
The Logical Song is a song by British rock group Supertramp. It was written primarily by the band's frontman Roger Hodgson, who based the lyrics on his experiences being sent away to boarding school for ten years. It was a very personal song for Hodgson; he had worked on the song during soundchecks and completed the lyrics and arrangements six months before proposing it to the band for the album.
In 1980, Hodgson was honoured with the Ivor Novello Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for The Logical Song being named the best song both musically and lyrically.
Hodgson has said of the song's meaning: "The Logical Song was born from my questions about what really matters in life. Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood. In The Logical Song, the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am', and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful
Eamonn will provide an updated pdf music score with bigger writing.
We then sang through The Rainbow Connection which was in good shape followed by All My Trials, a slightly more current song previously performed 2024. Basses, just remember you are NOT ON THE TUNE!
We covered a lot this week with plenty of new material for some.
Don’t panic; do your homework over the Easter break and you will be ready to impress Eamonn on our return on 14 April
Your voice could be the one that makes the difference in someone's life
Have a very Happy Easter
