Thanks to everyone for turning up in good time and finding your places. It was good to have this framework as a basis from which to work, and, as you can imagine, it was not a simple process positioning over 50 people in a constricted area. It all worked out well with a few tweaks, people missing who should have been there, and people present who won’t be there for the concert.
Eamonn was happy and stress-free from that point of view!
Standing facing the other way with the amplification in place gave us a different perspective and sound. We will have this set up from now on (that would make a good song title!) until the concert so that it will become familiar.
The clear message from last night was WATCH EAMONN.
However, it is not good enough to watch him but to respond to his directions, especially at the crucial cut-offs he clearly shows. Some voices could still be heard holding long notes when they should be short. Take note! You know who you are!
We all know the songs now and the notes to sing, although sometimes the Basses sing the right notes, they belong to the Sops! Basses, and sometimes Tenors, when you should be singing harmony, and it feels too easy, you are probably singing the tune!
It is all down to performance now. The more you practice, the more familiar the words and music will become, and you will then have the confidence to look up, watch, and be guided by Eamonn. As you can see from last night's performance, he puts his all into it and encourages us to bring out our best performance. We need to embrace his energy in our performances.
Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.
Hints & Tips
Are we a pleasure to watch? Not quite Eammon!
Looking as if you are enjoying it will lift your performance and add to our audience's pleasure.
Watch Eamonn as much as possible.
Obey his commands, especially at the cut-offs, the start and endings. He will indicate loud and soft, fast and slow, where each of the different parts come in and, of course, where to breathe and when not to!
Tell the Story
Every song has its story, so it is important to enunciate the words. Express them and make the audience feel like it’s the first time they’ve heard them. Keep the songs bright and intense.
Listen to each other.
Be aware of the voices around you and know when to come in with your part, but don’t be seduced by the tune!
Hold your beautiful black folders.
Keep your folders just above waist height, slightly away from your body. This will allow you to look up and down easily with your eyes and not nod your head!
It will naturally open your chest and enable you to squeeze those oranges when appropriate.
I don’t want to bore you with reiterating the usual mistakes we made last night. You either know what to correct, or you can refer to past blogs with more detailed descriptions.
Act One was completed last night, so the emphasis will be on Act Two next week. However, when practising, keep Act One in mind and have a refresher now and then so that when we return to it, all will not be forgotten!
If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself!
Food for Thought! One for our next concert?
In Flagrante, but not as you know it….We will have Ben play the piano, freeing Eamonn to direct us with two hands and his head! We will also set up the sound system to get used to the different feel and sound from our new perspective.
Look out for an email from our illustrious leader with a spreadsheet showing where you will be positioned for the concert. Anyone who needs a chair is marked in a shaded area on the spreadsheet. Please arrive by 19:15 and stand in your designated place.
Please bring with you your music, in concert order, and your patience as we have up to a total of 52 singers to arrange.
We will be standing for most rehearsals, which will help build up your stamina, as we don't want any wobbles.
Stand with your feet slightly apart, your pelvis tucked in, soft knees and heels into the ground, and feel a gentle bounce.
You will notice a big difference when Eamonn gives us his full attention. If you look up from your music and watch him, especially poignant moments, you will know exactly when to come in, when notes are short or long, and whether to sing loud or soft. He even manages to let you know when you can breathe or not!
Watch Eamonn as much as possible. Get used to his directions.
A fist on his head indicates it is the last time he sings a repetitive phrase.
Hands rolling over each indicates no breath
Two fingers to his eyes means Watch him!
We are approaching the serious end of term, and you want to avoid getting the famous Eamonn glare, especially during the concert!
Rehearsals are going remarkably well. However, I find that a little disconcerting as we don’t want to peak too soon. From past experiences, a poor dress rehearsal leads to the most magnificent concert!
We may be improving so much that our base level is much higher than it was, allowing us to aim even higher!
Recap:
Let the Sunshine In
The first number is in our concert, so it has to be good to set the mood for the evening.
This will be sung without the music in front of us so we can watch Eamonn carefully.
The first time is different to the rest of the song.
Sing the ‘n’ in ‘Sun, ‘shine’ and ‘in’ at the end.
What the World Needs Now
Keep it light and frothy.
Make the phrases choppy with crisp endings
Altos, learn to love your solo and keep the words liquid on your tongue
Watch Eamonn for when not to breathe
Take a big breath after ‘some’ at the end, and you’ll have enough to get you through to a quiet finish, especially as there is no slowing down at the end.
Crossing the Bar
Eamonn has checked the sunset timing on 31 July; this is when we will sing this song.
This is very good now, and the timing will be perfect when you can watch Eamonn as the Sun sets over the Golf club, but keep watching Eamonn.
Your Song
The evitable Sops ‘Oohs’. Sops be brave and have confidence. You know it, so sing it out boldly.
At the end, blend the end of the world into the ooh, so it is’ Worldooh.’
What’s Up
When Sops start to sing, ‘And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed…’ remember you are singing ‘Ohs’ not ‘Oohs’. Mark it. The sound is so different.
‘Scream from the top of my lungs’ is many words in a very short time. Make sure they are all clearly heard.
From Now On
This showstopper generated a big round of applause from Eamonn. A great accolade indeed!
Just be ready when the piano drops out on the ‘come back home’. Don’t panic and think you have gone wrong. Sing boldly and own it!
You’ve Got a Friend
Don’t slow down in the chorus, ‘You just call out my name…’ It has the same tempo, so keep it moving like a flowing lullaby.
We are doing so well and covering a lot of our repertoire.
All change next week in concert mode without the audience.
Of course, on concert day, the audience brings a new dimension and will lift your performance to levels you never thought possible.
You are all......................
The official reason for the new recording of the classic 1966 Beach Boys song was to mark the launch of BBC Music, which the corporation describes as “an ambitious wave of new programmes, innovative partnerships and ground-breaking music initiatives that amount to the BBC’s strongest commitment to music in 30 years.” As with Perfect Day, the song was released to raise money for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.
God only Knows
Like the Beach Boys version, Eamonn has mostly stayed the same in this song's arrangement. The downfall is that everyone thinks they know it, and we want to make our audience listen to the lyrics so we can annunciate the words and tell the story with all the ebbs and flows.
The Oohs, Doo’s and Ba Ba’s sections needed a little work.
Altos starts us with Oohs, which sounds like a question and answer.
As each part follows, increase the intensity as if your part is the most important.
It is all about theatre!
Once we had mastered this, it sounded magnificent.
Sops be quiet but energetic on, ‘If you should ever leave me’
After page 7, the words are all the same, so look up, watch Eamonn and enjoy it!
It seems that many of our songs contain many Oohs, Ohs, and Ahs. These vowels' sounds need to be open and distinctive, giving the songs a different feeling and emotion.
It may be a good idea to mark them in your music scores so you know which mouth shape to adopt!
Have you Ever Seen the Rain
Unlike God Only Knows, this song has been entirely rearranged by Eamonn and is not like Credence Clearwater Revival, so be prepared.
The chords and lyrics in this song show the melancholy, but the singing must be bright.
The first note is off-the-beat, so Sops, be ready for your start. ‘Coming down on a sunny day’ is relatively low for the Sops to sing, so emphasize the ‘c’ when coming and announcing your presence. It will make all the difference.
Basses, please practice the timing of ‘I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain’. Listen to the Sops, as that is one of the things they get right!
Altos and Tenors make your presence felt with your Oohs while others sing ‘When it’s over, so they say’.
Make a big difference between the Oohs, the Ohs and the Is (as in I wanna know’) and keep it bright and up in the cheekbones!
What’s Up
The start is so important. Altos and Tenors, the pressure is all on you.
Listen carefully to the intro and wait for the deep notes, boom, boom, before starting to sing ‘Twenty-five years’
Don’t panic; chill and be ready and breathe at the right time.
Watch out for the timing of ‘trying to get up that great big hill’. All the notes are the same, even in length.
Sops, you only have one note to sing an Ooh followed by ‘Brotherhood of man’ – get it right, loud, and clear. You can do it!
Open your vowels with the Oohs, Ohs and Ahs. They are like choral colours.
Mark it on your music scores!
‘And I say Hey’ – think of it as one phrase and don’t leave a gap big enough for a bus to drive through between ‘say’ and ‘hey’.
There is no need to look at your music from page 9 until the end as it is so repetitive. The only direction you need will come from Eamonn, so all eyes should be on him.
This will place your last ‘Heys’ clearly and precisely. Keep it gentle and tender.
Mad World
This was magnificent last time, and We have to keep it up.
‘Look right through me’ is pulled right back after a thunderous section and becomes elongated and quiet, stretching it right out until ‘me’
Keep the ‘nm’ ‘nm’ as two distinct sounds.
Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat
All the Gents start us off by giving a powerful start.
Watch Eamonn for the start of the choruses, so the timing is spot on. Trust in him, and you will be fine!
Enunciate words like ‘fancy tie round your wicked throat’ etc
Open those vowels again with Oohs and Ohs.
Sop 2s and Altos hold your harmony on the last ‘devil will drag you under’
From Now On
The piano part sounds very slow initially, so keep the singing flowing over the top.
Gents, try to learn the first part so that you can watch Eamonn for timing.
If not word-perfect, at least familiarise yourself so that you can look up more often than not!
Remember, ‘Winter wind blow cold’ - ‘blow’ and ‘cold’ are on the same note.
Altos on page 9, bar 80, be prepared to belt out ‘From now on’.
This is your Ethel Merman moment.
Don’t be polite; make yourselves heard.
Keep the Oohs open and bright and exciting.
We are in a perfect place and get great compliments from Eamonn.
At this stage in the term, that is praise indeed.
Keep up the excellent work. It is the small details now that will make all the difference.
A running order will be sent out soon. Please arrange your music in concert order and remember to bring it with you as Eamonn will be going through everything.
Will you be a pleasure to watch?
