I can feel the concert getting closer and I’m sure you can too.
The excitement of learning new songs has now gone and we are left with the new challenge of polishing up our current repertoire.
Ricardo, this week, went through seven songs. That, in itself, shows how well we are doing as usually three is the most we achieve!
Even though the songs we sang; Waterloo Sunset, Smile, Daydream Believer, Monday, Monday, The Rhythm of Life, Bridge OverTroubled Water and Blowing in the Wind are different styles, there are recurring nuances that need our attention.
Dynamics:
All the songs must have a distinct change from a soft, delicate sound, to a medium range as well as a full, volume loudness.
However, just because it is soft and quiet, there needs to be delicacy and sweetness and at other times a quiet intensity.
We appear to do quiet and loud very well, but need to work on the medium quiet as this is like the filling in the sandwich which makes the whole thing interesting.
No Hissing:
Placing the endings of words carefully, especially an ‘s’, but also ‘t’s. Hold that last consonant to the rest sign, if there is one, or connect it to the next word.
The easiest thing to do on these critical endings is to look up from your music and watch Eamonn as he will give you a very clear cut off direction.
Practice
There is no substitute for practising at home.
A little each day is best rather than one big blast on a Monday evening or Tuesday afternoon!
Don’t forget the backing tracks to sing against.
If there is part of a song you are unsure of (e.g. for me, Sha la las and some Ohhs. I’m a Soprano, so there’s no surprise there!); go over it with your voice part track and once you’ve mastered it, sing with the full track and it usually falls into place.
The more you go over the songs, the more you will become confident and sing boldly.
If everyone sings out it will make a glorious, harmonious sound.
Once you’ve done your homework and you know the songs so well, you could always utilize your time when walking in the park, or down the road (probably best when here aren’t any other people about), just to keep things fresh in your mind.
The clock is ticking. Keep up the good work.
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