Silence: the other half of singing

At the end of a recent residential singing weekend I was acutely aware of absence when everyone had left. The silence was almost painful.

It got me thinking about the different kinds of silence in singing.

When the song you know isn’t quite the same: Tips for re-learning variations

Sometimes I teach a song at a workshop that some singers already know.

Image generated by Gemini AI

Invariably it will be a different arrangement. So how can singers approach re-learning a version that has only slight variations?

Keeping it simple: Serving the song, not the arrangement

Sometimes I come across a beautiful song and start searching online for a choral arrangement.

All too often, though, what I find is weighed down with so many bells and whistles that the original melody—the very thing that drew me to the song in the first place—ends up buried under the layers.

Who should sing soprano in mixed choirs?

I had an interesting query from someone recently. In their choir, the tenor men sang the soprano part (an octave lower) and the soprano women sang the tenor part (an octave higher).

They asked me if there was any rule in choral music about which gender sang which part.

Is there a difference between “men’s songs” and “women’s songs”?

I often come across choir leaders asking for “men’s songs” for the men in their choirs.

It make me wonder: is there a difference between “men’s songs” and “women’s songs” and what does that even mean?

Payback time: honouring the cultures that songs have been taken from

We often think of traditional songs from other cultures as just “out there” for the taking, to be used freely.

photo by Ashashyou

But every song was written by somebody, and every song is rooted in a particular culture and context. This hasn’t always been understood or acknowledged by those who have carried the songs into different contexts.

Honouring the song 5: who wrote or arranged the song?

I’ve written before that even if it’s a folk song, somebody wrote it.

 

The identity of that individual may have been lost over time, but to honour the song, you still have the responsibility to try to find out who it was.

How to honour the source of a song (and why it’s important)

Many songs get handed down by ear and labelled ‘traditional’ without any clear understanding of where they come from.

It’s important to honour the source of all songs and the cultures they originate from. Here’s a guide to the things that you need to consider.

How to sing harmony on your own

I love harmony singing. But sometimes I don’t have the luxury of other people to sing with.



Here are some ways to sing harmony, even if you’re on your own.

Easy Christmas carol arrangements for choirs and audiences

If you’re anything like me, you leave everything to the last minute.



In which case, you might be short of simple arrangements for your Christmas concert. Well, I’m here to help!

How to put on a successful concert 2: songs and concert structure

Last week we looked at planning and asked a series of questions like why? what for? when? who’s coming?



This week we’ll look at the how: how you actually put a concert of songs together.

Why altos are often timid and nervous

Over the years I have noticed that the least confident part of my community choirs is often the alto section.

photo by simpleinsomnia

I can only speak from my own experience, but I’ve heard others tell similar stories. Why might this be?

Learning songs by ear: what should you do while other parts are being taught?

When a harmony song is being taught by ear, you can find yourself not singing whilst other parts are being taught.



Rather then zoning out or getting bored, there are plenty of things you can do which can help your learning. Here are some of them.

How to find the balance between easy and challenging songs in a drop-in singing group

A drop-in singing group is exactly what it sounds like: singers don’t need to make a regular commitment, but can drop in any time they want to.



I’ve written about before the pros and cons of these kind of groups. But here is what I’ve learnt from leading a monthly drop-in group for the last few years.

How to cope with too many male singers (a rare and unusual problem!)

It’s very common for choirs to be short of men. Most of my singing workshops attract far fewer men than women.



But sometimes – very occasionally – loads of men turn up unexpectedly. Which can be a problem too. Here are some ideas for what to do.

New season, new songs – how to find new repertoire for your choir

Here in the UK autumn is in the air. Choirs often start back in September, a time when new songs are needed.



I’m here to help! Here are some resources for finding new songs for your choir.

When teaching a new song goes horribly wrong

I taught a new song to a group on Saturday. It was a bit of a car crash!

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruano

What can you do when teaching a new song goes horribly wrong?

How to introduce harmony to a group of novice singers

I’m often asked for examples of simple harmony songs that might work with a group of inexperienced singers or people who have not sung before.



Rather than recommending specific songs, I always suggest a particular path into harmony. I thought I’d share that with you.

Finding songs for the new choir season

A new season kicks off for many choirs in a the next few weeks. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to leave it to the last minute to find new repertoire for my choir!



Here are some ideas for finding new material for your next choir season.

If a song’s not working, when do you stop flogging the dead horse?

Sometimes I bring a great song to choir and for some reason the singers really struggle with it.

photo by Clear Path International

How do you decide whether to persist with a song until it comes right, or just abandon it and move on? Let’s look at the options.