Sunday 26 August 2018
Friday 6 April 2018
Dammit and blast your eyes!!!
Despite my schoolboy error of leaving the lyric/chord sheets for all the acoustic songs I wanted to try at home, a fairly productive rehearsal was had in the end. I dedicated the first part of the rehearsal to the set and although I did have the lyrics to hand, I tried to run through all of the songs without looking at them and it went rather well.
I'm feeling quite confident about the set now although if the set list is confirmed as being 45 mins, it's looking likely that I'll need to add another song. So far I've got "Crazy Horses" by The Osmonds as a standby but seeing as the crowd is going to be made up mostly of office workers at around the 20-40 year old age bracket, another 80's electro-pop tune to go with "Two Tribes" would likely go down better as a set closer.
Something to think about and discuss with the band once we're all together, I think.
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| My safety net |
- The first and last verses in Punch & Judy need worked on.
- Still need to remember to start History Repeating in a higher register.
Other than that, it's just a case of getting confident about singing without the lyric sheets. If I can nail that before I get together with the band I'll be a VERY happy bunny indeed.
For the second part of the rehearsal I dedicated to learning acoustic songs.
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| Strummin' Time |
I spent quite a bit of time running through "What a Good Boy" by Barenaked Ladies but focused mostly on getting the vocals sorted to the expense of working on the arrangement for the acoustic guitar. Still, it was time well spent as I feel I'm quite close to how I want the vocals to sound now. Next week I'll focus more on the guitar side of things and hopefully, will have it finished by the end of the session.
I filmed all the takes, put them together in a mashup video and created a playlist on YouTube imaginatively called "Learning a Song". I figured it's something I'd find quite interesting to watch so maybe others would as well.
My initial thought was to do it for just one song but seeing as I keep thinking of other tunes I'd like to play, I reckon I'll keep this going and see what happens. I find it really useful to listen back to the takes as it's so much easier to not only identify mistakes but to also hear what changes in the arrangement I'd like to make too.
You can check it out and see how you think its going below:
I've also been busking a few other songs at the same time as working on "What a Good Boy" and I think the next one to properly work out will be "As Long As I Can See The Light" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's not sounding too bad at the moment so I'm confident I can have that knocked into shape reasonably quickly.
Famous. Last. Words.
Thursday 29 March 2018
A Game of Two Halves
Well that was an interesting rehearsal.
The first 20 minutes were soul destroying. I'm talking real proper awful terribleness that made me want to pack it all in and never play or listen to music ever again.
The rest of the time was probably the best rehearsal yet. How weird is that!
I thought it'd be a good idea to warm up by doing a few acoustic songs. Big mistake. A blues/soul band were in the room beside me running through their set (Mustang Sally, Knock On Wood, Tush, etc) and I could hear them quite clearly. They were rather good but I clammed up completely and couldn't play or sing for toffee.
After running through a few songs and thinking I had maybe dreamt ever being able to play the guitar, I gave up and tried giving the set a go. Best decision of the night by a country mile as I immediately felt far more comfortable (it's amazing how much confidence a bit of practise at something gives you). I ran through the set in its entirety and I'm not struggling singing any of them now so they just need repeated practise to iron them out and get them memorised. With that in mind, I can use the rest of the rehearsal time working on the guitar side of things.
It's clear to me that I work far better when I've got a project to focus on so I'm going to set myself a challenge. I'm going to document the process I go through in learning a song. From having to rely completely on the chord & lyric sheet all the way through to the finished article, fully arranged and memorised. Depending on the song, I might stray from the original arrangement ('cause I like making it sound my way) and to make it a bit more daunting for myself... I'm going to video it!
To start with, I've decided to give What a Good Boy by Barenaked Ladies a run through since I was talking about it in the last blog.
If I'm being pedantic, this is actually week two for this now as I played it for the first time in a very long time last week and it sounded... just as bad as you'd think that sounds - thankfully for my fragile ego, I don't have video of that session.
This week I had my first stab at putting in some variety and colour into my playing which basically meant throwing in some random picking alongside the strumming pattern. It sounded better structure wise and has given me some ideas to try at the next rehearsal and my singing was also a lot better than last time - still not quite getting the high parts so there's a way to go before I'm happy but it was certainly better than I expected it to be at this stage.
You can see for yourself what I'm talking about below.
Anway, onto the set. That's the main reason I'm rehearsing after all! I won't run through the notes for every song like I've done previously as I'm fairly comfortable with what I'm doing for them now. The main take aways were:
That said, I was pleased with the tone and phrasing of each song so left feeling rather chuffed and a bit proud of myself as that was the happiest I've been with how my vocals sound and I'm starting to feel a little bit of confidence creeping in.
One technical point to remind myself of. I've a feeling the vocals would sound better with a bit more more reverb behind them.
Righty oh, until next time.
The first 20 minutes were soul destroying. I'm talking real proper awful terribleness that made me want to pack it all in and never play or listen to music ever again.
The rest of the time was probably the best rehearsal yet. How weird is that!
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| Before it all kicked off |
After running through a few songs and thinking I had maybe dreamt ever being able to play the guitar, I gave up and tried giving the set a go. Best decision of the night by a country mile as I immediately felt far more comfortable (it's amazing how much confidence a bit of practise at something gives you). I ran through the set in its entirety and I'm not struggling singing any of them now so they just need repeated practise to iron them out and get them memorised. With that in mind, I can use the rest of the rehearsal time working on the guitar side of things.
It's clear to me that I work far better when I've got a project to focus on so I'm going to set myself a challenge. I'm going to document the process I go through in learning a song. From having to rely completely on the chord & lyric sheet all the way through to the finished article, fully arranged and memorised. Depending on the song, I might stray from the original arrangement ('cause I like making it sound my way) and to make it a bit more daunting for myself... I'm going to video it!
To start with, I've decided to give What a Good Boy by Barenaked Ladies a run through since I was talking about it in the last blog.
If I'm being pedantic, this is actually week two for this now as I played it for the first time in a very long time last week and it sounded... just as bad as you'd think that sounds - thankfully for my fragile ego, I don't have video of that session.
This week I had my first stab at putting in some variety and colour into my playing which basically meant throwing in some random picking alongside the strumming pattern. It sounded better structure wise and has given me some ideas to try at the next rehearsal and my singing was also a lot better than last time - still not quite getting the high parts so there's a way to go before I'm happy but it was certainly better than I expected it to be at this stage.
You can see for yourself what I'm talking about below.
Anway, onto the set. That's the main reason I'm rehearsing after all! I won't run through the notes for every song like I've done previously as I'm fairly comfortable with what I'm doing for them now. The main take aways were:
- I still need to watch the plosives for Punch & Judy, particularly at the very start
- I'm still singing too low a register when starting History Repeating
- I still need to watch my phrasing on Two Tribes (but getting better)
- I'm having a rethink about editing War Pigs as my original plan of an early end point doesn't sound right.
That said, I was pleased with the tone and phrasing of each song so left feeling rather chuffed and a bit proud of myself as that was the happiest I've been with how my vocals sound and I'm starting to feel a little bit of confidence creeping in.
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| Pay attention dagnammit! |
One technical point to remind myself of. I've a feeling the vocals would sound better with a bit more more reverb behind them.
Righty oh, until next time.
Wednesday 21 March 2018
I Brought The Acoustic
Another week and another rehearsal.
This week I brought the acoustic along so I could try a few different songs just to shake things up a bit. I figured it'd keep things interesting, it's a bit of variety for singing practice and it gets me playing the guitar again which I'm missing a fair bit at the moment. I guess that's some kind of Pavlovian response thing with the gig on my mind, or something.
So as well as a couple of run throughs of the set, I also managed to squeeze in a batch of acoustic songs for the shnizzles. I did four acoustic songs but for some reason I can't fathom, I could only be bothered to actually record three of them to listen back to.
In case you're wondering why I'm recording stuff, I find that how I think I sound in real-time doesn't always translate to how it actually sounded when I'm free from the distraction of playing when I'm listening.
So, how did it go? How did it go, how did it go...
Holy crap I am so out of practise when I comes to playing the guitar! Jeesus, I REALLY need to start some regular playing time again so I think I'll be doing this for all my remaining solo rehearsals.
As Long As I Can See The Light (CCR)
The first song I attempted and the only one I didn't record. Muppet. From what I remember, it sounded nasty and not in a good way. I didn't manage to get it right at all, timing was appalling and I was all over the shop.
Sunny Afternoon (Kinks)
I remember being able to play this at quite a decent standard back in the day, even if I do say so myself. Those days have gone. Gone, gone, gone.
Twelve Eyes of Evil (Broken Family Band)
I was starting to warm up by the time I got to this one I reckon, as it sounded alright albeit very rusty. This one's going to be my marker for progression as since I know it so well, it's all muscle memory when I play and that makes it easier for me to gauge how well I'm playing it or not.
What a Good Boy (Barenaked Ladies)
I used to love playing this song but it's one of a few I stopped playing and never really came back to. I don't know why I thought about trying it, I hadn't planned on it and didn't have any lyrics to hand but it turns out it's also one of those songs where muscle memory takes over so lyrics (or lack thereof) weren't an issue. Rusty as hell but I enjoyed playing it and it also gave me the desire to try and do it properly.
And lo, an idea was born.
I figure I know a heck of a lot more about song structure, playing the guitar and all that malarky now than I did way back last time I played this song and up until now I've only ever really busked it. Badly. Same repeated strumming pattern over and over, no change of pace, very dull, very boring, very bedroom ballardeer. It can be done so much better and dagnammit, it will!
My plan is this. Have a proper think about how to do it as a one voice, one acoustic guitar song and what it would take to structure it in an interesting way that captures and keeps the listeners' attention.
It'll be good exercise for getting back into playing the guitar if nothing else.
Anyway, onto the set list.
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Yeah this will make for a great opener. We'll need to cut it down a bit though as it's a seven minuter but I've got an idea of a good end point for the song already. I'll try and edit the .mp3 I have for it to see if it works or not.
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
I think this works as a good one to follow up War Pigs with as more folk should know it. It's also a good foot stomper that grooves so should hopefully get a good reception.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
I'm doing this one for mostly selfish reasons as I've always wanted to do a Marillion song but I think more people should remember this one than not. Well, most Gen-X'ers at any rate. Got to watch my plosives with this one.
*To myself* Sing to the side of the mic for the plosives and then come back to face it for the rest of the singing.
Otherwise it's going to be a poppy plosive experience for everyone and that will be just as icky as it sounds.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
I'm not sure why I chose this but I love the groove and reckon we could do a good job and have some fun with it.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
This is fun to do. That is all.
Breathe (Prodigy)
Tiger's choice and a top one it was too! I would never have thought of doing in a million years but I'm starting to think I'm singing it too cheesily though didn't spend too much on it. Am having a think about how to find my voice for this one.
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Getting there with this one. Didn't stumble over the words much and was able to put a bit of gravel to the voice which is usually a sign that I'm starting to get comfortable with a song.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
I'm now starting to think I'm over singing this which kinda sucks. I dunno though, I didn't manage to relax that much at the rehearsal and I noticed that I was looking at the clock more than usual so maybe I just wasn't feeling it as much as the week before. I'll have a better idea after the next one or two rehearsals, I guess.
Whippin' Post (Allman Bros)
Another one where I could be over singing. Or it could be the opposite for all I really know. I certainly felt more comfortable singing the notes the week before but this week I felt a lot more comfortable with the song structures and lyrical phrasing.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
This should be a good, fun way to end the set and hopefully leave everyone on a high.
So that's it for this time. I think I'll try and split my time at the next rehearsal to something like an hour for the set and and hour for acoustic stuff. It depends on how the set sounds though as that will always be the priority.
Toodles
This week I brought the acoustic along so I could try a few different songs just to shake things up a bit. I figured it'd keep things interesting, it's a bit of variety for singing practice and it gets me playing the guitar again which I'm missing a fair bit at the moment. I guess that's some kind of Pavlovian response thing with the gig on my mind, or something.
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| Photoshop much? |
So as well as a couple of run throughs of the set, I also managed to squeeze in a batch of acoustic songs for the shnizzles. I did four acoustic songs but for some reason I can't fathom, I could only be bothered to actually record three of them to listen back to.
In case you're wondering why I'm recording stuff, I find that how I think I sound in real-time doesn't always translate to how it actually sounded when I'm free from the distraction of playing when I'm listening.
So, how did it go? How did it go, how did it go...
Holy crap I am so out of practise when I comes to playing the guitar! Jeesus, I REALLY need to start some regular playing time again so I think I'll be doing this for all my remaining solo rehearsals.
As Long As I Can See The Light (CCR)
The first song I attempted and the only one I didn't record. Muppet. From what I remember, it sounded nasty and not in a good way. I didn't manage to get it right at all, timing was appalling and I was all over the shop.
Sunny Afternoon (Kinks)
I remember being able to play this at quite a decent standard back in the day, even if I do say so myself. Those days have gone. Gone, gone, gone.
Twelve Eyes of Evil (Broken Family Band)
I was starting to warm up by the time I got to this one I reckon, as it sounded alright albeit very rusty. This one's going to be my marker for progression as since I know it so well, it's all muscle memory when I play and that makes it easier for me to gauge how well I'm playing it or not.
What a Good Boy (Barenaked Ladies)
I used to love playing this song but it's one of a few I stopped playing and never really came back to. I don't know why I thought about trying it, I hadn't planned on it and didn't have any lyrics to hand but it turns out it's also one of those songs where muscle memory takes over so lyrics (or lack thereof) weren't an issue. Rusty as hell but I enjoyed playing it and it also gave me the desire to try and do it properly.
And lo, an idea was born.
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It'll be good exercise for getting back into playing the guitar if nothing else.
Anyway, onto the set list.
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Yeah this will make for a great opener. We'll need to cut it down a bit though as it's a seven minuter but I've got an idea of a good end point for the song already. I'll try and edit the .mp3 I have for it to see if it works or not.
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
I think this works as a good one to follow up War Pigs with as more folk should know it. It's also a good foot stomper that grooves so should hopefully get a good reception.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
I'm doing this one for mostly selfish reasons as I've always wanted to do a Marillion song but I think more people should remember this one than not. Well, most Gen-X'ers at any rate. Got to watch my plosives with this one.
*To myself* Sing to the side of the mic for the plosives and then come back to face it for the rest of the singing.
Otherwise it's going to be a poppy plosive experience for everyone and that will be just as icky as it sounds.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
I'm not sure why I chose this but I love the groove and reckon we could do a good job and have some fun with it.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
This is fun to do. That is all.
Breathe (Prodigy)
Tiger's choice and a top one it was too! I would never have thought of doing in a million years but I'm starting to think I'm singing it too cheesily though didn't spend too much on it. Am having a think about how to find my voice for this one.
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Getting there with this one. Didn't stumble over the words much and was able to put a bit of gravel to the voice which is usually a sign that I'm starting to get comfortable with a song.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
I'm now starting to think I'm over singing this which kinda sucks. I dunno though, I didn't manage to relax that much at the rehearsal and I noticed that I was looking at the clock more than usual so maybe I just wasn't feeling it as much as the week before. I'll have a better idea after the next one or two rehearsals, I guess.
Whippin' Post (Allman Bros)
Another one where I could be over singing. Or it could be the opposite for all I really know. I certainly felt more comfortable singing the notes the week before but this week I felt a lot more comfortable with the song structures and lyrical phrasing.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
This should be a good, fun way to end the set and hopefully leave everyone on a high.
So that's it for this time. I think I'll try and split my time at the next rehearsal to something like an hour for the set and and hour for acoustic stuff. It depends on how the set sounds though as that will always be the priority.
Toodles
Wednesday 14 March 2018
Last Week's Rehearsal
Vocal rehearsal #3 done and dusted. I had an enforced week long hiatus due to the
Beast from the East forcing me to stay indoors and wishing I was teaching the kids how to build snowmen a-la Calvin & Hobbes.
Glad to say I wasn’t as rusty as I thought I’d be. I hadn’t listened to the
songs at all for a fortnight but felt that I wasn’t looking at the
lyric sheets as much as I have been in previous rehearsals so was actually
quite chuffed with that.
What I wasn’t so chuffed about though was the later start time. All the rooms were booked for my
usual 9pm slot so I had to do a 10pm-midnight shift instead. That in itself wasn’t so bad but the 5am
alarm to get to the early shift at work the next morning hurt. A lot.
As for the singing, I’m feeling quite comfortable with all the songs now so I think
it’s time to start looking at the running order a bit more closely . Currently, I'm not 'feelin' it much' as they say so I’ll be trying out different orders as there's a better running order in there somewhere.
So for next week I'm going to be trying this run.
So for next week I'm going to be trying this run.
War Pigs (Sabbath)
Am thinking this might be the set opener and looking forward to hearing Ali having fun with this on drums. It's a bit long so there might be a need to trim it down.
Breathe (Prodigy)
Could be a bit too heavy a start along with War Pigs but they do sound good as a pair. Need to give more thought as to how to sing it as I'm probably too cheesy at moment.
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
Quite confident with this one.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
Got to remember to start singing in my higher register. Need to watch pitch, I sound a bit flat in places.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
A bit flat in the 'oooohs' but otherwise fine.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
Sounding ok and will hopefully get better with more practise.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
Another one where I'm looking forward to hearing Ali play. Got to watching breathing at the multiple 'ugly' section.
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Got the proper lyrics now! What a difference that makes. Phew!
Whippin' Post (Allman Bros)
I really like singing this one. I hope I don't clam up in front of people but I fear I might.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
Still got issues with phrasing but no so much now.
I'd still like to try it out but due to set length and that it needs a second singer for the register jump in the verses, this is probably first on the subs bench.
I kinda like the way this set starts with doomy heavy metal and ends with 80's NRG electro pop. I would NEVER have seen that coming!
I really, really hope I don't clam up and start singing within myself in front of people. That's a big fear for me at the moment as I'm actually pleased with how the singing is progressing. I'm being a bit of a sad sack at the moment and watching a lot of vocal coaching videos on YouTube
This guy
I guess it must be sinking in as I hear a lot of improvement in my vocals. I'm not there by any means yet but I'm gaining confidence the more I practise. Having said that, I realise this could easily just be nothing more than delusional thoughts but I'm going to put all thoughts like that down to my brain trying to fuck with me.
I've also joined a lunch time choir at work who meet for an hour once a week. It's not much but it's still good practise and a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I can certainly see myself keeping that on long after the gig's over.
Anyway, that's all fir the noo.
F
Saturday 24 February 2018
Another Vocal Rehearsal...
Just back from another vocal rehearsal and feeling pretty chuffed with how it went although I have to admit that as well as feeling a lot more comfortable with the songs, another big part of my chuffness lies with the purchase of a new toy. The Zoom H1 portable recorder.
I don't have a scooby about its reputation amongst the audiofiles and I don't really care. I think it's awesome. Brilliant sound quality and I should have had one of these things years ago!
Aaaand the good news is that is that after listening back on the rehearsal I'm feeling pretty good with how things are going. I've replaced a couple of songs from last time and put them into a potential set order.
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
No concerns with this one. It'll be good to hear the band rock this one up.
Breathe (Prodigy)
I need to watch where to come back in from some of the breaks but I think it'll be easier to follow the musical cues from the band.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
This is fun to sing, the songs got a great groove.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
Getting to grips with the phrasing now and also figuring out the best parts where I can take a breath.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
This was more comfortable to sing than last week. Another song where figuring out where breaths can be taken is key.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
Getting better with the intro and first lines of the verses but still needs work. I also stumble on the second line of the last verse which was odd as it wasn't an issue before.
Crazy Horses (Osmonds)
Not sure if this is fitting with the other songs but that's likely down to the fact that I need a second vocalist so currently I'm not singing along with a chunk of the song when I feel I should. Hopefully if someone can do the second vocal part it'll sound better.
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Damn it, I printed off the Metallica version and they changed some of the lyrics. Curse you Hetfield!!! Hadn't tried this one before tonight and wasn't sure if I could do it. Changed second and third verses aside (grrrr), I got through those lyrics that I could use and am quite happy it'll come good.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
My phrasing is all over the shop with this one. I think it's because Holly Johnson doesn't sing a verse the in the same way throughout the song. I'm hoping it won't be so tricky when singing it with the band as I can do my own thing with the phrasing and it's not going to clash like it does now.
Whippin' Post (Allman Bros)
I really wasn't trusting my ears with this (the driving force behind buying the H1) but I've listened back a couple of times and I think I can trust them now. Happy happy, joy, joy!
War Pigs (Sabbath but with the FNM faster pace)
Another one I tried for the first time and it's a lot of fun to do. My only concern is that it might be too long for the set.
I don't have a scooby about its reputation amongst the audiofiles and I don't really care. I think it's awesome. Brilliant sound quality and I should have had one of these things years ago!
Aaaand the good news is that is that after listening back on the rehearsal I'm feeling pretty good with how things are going. I've replaced a couple of songs from last time and put them into a potential set order.
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
No concerns with this one. It'll be good to hear the band rock this one up.
Breathe (Prodigy)
I need to watch where to come back in from some of the breaks but I think it'll be easier to follow the musical cues from the band.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
This is fun to sing, the songs got a great groove.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
Getting to grips with the phrasing now and also figuring out the best parts where I can take a breath.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
This was more comfortable to sing than last week. Another song where figuring out where breaths can be taken is key.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
Getting better with the intro and first lines of the verses but still needs work. I also stumble on the second line of the last verse which was odd as it wasn't an issue before.
Crazy Horses (Osmonds)
Not sure if this is fitting with the other songs but that's likely down to the fact that I need a second vocalist so currently I'm not singing along with a chunk of the song when I feel I should. Hopefully if someone can do the second vocal part it'll sound better.
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Damn it, I printed off the Metallica version and they changed some of the lyrics. Curse you Hetfield!!! Hadn't tried this one before tonight and wasn't sure if I could do it. Changed second and third verses aside (grrrr), I got through those lyrics that I could use and am quite happy it'll come good.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
My phrasing is all over the shop with this one. I think it's because Holly Johnson doesn't sing a verse the in the same way throughout the song. I'm hoping it won't be so tricky when singing it with the band as I can do my own thing with the phrasing and it's not going to clash like it does now.
Whippin' Post (Allman Bros)
I really wasn't trusting my ears with this (the driving force behind buying the H1) but I've listened back a couple of times and I think I can trust them now. Happy happy, joy, joy!
War Pigs (Sabbath but with the FNM faster pace)
Another one I tried for the first time and it's a lot of fun to do. My only concern is that it might be too long for the set.
The set's probably going to need a trim by a song or two but I'm really looking forward to getting the band in to see what they can do to them.
That's all for now!
Friday 16 February 2018
Frazzappa Gig
I've been asked to put a band together for a charity gig my work's putting together for their charity of the year, SiMBA and thought I'd blog about the process. It'll likely be an immediate thought diary thing that I do after each rehearsal to help me keep track of how things are going with the songs but who knows, it may change along the way, I don't know.
Anyway, to bring you up to speed...
I did a similar thing a couple of years ago and at the time I thought I'd challenge myself by being the singer of a band. I'm normally, in fact scratch that, I'm ALWAYS the guitarist with occasional backing vocals when I'm gigging. It's what I do and love but in all my years of playing live I've only ever sung lead vocals once and that was as an emergency stand in as the singer who was supposed to play dislocated his shoulder a couple of days before the gig (that'll sound familiar to some, I'm sure). Weirdly, that was also for a charity night, for Comic Relief. It was a tiny room in the basement of a pub in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh and I only had to play three songs (Oliver's Army, People Are Strange and Sunny Afternoon if I remember rightly).
It was awful. No, I, was awful but it was a long time ago and possibly the first (or certainly close to) the first time I'd ever played in front of an actual audience.
It was awful. No, I, was awful but it was a long time ago and possibly the first (or certainly close to) the first time I'd ever played in front of an actual audience.
Preparations for this gig have already begun and I've had a couple of vocal rehearsals on my own to see if I could actually sing any of the songs before I get the band in for rehearsals. Here's the set along with my thoughts:
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
No issues with this one so far.
History Repeating (Propellorheads)
Need to practise a couple of line but not too bad.
Shout (Tears for Fears)
Haven't really tried this one yet. I'm not sure it'll make the final cut as I'm only really thinking about it as it's my daughter's favourite song at the moment. The pace of the song might jar a bit with the rest in the set.
Istanbul (They Might Be Giants)
Oh, that's a lot of words to sing quickly! Fun to do though and the biggest test is not to get tongue tied. Might need another vocal to help out with some of the overlapping singing.
Punch & Judy (Marillion)
It went a lot better than I thought it would. The opening line of each verse needs a lot of work though. Fish sings weird.
Breathe (Prodigy)
Oh yes, this is going to my favourite I think. The key appears to be to just go for it. It'll be interesting to see if I manage to give it as much laldy in front of people as I do in a room by myself.
Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Living Colour)
If I can nail this one I'll be very happy indeed as it's quite a vocal work out. Needs work but I think I'll get there.
Whipping Post (Allman Brothers)
Wow, I don't seem to struggle with the powerful singing that's required for this one. I think it sounds pretty decent but not sure I can trust my ears as I thought for sure I wouldn't get close.
Crazy Horses (Osmonds)
This is fun although someone else will have to do the end of the verses and the bridge. It's what the Osmonds do on the record and it's waaaay out of my range.
Two Tribes (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
We can definitely rock this one up. I need to listen to the vocal lines a lot more though as I'm all over the place with it.
Delilah (SAHB Version)
I think this will be ok. I can't reach the big line at the very end at the moment although I hope it's more of a lack of practice than actually out of my range.
Right, that's all for this one. I've got another vocal rehearsal booked in for the same time and place next week so until then!
Let me know if you've found this interesting at all and any and all comments are appreciated about the set as well as any other questions you might have!
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