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The Band/Choir/Orchestra Thread

H E L P

As much as I would love to say I have extensive knowledge of music theory and other things, I really don't. I have a bunch of main problems at the moment.

1. Range dilemma:

Is there any way to increase my range in both upward and downward directions at the same time? I have a new monster of a song that we're to sing in London called Ubi Caritas by Rene Clausen. My choral teacher has put me on the Bass in terms of Bari/Bass or Bass 2 in terms of Bass 1/Bass 2. It's a beautiful song and it sounds very nice on video or when she plays the notes on piano.
This song requires me to hit a low super low note for me at least (I'm a higher baritone and I need to hit a low E? iirc, it's a ledger line below the bottom of bass clef). It's a tad bit out of my range in terms of hitting the note solidly, and then comes the second problem. I'm currently in a school musical, Mary Poppins, and "Step In Time" requires me to sing pretty high alongside some other songs in that musical so I was wondering any practical daily exercises or things I could do to widen my range to hit both the low and high notes that are barely out of my range.

2. Music Theory:

An AP music theory class is being held at my school next year and I believe that taking a Bible course over the summer will probably be worth it if this class will allow me to better understand music and get better at singing. I was wondering if any of you have taken this class before and was wondering if it helped you with anything singing/playing-wise. What prior knowledge should I have at least before going into this class and would it maybe even be better to just save the Bible class for the year and drop Musical Theater from my schedule?

3. Tips on preparing for a large piece like this one

What do? Any vocal warm-ups that will help me hit these lower notes with more ease? Any way to have my voice get tired out or stressed beyond belief when singing these notes? Any tips on blending with the rest of the bass/bari section when many of our notes clash in practices as per the music? How often should I practice per day? How long should I be listening to this song in particular?

also pls if any of u have sung this song in any fashion give tips. idc what voice type you are just give help pls all the sections need it xd
 
Ho boy, you don't know what you're getting into when you ask me to talk about music!

I've been a band nerd since the second I played my first note (on the trombone), and a music nerd ever since I was old enough to understand what was going on when the sounds of the Beatles wafted through my home. I currently play trombone, double bass (jazz focus), a little bit of piano, and a few other brass instruments when I feel like it. I play in bands and orchestras as time permits. I've also started dabbling in arranging lately, mainly Undertale music and other things with which I'm familiar until I get my sea legs (so to speak). I'd be happy to talk more about these things if people are interested!

As to your questions, GlassGlaceon, I can only really speak to the second one. Music theory is a godsend in the area of understanding how music works. It's not a performance class per se, but it can inform your performance with information about harmonic structure, as well as help your singing with things like interval-based ear training. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to become more knowledgeable about music, and it definitely helps me organize my musical ideas better (phrasing in particular really benefits from theory).
 
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GlassGlaceon said:
1. Range dilemma:

Is there any way to increase my range in both upward and downward directions at the same time? I have a new monster of a song that we're to sing in London called Ubi Caritas by Rene Clausen. My choral teacher has put me on the Bass in terms of Bari/Bass or Bass 2 in terms of Bass 1/Bass 2. It's a beautiful song and it sounds very nice on video or when she plays the notes on piano.
This song requires me to hit a low super low note for me at least (I'm a higher baritone and I need to hit a low E? iirc, it's a ledger line below the bottom of bass clef). It's a tad bit out of my range in terms of hitting the note solidly, and then comes the second problem. I'm currently in a school musical, Mary Poppins, and "Step In Time" requires me to sing pretty high alongside some other songs in that musical so I was wondering any practical daily exercises or things I could do to widen my range to hit both the low and high notes that are barely out of my range.
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I'll reply on the latter parts later on (and apologies if it's way too late to respond)

My vocal coach would told me and my fellow choristers that in singing, you're attempting to maximize the vocal performance with the least amount of effort into it. I guess it would be out of mindset; sometimes, you just have to sing it without being conscious that you're actually hitting a high/low note.
 
GlassGlaceon said:
H E L P

As much as I would love to say I have extensive knowledge of music theory and other things, I really don't. I have a bunch of main problems at the moment.

1. Range dilemma:

Is there any way to increase my range in both upward and downward directions at the same time? I have a new monster of a song that we're to sing in London called Ubi Caritas by Rene Clausen. My choral teacher has put me on the Bass in terms of Bari/Bass or Bass 2 in terms of Bass 1/Bass 2. It's a beautiful song and it sounds very nice on video or when she plays the notes on piano.
This song requires me to hit a low super low note for me at least (I'm a higher baritone and I need to hit a low E? iirc, it's a ledger line below the bottom of bass clef). It's a tad bit out of my range in terms of hitting the note solidly, and then comes the second problem. I'm currently in a school musical, Mary Poppins, and "Step In Time" requires me to sing pretty high alongside some other songs in that musical so I was wondering any practical daily exercises or things I could do to widen my range to hit both the low and high notes that are barely out of my range.

2. Music Theory:

An AP music theory class is being held at my school next year and I believe that taking a Bible course over the summer will probably be worth it if this class will allow me to better understand music and get better at singing. I was wondering if any of you have taken this class before and was wondering if it helped you with anything singing/playing-wise. What prior knowledge should I have at least before going into this class and would it maybe even be better to just save the Bible class for the year and drop Musical Theater from my schedule?

3. Tips on preparing for a large piece like this one

What do? Any vocal warm-ups that will help me hit these lower notes with more ease? Any way to have my voice get tired out or stressed beyond belief when singing these notes? Any tips on blending with the rest of the bass/bari section when many of our notes clash in practices as per the music? How often should I practice per day? How long should I be listening to this song in particular?

also pls if any of u have sung this song in any fashion give tips. idc what voice type you are just give help pls all the sections need it xd
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1: Warm-ups are your friend. Either your director or voice teacher should be working with you on these (ideally, both: a voice instructor will really elevate your singing). With warm-ups, you should always try and go higher than the highest note you sing and lower than the lowest: if E2 is the lowest note, then ideally, your warm-ups should take you to Eb2 or even D2, though E2 is the cutoff for what a baritone should generally sing; every bass should have Eb2. For high notes, if E4 is the highest note you have to sing, try for F4 or F#4.

For higher notes, one thing you can do is really engage your breath support and modify your vowels and resonant spaces to try and get the desired tone. Vowel placement is a big thing as well (different from vowel shape, which affects resonance): if you think of wearing a mask, try to place the focus of your sound at different levels forward or back (you generally want more forward placement, as placement further back can lead to a murkier, more swallowed-sounding quality).

Extending range comes from working at it constantly. It's like weightlifting. You don't start lifting 225, usually. You work your way up, workout by workout. Same with singing. Extend your range each practice/rehearsal at a time, and test your range. Don't be afraid of voice cracks or limitations. Just go for it. With adrenaline, you can find that extra punch, so keep that in mind for performances.

2: AP Music Theory teaches you all the basics. It's designed to teach those with zero music knowledge, but basic knowledge of rhythms, pitches, and the staff will help. It enhances your understanding of music and increases general "Music IQ", which can definitely enhance your appreciation of music.

3: Proper singing is done with proper breathing first. Work on breathing from your diaphragm, not your chest. Singing from your diaphragm is like a workout: it'll tire your physical body out, but your lungs should be mostly unaffected. It's why opera singers and professional singers can give performances day after day: proper singing doesn't exhaust the larynx. Practice proper breathing (even just breathing in and out: make sure the shoulders don't tense upward, chest shouldn't rise much, and the stomach/diaphragm expands outward). Do that for 5-10 minutes. Blend comes from pitch, vowel placement, and vowel shape. The latter two also affect pitch. To blend, your placements (forward or back) have to be similar, as does how open your mouth is when singing and the shape of your vowels must match. That's something your director should work with you on.
 
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Over the week before last I had three concerts and managed to screw up in really exposed sections in all three. Turns out that most people might as well be tone-deaf, cause they sounded horrible but I was still somehow complemented on them lol. I felt like crap despite this though, but my band was really supportive. Its nice that I can rely on them for something like that (I wish I could say the same about people in my school...) and its a big part of why I love spending time with them. Only got one more year with them as of September, so I want to make the most of my time there.

As an aside, a bunch of people brought in DSes and we played Mariokart DS while waiting in the green room before one of the concerts. Its been a long time since I've had fun like that, and it is something that I wouldn't have been able to do with them this time five years ago 'cause mutism (that and 12-13 year-olds are too obsessed with "acting grown-up" to appreciate mariokart over games like CoD, GTA etc.). Just more reason to love the band members :P
 
P Squared said:
I actually had an orchestra concert last night :o
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bumping I guess but some of the videos from our concerts were uploaded so I wanted to share :)

I was really pleased with how this one came out:


this one not so much (I found the solos weird and we weren't really together), but people seemed to like it


and there's this one if you like ace attorney

in other news, it's summer and motivation to practice violin is low when I don't have any interesting new sheet music :x
 
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image.jpg


This is a photo of my concert band as it will be when we go on tour in Belgium in November (lol fuck the referendum (angry)). I am the horn player kneeling in the front right (I would have gone on one knee but my horn kept getting in the way so I decided to kneel seiza-style), and my conductor can be seen in a suit on the far right. It's brilliant 'cause his name is Fred Slide and he is a trombonist, which is so perfect in so many ways. He's also one of the nicest people I have ever met, and everyone in the band loves him.
 
Hello, everyone! Sorry if I bumped this thread from way back; I just wanted to share something to you, guys :)

I actually arrange songs in a choral setting, or compose one, but I find myself being a frustrated one because there are some instances that I got a certain inspiration that makes me want to make music out of something, but as the process progress, my existing knowledge in music theory loses my certain drive. I have finished one choral arrangement for the choir I really appreciated--an all-male high school choir, actually, though they haven't made its premiere because my high school conductor found it quite hard for his choristers to pull it off, so I try to make it somehow easy (but maintaining a certain amount of difficulty to it).

On another hand, I'm arranging another song in an all-male choral setting for the same choir, and I got inspired from another choral arrangement which uses rather unusual percussion instruments (drum sticks, tin cans, water dispensers, among others), and I'm going to share to you an excerpt of what I am arranging right now.

ejFlWhQ.png


Using Sibelius 7, by the way.
 
Euphonos said:
Hello, everyone! Sorry if I bumped this thread from way back; I just wanted to share something to you, guys :)

I actually arrange songs in a choral setting, or compose one, but I find myself being a frustrated one because there are some instances that I got a certain inspiration that makes me want to make music out of something, but as the process progress, my existing knowledge in music theory loses my certain drive. I have finished one choral arrangement for the choir I really appreciated--an all-male high school choir, actually, though they haven't made its premiere because my high school conductor found it quite hard for his choristers to pull it off, so I try to make it somehow easy (but maintaining a certain amount of difficulty to it).

On another hand, I'm arranging another song in an all-male choral setting for the same choir, and I got inspired from another choral arrangement which uses rather unusual percussion instruments (drum sticks, tin cans, water dispensers, among others), and I'm going to share to you an excerpt of what I am arranging right now.

ejFlWhQ.png


Using Sibelius 7, by the way.
Click to expand...
This looks neat. Is it supposed to be a spiritual? Asking because it's structured rhythmically like one.
 
Berks said:
Euphonos, how did you learn to compose/arrange? I'm interested in learning 0_o
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It's quite a long story.

I started arranging a piece when I was in second or third year in high school after I saw this application named "Noteworthy Composer" when I don't have a lot of knowledge about music theory back then (notably harmonic progression!). I got inspired from different choral pieces I have since I was affiliated with my high school choir, so I tried arranging a piece, but to no avail because it's that bad.

Fast forward to college, I learned composing and arranging through two means: attending music theory sessions with my college choir and taking units for my Music Literature minor. One time, I attempted to arrange a song for my college choir and happened to be a modest success; however, due to issues between our dynamic between our former conductor and fellow choristers at that time, we didn't manage to perform it (and its original draft got lost eventually in its working file, so I have to rely on the PDF to copy and edit it).

Another opportunity for me to arrange another song for my college choir is when another organization from our university wanted to feature five songs they selected and have them arranged for a collaborative concert. After I made some drafts with the piece, I was given private sessions with our college choir alum and learned a lot of things about music theory such as cadences, movements, etc., and our interim conductor at that time wanted to transform my arrangement so that all females of the choir will perform (that I happily accept due to understandable time constraints). And that piece happened to be the very first piece I arranged that the college choir has performed, and I'm so proud of it.

Third year of college ticks in and I started attending classes for my Music Literature minor. I started learning Rudiments of Music; while it's basic at first glance, the fun part in that class made me feel the hype in experimenting some things. Incidentally, there's a composer competition hosted by Chanticleer, so I tried composing for it. With the help of my good friend and a choral fellow outside, along with my existing knowledge from music theory from way back, I managed to finish my first choral composition and submitted it on time; unfortunately, my piece wasn't selected in the top picks. Days later, I listened another song which I found worth arranging for my high school choir. I finished it, but they didn't perform it yet because my high school choral conductor found it very hard for them to perform. Finally, I managed to compose a song in voice + piano because it's a requirement for one of my Music Literature minor classes. I worked that piece for literally three hours straight and perform it to class afterward, and it was all worth it.

Currently, along with the choral arrangement I posted there, I have a lot of works in progress, one of which is a missal written in the language of my parents' hometown. I noticed the lines in their "Gloria" songs are up until "we praise You for Your glory", which is essentially incomplete, making me wanted to compose one with the complete lines and to compose other Mass-related songs to be compiled in that one missal, and spread it throughout the diocese (haha, with great hopes!).

So, to respond to your question, it's through experience, and through gaining newfound knowledge on music theory (better learn harmonic progression, and appreciate choral works). I actually wanted to specialize composing and arranging pieces in vocal and choral settings because blending with voices is an enchanting experience. As for orchestral music, I still don't have the right grasp of nuances and intricacies of each instrument.
 
My concert band are going on tour in Belgium on Wednesday and I get back on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it 'cause I really enjoy playing in that band, but it also serves as a reminder that this is my last academic year with them.

Genuinely I'm worried that I'll cry on stage come my last concert with them in July 'cause the bands which that company runs have just been such a big part of my life over the past 10 years. I've progressed so much both as a player and as a person (I've gained so much confidence and it's developed my leadership skills being able to head a the highest band's horn section for two years) and it's going to be so sad to have to leave them. I love playing and I hope to be able to continue in university.

I guess I've just gotta try to boost the confidence of the first horn who will take my place before then, cause she's an amazing player (she'd probably be better than me if she had more confidence in her own playing (expressiveness comes from both confidence and how much you enjoy playing more than it does from skill as far as I can tell)) and I really want to leave the section in better shape than when I was promoted.
 
Martin. said:
My concert band are going on tour in Belgium on Wednesday and I get back on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it 'cause I really enjoy playing in that band, but it also serves as a reminder that this is my last academic year with them.

Genuinely I'm worried that I'll cry on stage come my last concert with them in July 'cause the bands which that company runs have just been such a big part of my life over the past 10 years. I've progressed so much both as a player and as a person (I've gained so much confidence and it's developed my leadership skills being able to head a the highest band's horn section for two years) and it's going to be so sad to have to leave them. I love playing and I hope to be able to continue in university.

I guess I've just gotta try to boost the confidence of the first horn who will take my place before then, cause she's an amazing player (she'd probably be better than me if she had more confidence in her own playing (expressiveness comes from both confidence and how much you enjoy playing more than it does from skill as far as I can tell)) and I really want to leave the section in better shape than when I was promoted.
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Every last concert I've had with a group, I've cried and broken down on stage. It's natural, especially if you've let the group become such an integral part of your life and influence over who you are.

I'd tell that player to keep believing and to work to maintain a more positive attitude. We've all heard the saying "you play how you practice", or some variation of it (not "practice how you're going to play", since I think that's worded differently, so it means something slightly different). When they say "you play how you practice", it extends to the mentality you have when you go into practice: if you learn to practice with confidence and positivity, that mentality will carry over to the performances because that's how you've always viewed yourself and worked for yourself. The opposite is also true: the things I practiced constantly with a defeatist, negative attitude had the same attitude when I performed them on stage. Encourage her talents, but try to emphasize the importance of positive thinking. Everyone can do it: I'm not the most positive person, in terms of outlook: I'm an extreme realist and cynical about almost everything to a degree. But I can always believe that, with good, healthy practice, I can do a great job with a piece I put the time into practicing.
 
Sorry for the bump again; that was a very long time since I last posted in this thread!

Anyway, I just released the demo track of the flagship piece of the compilation of my choral compositions for Mass. I just experienced LSS with it, and it was amazing.
 
Hey! I play Oboe and Piano. I'm in orch and concert band. I used to sing,but hated it. idk why, just maybe my school's environment/other choir members. I'm currently working on a full on transcription of Noah's Ark by Bert Appermont and I'll attach a composition of mine here (technically it's a collab but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)https://musescore.com/user/4609081/scores/3414256 (It's posted by my teammate)
 
So once upon a time I was about to enter high school (Don't ask how long ago or I'll scratch you) and knowing a couple of things ahead of time (My older siblings were in band/Marching Band, my Dad is 60 years old and still playing the French Horn) and also having been in band for a brief time period during middle school, I decided based off of these things to join my high school's Marching Band. The only thing was, instead of playing the baritone like I did in middle school, I decided I wanted to try out drumming. Well, it turned out I had no coordination. They put me on cymbals and I just couldn't for the life of me do the cymbals and march at the same time. At this moment in time (my freshman year) my band did not have a full drumline. We had...most of it. That year I ended up playing the tambourine for a brief time period by the stands by my lonesome (I had the nickname 'Tambo" until I was finished with high school). Eventually, I got pulled into the Pit Crew, which was the group of people that helped set up things like the Drum Major stand and the Flags, etc. Needless to say, I was looked upon with some ridicule. I wasn't made fun of, though, which surprises me now when I think about it.

So it turns out right at the end of the school year my Band Teacher/Director decided partially because of me, and partially because he wanted a full Drumline, to bring back the Pit- For those who don't know what that is, in Layman's terms at least, it is the group of people that are in front of where the band is marching, but don't march themselves- I played the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Marimba, Xylophone, and various other things, anything from cowbells to cymbal stands to weird little thingies I had never seen before.

I found something out, during that time forward- I had some kind of talent or something with music because I never practised at home, and yet I rose to be one of the best players of the Xylophone and Co there was in the band. There was always someone better than me because I could never find the motivation (I didn't know it, but I was dealing with the ramifications of Depression, which can seriously affect motivation) to practise at home, and I would get chewed out by my friends in the Pit because I was nearly as good as they were and they practiced a heck of a lot more than I did- They wanted to see me practice so I could become better. While that didn't end up happening, eventually, from repeated tries and a lot of effort, eventually I was able to play the Glockenspiel while Marching in parades. By my senior year, it was a piece of cake and I was doing some pretty difficult pieces of music with ease.

So this story is for anyone who feels like they aren't good enough at music, or who feel like they never will be- Time can change so much, so don't give up on music, don't give up on those bonding experiences with friends, because I still look back at doing Marching Band as one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. And to this day I still sometimes wish I could go back to those days, and just feel alive again.

Moral of the story: Don't let your doubt hold you back, and just experience everyday you have in band/chorus/etc to the best of your ability. Make some memories. Because eventually, as time goes on, things will change. You might end up majoring in Music, but a lot of the friends you've made will move on with their lives. So Live for the moment, use your time wisely, and believe in yourself.
 
Wow, it's been a long time since this thread "died". Time for me to revive it again!

Anyway, has anyone played "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity"? Actually, the text at the post-credits scene inspired me to make a choral composition (which is in progress), which I plan on doing for one of the Choral Composition Competitions. This leads me to question with regards to the copyright of the text: should I ask permission about this text (and to who, in that case), even I added one line that I made up myself?

For those who haven't played, the text at the post-credits scene are as follows:

Goodbye, <player>.
No matter how great the distance is between us,
Even if we never meet again,
Our hearts will always be together.
I will always be with you in spirit
forever and ever.
 
So, I am a flute/piano player. Recently, I placed 27/47 in all Houston band for flute, and only twelve chairs were offered. I bombed phase 1, and aced phased 2, but in the end, 1 screwed me over.

And all that was going through my head when I was auditioning was I want to play Pokémon when I get home.
 
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