Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A YouTube Link

The first arrangement posted with a YouTube link in the SAB arrangement of Abide With Me 'Tis Eventide. Remember, we are all amateurs just trying to give everyone an idea of the what the arrangement should should like.  Aren't my friends good sports to do this for me?

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Some Kind Words

Thanks for your arrangement of "Come Follow Me". We are singing it today in our Ward Conference. I really appreciate that it is written to be easily learned by an inexperienced Ward Choir.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Some Notation Changes

I have just finished re-notating some of the arrangements in order to make them easier to read. Rather than squeeze five or six measures onto one line, I spread the music out. So, now you will have one or two more pages of music, but you won't have to squint to read the words!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

An Error Found and Corrected.

I am embarrassed to admit that I have found a mistake in the on line copy of Abide With Me 'Tis Eventide. The last page, measure 72 should be an "F" for the bass. Not an "E." We are singing this in our ward so I caught the error. Sorry if this causes you problems. The on line copy has been corrected if you care to recopy it.

Friday, April 19, 2013

We are Working on the YouTube Posts.

The YouTube videos are coming! We plan to start recording this week. We will do one or two a week, so it may take some time to get them all up. Remember, these are actual Ward Choir members, not professionals. The idea is to give you a better idea how the arrangements should sound.

In the mean time, I have begun an arrangement of "Sabbath Day." It is a beautiful hymn with a great message.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Ward Choirs are not The Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

As we listened to the beautiful sounds of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir this past weekend, as Ward Choir directors, we may have thought, "I need to get that music for my choir!"

There are several reasons why I think this approach will bring disappointing results.

1. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is an audition choir. This means that the singers are experienced professionals or near professionals so they are able to site-read difficult music. In addition, their voice range is generally much greater than that of the average Ward Choir member, so they can sing those high notes without difficulty.

- Ward Choirs are made up of amateurs, many of whom do not even read music, so giving them such difficult music will only discourage them, and some singers will end up screeching in order to try to sing those high notes.

2. The Tabernacle Choir has 360 members! That means they can sing music that divides into Soprano, Second Soprano, Alto, Contralto, First, Second and Third tenors, Baratones and Basses.

- Ward Choirs generally sing with only ten to fifteen members. There are just not enough singers to divide into that many parts!

3. Having 360 members also gives the Tabernacle Choir the power to raise the rafters in the forte sections.

- Ward Choirs will only strain their voices and destroy the sound if they think they have to sing as loud or try to equal the power of the Tabernacle Choir. Singing with worshipful intent will invite the Spirit.

4. The Tabernacle Choir is accompanied by the organ or the Symphony on Temple Square almost exclusively. Even though many non-musicians think a piano is the same - it is NOT!

- Ward Choirs are usually accompanied by piano. A piano can not match the power of an organ or symphony, but supports the choir with a delicate, contemplative mood.

5. The Tabernacle Choir has access to hundreds of different pieces of music. They have an extensive budget, which is derived from the sale of their CDs around the world, to add to it on a consistent basis.

- Ward Choirs usually have a small library of arrangements, and many Ward Choirs do not have any ward budget money at all.

Ward Choirs do not have to imitate the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In fact, they shouldn't try to. Both choirs have their place in worshiping the Lord through music.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Friday, April 5, 2013

It is Done!

A shout out to the amazing, talented Konrad Baron for writing code for www.freewardchoirmusic.com enabling me to embed YouTube videos of the Ward Choir arrangements on my site!!

Now to talk my friends into singing in front of the entire world.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Come, Come Ye Saints SATB posted

The SATB arrangement of Come, Come Ye Saints is now posted and ready to be downloaded and copied! Remember that the holds and ritard at the end are not included in the playback, so add them back in when practicing with your Ward Choir.

We hope to solve this problem when we add a link to YouTube with a performance by real people. 

Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord!

Soon to be Posted

Come, Come Ye Saints SATB is finished! Now to play through it a hundred or so times to check for misspelled or missing words, voicing problems, etc.