At our third practice session, we have two band members absent, Trent out with the flu (fortunately not of the porcine variety) and our fiddler out for the second time. David reviews with us the set that we have agreed to do, and leads us through all five of the songs, pointing out possibilities for arrangements, and soliciting our suggestions. We start to identify specific vocal parts, trios and quartets. Previously we have sung in “jam” style, adding whatever voices we could think up spontaneously. It feels good to have genuine parts, and the excitement of singing in ensemble returns to me. There is nothing quite like the experience of hearing individuals next to you singing harmonies to the line you are singing. I am relieved to discover that all the band members have a high tolerance for repetition in practice. We sit singing the same phrases repeatedly, listening for the sound that we are aiming for, David commenting after each trial on how we can improve the performance. I might be a little excessive in my tolerance for such repetition, so it is good to find out that the rest of the band is comfortable with the practice.
I discuss my ideas for the song I brought to the band, and we decide on an arrangement. I volunteered to write it out and email it to the other band members before our next session, which I did as soon as I got home. How is someone supposed to sleep after a rehearsal? My head is always spinning with ideas and musical phrases.
The process of learning a song with a band is a lot more organic than I was anticipating. I am learning to be flexible with my instrumental arrangements. I began with the practice of learning mandolin leads from well-known bluegrass bands, lifting the leads directly from those recordings, or altering them to my taste, or using them as an inspiration to create something new. Then at the rehearsals I was ready to go. But that is not working. The lead parts I was learning and developing in that way do not always sound good with the arrangements that are emerging as we continue to shape our set. Sometimes the problem is small, so when my arrangement sounds awkward, I can start making adjustments on the spot. At other times the parts I have taught myself don’t work at all, and I have to improvise through the song rather than try forcing those parts into the performance. After each rehearsal, I drive home thinking it through, trying to work out new instrumental arrangements in my head. If the traffic police knew about this, they might consider creating laws similar to the new cell phone laws for drivers: “Musicians caught driving while working out arrangements in their head will be fined.” Driving under the influence of music (DUIM). How about musicians caught driving while reaching over to the passenger seat, attempting to open their mandolin cases?
I have a new resolve, to bring my digital recorder with me to all rehearsals, to record our arrangements so that later I can tinker with my instrumental parts.
At the end of this rehearsal, we discuss band names and decide on Dubious Pilgrims. We took a band picture so we can send it to Hilary and hopefully get it posted on the Freight website.
Between the third and fourth rehearsals, I attend the Vocal Workshop at Hilary’s house, on Wednesday evening, and find my band partner Clara there. Hilary’s friend Cary Sheldon talked to us about the anatomy and physiology of the larynx, and they lead us in relaxation exercises; Hilary worked with us on pitch and intonation drills, and interval recognition; and Cary made individual voice assessments. This was an extremely worthwhile experience. It also proves to be an opportunity to meet a roomful of TTSers and TTS alumni who are impressively supportive and talented. I return home with a CD of vocal exercises and new inspiration as a singer. My commuting routines are also improved: added to the daydreaming about arrangements and the practice of songs, I am singing scales and intervals. Life is good in the presto lane.
At our fourth Sunday rehearsal we discover that we have lost our banjo player and fiddler. Hmmm . . . that’s three guitars, a bass, and a mandolin. We take a few slow breaths and David gives us a pep talk about how we are sounding. We are comfortable with his confidence, so we dig into those vocal arrangements again, to recover anything that we have forgotten since last week, make a few adjustments, and repeat each song several times to get used to singing with each other. David assures us that our blend and phrasing will work out in good time; for now we just need to keep singing together to get the feel of the ensemble. We also work on Trent’s lead song, which we did not practice at the last session when he was absent. The set is starting to feel like a set. A rough set. But a set.
The band members discuss having extra rehearsals. David will be out next Sunday, so we request the practice room so that we can still meet. The band members also agree unanimously and enthusiastically to start having mid-week meetings. I am reassured by the band’s enthusiasm for this—it is clear to me at that at this point the most effective way for me to improve my contribution to the band is to play with the band. The practicing that I do at home continues to help refine discrete instrumental and vocal skills, but it is only when I am rehearsing with the band that this material starts to sound like music. If I can avoid a DUIM, this should all work out fine.
Take the Stage is proud to be in partnership with the California Bluegrass Association, which provides free tickets to Grass Valley for our Most Inspirational Player. For more information, visit
nellrobinsonmusic.com/tts.
