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Ruth Bird's Wombscrapings
black belt
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 189
Location: UK
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 Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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Well, let me see . . .
I learned the trombone for about 8 or so years at school, playing in the various orchestras/ensembles and got fairly good - I only did grade 7 but could have rinsed 8 if I'd bothered to do *any* pratice (a problem that still scourges me to this day). Sacked it off when I went to uni.
My main concern is singing though - according to my dear mother (bless) I was singing before I was talking, though that sounds like bollocks to me. Anyway, I started singing in a church choir when I was 6, and joined an (as professional as you can get with kids) central london outfit when I was 8/9 until my voice broke. I carried on throughout my time at secondary school (singing lessons and crap, got grade 8 distinction but then again so can any fucker who sings).
I've gradually come round to the idea of trying to earn a substantial proportion of my income from singing, but I haven't got a music degree (or any other degree for that matter) and very little solo experience - I'm primarily a choral singer, and quite a good one at that. I'm currently getting lessons from a proper boss teacher, but I'm a lazy cunt so I'm not really going anywhere fast. Eventually I'd like to do some kind of postgrad qualification at a decent music college and be a regular in one of the good London choirs, but I am but young.
The voice part I chose to sing is, fortuitously, quite an uncommon one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor
and I'm but too bad at it either. I've just recorded a CD (like, a proper one being released on a record label and shit) with the choir I sing in and I got to do a solo on it, though I haven't listened to it so it'll probably sound a bit gay 
Um, phew, that was a bit of a mission. Did you know I liked singing?
I hate that smiley. |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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ooh ooh I know David James of the Hilliard Ensemble. He's a countertenor too. But their stuff is chamber medieval/renaissance - perhaps not your preferred timeframe?
Are you allowed to let us hear your CD? I'd really like to *beseeching eyes*
Tell us more about what type/era of choral, I might have some stuff you'd like 
Heh - and our first bit of brass   |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, "Womby" (as I suppose I'll have to call you), you're a countertenor?? I sing Alto so I have a love/hate relationship with you guys. You're all so bloody good at sightreading, but generally I have yet to meet one who didn't make me piss myself laughing in the middle of a really hardcore practice/service.
I'm choral trained too, which I neglected to mention in case I looked a bit geeky  I started in my local church when I was 9, and went on to sing at Bristol Cathedral for three years, and now St Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham. You should get some lay clerking work, the pay and the hours are awesome, my mate gets paid 12 grand a year for singing for an hour six times a week. I also sing on and off with the Rodolfus choir, which is shit hot if I do say so myself.
Although I don't mind singing in choirs because its easy money if you're a whizz at sight reading (get me!), I'm getting so bored with it. I'm still doing it for the money and because I can, but I'm going to give it up after uni. My first love was soul, jazz and blues, thats what I reckon I'm best at, and thats what I want to make a go of really. So difficult to get into, but its worth a go. |
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Ruth Bird's Wombscrapings
black belt
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 189
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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Get in, some replies
Derian - The stuff I'm most used to singing in what's normally called the English choral tradition I suppose - choral music that's written for liturgucal use in church services. This could be anything from plainsong, which is very old in terms of western musical history, to a piece written a few months ago. A fair part of the stuff I get to sing is the early polyphonic choral music of the renaissance - my two favourie composers of that era being Byrd and Tallis - I also get off on Purcell, Dowland, Tomkins, Shepherd, and various other obscure blokes. All eras have got something for me though - I like Mozart, Bach, Handel, Pergolesi, Brahms, Schubert, Wesley, Faure, Poulenc, Vierne, Langlais, Howells, Britten, etc etc etc. It's just that unaccompanied, textured stuff is the most satisfying stuff to sing (as long as I can stay in tune).
David James is a sick countertenor btw :smt004
mk - I am actually a layclerk, except at my cathedral (Sheffield) we're called songmen. And we don't get paid very much - I mean £12,000 is more than York, which is quite something. We've got a fairly good 12-18 girl's choir atm, who are on that CD we did. I'm am also a shit hot sightreader, but I am equally good at making myself look/sound like an absolute prannet - takes years of training y'know.
If you're in Rodolfus (do you know a countertenor called Danny?) I presume you went on an Eton - without being too much of a bigheaded cunt I'm around that standard, but have never 'put myself about' and joined loads of choirs - too much effort basically - I'll get round to it one day. I've yet to get bored of it though - I see it as being part of my very being so I plan on doing it til I snuff it (or get throat cancer).
phew, missions  |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| There are loads of advantages about choral singing. A ready made group to go on the piss with - as inevitably you end up doing - and so much networking, so there's always opportunities to make an easy buck. You can sing at a wedding and do a five minute solo, and get paid £80 for it. I'm going to Malaysia and Borneo next year with St Bs. I get paid a grand a year for singing roughly twice a week. And don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it, but I guess I'm not getting the opportunity to stretch myself at the moment. Back home I did so much exciting stuff: Loads of Britten, Vaughn-Williams (my two favourites), and as you say, Langlais, Pergolesi, Howells, Parry, Harris... I love all that. And this year I did the Stravinsky mass with double wind quintet, which was excellent. I love Stravinsky. We did a wicked performance of Trois Chansons by Ravel aswell, that was mental. These days, although I love Tallis and Palestrina to sing, all we do is Victoria, Byrd, Tallis and Palestrina masses, and plainchant. I miss singing proper psalms, and responses. They were the bizzle. |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Danny who by the way? I haven't sung with them for a while and it tends to be a different lot each time. Eton Choral was the best summer hols I ever had when I was at school - I wouldn't be as good a choral singer as I am now without them. I had a wicked teacher there too - Margaret Humphrey Clerk? She teaches at Guildhall I think. |
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Ruth Bird's Wombscrapings
black belt
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 189
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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Well that's what comes of abandoning the wonderful CofE for the Papists I can't say responses and chanting are my favourite pastime but I would undoubtedly miss then if I stopped singing them - do you want to swap cathedrals for a term? I know what you mean about the fiscal advantages and the tours and connections and shit but I suppse it's all a bit intimidating, an I'm not entirely sure that I fit into the choral 'mould', going off the young singers I've met in the past - I mean I'm sure you're lovely tho with such quality siblings but my god there are a lot of utter gimps out there.
Re Eton - that lad's name is Danny Keating Roberts - filthy laugh, bit of a letch - I went on two courses, one @ Liverpool and one @ Eton - had Mrs HC for one of them, she knows her shit for sure. My singing teacher is a bit like her actually.
ps - messe solonelle? faire is the heaven? ceremony? let all the world? You knows it . . . |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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heh - done them all.
Yeah I know what you mean - I don't think I fit the choral mould either, I seem to spend a lot of my time avoiding all the gimps, who think its just "faabulous" and think that singing madrigals in the pub is the height of hilarity. Thats why I chose the choral scolarship with the biggest pay off and the least commitment. And the best people
I don't think I would be able to sing all the music I really love though without a choral training - its given me so much confidence. I've been a soloist in the Pergolesi Stabat Mater, and the Ceremony with the harp. Things I really wanted to be able to do when I was a kid, and my voice use to shake so badly when I sang in front of people. I guess I just feel I've gained everything I wanted to from it.
I've got some godawful tracks on my comp actually of me singing, but I ain't posting them up! Just listened to some, you can hear me doing a big fuck up in the middle |
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sparky lightbourne
sweetums
Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 2250
Location: massive ears
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:14 am Post subject: |
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| misskitty wrote: |
I seem to spend a lot of my time avoiding all the gimps, who think its just "faabulous" and think that singing madrigals in the pub is the height of hilarity.
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:gun: |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| quite. |
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strung out
Junglist Souljadmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 5013
Location: mod towers
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:58 am Post subject: |
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| misskitty thinks that everyone's going to think that she is a geek of the highest order and that she will get the piss relentlessly ripped out of her for having such geeky hobbys and stuff. I would never do that though... oh no |
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Ruth Bird's Wombscrapings
black belt
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 189
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:50 am Post subject: |
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<twat mode>
it's not a hobby, it's a vocation
</twat mode> |
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strung out
Junglist Souljadmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 5013
Location: mod towers
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:08 am Post subject: |
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| no wonder she's on holiday all the time |
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Ruth Bird's Wombscrapings
black belt
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 189
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:06 am Post subject: |
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paaaarp!! |
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Ninjadmin
Capo
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 22357
Location: ninja island
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| Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:11 am Post subject: |
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| hey singers, if you send me mp3s of you singing i can put them on my tunes innit |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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ooo Iam - guitars  |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, I'm one of the multitude.
There's a new acoustic been added since that photo was taken, too. |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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Mmmmmmm
What makes and models are they? |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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L-R
Fender Strat ('87 Jap), Takamine EN-20C, Framus Jazzmaster ('73, rare as) and not pictured, Washburn D-10.
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| are you in a band Iam? |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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Sort of. We're not very good at getting together, though. Doesn't help that the drummer and other guitarist both have other bands that they take more seriously.
I play sometimes with a few lads round here, too... but I'm not really fond of the music they play (they want to be the next The Feeling), so I'm trying to avoid more than odd involvement.
Any Rockabilly/Punk bands out there need a 3 chord guitarist??
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| We need you to record some stuff then put it on a radio show fo shizzle |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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Hmmm. I thought you were trying to encourage people to listen...
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Don't hide yer light under a bushel etc :-o
We want to hear it !!!!!!1 |
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bristle-krs
he'll save ev'ry one of us
Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 6821
Location: flatpack thug
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:02 pm Post subject: |
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| i motor away did an ace podcast recently on country-related music like rockabilly, gothabilly & gothic country |
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Iam
trainee ninja
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 302
Location: In the dark of night, the cover of silence
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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Cool.
There's some assorted Psychobilly stuff here, too.
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Can anyone recommend a good pair of headphones? Not top of the range DJ ones, just good ones for making me radioshows and doing my uni composition work
Budget: probably over £20, under £50 if poss |
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bristle-krs
he'll save ev'ry one of us
Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 6821
Location: flatpack thug
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:20 am Post subject: |
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i have to say i'm rather happy with my budget-priced canyon cn-hs1 headphone/mic - bought for £14.95 @ maplin, but available cheaper online (eg http://www.fonejuice.co.uk/products/productDetail.asp?productcode=CHSM )
quite a rich sound, very comfortable padded headset, woven nylon(?) coated cable, pretty decent for volume... the microphone folds out of the way and has a flexible boom - and whilst it's not the greatest mic (still picks up a lot of computer noise), it's an improvement on the in-built mic i was using.
as headphones they are a definite improvement on the old skool philips ones i was using. |
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hiccup
Poster of the year!
Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 9225
Location: Londizzle
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Ninjadmin
Capo
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 22357
Location: ninja island
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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i use panasonic dj100
they are pretty good value for money, probly 20 or 25 pound
and they fold up really small which is way cool |
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misskitty
did you speak
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 4064
Location: The place I fear the most
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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cheers everyone, I'll have a scout round
Its cos some look well professional, but I'd rather have ones people can actually say are good!
But I still wanna look like a super cool deeeeeeejaaaaaaaay |
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Moggy
storm shadow's mate
Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Posts: 416
Location: In your FACE
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:19 am Post subject: |
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Only just noticed this thread...
Suppose i have a certain degree of experience with various things.
Started learning the violin and piano from about 5 or 6 until i was 9 when i moved to london and was (i suppose) pretty acceptable, although it was mostly self teaching and i never took grades or anything. Pretty much packed it in after that since i didn't have access to a piano and practicing violin in a tiny flat full of people doesn't go down well
Didn't really do anything musical apart from obligatory music lessons at secondary school, which mainly involved playing about with some early version of Cubase. Didn't really learn much out of that.
After getting into clubbing/raving/etc from about 14 i started DJing from about 15 and still do (less often now, but can still put a good mix together if i could be bothered, which is a bit shit), although a bit out of practice since i got more obsessed with production and live stuff using computers and hardware.
Been helping set up rigs and getting into the more techy side of things from about 15/16 and finally got into production properly not long after. Have built up a (considerably) more than capable studio at home over the last 3+ years that's mainly been designed around software production, and have been studying music tech at college since - so i've got to learn how to properly record several local bands with a proper arsenal of kit as well as learn the more sciency side of it all rather than just knowing what to do.
Ummm got several tracks coming out on a charity CD to raise money for two local charities in the next couple of months and have written/produced plenty of others (covering techno and dnb to more experimental stuff). Have been in the process of starting up two record labels over the last 9 months although i've been a lazy tit about it, so it's all going rather slowly. Am determined to have debut 4-track EPs out on both before i turn 20 in may though
Am also currently thinking about starting to get back into learning/playing actual instruments - want to improve my keys skills a bit more, and learn how to play the harmonica and the theremin (or the ethermin as i like to call it ). |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| Bumpizzle |
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the button
billiard ball-bonced wage slave
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 308
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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My dad loves music, and we had an old upright piano in the front room, which I was allowed to play from a very young age, as long as I didn't just piss about. I'm not a pianist by any stretch of the imagination, but the piano was the first instrument I played on, and I still find a keyboard handy for working out melodies/chords by ear.
I started playing the guitar when I was 8 (in a primary school lunchtime "guitar club"), so that was my first "proper" instrument. I've had various guitars, but the only one I have at the moment is a black Fender acoustic. I used to have loads of pedals for my electric guitar, including an original Vox Cry Baby, which I was daft to get rid of.
The first kind of music I got really really into was English traditional music, and I was fortunate enough to meet this lot, who come from near where I was born. I'm not a good singer by any means, but I do love singing with other people, especially in that style.
I later started playing the mandolin (aged 13/14) and the melodeon (around the same age, maybe a little earlier) -- a melodeon being a squeezebox with buttons at both ends. I got OK on both of those, although I don't have them with me in London at mo. I keep meaning to bring them back down with me when I visit my parents.
Most recently I got myself an alto saxophone, when my gran died about 10 years ago and left me a few hundred quid. I wanted to get myself a big "something" with that money, so I had something to show for it. It was only at this point that I really learned to read music, because I found it hard to work things out "by ear" on the sax. I hardly play it nowadays (so fucking loud!), but I get it out every now & then when the neighbours have loud music on. That'll learn 'em.  |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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Let's have a pic of a melodeon then  |
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the button
billiard ball-bonced wage slave
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 308
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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With a melodeon, each row of buttons is in a different key. I've got one of these, which is in A, D & G:-
I started "sitting in" with a ceilidh band about six months after I got it (the best way to learn the tunes without sheetmusic), and A, D & G are the most common keys for that kind of thing. And after a while (i.e. when I stopped being such a liability ) they started paying me, which was nice.
Later on, I got one of these: -
which is a 1-row in the key of C. The little things at the top are "stops" (like on an organ), which bring in different sets of reeds (like a mouth organ). Obviously, you're a lot more restricted in terms of the keys you can play in (C, and a "blues" scale in G), but the sound is far nicer as a solo instrument. |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| You've got to bring it down to London and do some shizzle on a radio show |
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the button
billiard ball-bonced wage slave
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 308
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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This is all part of a sinister alliance you've formed with my mam, to make me visit my parents, isn't it?  |
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wraeth
wizened old bintmin
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 19850
Location: twixt and tween
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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