Two Charts Comparison

Okay, as promised, here is the sound file for Ding! Dong! Merrily on High. Again, you can click on the picture to see a larger version. And, woo hoo! we did better! I've circled some places where the volume doesn't drop off quite as badly as we did last week. However, as you can see, we still do drop off quite a bit and the sections are still quite triangular. Let's see if we can't do better next time.

The smaller triangular sections in the middle of the chart are where the men, and then the women sing their "glorias." Looks to me like the women maintain volume slightly better than the men. I'm just sayin.'

Ding! Dong! Chart

I don't know if you're like me, but I'm a very visual person and seeing illustrations helps me. You can click on this picture to see a larger version of it.

The chart above is the sound file for "Ding! Dong! Merrily on High." Notice where I've put little signs where the long, extended "glorias" that we sing are located. The blue lines that reach all the way to the edges of the rectangle are the loudest sounds. They actually max out the microphones in my recorder. Notice that these "gloria" sections are triangular. Cory has asked us to maintain volume through these sections, and clearly the volume is going down quite a bit, and comes back up when a new "gloria" begins.

So, I thought next time we sing this, we could see if we could get the sound wave patterns to be more rectangular by maintaining the volume better. What do you think? Are you up for the challenge? I'll post a new picture and we can see how we did.

Two Pieces Pulled Sunday

Hi Chorus,

Cory had us pull two more pieces today. If you haven't already, please remove from your folders and give to Karen the following pieces of music (unless you've paid for them and want to keep them):

• And the Angels Sang
• The First Noel

I'll be removing the files for these pieces from the blog.

Thanks!
Karen

Costume Notes

Women, you need to wear a black dress or skirt and top. The top or dress should have at least a 3/4 length sleeve. If you wear a skirt and top, make sure the blacks match. Hose should be black, but not opaque (no tights). Shoes should be black and have a heel. Here are some examples of shoes that would be appropriate:

Notice that all these shoes have some kind of heel. The heel needn't be three inches tall. There just needs to be a heel of some kind.

This shoe is not appropriate because it is a flat and has no heel:

How will you know if you can stand for long periods of time in your chosen shoes? There's only one way--you need to start wearing them to rehearsals. Not only will this enable your feet to become accustomed to the shoes you've chosen, but if, after a few rehearsals, it's apparent that they just won't work, then you know you need to go find something else. I would recommend buying shoes on the large side of your size range because your feet will tend to swell a little. Also, there are inserts you can purchase for the ball of your foot to keep your toes from sliding too far forward inside your shoes. There are also gel inserts so you can be gellin' while you're singing!

Jewelry: No necklace, but earrings are okay.

Men, you need to wear dark pants and a long-sleeved, white shirt. The shirt needs to actually be white, which means you may need to go buy a new white shirt for the performances (Merry Christmas!). Your socks and shoes both need to be black.

Warm-Ups Start Earlier Now

Hi Everyone,

I know Cory emailed everyone, but just to have it on the blog, I'm repeating it here.

Warm-ups will start now at 7:50. If you can't be to rehearsal for warm-ups, please come already warmed up and ready to sing at 8. We need to maximize our rehearsal time.

New Files Uploaded!

Hi Chorus,

Whew! It's been a long couple of days, but I finally got all the files from Thursday's rehearsal and Amy's recording of last week uploaded for your listening pleasure. :)

Here's the lowdown. I added piano accompaniment files for the following songs:

• For Unto Us
• Joy in Judea
• Sleigh Bells
• Fum, Fum, Fum
• The First Noel

I've also added the following full chorus files:

• The Story Begins, parts
• The Story Begins, Full Chorus with Accompaniment
• SS Parts, Beginning at Measure 58
• Lullay Alleluia Full chorus, Parts
• Lullay Alleluia Full Chorus With Accompaniment
• My Heart, Your Bethlehem, Full Chorus With Accompaniment (replaces former file)

A couple of notes from Thursday's rehearsal: this week was the last time we'll go over parts on any of the songs, so be prepared. Cory said no excuses. Also, we may have one more week of sitting in sections before Cory separates us. This means we can't "lean on" other people singing our part, but have to be secure in it by ourselves.

Also, all of the song lyrics are on the blog.

New Schedule Posted

Hi Everyone,

I've posted the new schedule for Nov/Dec. Please mark your calendars with these mandatory rehearsals and performances.

There was some discussion about whether to bring a pie to the Nov. 27th rehearsal. The final consensus was if you want to bring a pie, please do. Those who don't mind eating pie late will enjoy it.

I'll be putting files up as I get them edited this weekend, so watch for those. I'll also be adding to the other pages.

Last spring, one of the second sopranos who is now on a mission told me she memorized all her music so that she could just watch Cory's direction while she sang. It worked great for her, and she didn't have to hold a heavy binder. I know we're not all in our early 20's, but the better we know our music, the better it will be for the whole chorus. Just a thought.