Buried treasure

The goal of this column is to provide information of special interest to our new members, and to remind our veteran members if they have forgotten some of these lessons.

It is easy to take for granted that new members already know how and why we do things as we do them in barbershopping. Of course that just isn’t so. There are a lot of new skills and techniques that need to be mastered in barbershopping to do it really well. In this and subsequent columns, I will present just one or two important items in each issue.

What is the best way for me to learn my music?

There are a number of ways that you can learn music. However, there is no one way that is right for everyone. Pick what works best for you from the following ways.

• Learn by rote repetition by listening closely to the other members in your same part. Make it a point to be at every rehearsal to maximize your exposure to the music and the learning experience it offers.
• Record yourself with a tape recorder singing with the sound of those around you. Review your tape to learn what you need to do.
• Listen faithfully to a learning tape and practice your part between meetings. You can listen to your learning tape while driving in a car. (Learning tapes are a good source for notes, but don’t rely on them for interpretation of the music. Use the interpretation adopted by your director.)
• Read your notes directly from the music. When you think you know your notes cold go back and recheck your notes. Look for places in the music that don’t sound quite right to you. Mark those spots and resolve whether the problem is due to a wrong note you are singing or to that of some other part.
• Work with your section leader to resolve any note problems you may have.
• Request that your part meet periodically for a concentrated section rehearsal on a non-meeting night. This is an effective way to get everyone singing correctly as one voice.
• Record your part to a song and ask your section leader to critique your tape.
• Use a pitch pipe or computer program to check yourself on troublesome passages, and especially where you have large or awkward jumps between notes. Close won’t win a prize.
• If you are a veteran and have been singing the song for years, recheck your music! You may well find that you have been singing some wrong notes, as in "where did that note come from?"