Golden Harvest Sharp Notes

Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America

Golden Harvest Chorus meets most Monday Evenings, 7:30-10:00 at
Knox Metropolitan United Church, corner of Victoria and Lorne, Regina, Saskatchewan
Guests always welcome!

Here we are, with summer more-or-less behind us – although with the temperature today hitting 31° this feels more like summer then some of the weekends past. Harvest is still in full swing, so we're not quite up to our full complement of singers, but we've already started our season off with a bang.

If you missed the chapter meeting last Monday, then you missed a great night. Everyone is all fired up and ready to sing. Our director Ken is back from not one, but two directors' schools, so we've literally got a tiger by the tail.

The executive has met and mapped out plans for the upcoming year including lots of music and social activities including several open house / guest nights.

Welcome guests. We're glad to have you come out and join us tonight. We hope that you will have as much fun singing as we do. If you have any questions, now or later, please don't hesitate to ask – and if you have enjoyed the evening, we'd love to have you come back and sing with us again next week.

I have experienced a great deal of enjoyment from barbershopping over the past 25 years or so and very simply I take an equal amount of pleasure in sharing that experience with others. The key to my success in recruiting has been that question. Do you like to sing? I ask it again and again. No one is ever offended - to the contrary it is almost always received as a compliment. Quite often the response is something like, Not me! or only in the shower! Etc. But surprisingly so, there are many men out there who can and like to sing and simply haven't been asked.

The members of the 2000/20001 executive met Sunday September 17 at Bruce and Elaine Fish's. This was an informal planning session rather than an actual Executive business meeting.

We spent the 2+ hours lounging out on the deck going over our activities for the upcoming year – everything from singouts to guest nights to show, convention, taping, parades, COTS, music schools – the works.

We've tried to cover all our plans for the coming year, and to keep us active and in the public eye while having lots of time for good singing and other fun activities.

The Spring 2001 convention will be in Fargo – and we're planning on being there – so if you want to join in the fun, make sure you keep that weekend open.

Saturday November 18, 2000, 9:30am to 4:30pm, 1^st Presbyterian Church in Brandon Manitoba.

This school will feature classes for Chapter presidents, Music Directors and Assistant Directors, Music and Performance VP's, Membership VP's and Treasurers.

This will be a fast moving school with many handouts and will provide the same amount of teaching time as the regular COTS in Eau Claire.

The faculty will consist of Del Ryberg (Presidents), Bruce O'Dell (Directors), Scott Kvigne (Music VP's), Duane Hutton (Membership and Treasurers - the treasurers will rotate between Duane's and Del's classes to give them a well-rounded class covering all chapter activities).

This should be a great school – and a great complement to the Clear Lake Mini-Hep. The focus of Clear Lake is music, whereas the focus here is on the running of the chapter.

We sang on our float in the Buffalo Days parade, and we sang O Canada for the Riders. Both of these were fun activities for those who were able to attend, as well as great opportunities to show off to the rest of Regina. Thanks to all of you who participated.

For those of you who have been holding your breath since June, waiting to find out when and where our chapter BBQ would be held – the wait is almost over. Watch for announcements at chapter – if we can get enough participation, we'll be trying for either Sunday September 24 (that's this Sunday coming) or Sunday October 1 (the following Sunday). Stay tuned for further details.

Jack, the butcher's son, was sent to town to sell a fine liver sausage. On the way, he met a young bird-catching woman, who was selling the Terns she had entrapped that morning. She was so charming, and Jack was so entranced, that they swapped, and Jack took a Tern for the Wurst.

Hello friend Bruce, and thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration of this most special request in your role as chapter president.

You may agree that membership recruiting in our Society has not been all that good lately. We hope that is not true for the Regina Chapter. Our greatest hope and expectation is that during the last quarter of 2000 you and your chapter will join Ev Nau, Pat Kelly and me, along with the 820 other chapters all over North America, in: 1) designing, 2) planning, and 3) executing at least one special membership recruiting effort for the good of your chapter and our beloved Society.

Bruce, our Society’s Values Statement suggests that active membership in SPEBSQSA not only enriches life, but provides a place for men to share their love and generosity, to grow in music, performance, administrative and leadership skills, and certainly to enrich family and community life... all through barbershopping.

As leaders and active Barbershoppers, you and I especially know this to be true. At the same time we know there is tremendous competition for a man’s life and times. We think a well-planned membership recruitment project will be just the ticket for you and your members; and, if enjoined Society-wide, will help us "Share the Dream" with a whole new class of members: the class of 2000.

Ev, Pat and I would love to do this for you, but we can’t. It becomes your mission when you and your chapter commit to it. What we can do is provide: 1) dozens of ideas, 2) lots of how-to information and 3) moral support from your district’s membership VP as well as from your chapter coach. Imagine every chapter having one well-planned event this fall... it could be "a chord heard ‘round the world."

Thanks for your help and support; and, Bruce, we need to count on your passing this expectation along to your board and to your membership. We need all hands on deck for this crucial membership drive, and remember... it truly is as easy as 1-2-3.

For years, I frankly did not realize the value of singing, chorus or quartet, and was reluctant to ask my friends to either sing or buy tickets, ads, valentines, anything. It finally dawned on me, that we don't realize what singing can do for you. Singers live longer, which is one reason our average age is increasing. Singers have far better, more successful marriages, and successful employment relations than non-singers.

Sam was wealthy, and could afford a Rolls Royce; but he preferred his wonderful little Datsun. When it broke one day, he was enraged to find that no one could replace the tiny cog in the transmission, which had caused the problem. Sam could afford it, so he flew to Tokyo, and asked the manufacturer. But cogs were sold only in large lots, and he had to buy a thousand just to get the one he needed. On the way home, his private Learjet developed engine problems, and was in danger of crashing. Needing only one cog, he dumped the other 999 to reduce the plummeting plane's weight. Down below, a little boy looked at the sky and ran home shouting, "Come quick, it's raining Datsun cogs."

COMING EVENTS

Chapter BBQ, Sunday September 24, 3:00 @ Candy Cane Park (in Wascana)

Bingo Tuesday, September 26

Thanksgiving, No Meeting Monday, October 9

Executive meeting Sunday, October 15

LOL Fall District Convention, Oshkosh, WI October 20, 21, 22

Northwest COTS & Music School, Brandon Saturday, November 18

Golden Harvest Annual Spring Show Saturday, April 7, 2001

LOL Prelims / Spring Convention, Fargo, ND May 4, 5, 6, 2001

Articles in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views of the chapter. Unless carrying a byline, they are those of the editor. Items received may be referred to the executive before publication. All chapter officers and members are encouraged to submit articles to the Sharp Notes. Submissions will be credited to the author. Please address any comments, suggestions or submissions to the editor –

Bruce Fish, 2327 Brodie Bay, Regina, Canada S4V 0V1 phone: (306) 761-2503; email: bfish@accesscomm.ca.

Keywords in the Barbershop Lexicon

Afterglow - a noun (or a verb, depending on context) The Afterglow is the party held by Barbershoppers after a performance or other event. All the participants and their fans get together and perform for each other in a more informal setting, often with food and sometimes beverages! "I can't believe how much they're charging for the Afterglow!"
Arrangement- a noun, An arrangement is sheet music, which has been written for a performer. A Barbershop arrangement is written in four parts for four performers, who attempt to learn their parts. Once they realize they are not capable of singing the music as arranged, they come up with something called the Re-Arrangement! "Hmmm… this arrangement looks familiar, I think I wrote one similar to this back in '73!"

Bari- a noun, slang, short for Baritone. Baritone is a voice part which is one of the four that make up a barbershop quartet. While not generally known for singing well, Baritone singers tend to regard themselves as God's gift to barbershop, which of course is not the case. God's gift to barbershop was clearly the Bass singer! "Hey! That Bari sure can whittle!"

Glimmer - a noun, just like an Afterglow but only after the afterglow is finished. At a glimmer you will find only the most depraved and compulsive tag singers! "*yawn* Hurry Up! We'll be late for the um... er... Glimmer..."

Hanger - a noun. A hanger is an extended note, usually carried by the lead or bass, occasionally by the tenor, and rarely by the baritone. This is invariably the root of the chord sung at maximum volume, while the other three parts go through a variety of swipes and tiddlies. The person responsible must "hang" on that note indefinitely, as the other three get to take nice casual breaths, as tears run down his eyes and he turns purple. "He was a hell of a bass! They say it was the hanger that got him!"

Overtone - a noun. An overtone is the Holy Grail of barbershop singing, elusive, precious, and achieving it is it's own reward. It only occurs when a chord is tuned and properly balanced. When it does occur the chord expands, and the high note blends perfectly into the chord, causing the listener to look around trying to figure out who is singing it. Many overtones created in a parade of perfectly locked chords have been known to cause barbershoppers to cry, or for their eyes to glaze over as they grin and drool in a state of catatonic ecstasy. "That was the mother of all Overtones. I can die happy now."

Tag - as a noun, the ending of a barbershop song, usually the last four to eight bars, and often considered the best chords in the song. Barbershoppers worldwide memorize tags, teach them to each other and sing them at barbershop events, usually in the hallway of the eighth floor of some hotel, often until the sun comes up. "Hey, if you guys would go somewhere else to sing those tags, some of us could get some SLEEP! I'm calling the cops!"

Tidly- (also Tildy) a noun. A tidly is one of the more quaint yet charming aspects of Barbershop, sort of like striped vests and straw skimmers. A typical tidly is sort of an echo of a previous phrase, sung in a descending scale. an example: "Sweet Adeline {Sweeeeeeet A.. Duh... Line}" Most tidlies are sung in the Baritone part, sad but true, and this is what leads some to believe that most Arrangers are closet Baritones! A Baritone will never pass up a chance to really ham it up when presenting with a big fat tidly on stage! "I know he'll get the tidly, but can he make the keychange?"