S O U N D I N G S

This year's annual Sound of the Rockies show is April 21 at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Denver. Show times 2 and 7 p.m. Pageantry, pirates and patriotism. Sacred, silly, sentimental: It's entertainment!

The Show Card:*

Don't miss it. Show producer George Davidson was reliably reported to say, “This is our best show ever!”

But to begin at the beginning, here is Tutorial One: What is Barbershop Harmony?
“SPEBSQSA is devoted to promoting, preserving, and enjoying a special form of harmony known as barbershop. But what makes a particular song or arrangement "barbershop-able"? What's the difference between barbershop and doo-wop, jazz, madrigal, and other a cappella music?
Technically speaking, barbershop harmony is a style of unaccompanied singing with three voices harmonizing to the melody. The lead usually sings the melody, with the tenor harmonizing above the lead. The bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes and the baritone provides in-between notes, either above or below the lead to make chords (specifically, dominant-type or "barbershop" sevenths) that give barbershop its distinctive, "full" sound.
Probably the most distinctive facet of barbershop harmony is the phenomenon known as expanded sound. It is created when the harmonics in the individually-sung tones reinforce each other to produce audible overtones or undertones. Barbershoppers call this "ringing a chord." Singing in a quartet or chorus and creating that "fifth voice" is one of the most thrilling musical sensations you'll ever experience, leading to goosebumps the size of golf balls. “

Reflection on the above: What I like about this concise essay on barbershop harmony is that it doesn't lobby for a point of view but gets down to the basics. No distinctions between “show barbershop” and “real barbershop,” no agendas about “simple lyrics” and “singable melodies,” no dating of acceptable barbershop songs, no declarations that only the “old songs” were written with seventh chords in them. In fact, nothing that suggests the so-called controversy about “barbershop style” is a debate (which somebody has to win) rather than a discussion (which deepens our understanding and broadens our appreciation).

[I overheard this not long ago: Fred Wiese (older SOR member) said: “What's wrong with the old songs?” Jason Mork (younger SOR member) answered: “They're old.”]

I am an unapologetic progressive when it fun, I began to check the dates of songs in some barbershop collections and with one exception found none more recent than 1912. Please. Check out Cole Porter's 1937 classic In the Still of the Night. A simple melody? Of course. Straightforward lyric? Yes--compare it to “Once in the bygone days beyond recall, when on the world the mists began to fall...” See what I mean? Seventh chords? 37% (his Night and Day had 67%!). Heart-felt sentiment?
Yep.
OK, OK, Jason-so maybe 1937 means it's one of the old songs, too. But I was there and it was a very good year (as Ol' Blue Eyes would have said). And I'm still waiting for a barbershop arrangement.
In the interest of interest among a newer generation of barbershoppers, and to coin a phrase, Let's keep it a discussion. Or put it this way: maybe the old songs are older than they used to be. Isn't every(body)thing?

Gentlemen,

Thank you so much for your great effort and dedication. I know this barbershop is only a hobby, but I hope you realize the passion I have for excellence for our chorus, even if it is just a hobby. I feel that so many of you share this desire for excellence, and it shows up more and more in each and every performance we do. And I have no doubt that this upcoming show will be the most outstanding barbershop show Colorado has ever seen.
The music is obviously challenging, but I am continually amazed that the more I raise the bar, the higher you jump. I know it has been at times frustrating, but you are becoming much stronger, smarter singers and performers. To reach the ultimate goal, we must continue to stretch our abilities and boundaries as performers. At the same time, I am excited to start approaching more "barbershop" type arrangements, even in the most conservative definitions of the term. In fact, the first two songs we will learn following the show are standard homophonic barbershop arrangements.
I made this statement one night a couple months ago at rehearsal, but let me reiterate that one of the biggest reasons I have avoided pure barbershop singing is that it is so difficult to sing well that I don't like to teach people "how to sing" on a barbershop piece, but rather introduce barbershop harmonies to them after the singing skills are more in place. We are coming to that point. Now don't get me wrong, we will continue to perform a varied repertoire, but I have heard some of the pleas and I believe it is now time to introduce some of my favorite barbershop pieces out there.
Keep up the tremendous work. Our chorus is about to break into a whole new musical realm. You guys make me very proud!

Darin

The poet T. S. Eliot wrote: “April is the cruellest month.” Well, no month is too cruel in Colorado, generally, though we get a good share of our annual 65 non-sunny days then. So, if you feel like singing the blues, here's some expert advice, contributed to the Fullerton, CA Chapter bulletin Barbershop Clippin's by one Charles Everett.

(Attributed to Memphis Earlene Gray with help from Uncle Plunky, revisions by Little Blind Patti D. and Dr. Steve Franklin.)

1. Most Blues begin, “Woke up this morning.”
2. “I got a good woman” is a bad way to begin the Blues, 'less you stick something nasty in the next line, like “I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.”
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes...sort of: “Got a good woman - with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher - and she weigh 500 pound.”
4. The Blues are not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch, ain't no way out.
5. Blues cars: Chevys and Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft an' state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In the Blues “adulthood” means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in St. Paul or Tucson is just depression. Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.
8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg cuz you skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg cuz an alligator be chomping on it is.
9. You can't have no Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.
10. Good places for the Blues:

a. highway
b. jailhouse
c. empty bed
d. bottom of a whiskey glass

a. Ashrams
b. gallery openings
c. Ivy League institutions
d. golf courses

a. you're older than dirt
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied

a. you have all your teeth
b. you were once blind but now can see
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a retirement plan or trust fund

a. wine
b. whiskey or bourbon
c. muddy water
d. black coffee

a. mixed drinks
b. kosher wine
c. Snapple
d. sparkling water

a. Sadie
b. Big Mama
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling

a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Little Willie
d. Big Willie

a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.)
b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)
c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)

24 Karat Ring:
Feb 9 Brighton Senior Center
Feb 10 Denver Lions Club
Feb 14 Investment Group-Wilshire Inn
Feb 14 Lions Club-Heather Gardens
Feb 15 30th Anniversary Party
Executive Order:
Feb 18 Kennel Club Dog Show
Feb 11 Mt Olive Lutheran Church
Kowalski Twins:
Feb 16 Birthday party, Stanford's Restaurant