It’s just over a month until our performance and my main concern is the harmonies in the first and last songs. We have made progress, just some of the harmonies are difficult to get. Individually each member of the cast has an amazing voice it is just find the correct balance and group tone. I think the group are just doubting themselves and their own abilities. The trick is to listen. Listening to each other helps so much as it allows you to find the correct pitch and to synchronise with the backing music. But we have found a solution, any singer will agree that harmonies are difficult to learn and when put with all of the elements and put on a stage it is difficult to concentrate and pitch. Therefore, as a company we have set up a No Added Sugar Sound Cloud profile, where we can upload sound clips for people to access at home. By doing this each singer will be able to listen to their own parts and practice at home ready to come into the music rehearsals ready to go.
As a company the exploration of live music in performance has always been part of the agenda to explore. In the theatre industry, companies such as Filter and The Little Bulb Theatre Company have explored the idea of incorporating live music into performance and have used it to their advantage to produce some amazing shows. It is a unique element to use if available, therefore when we discovered that not only myself but most of the cast can either sing, or play an instrument or was willing to learn, from this point I think we all knew that if we did not explore and develop music for our performance it would be a great loss.Also, with the topic of love in mind, music is known as the universal language of love, so it would be rude not too. Music has the ability to create a connection with the audience in the same way as any play or text. Particular songs over the years can become reminiscing of all the good and bad encounters you can have with love. Such as, a first Kiss, a couple’s first dance at their wedding or even a first meeting.
Within the company we discussed various love songs that are both personal to us and some well-known classics. As musical director with help from assistant musical director Jozey as well as collaborating with director Tom and the singers, we shall be able to pick out the correct few love songs, as discussed in Jozey’s earlier post ‘thoughts about music’. We went away from rehearsal with a few of the musical choices to explore the possibility of playing it on either piano, guitar or ukelele.
Within the piece, we want to include some old time classics such as ‘I’d do anything for love’ by Meatloaf and ‘All you need is love’ by the Beatles. , spiced up with some original composition. That will, I hope add some depth and texture to some of the written and to be written text and with hope that it will help the audience along with their journey.
In relation to all of this, the instruments we have decided to use the most in our performance are the guitar, piano and Ukulele. But through discussion we also thought it would be nice to get some alternative instruments into our company which will take the shape a glockenspiel and a tambourine. Yay! Becky our producer is going to buy them for our next rehearsals and although at this moment I don’t know where they are going to be used, I am sure we will find a valuable place for them.
As Musical Director, I am looking forward to the next few weeks. Exploring things I have not done before from taking charge of music to even developing my own musical abilities. I am also hoping to help the company learn a little more about musical techniques and to produce some music with, dare I say it, maybe a hint of sugar.
One of the things we have agreed upon as a group from the start is that we intend to use live music in our piece.
We have been greatly inspired by companies like Filter Theatre who utilise music and live sound to enhance their work brilliantly. As well as work by companies that Tom, Phoebe and I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, such as the Flanagan Collective with their charming folk musical, ‘Beulah’, and HitchHook Theatre’s ‘This was the World and I was King’ which used original songs to underpin the story of three children and their parents during World War One; “the inclusion of music [was] seamless” and it “complemented each scene wonderfully” (Adam 2013).
Production still from HitchHook Theatre’s ‘This Was the World and I was King’.
Music can be such a part of romance and love, it’s hard not to involve it in our thoughts on the subject. While in a relationship, couples tend to have a song that somehow speaks for and “belongs to” their relationship, recent dump-ees have a song or two that they sit and cry to, newly weds have their wedding dance number and romantic meals or gestures are often accompanied by romantic background music (Barry White perhaps). On top of that, music itself is, more often than not, inspired by love – especially popular music. Song lyrics are often about romances gone wrong or romances gone right, or romance in one way or the other.
So, we felt that complimenting and under toning our piece with music throughout would really provide a kind of romantic atmosphere (where appropriate). In using popular loves songs from throughout time too, it would give the audience references to relate to and even laugh at. The aim is to have a sense of humour, not to be too cheesy. Just honest.
So, starting to make a list of famous love songs (this list will be edited and added to as we go):
Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
True – Spandau Ballet
The Power Of Love – Hewey Lewis and the News
The Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
I Wanna Know What Love Is – Foreigner
The Shoop Shoop Song – Cher
What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner
I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston
Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
Somebody to Love – Queen
The Rock Show – Blink 182
I Would Do Anything For Love – Meat Loaf
What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
Always – Bon Jovi
All You Need is Love – The Beatles
I’ll stop here for now, but we will continue this! I clearly need help thinking of more modern “hip” love songs (because I may as well be 50 years old as far as music is concerned). Gabby and I have also made a list of the instruments and capabilities we have, and also things that people could possibly pick up or learn in the time we have.
Here is our list of instruments and possible players so far:
Ukuele – Jozey (and Lauren wants to learn?)
Guitar – Jozey (very basic but could learn more) and Tom
Piano – Gabby (experienced) and Jozey (very VERY basic but could learn more)
Horn/ Sax – Gabby (experienced)
Glockenspiel – (Becky is learning)
Tambourine – (Any of us could learn)
Vocals – Lauren, Jozey, Phoebe, Sam, Shellie and Abbi
Photo: Jozey Wade, 2014Photo: Jozey Wade, 2014
Reference:
Adam, N (2013) ‘This Was the World and I Was King’, Broadway Baby, 22 August. Available online: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/this-was-the-world-and-i-was-king/31504 [Accessed 23 February 2014]
