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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 1:17 am Post subject: Question for Band Leaders |
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My band plays mostly out of the Real Dixieland book and we need a female vocalist. From your experience can most sing tunes out of the C book without a lot of key changing?
Thanks for any advice! _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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GeorgeB Heavyweight Member
Joined: 20 Apr 2016 Posts: 1063 Location: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:39 am Post subject: |
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Hi, Jim, I am guessing that she probably could, providing the arrangement isn't beyond her range.
George _________________ GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet |
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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:51 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, George. That’s what I’m hoping. I sent the singer I’m hoping to hire a list of 25 tunes - all from the RDB - and invited her to pick the ones she would like to sing.
I’m just hope she doesn’t want some in E or Z or any key we would struggle with. _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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TrumpetMD Heavyweight Member
Joined: 22 Oct 2008 Posts: 2415 Location: Maryland
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 4:07 am Post subject: |
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I have 2 female singers who perform with my band. One is an alto, the other more of a contralto. Neither of them sing songs in their common keys. The challenge is that even if a song is in their range, the songs sound better when they sing in their preferred range. So almost every song they sing is transposed to their preferred keys.
Mike _________________ Bach Stradivarius 43* Trumpet (1974), Bach 6C Mouthpiece.
Bach Stradivarius 184 Cornet (1988), Yamaha 13E4 Mouthpiece
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn (1969), Yamaha 13F4 Mouthpiece.
Plus a few other Bach, Getzen, Olds, Carol, HN White, and Besson horns. |
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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 4:10 am Post subject: |
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Yikes! I may have to wear a dress and do the vocals myself. I can sing badly in any key. _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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Richard III Heavyweight Member
Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 2655 Location: Anacortes, WA
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 6:19 am Post subject: |
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I have two bands now. One of them has two female singers. Both like singing in keys in F or Eb concert. Even with that, I have to tell them to stop singing in their upper range. Seems female singers have a problem with singing in their normal speaking range. I don't ever understand singers and ranges. Too high? Sing it down an octave.
Good luck. Please let them know you are not a vocal band and they are there to add a little something, not to take over. _________________ Richard
King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece |
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dr_trumpet Heavyweight Member
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 2533 Location: Cope, IN
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 7:20 am Post subject: Re: Question for Band Leaders |
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jhatpro wrote: | My band plays mostly out of the Real Dixieland book and we need a female vocalist. From your experience can most sing tunes out of the C book without a lot of key changing?
Thanks for any advice! |
The C book just means the music isn't transposed for Bb trumpet, Eb alto, etc. The keys of the works will be what they are... _________________ Dr. Albert L. Lilly, III DM
Artist/Clinician for Vincent Bach Trumpets (Conn-Selmer)
Principal Trumpet, Hendricks Symphony (Avon, IN)
Arranger/Composer; Lilly Music |
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PH Bill Adam/Carmine Caruso Forum Moderator
Joined: 26 Nov 2001 Posts: 5860 Location: New Albany, Indiana
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 7:35 am Post subject: |
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I've found that male vocalists can usually do quite well with the keys instrumentalists prefer, but that female singers usually need the key adjusted...often by a fourth in one direction or the other. _________________ Bach trumpet artist-clinician
Clinical Professor of Jazz Trumpet, University of Illinois
Professor Emeritus of Jazz Studies, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Faculty Jamey Aebersold Jazz Workshops 1976-2019
JazzRetreats.com |
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area51recording Veteran Member
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 480
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 9:56 am Post subject: |
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Don't know about that particular book, but it seems most "Standards" (ie, Great American Songbook stuff) appears to be written for male tenor voice. Most female singers I've worked with over the years like a different key, usually a 4th or a 5th away, as the songs are likely to be too low in one octave and too high an octave up. For example, Misty is usually done in Eb as a standard key. Just about every female singer I've performed it with does it in Bb...learning things in different keys never hurt anyone anyway.... |
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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 10:11 am Post subject: |
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I’ve offered the vocalist her choice of tunes. What worries me is not everyone in our group can transpose and I’d like to keep to our familiar Real Dixieland book approach and not have to do or find custom arrangements. _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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Richard III Heavyweight Member
Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 2655 Location: Anacortes, WA
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 10:42 am Post subject: |
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jhatpro wrote: | I’ve offered the vocalist her choice of tunes. What worries me is not everyone in our group can transpose and I’d like to keep to our familiar Real Dixieland book approach and not have to do or find custom arrangements. |
I've scanned a few tunes into Sibelius. Once done, it is just a moment to move it to any key I want. But rarely is key an issue. Singers don't realize they have octaves or don't know to adjust on the fly. We don't have to play as written, and they don't have to sing as written.
But you can source songs from so many sources that are free, be it Firehouse, Creole Jazz Band (Simply Early Jazz), Not2Cool or Django fakebook. Tons more and many other fakebooks. _________________ Richard
King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece |
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jhatpro Heavyweight Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10204 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 10:45 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Richard!
P.S. I stand in awe of you having two female singers. That’s too close to having two wives for me. _________________ Jim Hatfield
"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus
2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle |
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Jaw04 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 31 Dec 2015 Posts: 900 Location: Bay Area, California
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 10:46 am Post subject: |
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It's usually the vocalist responsibility to know what key they sing tunes in, and if they are singing a tune in a different than the commonly accepted key they need to communicate that to the group ahead of time.
I think the band should do their best to accommodate the singer's choice of keys. |
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Richard III Heavyweight Member
Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 2655 Location: Anacortes, WA
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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jhatpro wrote: | Thanks, Richard!
P.S. I stand in awe of you having two female singers. That’s too close to having two wives for me. |
And they can harmonize on the fly. Fun day today. _________________ Richard
King 1130 Flugabone
King 12C mouthpiece |
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