Yep, I'm still here, and hope some others are.

You're right Anahata, our band is heavy on the treble end, when I first joined up, someone suggested I should take up stand-up bass - HA! (We have enough trouble hauling around the piles of instruments we have - the autoharps are diatonic and require different instruments for different keys.) We do have a baritone concertina, though, and my treble has lovely sound on the low end, if I could only learn to play and sing simultaneously. (They're both English.) Maybe the fiddle player should take up viola.

I had also e-mailed my list to my band and another local band as food for thought and discussion. One of my bandmates offered this, thinking in particular of who we (PRR) are - folks with not much practice time who are mostly in it for the fun of it. He's given his permission for me to post it here.

--

Matching the right accompaniment with the right song is the key to producing a result that is satisfying to the player and the listener. However, the theoretical best choice is not always the correct choice. I caution all to be realistic in implementing any part of the resulting discussion.

Musical groups are social interactions, with all the complexities that come with them. The process a group uses in the assembly of a song or tune must reflect the reality of the group. The ability of the individuals on their instruments, the range of the vocalists, the interactions between the sounds of different types of instruments are obviously all important part creating a good performance. At the same time, the temperament of the musicians is just as important as the temperament of the instruments in setting out the right arrangements.

The key, as Becky points out, is "practice, practice, practice." But most musical groups are made up of non-professionals (as is the case with the music we all play), and practice time is limited. This forces choices on the group. The most notable are between diversity and polish. A regular practice session, if such is possible, can be devoted to a no-nonsense run though of the same 45 minute set every single time. New additions to the list are carefully considered and are only used as a replacement the most rehearsed and polished songs or tunes. The result is a slowly expanding, but well polished, song set, but one that does not allow much room for change and must, by necessity, harness innovation. The other choice is diversity. The group practices the latest additions, hits its current favorites or things that need work, and then exchanges ideas for new material. The result is a group that has a looser musical quality, but with a greater flexibility in what they can and do play . They end up with better feeling for what others are doing and with more tolerance of impromptu innovation.

The approach a group uses usually depends more on the true interests and opportunities of the members than on their stated objectives. But choosing the right approach is the key to ultimate success. Trying for the polished sound using the pick-up approach to practice is a recipe for failure. At the same time taking the polished approach means giving up on creating a long repertoire- at least for a long while. It requires a real commitment from the group, (a commitment of a sort I doubt PRR will ever achieve.)

Of course, the idea is to compromise and end up somewhere between too loose and too strict. This is where I want to make a point about attention to proper accompaniment. This is the place to take the polished practice approach. The group, and particularly the vocalists, need to commit to a very small number of songs with fixed arrangements and then stick with them for the long term. These songs should include opportunities for all members of the group (since they are the group "standards"), and the accompanists must commit to faithful adherence to the agreed upon arrangement and to work on getting it right. Other songs and tunes must be allowed to stay less structured (until some later point) and at the same time remain part of the repertoire. Theoretical discussions of the "right" accompaniment for a song can provide good and practical ideas for all the songs a group might do, but every attempt to do things RIGHT must be grounded on the interest, ability and nature of the group.   Eventually, you end up in a group with an even blend of versatility and polish. The alternative, it seems to me, is to end up having been in a group that aspired to versatility and polish.

Dan

--

~ Becky in Tucson