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'Set List' for a sing along?
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Ian Fyvie Date: 18 May 09 - 02:13 PM Surreysinger Sounds like you have a much younger audience than I had in mind. Friends from our folk clubs get requests to play at various social / community events, during the summer especially. Though no-one I know would risk Streets of London at a folk club I keep it in my repetoire and it is a good usefull song to sing at such community events. Dirty Old Town? I don't sing it myself but two local singers do, and sing it in folk clubs as well as to non folkie audiences. And yes, what's popular in songs does vary like mad depending on your area. There are songs I remember from when I went to Surrey folk clubs which I have never heard since. Ian Fyvie |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Surreysinger Date: 15 May 09 - 07:14 AM Ian "In England many of the US titles above have a lot less weight; just as 'Streets of London' and 'Dirty Old Town' might have little weight in the US. But I would consider these two essential for a general non folk audience in England." Really? I doubt if they'd carry much weight in my neck of the woods, or that any of my non-folkie friends would even know or remember Dirty Old Town, since these are both throwbacks to the 1970's. I wonder if these things depend on whereabouts in the UK you are ... |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Mr Red Date: 15 May 09 - 07:00 AM Set lists are not the best way to approach a Sing-along session unless you have wordsheets. Even if you KNOW the words they KNOW the words differently. A sing-along is fine for the participants who don't frequent folk events regularly, but die-hard folkies well -they do prefer a challenge (by and large). For sing-a-rounds - prescribed songs ruin the spontineity. And how do you get to be inspired to learn new songs? |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: GUEST,Gulliver Date: 14 May 09 - 07:41 PM We do a lot of songs from Genie's list for a sing-along, also La Bamba (which can be combined with a lot of songs in a medley), plus Sunny Afternoon (Kinks), I'll be your baby tonight, Ain't no sunshine, Moondance, Imagine, Proud Mary, Little Old Wine-drinker me, Night they drove old Dixie down, etc., plus a whole slew of Irish come-all-yes. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Genie Date: 12 May 09 - 01:52 AM One thing that's always good at sing-alongs is a song that's call-and-response and/or that has an easy-to-grasph, repetitive chorus or refrain. Songs like The Wild Rover or Deep In the Heart Of Texas, with clapping parts, also work well for audience participation. One reason I often do La Bamba - even for audiences that don't know a word of Spanish - is that all they have to do is sing "Bamba, bamba, ... etc." and then make all kinds of festive noices. ; D |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Eve Goldberg Date: 11 May 09 - 09:21 PM I think a few posts back the requester said they were in the US, so my list was songs that would be pretty well known by Americans or else songs with great choruses and refrains that are easy to catch on to. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Ian Fyvie Date: 11 May 09 - 08:26 PM Certainly it depends on lots of factors like age, nationality, background etc. But bear in mind many in an audience will not know a good number of the songs in any list bar a small of the number of totally universal songs in the lists people have submitted. In England many of the US titles above have a lot less weight; just as 'Streets of London' and 'Dirty Old Town' might have little weight in the US. But I would consider these two essential for a general non folk audience in England. The other thing from the likelihood that a number of people in many audiences would struggle on some titles is that they would nevertheless try on an inherently good chorus song - so why not add some of your own if you write genuinely good chorus songs? To non folk audiences I always do this. Indeed, in the days when I went busking I found my best money earner was a song of my lyrics with a superb melody written by a friend. This was counter to all the advice that I was given by a very experienced busker friend - but I concluded that when busking its just as important to sing something happy as something the punters know. I would emphasise that your own should be genuinely good chorus songs - and well tested. I've just had the recurring vision of days when I used to go to Guest based folk clubs - where the featured artist used to finish on a chorus song which few but his sycophants thought was worth joining in with! Ian Fyvie |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Genie Date: 11 May 09 - 07:55 PM Well, I'd say the song list should be geared towards the audience/participants, not only in terms of their geograpy/nationality but also their ages. I do sing-alongs often for senior citizens - mostly over 80 - in retirement communities, but there are often younger staff members and/or family participating, and sometimes even some of the residents are boomers or a bit younger. Here are some of the songs that seem to go over well in such settings, as well as in many folk music community sing-alongs. They may not all be everyone's favorites, but usually most everyone can sing along and they are often frequently requested. You Are My Sunshine Take Me Home, Country Roads Loch Lomond Ain't She Sweet / Five-Foot-Two Help Me Make It Through The Night Hey, Good Lookin! This Land Is Your Land If I Had A Hammer Red River Valley Sloop John B Jamaica Farewell Ring Of Fire I Walk The Line Your Cheating Heart San Antonio Rose This Little Light Of Mine Shine On, Harvest Moon Puff, the Magic Dragon The Marvelous Toy Rambling Boy Beer Barrel Polka Shenandoah Guantanamera Mama Don't Allow La Bamba Over The Rainbow Scarborough Fair Simple Gifts Garden Song ("Inch by Inch") Home on the Range Oh Mary Don't You Weep Down By The Riverside Go Down, Moses Moon River Yesterday (Beatles) Let It Be (Beatles) All I Have To Do Is Dream Stardust Paradise (John Prine) Annie's Song (John Denver) Me And Bobby McGee Ripple (Grateful Dead) City Of New Orleans House Of The Rising Sun Java Jive O What A Beautiful Morning! Que Sera Sera Kisses Sweeter Than Wine Leaving On A Jet Plane The Gambler (Kenny Rogers) Could I Have This Dance (For The Rest Of My Life)? Little Boxes Morning Has Broken Proud Mary (CCR) Under The Boardwalk Amazing Grace As I said, it varies with the age of the group. When there's a wide age range in the group and/or a wide range of musical tastes, I'll include some songs which mainly the elders will know (e.g., Down By The Old Mill Stream or Sentimental Journey) and some which mostly the relatively younger ones will know (e.g., Rubber Ducky, from Sesame Street). ;D |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: maple_leaf_boy Date: 11 May 09 - 06:05 PM Just about anything to cover several styles of music: Scottish, Western/Cowboy, Blues, Irish, Canadian Folk, and "Country-Blues Fusion," Appalachian/Bluegrass, Sea Shanty/Rowing Songs. The Songs: Loch Lomond, Red-Headed Stranger, Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor My Creole Belle, Whisky In The Jar, Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Country Roads, Okie From Muskogee, Four Strong Winds, Night Paddy Murphy Died, something by John R. Cash. Ring Of Fire probably. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms, Banks Of The Ohio, Wayfarin' Stranger, Loch Tay Boat Song, Shenandoah. Many songs come to mind. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Eve Goldberg Date: 11 May 09 - 05:39 PM I just scanned through Rise Up Singing and found in the first 70 pages: This Land is Your Land Thyme ("Thyme, it is a precious thing...") Guantanamera Mama Don't Allow Waltz Across Texas Come Take a Trip in My Airship Moonshadow Over The Rainbow Scarborough Fair Big Yellow Taxi Lonesome Valley Simple Gifts Buffalo Gals Garden Song ("Inch by Inch") Home on the Range Pick a Bale of Cotton Red River Valley So Long, It's Been Good to Know You Someday Soon Times Are Getting Hard Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around Ain't You Got a Right Follow the Drinking Gourd I'm On My Way Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Oh Freedom Oh Mary Don't You Weep Rivers of Babylon This Little Light Wade in the Water All the Good People Lean on Me Moon River Rambling Boy Pack Up Your Sorrows With a Little Help from My Friends You've Got a Friend The Cat Came Back Someone else might pick out other favourite songs from those pages, and there's another 190 pages after where I stopped. I'd be happy to keep going... :-) |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: phinque Date: 11 May 09 - 04:15 PM I'm in the U.S. I try for some familiar songs, less familiar with good choruses,and some, usually humorous, which I may sing solo. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Keep them coming. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Ron Davies Date: 08 May 09 - 10:25 PM "The Gargoyle's being good". Right. Check the small print at the end of his posting of 6:45 PM 7 May 2009. He started out fine but we don't need that remark at the end. Maybe I shouldn't read fine print. But they say: "The big print giveth and the little print taketh away." |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Desert Dancer Date: 08 May 09 - 12:58 AM The Gargoyle's being good, leave him alone. (Not always comprehensible, but being pleasantly so, at least!) |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Richard Bridge Date: 07 May 09 - 11:50 PM It seems not to be. I will have a rummage. If all else fails I know that Paul Carr used to sing it and I have his email address. I have to hand an internet reference from "Growing up in Longborough" as follows: - "'So up the stairs I went again. The shopman said: "How do. It's been a lovely day today, what can I get for you?" I said " I want a yard of lace, to match this for my wife…." I'm a member of a hand-bell ringing group. One evening, we were entertaining in a building where we had to go up a flight of stairs. Being in a jocular mood, I began to sing these few lines of this song and found one of the men in the group joining in. Unfortunately, he could not remember any of the words either. How frustrating! [If any readers know the words of this song or even some more of them, please contact Mrs Barrington via fishmerlin@aol.com or penney@cix.co.uk]" |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Ron Davies Date: 07 May 09 - 10:40 PM Desert Dancer's is the first question that needs to be answered--since obviously it will influence substantially what your group is likely to already at least partly know. I would guess from the list of the thread originator that he or she lives in North America, probably in the US. Though it's great to hear the various lists from outside the US. There's even one I've never heard of--Yard of Lace. Is that in the DT? Also, Gargoyle, you may crawl back under your rock. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Richard Bridge Date: 07 May 09 - 08:50 PM Wouldn't some folk, or even folk-format or saucy music-hall songs be nice? Step it out Mary (if you like Irish) Whiskey in a Jar (if you like Irish) Streets of London (if you like contemporary) Sinner Man (if you like God-bothering) Benjamin Bowmaneer The Cutty Wren Maui High Germany O'er the Hills and Far Away Rolling Home Puss, Puss, Puss The Yard of Lace Worker's Beer Puff the Magic Dragon We shall Overcome There but for Fortune Ballad of Seth Davy Tolpuddle Man Henry the Poacher (version with chorus) |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 May 09 - 06:47 PM I love you Mrs. Route Phinque
We make a great duo together.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 May 09 - 06:45 PM Slow down - ALL your songs are to fast - you gotta make the evening last, many fun, a little sallow, a little mellow, and a relecting thought for tomorrow.
Think campfire formala- and age appropriate.
It is like cooking a good dinner. Thai, BBQ, Formal, PicNic, Southern, French, German (No Brit!) Indian, Moose Feed, Clam Bake, or Pennsylania Dutch. The elements are contained in the balance of:
Like a good cook - you are on the right path asking questions - but that is not better than collecting cookbooks. You need to TASTE all sorts of strange things to prevent becoming too much like the Brits. Visit outside your comfort zone.
Sincerely,
Nothing has made me more appreciate being born a YANKEE than watching the strange regs and laws and yelping and inbreeding from the UK that is posted here. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: GUEST,Gerry Date: 07 May 09 - 06:39 PM At the recent National Folk Festival in Canberra, I went to a two-hour sing-along dedicated to the work of Peter, Paul and Mary. |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Desert Dancer Date: 07 May 09 - 06:15 PM What continent are you on? |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: GUEST,Russ Date: 07 May 09 - 01:18 PM Do you assume that the singers will already know the song? Do you plan to teach them songs? Russ (Permanent GUEST and occasional song leader) |
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Subject: RE: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: Tug the Cox Date: 07 May 09 - 10:19 AM Almost everyone knows the Wild Rover and the Leaving of Liverpool. recently, after the success of 'Brother where art Thou' 'Down to the River to Pray' is much heard. Two 'Little boys is' still popular and well known. 'I know an old lady who swallowed a fly' is a good joiner-inner.' You know that was the last thing on my mind' or 'Yellow is the colour of my true loves hair' are popular near contemporary tunes.Almost anything by Lonnie Donnegan. 'A rovin' and 'what shall we do with a drunken sailor for sea songs', though many shanties have very easy choruses. I find that when the crowd are warmed up and enjoying it, I can do anything woth a reasonably easy chorus and they'll have a go. |
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Subject: 'Set List' for a sing along? From: phinque Date: 07 May 09 - 10:05 AM What 15 or 20 songs would you choose for a sing along? Among the ones I use: You Are My Sunshine Sloop John B This Land is Your Land MTA Old Time Religion |
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