Review: Unaccompanied singing

Subject: RE: Review: Unaccompanied singing
From: Stringsinger
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 10:10 AM

actually, the blues started off as a field holler by transplanted slaves, and this was unaccompanied. Leadbelly was the first folk artist to accompany chain gang songs,
related to the field holler. Vera Hall, one of the great African-American folk singers sang unaccompanied. Her "Boll Weevil" is a classic.

The African-American spiritual was sung unaccompanied and later reoriented instrumentally into the church gospel music.

I agree, however, that bad musicianship can louse either acc. or unacc. singing.

A notable example of unaccompanied singing was the opening of Oklahoma, where Curly sings unaccompanied, "Oh What A Beautiful Morning".

Iron Head Baker was one of the great chain gang singers who had no accompaniment.

What we know of the blues today is basically the Chicago electric guitar school popularized by Muddy Waters and Big Bill Broonzy, who later went acoustic. The origins of the blues are decidedly unaccompanied.

Subject: RE: Review: Unaccompanied singing
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 22 Nov 12 - 03:36 PM

With that post by Stringy I can agree.

I thoroughly enjoy good unaccompanied folk song - and both My Guru and CS are prime examples of modern revelators or interpreters of solo folk song without instrumental accompaniment. Both of them however have impeccable pitch, and one of the first things to put me off about solo unaccompanied singing is poor relative pitch.

I'm not so bothered about vocal harmony drifting up or down over a song so long as the parts are in with each other, but it is still very undesirable and I will re-arrange a song up and down keys until it gets to the one where drift is least. Bad for melodeon players!

Song delivery fashions do however move on, and I like to add guitar and mandolin and percussion accompaniment. More shortly.

Subject: RE: Review: Unaccompanied singing
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Nov 12 - 12:00 PM

Well, the launch of the dvd "Last Night As I Lay Dreaming" went ahead last night. Robbie McMahon himself was absent due to illness. We wish him well in his recovery.

A fine night of singing followed the lunch.

This is Robbie in full voice with his own composition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fzC9mzhuUI

Subject: RE: Review: Unaccompanied singing
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Nov 12 - 06:27 PM

Frank-
I know full well where blues originated, but what we know of the blues today is not limited to Chicago style electric blues--I'd submit that many more people were influenced by the likes of Josh White and Brownie Maghee. In any case, blues, generally speaking, are accompanied. As is a goodly portion of old-timey music(actually, much old-timey music is instrumental, with a vocal accompaniment). As was, as you may recall, a great deal of your earlier work.