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15 Jun 99 - 06:06 PM (#86988) Subject: singalong songs From: Emmie I want to get up and sing again this Friday before I get too scared to do it again. Can people recomend any folk songs with good choruses for people to sing along with? I would need the words and the tune if anyone is clever enough to know how to send this to me. I usually learn things off c.d's but I can't find anything new and interesting. If you know of any c.d's with such songs either by one artist or several, please could you tell me? I've got a birthday voucher that needs to be spent! Thanks Emmie |
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15 Jun 99 - 07:23 PM (#87004) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Margo I suggest sea shantys. (Of course) At song circle they have become accustomed to singing shantys whenever it's my turn. Most of the shantys have wonderfully catchy tunes, and great choruses. You can pick and choose your verses (some are quite ribald) depending on who your're with. One CD called "Steady as She Goes" has a great selection including "All For Me Grog", which is an old favorite. Folks love to join in that one. "Away Rio" is a pleasant farewell song, great with a group. Another CD you would probably enjoy having is Liam's brother's CD called "Irish Ballads and Songs of the Sea" That one has "Row Bullies Row", and "Leave Her Johnny, Leave Her", both melodious and with great chorus singing parts. I hope this helps, Margarita |
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15 Jun 99 - 07:24 PM (#87005) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Margo Sorry, if you're going to look for the artist, Liam's brother is Dan Milner. Marg |
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16 Jun 99 - 05:12 AM (#87076) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: KingBrilliant Have you tried looking in the DT database? You can browse around by category until you find something interesting, then get the tune from the little clicky tune thing at the bottom of the page, assuming you have a soundcard (my PC at home isn't working & the one at work has no soundcard - so in desperation I sometimes just make up a tune to fit & hope no-one asks any awkward questions - but then I s'pose no one will sing along, which rather looses the point...). What is your general taste in songs? There are loads of singalong chorusy songs in various categories - but you need something well-known enough for people to join in, but not done-to-death already. Hmmmmm. Kris. |
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16 Jun 99 - 11:26 AM (#87152) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Jeremiah McCaw Couple come immediately to mind. One is the old Hank Williams song, "Jambalaya". Everybody knows that chorus, and (bonus) it's a 2-chord song. Other thing that comes to mind is Ian Tyson's "Some Kind of Fool". It's a basic 3-chord thingy and the chorus is just "La-la la-la ..." all the way through. Good tune and dead simple. I'll send you the lyrics if they're not in the database. |
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16 Jun 99 - 11:54 AM (#87162) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Fadac Drunken Sailor. Some of my favorate verses. "Put in charge of an Exon tanker" "Put him in bed with the Captans Daughter" Followed with, "Have you seen the Captans Daughter" Make barfing moves/sounds followed with, "Here she comes swinging through the rigging", Tarzan yell, Ahhhh ahhh ahhhh, then duck down while looking up. This is to avoide the flying offspring of the dear Captan. Last verse,"That's what we will do with that drunken sailor."
As you know there are about a million things to do to that bad sailor.
A little slower is one called Chariots. It is a pumping chanty, It starts out.
A drop of Nelsons blood wouldn't do us any harm, A drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm.
We'll roll the chariot along, We'll roll the chariot along.
A little sip of beer wouldn't do us any harm.
Go on and on with some things that a sailor might like to do, night ashore, five hour sleep (most ships worked 4 hour watches), etc.
Another song I like is Once more.
There goes Jack Sprat the sailor lad, Who must go to sea once more, Once more, Once more, He must go to sea once more.
That is sort of a sad tune. But the choras is very nice when sung with a group.
Have fun,
-Fadac |
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16 Jun 99 - 01:01 PM (#87180) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: DougR I would suggest "Goodnight Irene." Most people would probably know the chorus to that and it has simple chords. Another possibility would be "You Are My Sunshine," for the same reasons. DougR |
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16 Jun 99 - 01:21 PM (#87186) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Emmie Thanks a lot everyone for the advice. I get the impression that sea shanties are a good choice!! I haven't figured out yet how to get sound on the data base but I'll have a go. I like the idea of making up my own tune. I suppose if someone knows the tune and wonders why I am singing a different one I could tell them that it is an old variation handed down to me by my granny. I decided this morning that I would sing "my bonny light hrseman" because I know it already and the chorus is quite easy but I will deffinately check out a cd of sea shanties. Fab idea. I usually sing songs that are pinched off the albums of people I like a lot: All of Waterson Carthy, Sandy Denny, Kate Rusby and Katherine Roberts, June Tabor, Planxty, Bothy band, Chieftans, Solas, Dick Gaughan, the guy who did the album penguin eggs and the list goes on. I am happy to listen to and learn more stuff though as this is quite British stuff. I want to listen some more to my friends smithsonian American Folkways to learn some stuff because it is so wonderful Thanks again everyone You're brilliant!! Emmie |
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16 Jun 99 - 01:23 PM (#87188) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Emmie Thanks Doug, we were writing at the same time there. I don't actually know goodnight Irene. By the way, I don't have a guitar it's just little old me on my own I'm afraid. Cheers Emmie |
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16 Jun 99 - 02:02 PM (#87198) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Vixen Dear Emmie-- At my first open mic I was a nervous wreck. I'd neither sung nor played my guitar in public before. For my first song, I did Peter Paul and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and REQUESTED that folks sing along. It's a 3-chord song, and while everybody seems to know the chorus, about 50% of everybody knows most of the verses too. It helped me tremendously!!! (John Denver wrote it, but I think PPM made it famous). Good Luck, and Have fun! V |
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16 Jun 99 - 05:04 PM (#87234) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Peter T. And above all make sure that people out there are supported in singing along with you, by clear signals and encouragement. There is nothing worse than asking people to sing along and then making them uncertain about when they come in, or who does what, or you wander away from them, or change the tempo, or you screw around with the words, or try to do a fancy harmony on the first chorus break, or let them fade away while you go on or you stop abruptly. Or not thanking them. Or making them feel that you are using them to get yourself more applause at the end. These are all horrible sins, committed all the time against innocent audiences who have done nothing wrong. If you get a chance to hear a Pete Seeger record in concert (and there are lots), you can learn a lot from the master! Yours, Peter T. (audience member and long time sufferer). |
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16 Jun 99 - 05:22 PM (#87237) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Mudjack DougR is on the right track for the material should be something everyone is very familiar with.I have found that most any Woody Guthrie redendition of This Land is Your Land or Roll On Columbia is a real knee slapper. Sea shanties are great fun but sometimes cumbersome as sing alongs, unless the circle is used to them or know them. There are lots of folks in the NW that do sea shanties, they usaully have familiar tunes and Margarita presents her sea shanties very well. Your song choice should be something you are comfortable with and half the battle is won. Know your material and the sing along portion should take care of itself, just be sure to invite everyone to join in. Mj |
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18 Jun 99 - 02:40 AM (#87591) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Jeremiah McCaw That reminds me - one neat trick with "Irene" is that you can hum the chorus while others are doing the verse. Makes an interesting countermelody, or vocal bass line. Trick for "Happy Birthday". Rarely sung in tune, partly because it's got such a range. Partial solution: Start singing on the lowest note you can get, 'cause it's also the lowest note of the whole darned song! |
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18 Jun 99 - 05:01 AM (#87604) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: KingBrilliant Bonnie Light H'man is also one of my favourites - excellent choice! Let us know how it goes...... Good advice about the getting them to sing along Peter T, explains why nobody did when I asked them to help in the chorus when I attempted Finnegan's wake (& what a pig's ear I made of that! - tho' bits were OK, and having a bit of a disaster makes you less scared of making a cock-up next time [ie its actually NOT the end of the world & people don't point & laugh like you imagine they would]). You lives & learns as they say... Best of luck Emmie. Kris |
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18 Jun 99 - 05:57 AM (#87612) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca I also like the idea of Sea Shanties, but if you don't know one it's hard to start them off on it. The Roll the Old Chariots is a great one as it is a very easy one to pick up. Another song that is almost more universally liked along with This Land is Your Land, would be an old spiritual, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. It's something that I'm sure a goodly portion of any audience in North America would be familiar with. |
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18 Jun 99 - 06:04 AM (#87614) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Odd! I know the song as Will the circle be unbroken, yet the Digital Tradition database has Can the circle be unbroken. You can look at it CAN THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN? and hear it at Click here to play |
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18 Jun 99 - 08:40 AM (#87638) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Matthew B. All the above advice is great. My own personal prejudice is sea shanties, since I love them so much, but you'll get a greater familiarity quotient if you stick to the more well-known stuff. Again, Pete Seeger / Weavers albums are a sure-fire index for songs that can't fail. The best songs for eliciting participation are the ones with easy, beautiful, well-known (or easy to learn) refrains, such as Goodnight Irene and Kisses Sweeter than Wine. Just ask yourself which refrains will be the most fun for them to sing. |
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18 Jun 99 - 09:20 AM (#87646) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: hank First and foremost: do not start with a song you learned from a cd in the past week. the song you start with must be one that is yours thorugh and through. If the chorus is simple enough you can teach it to the audence and have them singing along. Don't expect them to do well the first time through. Know your audence, if they are all musical people they are likely to sing along. If your playing in a lounge to a bunch of businessmen they may not be willing to try. (open mikes general indicate the former, but there is variation amount musical gatherings and you should know them. Eaiser said then done) Remember that a chorus isn't the the only way to do this. Some songs ahve repeated lines. Liam's brothers Poor Old Horse repeates the seconds and forth lines. You can teach these lines to a willing audence, and perhaps get them to pay more attention to how those lines fit with every verse despite the differnt action of each verse. Stan Rogers' Barret's privateers (in the database) is anouther good one that you can teach to the right audence. |
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18 Jun 99 - 09:32 AM (#87653) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Matthew B. I thoroughly agree with what hank says |
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18 Jun 99 - 11:07 AM (#87673) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: folk1234 Dear Emmie, I know what you mean about the comfort of audience participation. One of my favorite participatory songs is "The Whistling Gypsie Rover" (the Irish Rovers and/or the Chad Mitchell Trio versions - not to be confused with The Gypsie Laddie, Gypsie Davy, and some of the older, more traditional songs) The audience catches one to the chorus very quickly and loves the "Ah de do ah de do da day .... ......". |
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20 Jun 99 - 03:53 PM (#88237) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Emmie Just had to let folks know that after all that help and advice my back decided to play up and I have spent all weekend lying down and having baths. Could be fun in the right circumstances but I find it really really annoying. I slipped a disc about a year ago and it is the bane of my life. I shall try for next friday though even if I have to use my walking stick. You never know I might get more applause!! By the way folk 1234 I like the sound of the songs you mentioned. Who has recorded them? |
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20 Jun 99 - 05:56 PM (#88284) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Jeri Emmie, another one is Dark as a Dungeon. I never really thought of this as a good chorus song until I heard Robin and Linda Williams & Their Fine Group (who will be at Old Songs) do this. They closed their set, the concert and the festival with it and brought the house down. I tried singing before and no one would sing along. I thought it might be because I was too quiet and they were afraid of drowning me out. (That crowd - not bloody likely!) Someone told me I was singing in a difficult key, but if people do harmonies, they can sing wherever they want. I think it was really because I was scared as hell and it showed. They were afraid of messing me up even more than I was managing on my own. My advice (and I'm extremely new to song-leading) is 1) learn the song so you don't even have to think about the next line, and 2) enjoy singing and let it show. People can ignore almost anything - a gravelly voice, singing somewhat off-key, occasionally forgetting lyrics - if you're having a good time singing it. George Seto, if you're still hanging around, (or anyone else) do you know where I might find the lyrics to Roll the Old Chariots? |
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20 Jun 99 - 07:01 PM (#88293) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Barry Finn Hi Jeri, how ya doing? There' s 2 Roll the Old Charoits in the DT. You can search it out using square brackets [roll the old] wiil bring them up. see ya, but I don't think it'll be at Old Songs (SOB!) at this point. Barry) |
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20 Jun 99 - 07:09 PM (#88296) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Ferrara Emmie, Hank sort of took the words right out of my mouth. When you lead or perform a song, your first job is to make sure you are thoroughly familiar with the song, both words and tune. Sometimes it works out fine if you have only recently learned all the words, as long as it's a song you've been familiar with for a long time and are sure of the tune and already know most of the words. It can be excruciating either to listen to someone who forgets words and has to start over, or to someone who is only approximating the tune. I don't approve of making up a tune except in dire need! -- Someone will be sure to try to sing along using the accepted tune and will confuse the heck out of you. One method for encouraging participation during the chorus is to gesture with your hands when it's time for the audience to sing. At a recent Civil War songs workshop, they weren't singing on a terrific chorus, so as I sang I just held out both hands at waist height and raised them toward me in a kind of "Come on" or "come here" gesture. I guess it communicated the idea of "sing along now", because at once a lot more people started singing. Also I know a guy who draws a circle in the air when he wants people to sing "one more round" of the last chorus. The words to Good Night Irene are in the database in case you're curious. I searched for irene but you could also search for [good night irene]. But don't sing it if you aren't comfortable with it! Sometimes it's better to sing a song you think of as a "chestnut" than to try to make a splash with something trendy that will come out shaky. Sometimes you can sing something you've known all your life and make it come out new and fresh and wonderful just because you're solidly behind it. You sure seem to be going about this in a good way. Good luck next week and I hope the back problem doesn't last long! - Rita F |
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20 Jun 99 - 08:46 PM (#88309) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Jeri Ta, Barry - found "Chariot." I tried a search before, and it didn't work. Maybe I misspelled something. Sorry you can't make it to Old Songs. (What's SOB? Sob? Some Other Bull? Silly Old Baseball? Significant Other Birthday?) Maybe one of these days you can make it up here, or maybe when I get over that fear of getting lost and driving around for an hour or more in Boston I'll get to the sea songs session there. Emmie, I'm sorry I forgot this before - I hope your back feels better real soon. |
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21 Jun 99 - 12:32 AM (#88333) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Mudjack OK, sounds like the only song of choice now is "Hand me Down My Walking Cane". I hope the back heals.... Mj |
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21 Jun 99 - 05:07 AM (#88347) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: KingBrilliant Sorry to hear about your back problems. I was really looking forward to finding out how you got on & what you eventually sang. Mudjack's choice of song is an excellent idea! There are some scarey things in this thread - I didn't know there were difficult keys & approximate tunes to worry about. Arrrggghhh. Kris |
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21 Jun 99 - 12:27 PM (#88364) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Emmie thanks everyone for wishing me well for my back. It is still very painful but I saw my osteopath today and am hoping that will help. I agree about practising a lot before you sing and being comfatable with the song.It's a good job that I live on my own because I sing incessantly, walking down the street, in the bath etc... I have sung twice before an audience now and both times I was very familiar with the song. Everyone seems to do a little speech about the song before they sing it and this has always been the part I get the most nervous about. I am told that each time I have mumbled very quickly what the song is called and then belted out the song afterwards looking pretty confident and stamping my feet a lot, incidentally I find this helps me a lot!! I'll keep you posted on the singing saga and if I ever get down to the club again. cheers everybody Em |
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21 Jun 99 - 07:48 PM (#88504) Subject: RE: singalong songs From: Joe Offer Hi, Emmie - I like cowboy songs, especially the silver screen cowboy songs that came from Tin Pan Alley. One of my favorites is Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In," but there are lots of other fun ones. They're usually really easy to sing, and lots of people in your audience will know at least the chorus. I got my start singing at camp about 35 years ago, and I've been leading songs at campfires and similar gatherings ever since. I've found that it's best to sing songs with choruses that are easy to learn. Songbooks and songsheets take away from the fun, and make it feel more like you're in school. It's better to know ten songs well and sing them over and over again, rather than to have a hundred songs you don't know all that well. Slowly add songs to your repertoire. If you don't like a song a lot, don't bother with it. Sing new songs for friends first - don't try to learn songs in front of strangers. If a song is a round or has different parts, get a volunteer to lead each part, while you handle the overall direction and help out the weakest group. Be careful not to try anything too complicated until you and your audience are ready for it. Most importantly, make sure you have fun leading the singing. If you have fun, everybody else will, too. -Joe Offer- (I deleted your duplicate message with my magic "edit" button) |