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26 Apr 05 - 11:53 AM (#1471286) Subject: Why folk don't sing From: Burke Take a look "The "Subject" is Singing: Singing as Social Practice" in The International Journal of Community Music Selected Papers from the Music and Lifelong Learning Conference and Celebration 8-10 May 2003. [Victoria Moon Joyce argues] that adults who identify as "non-singers" are in the majority in mainstream North American society and I attribute this to a number of factors: the excluding effects of many music education practices, cultural beliefs around talent and giftedness, the cultural expectation of performance as the primary goal of music making, a lack of recreational singing spaces, the erosion of publicly funded music education, the feminization of singing as a devaluation, the industrialization of entertainment and the subsequent saturation of recorded music and technology which makes music a spectator event rather than a participatory activity. To complicate this, making music in a context of late capitalism means that anybody's cultural practices are up for grabs and exploitable as commodities. Thus, with practices intended to draw people into music making as a normalized lifelong practice, such as multicultural music, there is the danger of inappropriate uses of music of 'Others' – the music and practices of those whose culture and subjectivity is otherwise subordinated and devalued. |
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26 Apr 05 - 11:58 AM (#1471294) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST yup. 'bout sums it up. |
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26 Apr 05 - 12:04 PM (#1471299) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Jim How sad! - glad I'm not "mainstream North American"!! |
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26 Apr 05 - 12:25 PM (#1471320) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: breezy Think that applies in England Not so in Wales, Scotland an Ireland. |
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26 Apr 05 - 12:55 PM (#1471351) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: DonMeixner [Victoria Moon Joyce argues] that adults who identify as "non-singers" are in the majority in mainstream North American society and I attribute this to a number of factors: And thats about as far as this statement goes where it is easy to understand. I am a reasonably well educated man and I can understand words like marginalize and industrialization; I can't always spell them. But because I can read them and understand them doesn't mean I can make sense of them when used in such windbaggery as this. It is very true that many United Statesians don't sing in public and there are many reasons. Probably most reasons are just as Ms. Joyce described. But it could have been stated more clearly. I do agree with the statement. Don |
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26 Apr 05 - 01:15 PM (#1471369) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator I'm glad I ain't mainstream anything; I couldn't imagine not singing. In situations where normally-socialized human beings ordinarily dance, I prefer to sing whenever possible, except of course in situations where it would clearly be inappropriate. Well, sometimes I'll dance a bit, too ~ if the spirit moves me ~ but I'm much less inhibited about singing than dancing, which is probably opposite to most people's inclinations. Unbridled singing-along is much more socially acceptable here in New Orleans than anywhere else on this continent, which is probably the single most important reason for my settling here thirty-some-odd years ago. We're in the midst of jazzfest this week (New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival), so I'm like a pig in slop, just happy as can be ~ music everywhere, day and night, no holds barred! |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:25 PM (#1471466) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Burke In situations where normally-socialized human beings ordinarily dance Poppa, is seems to me that dancing is almost as marginalized as singing in general society. I find almost everyone dancing at a contra dance. In a club with music & a dance floor there always seem to be way more watchers and listeners than dancers. Do you really feel free to walk down the sidewalk singing? There are some societies where that's perfectly ordinary. The article is from a paper presented at an academic meeting. It looks like a summary of the author's dissertation so there is probably too much academic jargon. I noticed some interesting & sad anecdotes. I see an add for cajungrocer.com at the bottom of the page. Are those products authentic? |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:34 PM (#1471478) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Pauline L I agree with Don Meixner: Understandable writing is better. I don't sing because I can't carry a tune. I can tell that I sound awful. I know people who can't carry a tune and yet sing solo in public. I suppose they can't tell that they're butchering a song. I do sing along with others because I can match their notes. I often feel "marginalized" by groups of singers. I lose social contacts that way. |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:35 PM (#1471481) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Once Famous The services at my synagogue resound with music. Many sing and do so with heads held high and with feeling, even though they may not be the greatest at carrying a tune. People sing in all kinds of religious settings I believe quite freely. |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:41 PM (#1471492) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Bev and Jerry We believe it was Utah Phillips who said of the music industry, "They've stolen your music and now they're selling it back to you." Bev and Jerry |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:42 PM (#1471494) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Blissfully Ignorant Most people will sing if you get them drunk. |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:51 PM (#1471505) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Clint Keller "the cultural expectation of performance as the primary goal of music making" Seems to me this is the big one. Seems to me that folk music is participatory music, whatever else it is. The last time I worked at a library there was a Chinese girl -- from China -- who had to copy great stacks of paper and she always sang along with the Xerox machine. It was good, and it's too bad we've lost that kind of thing. People look at you funny if you sing walking down the street or sitting by yourself, and it's time we turned that around. clint |
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26 Apr 05 - 02:51 PM (#1471506) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Burke "I don't sing because I can't carry a tune... I do sing along with others because I can match their notes." Pauline, I think that article is about you. You sound intimidated & performance oriented. If you can match pitches that's singing in tune. Why should you feel otherwise? There are a lot of people who have difficulty staying in tune (same key) when singing solo. If you don't sing a lot, it may just be that you don't really know the tune well enough to do it alone. Singing does not necessarily mean solo singing. |
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26 Apr 05 - 03:06 PM (#1471524) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: mack/misophist Where I live it's common to hear people singing as they walk along. True, they sing along with their headset radios, but they do sing; most of them very badly. |
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26 Apr 05 - 03:51 PM (#1471585) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ernest Is that about singing in public or in your own private bathroom? ;0) I think that article summarizes everything correctly, but too academic (which is definetly unfolky). Music has become a business and everything is aiming at a public performance. And much of the music presented won`t encourage people to sing on their own because it requires a musical infrastucture that most people don`t have (i.e. full set of instruments and equipment). What we need is more of the simple but beautiful folksongs that everybody can do in a reasonable way. Most people don`t know anymore that there are songs they can do. One important issue is to find songs that suit your vocal abilities, not everyone can give a good interpretation of every song. We all know that even professional sngers can`t do every song equally good. Regards Ernest |
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26 Apr 05 - 04:40 PM (#1471636) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Jen M My mother couldn't even match pitch or rhythm but she sang, I sing constantly as much to my children's dismay, My daughter (studying to be a music teacher ) sings when appropriate but my son refuses to sing. He had the same music education as my daughter, grew up in a family where singing is a family activity, and he can carry a tune, he just won't sing. When he was an infant and I would sing while holding him, he'd put his hand over my mouth until I stopped, perhaps I traumatized him! |
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26 Apr 05 - 06:04 PM (#1471738) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,leeneia At parties I have noticed a variant of Gresham's Law: recorded music drives out live. Now, if people always have the TV on or the radio going or CD's on the stereo, then nobody is going to sing around the house. Talent won't develop, and in time the idea will form that "real singing isn't good enough for this family." I tell people to sing while they clean up the kitchen. That way nobody will dare complain. |
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26 Apr 05 - 06:06 PM (#1471742) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator It requires a degree of confidence to sing in public, as part of a crowd, effectively and in tune. I do it more than most, but I still often experience a degree of repression (or something like that) that closes the throat and makes it difficult to hit notes. I think most folks who have that experience "take a hint" and shut up, while those of us who are reluctant to be denied a chance to sing out will make an effort to overcome the initial stiffness and get it on. Martin's right ~ much of the small amount of group singing that occurs in mainstream America takes place in houses of worship. As corrollary, I would point out that some musical events serve a similar purpose for members of society who don't attend church, or at least for groups that don't all attend the same church together ~ case in point, the communal celebrations centered around the late great Grateful Dead. Certainly, the currently ongoing Jazz & Heritage Festival serves a similar purpose for some of us here in New Orleans, and I'm sure that other local/regional communities have similar celebrations with similarly spiritual communal-singing activities. Burke: The Cajun Grocer ad is nowhere to be seen now that I'm back on this thread, nd I don't know anything about that business. Those ads change all the time; right now I'm looking at an ad for Cafe du Monde Beignet mix, which is undeniably authentic (sold by the actual purveyor of beignets on Decatur Street across from Jackson Square), but I would not be so sure that what you make at home from the mix will match up to what comes out of the CDM's own deep-fryers. |
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26 Apr 05 - 06:26 PM (#1471760) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PatrickCostello People don't sing because we've forgotten how to teach. I work with people of all ages doing banjo and guitar workshops in strip-mall bookstores. Everywhere I go the crowd almost always starts singing along. The "why" of this is a combination of how the music is presented and how the crowd is encouraged- and even cajoled - to join in. When I was a kid this was how "folk music" was presented. I knew an old Washington Square beatnik who treated singing and teaching other people as part of the "craft" of being a banjo player. The old guitar slingers I knew back then worked pretty much the same way. The only time you see people feeling awkward is when the person leading the workshop, jam or hoot is a card-carrying phony. I won't name names, but nowadays the average folk-guru is more interested in showing the crowd how well he or she plays (or pretends to play). Part of making that routine work involves convincing anybody in earshot that he or she is the only person capable enough, socially conscious enough and educated enough to run though a group of three chord songs. If you want people to start singing all you have to do is make them feel welcome, point out that this music is the shared cultural heritage of every person on earth and - this is the biggie - be casual enough about your own image that you won't be afraid to point out how simple making music really is. Anybody can learn to play. Anybody can learn to sing. "Talent" is nothing but a word. Nobody is born knowing how to play the banjo. It's our music, but we've let a bunch of sleazy pseudo-intellectuals take it away from us. Taking it back is easy. All you have to do is sing. |
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26 Apr 05 - 06:28 PM (#1471763) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Big Al Whittle yes its a strange business all right. what do you make of these people who go on these pop star programmes who want to be singers, get dressed up like pop singers, weep openly when the man says you'll never make it as a singer.......and theres such a lot of them. I think thats part of the answer. Voices are so processed on records these days that people are actually confused as to what singing consists of. They open their mouth and make an approximation of the sighing and whimpering that many pop records sound like - of course without all the reverb, harmonisation, quantising, compression it sounds shit - result amazement because in their minds they sounded like the record. I think maybe the non-singers think , well at least I'm not as mad as those saddos. all the best big al whittle - singer and fantasist |
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26 Apr 05 - 06:47 PM (#1471778) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,(Val) [Victoria Moon Joyce argues] ...And thats about as far as this statement goes where it is easy to understand. OK, try these paraphrases: Music ain't being taught in schools much Where music IS taught (including in the home etc.), it's often taught as something special & exclusive for those with "talent" or "gifts" - not something everyone can do People feel that if you can't make music at a "professional level" you shouldn't even try "Everyday singing" has been identified with out-of-date "women's work" and so has no place in a modern society. People have been conditioned to think of music as a commodity to be consumed, not something that anyone can make for themselves. If everyone did their own singing, the Music Industry couldn't make as much money off of it. Those who WOULD teach music are afraid to because more and more stuff is getting locked down by copyright claims (the court cases against the Girl Scouts a few years back, for example) If you DO perform something from your own folk tradition and it's not already covered by copyright, somebody will probably grab it, slap a copyright on it, and sue you for singing your own folk song. If you peform something from somebody ELSE's folk tradition, they may get upset that you're not properly respecting their heritage. I think those were the main points. The main ones I agree with are: 1. that many people have an inflated notion of "how good you have to be before you can sing". Heck, look at many (highly paid) pop stars that can't sing without a studio-full of processing equipment to bring them on-pitch and make them sound good. They lip-sync at "live" performances! 2. the Music Industry has very effectively conditioned people to think of music as a commodity that must be purchased rather than a hobby that anyone can participate in. |
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26 Apr 05 - 07:01 PM (#1471788) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Burke I also sing in church. I'm a soprano but sometimes try to give myself a work out by singing alto, or the tenor up an octave. I know several people who say that's how they learned to sing harmony. I have sometimes wondered how people who don't have that chance to sing every week. Poppa, your remarks about the festivals is interesting, but a once a year get together does not make singers. My parents liked musicals so they played those records a lot. I would sing along & my younger sister always complained. I know for a fact she sings along now that she's an adult. One of the cutest things I think I've seen was my 4 or 5 year old niece singing "So long, farewell" with the motions while watching Sound of Music. My mom was a song leader in Scouts & church school. If our church did not have a choir she organized one. Even so, we did not sing that much at home. I have 2 sisters & I think she could have gotten us singing 3 part harmonies. Her stumbling block was not playing the piano & all 3 of us refusing to learn. I don't think it occurred to her that we could learn by mostly a-cappella with the occasional note check on the piano. In the days before radio, most American homes had pianos. A lot of people could play, many by ear. Sheet music sold well & people learned all the latest songs. It wasn't traditional music, but it was folks making music. I think people like my mom, who grew up then, couldn't really consider a sing along without a piano. |
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26 Apr 05 - 09:36 PM (#1471914) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: ElwynnMaxon After reading the paragraph this discussion comes from I must agree that it is a bit wordy and long winded. And while it is good of Val to paraphrase why should he or she have to? If something is written as to be unclear without deciphering it, what was the point? If all it takes to impress a board of review or thesis committee is the ability to spill (not spell) ten long words when five simple ones will do tells me I should go for my Doctorate in Verbiosis Innarticulatum. But the greater issue of why we Americans don't sing as easily as breathing has been covered well in this forum. All together too many people have told us "You can't sing, so don't try." School rooms no longer have elocution classes. We don't debate. We no longer recite poems in class or as entertainment. People will spend $1500.00 a piece for really good seats at The Super Bowl but whine about $ 25.00 to sit up front for Martin Carthy or in the back seats for a good local symphony. I believe things are the way they are because we as Americans have allowed all the arts to become devalued. We spend so much time in search of employment and staying employed that we are too whipped to find enjoyment unless it is sent to us down a wire. Instead of supporting a community of arts and artists we stay home in the glow of the vacuum tube. Good art is hard work but it is hard work that is fun. And because we enjoyed the effort we used to become quite good at singing and painting and playing the banjo. And if we didn't become a Pavorotti or and Eddie Lang we at least had fun. Now we have become lazy with regard to the effort of creating art. And TV, the Internet, and game cubes have taken over the time we once gave to such artistic adventures. My Dad blamed the loss of this Great American Sense of Community on the disappearance of front porches. And therby the loss of neighborhoods. I have to agree with him. Wow, getting a bit wordy myself. E.M. |
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27 Apr 05 - 01:39 AM (#1472000) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST "Finally, the commercial music industry that prevails in America has imbued us with an artificial attitude toward music. It would have us believe that music is something performed by a select few professionals for the benefit of the majority whose function is that of listening. From a historical perspective, music has not been a service rendered by some individuals to others. Rather it has been a cultlural activity in which everyone could and did participate. Today, in many parts of the country, small groups can be found meeting at regular intervals, usually in a private residence, to share their folk music. If music is to play a significant role in their lives, children must be exposed to the idea of creating their own music rather than playing the passive role of listener." The above is quoted from an article entitled "Barb'ra Allen, Tom Dooley, and Sweet Betsy from PS42" which appeared in the January, 1984 issue of "Music Educator's Journal". Modesty prevents us from posting the names of the authors. Bev and Jerry |
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27 Apr 05 - 04:20 AM (#1472056) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak I don't think a day goes by without me singing at least once..... even if it's just under my breath. I love to do it at work because it really annoys the arrogant, sexist, racist little shit who sits opposite me and demands everyone should conform to his standards and beliefs. He hates folk and rock. Guess what I sing along to on my MP3 player...... (Oddly enough, I sing to block out his incessant wittering about his standards and beliefs... if he'd only shut up for more than 3 minutes at a time, I'd not need to sing to myself!) But the thing is... I do it at home too.. I'm humming along to the radio right this minute (Johnny Cash) the house is empty, I'm doing it for my own pleasure and to ease stress. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to stop singing for several months, and they were the unhappiest I've ever known. I joined a choir and consequently felt much better. It's an innocent pleasure, but because there are so many other noises around in our world (TV, Radio, MP3, Muzak etc.), we feel inhibited and repressed when we sing to ourselves in public - not to mention the possibility we'll get 'put away' as being 'not all there'..... Social singing is still alive, if not exactly going strong. The problem I've found is that the majority of communal song books I have, do not print the music, just the words. It's a big problem when you don't have anyone who remembers the tunes. Some people seem to be born knowing the tune to 'My old man said follow the van', but does anyone know the tune to the verse that precedes it? Or even that it HAS a verse? Sooner or later, everyone who knows the tune will have passed on, without recording them on any medium, and then the tune will be lost. I love the DT here. The fact that I can type in a phrase, a word or a title and get the song to match it, is incredible. I only wish they came with musical notation too! If only someone would invent a programme that could print out in musical notation what it reads on a Midi file...... (yes I know it probably does exist but is being withheld so publishers can get their royalties....). One day I'll write out all the notations for the songs I know.... one day I'll find the tunes for all those songs I have that I can't sing because I don't have a tune.... one day... LTS |
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27 Apr 05 - 06:34 AM (#1472139) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: JennieG I have noticed (with much hilarity, I might add) the odd looks I get when I am singing my little heart out in the car while stopped at traffic lights. Most people just grip the wheel tightly and look straight ahead, or converse on their phone - how often do you see someone singing in their car and obviously enjoying themselves? I also sing in a choir, as well as solo - not the world's best singer, but I enjoy it - and have done since being in school choirs a thousand years ago. At least, unlike my boss, I was never told "just mouth the words, dear!" Cheers JennieG |
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27 Apr 05 - 06:39 AM (#1472143) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Jim Folks should note that singing has been proved to be of considerable health benefit (assuming you're doing it in a smoke-free room of course) - and that doesn't take account of the social interactions, which bring additional health benefits. Do it (like sex) as often as you can, and live longer.... and prosper |
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27 Apr 05 - 06:54 AM (#1472150) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak Dr Jim, can you write me that on a prescription form please? LTS |
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27 Apr 05 - 07:08 AM (#1472163) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Jim Comin' up! |
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27 Apr 05 - 07:47 AM (#1472200) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ron Davies One of the best aspects of walking to the Metro stop (through a residential area) is that I sing the entire way. I sing according to the weather--in good weather, country and western, in mist and rain, Irish, and in real blustery weather, sea chanteys--unless there's something specific I'm trying to memorize. It's great to climb a hill to "Once more we sail with a northerly gale/ Through the ice and wind and rain...." Lots of people seem to wear Walkmen, carry I-pods etc, but nobody else seems to sing without assistance. It's 4 long songs or 5 short songs to the subway. |
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27 Apr 05 - 07:54 AM (#1472208) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak I used to sing whilst cycling to work, without the aid of assistance.. it was the only time I had to myself to learn songs... it got so I was known as 'the Singing Cyclist' by the postman whose round coincided with my route to work. When his round got changed, he told his new customers about the singing cyclist and nearly died of shock when I turned up behind him as he told my dad! LTS |
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27 Apr 05 - 08:49 AM (#1472255) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Essex Girl Like Liz I sing every day, either along with a cd in my car (when my son isn't playing heavy metal, he can't stand folk any more)or when I'm gardening or working in the house. Using an MP3 player can prove embarassing, I was trying to learn the words to a couple of songs at work when I realised I was getting some odd looks from the others in the office and realised that I was singing out loud. But I think we are in the minority. Go to a church wedding/christening/funeral and how many people do you hear singing? |
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27 Apr 05 - 09:08 AM (#1472270) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Rapparee I've had a rotten, miserable, stinking, lousy cold hang on for 5+ weeks (yes, I'm done it all, including the doctor). I can't sing with a damn at the moment. So the songs keep flitting through my head, and when I do try to sing I sound like a hoarse, badly-tuned jet engine. Normally, I don't sound like that. But I sing anyway, anywhere I can get away with it (not at work, or at least not much, although sometimes I whistle). I sing when I drive, whether or not there's a tape or CD in the player. People who sing in church all too often don't open their mouths and let it out. People who sing to themselves or at home suffer from the same thing. Perhaps it would help if they could be taught to open up and sing. It's a "joyful sound unto the Lord" in church or not. Heck, it's a joyful sound unto anyone. Ever notice that kids sing? |
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27 Apr 05 - 09:17 AM (#1472279) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Joe_F George Orwell worked for the BBC during W.W. II. He wrote in his diary on 10 June 1942: "The only time when one hears people singing in the BBC is in the early morning, between 6 and 8. That is the time when the charwomen are at work. A huge army of them arrives all at the same time, they sit in the reception hall waiting for their brooms to be issued to them and making as much noise as a parrot house, and then they have wonderful choruses, all singing together as they sweep the passages. The place has quite a different atmosphere at this time from what it has later in the day." I'll bet. I'll also bet that that nothing of the kind happens today. I have read in a book that at about the same date (I was 4 years old then) people sang in neighborhood bars in New York City -- not in paid concerts at fixed times, but when one of the regulars who liked to sing happened in & the crowd asked him for a song & joined in on the choruses. Not any more. In the '60s one could still go to a party, not one specifically organized for the purpose of singing, where singing happened as a matter of course. Now, AFAIK, there is no such thing, even in Boston. Mass entertainment, may its name be blotted out, has noticeably tightened its grip in my lifetime. --- Joe Fineman joe_f@verizon.net ||: Piss and fart, Sound at heart. :|| |
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27 Apr 05 - 09:47 AM (#1472301) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: ranger1 I used to sing a lot when I was little, then someone told me I couldn't sing and I clammed up for the next 25 years in public. But I still sang in the shower, along to music playing on whatever medium I had going, concerts and in the car. I don't have even a radio in my car, so on long trips I had to have something to keep me sane. Then I got involved with some Mudcatters and now go regularly to song circles. I'm still pretty shy about singing in groups, but I'm doing it. And you never know, I might just someday spontaneously burst into song in public for no reason whatsoever! |
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27 Apr 05 - 11:49 AM (#1472420) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Big Al Whittle thats a sad tale ranger1. saying nasty stuff like that is the sort of thing I did when I was a kid. I was a swine, I should have been chained up. don't you have friendly folk clubs round your way where you can have a sing? |
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27 Apr 05 - 12:09 PM (#1472444) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Moses Ranger 1, I too spent much of my life singing only in private. Ex-husband used to ask if I had a headache if he overheard me (guess why he's Ex). Then I re-found Herga Folk Club about 12 years ago (I'd been a chorus-singer-only member back in the 60's)where I found a warm welcome from the very talented residents who encouraged me to sing What! on my OWN?? No safety net!!), and kept on encouraging. I'm now confident enough to actually look forward to my turn in a sing-around and enjoy being one of the residents of Windward and Spotlight clubs. Point being - you've made a good start. Singing in public gets easier the more you do it and the more you do it in private (learning songs so you can sing them backwards), the easier it becomes in public. The main thing is - enjoy. Private or public, enjoy making music. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. |
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27 Apr 05 - 12:30 PM (#1472464) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak I was extremely lucky.. I got the opposite. I was told when I was 8 that I 'make more noise than that in the playground, go on, sing out loud' so I did and nearly deafened the teacher (Mrs Sonia Hewitt, Welsh by birth and inclination) who promptly put me in the choir. Joined the local church choir a year later and that was it.. been in a choir almost continously since then. LTS |
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27 Apr 05 - 01:30 PM (#1472528) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ebbie A young man I know who just got back from a backpacking trip to Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) told me that one day the group was resting in the shade alongside the road when what appeared to be a family group - adults and children - came peddling along on bicycles, all of them singing. He and his peers were in wonderment about it. leenia, you said that recorded music drives out live I hadn't thought about it but I do believe that the people I know who constantly have radio or television running in the background are the same people who tell me that they don't sing. There could be several differing reasons for that, I suppose. 1) Perhaps when there is music already playing, it is hard to sing a different song, or even to think of a different tune. 2) Or perhaps the people who think they can't sing are the people who have the music in the background. People like me who can't have music playing in the background may be more common than I thought. When I have a CD playing, I have to listen. And when I have to think something out or have to decipher written instructions of assembly, the music has to be OFF. (Although that may be because I was not exposed to recorded music at an early age.) Ron Davies: "It's 4 long songs or 5 short songs to the subway." What a great image! |
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27 Apr 05 - 01:56 PM (#1472554) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: coldjam I was also discouraged from singing when I was in grade school, even though I would often sing at the top of my lumgs at home. When I sang in chorus some nasty little girls would snigger and point when a bad note was hit, even if it wasn't me! Then, as a teen, my mother's friend heard some of us girls singing and suggested we open a coffee house, and kindly added I could serve the coffee! Well, it took my husband 20 years to get me to sing in front of him because of all that, and now people pay us to sing. So freakin' there! Young people hesitate to sing because they don't want to be uncool in front of their peers. The "industry" standard (yeah, right) has them believing if they don't have 6 squating scantily clad dancers behind them, and vocal augmentation they ain't cool. |
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27 Apr 05 - 01:59 PM (#1472557) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator So many eloquent contributions to this discussion! I'm really enjoying my reading as I check in once or twice a day. Imagine how great it'd sound if we could all be singing together! |
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27 Apr 05 - 02:35 PM (#1472594) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Pauline L Ron Davies, I can just imagine you singing while walking up that long, steep hill. I admire you. Just walking up the hill requires a lot of aerobic capacity, and you still have enough breath to sing. Wow! Dr. Guest, Jim, I want a prescription from you, too. |
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27 Apr 05 - 04:39 PM (#1472694) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ebbie Poppagator, that's the kind of overwhelming feeling I got from last year's Getaway at Camp Ramblewood. All those people singing together and by the time the first chorus was sung there were harmonies and counterharmonies that made this dense bed of sound I could just sink into- I absolutely loved it. Part of that was due to the people from the Folklore Society of Greater Washingon (Do I have that right?)- they sing together a great deal and they form a bedrock of song that others build on and it is wonderful. |
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27 Apr 05 - 05:01 PM (#1472720) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak There is nothing on earth like the feeling you get when you sing the verse of a song and then, like magic, 10+ voices join in with the chorus in harmony..... unless it's that moment of silence when you've just finished singing, before the audience breaks out of its spell and starts to applaud. LTS |
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27 Apr 05 - 05:07 PM (#1472731) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: frogprince I was informed early on that my sister had inheritated my father's ability to sing, and I had inherited my mother's inability. There was some truth to that, but not enough to justify a good 40 years of my not really trying, singing only in a church congregation or large group settings. I won't say I'm good now, and I don't know that I'll ever get on stage, but I sing more now than I did, and my wife at least puts up with it graciously. "Let there be songs; let them be sung". |
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27 Apr 05 - 05:27 PM (#1472746) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Naemanson Here in Guam it isn't unusual to see groups of people sitting in the shade passing a guitar around. Ukeleles are common also. Even some local rock bands set up in a beach side pavilion to rehearse. Unfortunately whenever they have a party here they hire a DJ with amplifiers snd speakers. The music is so loud that it makes any other music impossible. I wonder that people can talk in such an environment. When I go to those parties I take my food and drink as far from the pavilion as I can get and still be in the party. I generally am not alone. We have one band on the island that I would classify as professional folk (kinda). They draw small audiences who have no problem singing along. |
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27 Apr 05 - 05:57 PM (#1472781) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Frankham i believe that singing is one of the most intimate and personl things a person can do and as a result it requires great courage to sing in public. It says a lot about who you are as a person and reveals things about you that you might not want to share otherwise. The interesting thing about a song though is that when it connects with the person who sings it, it comes alive and reveals the truth about that person. When we hear a singer we want to know who the singer is. I've noticed that those who censure singing in others are usually feeling that they can't sing themselves and don't want others to. i think this is a very important thread because it goes to the heart of what folk music is. Without a song sung there can be no folk music even if instrumentals are being played, we respond to the singing of those instruments. A musician whether they have a good voice or not is required to sing in order to express the music. Ear training is predicated on singing. It's the speaking of the musical language. The reasons for a communal inhibition against singing is that it is often besides being too revealing about a person's emotion, a discrediting of emotional expression by an increasingly growing impersonal society. It also is a by-product of spectator sports. We don't see sandlot baseball being played much these days. People would rather sit in front of American Idol or a football game on TV then be out there practicing it themselves. Society (ours in America in particular) needs to give permission and encouragement to people who like to sing. This is why Pete Seeger is such an important figure in the folk revival. He elicits the voices in his audience and magically has them take part in his music. I believe we need to become more accepting of all different kinds of voices and not allow prejudices to interfere with the varied vocal qualities. We need to be able to be receptive to the stridency of the outdoor voices of traditional folk music as well as the acceptable voice that has been somewhat trained. Even opera is an acquired taste. In the African-American community, singing is a communal experience which may explain the rise of many vocalists in pop music coming from black people. They don't shy away from emotionalism and communication outside of their religious environments. Rap and Do-wop started here on street corners. In European, African and Asian societies, there doesn't seem to be the same constraints that we find here in America. Maybe it's because there is a connection between a definable musical culture and the people that is often obscured in America. In the Irish, Welsh and other Celtic cultures and , singing is revered as an expression of nationalism as well as personal. So in America, we squelch communal singing by offering our national anthem which is a convoluted English drinking song, Anachreon in Heaven, which was to become the Star Spangled Banner that defies the vocal range of almost everyone. Thank goodness for American the Beautiful and This Land Is Your Land. Even God Bless America (although it has a stigma that I believe is underserved since Irving Berlin is one of our very best songwriters). We must encourage people to sing whether they have trained voices or not. In order to do this, we have to allow people to express their deeply felt personal emotions without censoring them. Frank |
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27 Apr 05 - 05:58 PM (#1472783) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Skipy A lot of you seem to be missing a very simple point here! Some of don't sing because we simply can't sing! Skipy |
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27 Apr 05 - 06:13 PM (#1472803) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Burke Skipy, the point is, that in cultures where there is a lot of singing there are very few who cannot sing. This is because as children they get a lot more practice with pitch matching. Instead of being told to be quiet & not sing some adult may work with them & help them learn. Young men get help over the adolescent voice change. If you really cannot sing, it is hard to learn as an adult. Like anything if you really want to, you probably can with help. (This is not to say you should. You might not have the motivation, time, energy, etc. to do it now.) Look at how many of the earlier messages are from people who thought they could not sing & have discovered otherwise. |
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27 Apr 05 - 06:20 PM (#1472810) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: LilyFestre I love to sing....at home or in the car. I'm not big on singing around anyone besides my family and then it's usually not a conscious thing. If I don't know the words, I make them up or skip 'em all together. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE to sing to the newborn twins....yep...love it. LF |
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27 Apr 05 - 07:13 PM (#1472843) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST folk dont sing because the squeezboxes overpower the room with countless repetitions of the same bloody tune and then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then seguee into countless segues of some bloody tune amd then...... |
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28 Apr 05 - 02:00 AM (#1472954) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST Well sing in the other room then! |
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28 Apr 05 - 08:56 AM (#1473088) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: black walnut Folk don't sing because they hear "perfection" on CDs and radio and television everywhere they turn. They don't have enough empty space in their lives to make them crave to fill it with their own soul's music. I taught early childhood music for 15 years. In most of my classes the children were young enough to need a grownup (parent or caregiver) to come with them. I knew that if I could grab the attention of the grownup and help them to feel free to sing and dance, the children would be caught up in the energy, and everyone would be singing. It worked. Parents and nannies who never thought they could sing started to sing and dance with their children in class and at home. Often the 'other' parent, the one that was working and couldn't come to class, would catch on too...the domino effect. Music is a social beast. The more it happens in a group, the more it will enrich the individual. I don't know if that makes any sense, but you can quote it if you like. :-) ~b.w. |
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28 Apr 05 - 09:57 AM (#1473141) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Jim Folks – adults have serious problems that most kids don't have. It's down to one particular form of paralysis, and it's called INHIBITION. It stops adults having fun in many ways, not least of which is singing, but it also includes other things like taking risks, experimenting, trying new experiences, being afraid of "looking a fool" etc. Life's too short, and we need to enjoy it while we got it. As John Lennon said "Life's what's happening while you're making plans". This ain't no rehearsal. When I was 17 I bust a leg playing soccer at school. My schooling took a serious nose-dive as I was 18 weeks out of the system at a critical stage in my "A" levels. No-one brought me any school-work to do whilst I was laid up, but I don't regret that. My Dad bought me a harmonica, and I learnt to play it loud to help me deal with the pain of a compound fracture starting to fix itself. Playing music was a part of my life from that point on. Later on I started playing guitar and then singing along to my favourite records in the early 60's. Eventually I plucked up courage to perform in local folk clubs, and now do regular gigs in local pubs and clubs. I've lost count of the friends I've made through singing in public. There aren't enough days in the week for me – TV viewing has become a pastime fallback to be avoided on most evenings. TV is bad for you – going out and having fun is good for you. Singing is good for you. Living is good for you. Don't waste any more time. As we say here in Yorkshire "JFDI"!! |
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28 Apr 05 - 11:40 AM (#1473261) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Uncle_DaveO Okay, WTHT? That is, "What the hell's that"? Dave Oesterreich |
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28 Apr 05 - 12:17 PM (#1473292) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Jim Apologies Uncle Dave - didn't want to offend "JFDI"!! = "Just F****** Do It!!" |
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28 Apr 05 - 04:36 PM (#1473545) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,DrWHO I have been lurking around this site for a few years for my own evil purposes, but felt inspired finally to make a comment. Being a spectator as opposed to a participant seems the crux of the matter to me. Voyeurism, mandatory self-effacement, passivity, etc. are far more socially acceptable than banging one's own drum loudly(unless it can be done at a professional level). There are groups who actively, even agressively ignore the societal norms, and are only to happy to "make a spectacle" of themselves. My interest in this site lies in my interest in Rugby/Hash songs, particularly in their history. If anyone needs an example of singing in public, join up with a "singing" Hash, or Rugby Club. The hash in particular, is unique in that it is not necessarily a "Boys will be Boys" club. (For "GUEST, Joe F" who mentioned Boston: Try spending an evening with those guys, the women sing the really rude songs often!) My personal group in Rhode Island (RIH3)usually sings 5-10 songs at the Beer Check (in the middle of the woods), 10-15 at the circle at the end, and (once the food is delivered) as many as we can without getting thrown out at the dinner afterwards. None of us are great singers, but we can usually at least end up in the same key. Between the 10-15 regulars, we have a collective repertoire of about 500 songs. (Thanks to this site and others, I have personally introduced 20-30 new ones a year for the last two or three years.) I know there are other groups, perhaps less athletically oriented, or at least less extreme, out there, singing for the sake of the song, not for the performance. I would be interested in hearing their stories. On On |
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29 Apr 05 - 11:01 AM (#1474266) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Joe_F Thanks very much, DrWHO, for your recommendation of the Boston Hash House Harriers, whose Web site I have found. I can use the exercise, too. In my earlier Boston incarnation, ca. 1960, somewhat similar conviviality (with less emphasis on bawdry) was provided by the MIT Outing Club, which had parties at which singing took place (most of them, conveniently, in the rooming house in Cambridge where I lived). In addition to the usual folk instruments we had an oldfashioned pump organ powered by a vacuum cleaner in the closet. (MITOC even had its own songbook.) Climbers, in those days, were another subculture that sang spontaneously. Many of the songs collected by Messrs Edwards & Kelley in _The Coffee House Songbook_ are annotated as having been learned, not in coffee houses, but in climbers' camps. I remember a wonderful party in Kingston, NY, in the late '60s, mostly rockclimbers, with two kegs of beer and a barrel of chocolate-chip cookies, in which a little knot of people in the middle of the room sang "Crusher Bailey" for quite a long while. --- Joe Fineman joe_f@verizon.net ||: Be inobviously tuitive. || |
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29 Apr 05 - 07:53 PM (#1474633) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: ranger1 OK, it happened today. While raking the parking lots (don't ask, it's a park ranger thing), I all of a sudden found myself singing out loud. And there were onlookers besides the wildlife. Not sure what they thought, don't really care. I was enjoying myself and it made a tedious job go a lot faster. |
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29 Apr 05 - 10:33 PM (#1474701) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ebbie What songs did you sing, ranger1? Not mournful ones, I hope? I love people to sing happy songs as they work. One time I stopped to rest on a mountain trail. Down below me, many zig zags back, I heard someone singing a song in full voice. Sounded pretty good, so I waited until he and his companion hove into view and then I said, Good song! He said, Just keeping the bears away- and broke back into song as they passed on by. |
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29 Apr 05 - 11:04 PM (#1474716) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Dr WHO Singing on mountain trails is another of my favorite pastimes. But obviously "Ebbie" heard someone else if it "Sounded pretty good..." I have descended many a trail in bad weather, with one or more of my young (at the time) daughters close to panic, until I started singing. (Now before you think it, that did NOT make them really panic!) One of the categories of groups that I would like to hear from is the group of students: collegiates, fraternity/sorority types, final/eating clubs, secret societies, etc. When I was in college, I certainly picked up some of my bad habits, singing-wise that is, from my club. Is there anyone else out there who learned to sing in public within the confines of a social organization, totally unrelated to music/singing in its purposes, at school? |
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30 Apr 05 - 05:43 PM (#1475246) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: ranger1 Ebbie, Of course they were happy songs! It's hard to get a good working rhythm going if you sing sad ones. The two that kept cropping up were "The Rolling Hills of the Border" and "Willie's Gang to Melville Castle." Might try some shanties next time. |
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30 Apr 05 - 10:43 PM (#1475412) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: cobber Back in the sixties when we started Cobbers, here in Australia, everyone sang all the choruses. If they didn't they were encouraged or abused until they did. It was an expected part of the show as well as being enjoyable. During the seventies, folk bands became more prevalent than solo performers and they tended to offer more polished presentations of the songs which made it feel a bit intrusive if you joined in. We were as guilty of this as anyone. It wasn't a conscious effort to exclude the audience, it just happened. One of the major factors (in my opinion) was that the songs became faster and I've experimented a bit with this over the last few years. My observation is that if you want people to sing along with you, slow down so thay can keep up. As for those who say they can't sing, well neither can a lot of people who make their living by it. When we were recording, there were often people who couldn't hold a tune particularly well in the band but when you added them into the mix they gave the choruses a richness of texture that wasn't there without them. In some songs where we were trying to emulate a bunch of shearers around a camp fire or something similar this could be really brought up and fitted well but even in songs which were more melodic, so to speak, those extra voices added something special to the sound. |
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01 May 05 - 12:00 AM (#1475449) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Kaleea Music Educators have been running away screaming for many years now. I know because that's what I did. The administration did not want me to teach Music, Educate the students, or any such facimile. They wanted someone to "just keep the kids singing & use lots of hand motions so they don't hit each other much." That is a direct quote from a principal. I was told to not push instrumental Music as it was a costly program which they were trying to phase out. They wanted a babysitter who would not expect anything of the students. They wanted the babysitter to not complain that the Music books were over 15 years old. Never mind that the law said they couldn't be more than 10 years old. The parents expected that the babysitter would autimatically write "A" on every grade card because their precious offspring are so perfect. I decided I had had it when a principal told me & the 3rd grade teacher that if we suspected any kind of neglect or abuse to a specific 3rd grader who showed up after a long absence with burns & bruises over half her body, we were not to report anything because the school system could not afford "any more lawsuits." Music educators are no longer taught how to teach pitch to the children. In our technological society, we use listening devices with headsets for individuals. The kids listen to noise which has no melody. Pianos are becoming rare in most homes. When they are there, they are rarely in tune. Singing is no longer a common pass-time in families or when kids gather together. Many churches in the USA do have choirs, but the majority are small churches which do not pay their Musicians, and the Musicians are usually amateurs. The local school system has decided that they will no longer begin instrumental Music in the 4th (strings) or 5th grade, but will put it off for 2 years, thus saving lots of money. Never mind that kids who study Music are smarter over all--this has been documented. This is what the so called "Mozart Effect" is all about. Between cutting the arts out of the schools, using electronic devices instead of real acoustic instruments-which must be tuned & thus develops the "ear" to learn good pitch, lowering our standards of "education" & teaching kids that Educated Musicians have little or no value in our society, instead they should value the people who are rich from making hit CDs while the performers have little or no Music training. |
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01 May 05 - 11:25 PM (#1476181) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: dianavan Singing and dancing is part of being human. I learned that in Ireland many years ago. I was travelling when a busker asked me to provide some back up. "I can't sing!", I protested. "You're a human being aren't you?" he asked. It was beyond his comprehension that I actually believed I could not sing. He taught me that singing and dancing was an expression of the human spirit. I will always love him for that. Singing liberates me from the mundane chores of daily life. It connects me to humanity. It lifts my spirit. I sing when I am full of joy or when I am sad. It is a way to express my emotion. Once I had to ride in an open boat in rough seas with a burned baby in my arms. It was a very long journey. Afterwards, the skipper told my friends that I sang the whole way over at the top of my lungs - a kind of Japanese song that came from the depths of my soul. I don't remember it and I don't even know where it came from. I doubt if anybody would ever pay to hear me sing but that doesn't stop me. Its part of being human. Dancing is like that too. |
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02 May 05 - 02:41 AM (#1476264) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Tannywheeler Intellectualizing and mass marketing and no privacy -- this has been an interesting thread. About 20 years ago Mike Seeger did a show in Austin, Texas, with the cooperation of the trad. music group I belonged to. I got to go to the afterparty, where I chatted with Mike a bit, he having worked with my mother for a time. In the conversational group we were in the subject of "Keep On The Sunny Side" came up. I muttered and tried to back out of the group, but Mike stopped me. I explained that I had heard about that song all my life, but had heard the song itself (maybe) only once. There was a moment of stunned silence and Seeger made a remark about that deficiency being remedied forthwith. I became the center of a circle of musicians, and we sang that song for 20 minutes -- twenty. It was hard to sing because of the omniphonic harmonies whirling around me -- but it was harder NOT to sing because the pressure of the music forced my mouth open and my vocal chords to vibrate. Learn by doing. Tw |
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02 May 05 - 09:54 AM (#1476408) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Joe_F For the effects on singing in Jean Ritchie's family of the arrival of radio in the '20s, read the last chapter of her _Singing Family of the Cumberlands_. Hell, read that whole wonderful book if you haven't already. I was delighted to see, at a concert of hers the other day, that it is still in print. --- Joe Fineman joe_f@verizon.net ||: Because of the market, what is overrated is overpriced. Because of foolishness, what is overpriced is overrated. :|| |
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02 May 05 - 02:01 PM (#1476611) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator Ah Louie Lou-eye O-oh No Me gotta go Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi Audience participation in a concert setting may not be quite the same as joining a choir or participating in a song circle, but it can be a great opportunity to sing wholeheartedly, at full volume, with a large number of fellow enthusiasts. And whether "Louie Louie" can be characterized as "folk music" is problematic, to say the least. Certainly, back in the 60s during the folk boom (or, if you will, "folk scare"), I would have offered the opinion that it epitomized everything that true folk music is NOT ~ it's a rock 'n' roll record made by a singer who didn't bother to learn the lyrics. However, it IS a song with a chorus that just about everyone knows how to sing, and my current opinion is that it certainly is folk music, at least for the community of folk among whom I live. That said, I just want to report how absolutely wonderful it was to sing along with Toots Hibbert and the Maytals at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Saturday afternoon. Toots is quite a song leader ~ almost a sort of Rastfarian Pete Seeger ~ and he got a large and remarkably talented "congregation" to sing some fairly complex responses, harmonies and counterpoints on any number of songs, including his own band's classics ("Pressure Drop," "Funky Kingston," "True Love is Hard To Find," etc., and of course "Country Roads"). But the most successful and most transcendant instance of group singing came on that old garage-band chestnut "Louie Louie." I thought I was about to levitate ~ Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Jazzfest management introduced a new feature last year, live CDs of festival performances available onsite within a hour or so of the end of each selected set and also (later) via the Internet. I can't vouch for the sound quality of any of these recordings, but friends who bought the 2-CD-set of last week's Meters Reunion gig tell me the sound on that recording, anyway, is great. The Toots & the Maytals CD may or not prove to be a masterpiece of audio engineering, but I can promise you that it showcases one of the finest bits of mass audience singing ever heard, even here in the town once described (by Smokey Robinson, no less) as "the world's capitol of audience participation." Well, maybe the magic of the moment will come through, to some extent, on the CD ~ or maybe you just "had to be there." I'm not making any promises, but I figure some of you might be interested in this source of live recordings (if not Toots, maybe another selection). For a complete list of the 2005 and 2004 NOJHF performances recorded and available on CD: JazzFest LIVE CD order form (Toots & the Maytals, Congo Square Stage, Saturday 4/30, is #7 on the list.) |
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02 May 05 - 04:23 PM (#1476722) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Ramblingsid Well when I was in primary school I sang - and that was because it was a small village school and everybody did everything. Singing was not a problem. Then at age 11 I went to the Grammar School in the nearby town. There not everybody got to sing and the rather unpleasant music teacher held a sort of public audition for the choir. Those that he did not want were rather peremptorily told to shut up and no interest was shown in them thereafter. I think it is true to say that I have not sung in public since that day. In my head I know its silly not to join in with everybody around me - but something hold me back. I am a great admirer of Roy Bailey - but every time I go to see him I know that my enjoyment will be undermined by the fact that part of his routine involves making fun of those in the audience that don't join in. Making fun of me in fact. It always strikes me as rather insulting. |
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02 May 05 - 05:22 PM (#1476765) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,PatrickCostello Back when I was in first grade a teacher actually made me sing in public as a punishment. It all happened because of my dad. We were watching Name That Tune (this was back in the 70's) and during the 'stump the band" segment of the show somebody challenged the band to play a song called Granny's In The Cellar. The band didn't know the song so the girl from the audience sang the tune and won the prize. When my dad hear the song he just about went crazy. It went like this: Granny's in the cellar, Gee can't you smell her Cooking flap-jacks on the dirty stove? In her eye there is some matter And it's dripping in the batter And she whistles as the (snort) runs down her nose. Now, when the "snort" comes in you do just that: give a good old-fashioned phlegm-gargling snort. The grosser the better. For days after that my father would start singing Granny's In The Cellar at the drop of a hat. He sang that verse so many times that it lost all of it's effect as comedy and sort of became a household ritual. Now back then I was going to a Catholic elementary school and our teacher was this evil old nun who hated kids. Things always got pretty boring so one day before class I decided to teach the other kids this cool little song that my dad was singing all of the time. So Sister Mary Mikofmagniesa walks into class and we're all kicking back singing Granny's In The Cellar and laughing hysterically every time we got around to the snort. We clammed up as soon as the nun came into the room, but the heartless old bat dragged me in front of the class and said that if I liked singing so much I could spend the rest of the day entertaining the class. I was told to stand in front of the class and sing the song over and over again until she told me to stop. I guess the old fool thought this was supposed to be a punishment of some sort, but I had a ball. I sang Granny's In The Cellar over and over again and went to great lengths to make the snort as effective as I could every time it came around. After a while I got bored so I switched over to one of the songs my grandfather sang all of the time (this one wasn't exactly politically correct): (to the tune of Harrigan) H! A! Double R I! My cat pissed in your cat's eye! Proud of all the Irish that is in me, I can lick a Chinee or a Guinea! H! A! Double R I G - A - N you see It's a name that no shame has ever been connected Harrigan, that's me! The kids in the class were going nuts by now so I went into some of the other songs my grandfather used to sing/howl as we drove around in his Dodge Dart. Then I'd go back into Granny's In The Cellar again. When the nun realized that her "punishment" was turning out to be a lot of fun she went and got kids from other classes to come over and watch my antics. By the time lunch was over every kid on our floor was singing Granny's In The Cellar. The nun walked over, slugged me, told me she was going to call my parents and ended my performance. When I got home I didn't tell my dad what had happened. I figured when he found out what had happened that it was going to be my ass. That night the phone rang and I heard my dad's side of the conversation. "Oh yeah, that's a great song isn't it? . . . Oh, you didn't like it? . . . You made him do WHAT? . . . I could have told you that wouldn't have worked. He loves attention! . . . What am I going to do? That's your problem. I'm paying to send him there so you'll control him." Pop didn't say anything to me about the call, but he did kick back on the couch with me and sang Granny's In The Cellar with me a few times. The funny part of this story is that today I'm a professional musician. Whenever my father and I play Granny's In The Cellar pop tells the story about the kung-fu nun and how she was responsible for me growing up to be a performer. . . |
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02 May 05 - 05:54 PM (#1476781) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Val (sorry about not replying sooner) ElwynnMaxon said: "...I must agree that it is a bit wordy and long winded. ...If something is written as to be unclear without deciphering it, what was the point? " Choosing how to phrase particular information is like choosing the play list for a performance. The skilled writer/performer tailors the offering to the intended audience. The original author that was quoted apperently thought the best way to reach her target audience was to write in that wordy (one might say pedantic?) style. It was not written for Mudcatters - just like a Brittney Spears concert is not aimed at 'Catters (for which I am quite grateful!) Hope it worked for her with her target audience to convince them of the problem. Unfortunately, WE aren't the ones that need convincing. |
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03 May 05 - 02:32 AM (#1476818) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Liz the Squeak Sort of makes you wonder just exactly who her target audience were... sure wasn't the General Public! LTS |
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03 May 05 - 09:15 AM (#1476937) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator Well, it was an academic paper, obviously, intended for an academic audience. The more big words the better. Patrick ~ GREAT story! |
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03 May 05 - 10:20 AM (#1476986) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST When I was in college decades ago, a friend of mine interrupted the rock background to urge someone to sing "Brennan on the Moor." Most of the guests seemed stunned that somebody was actually singing live and for free, unaccompanied, a song they'd never heard of with a catchy tune, an interesting story, and a rousing chorus. The singer was roundly congratualted. That's the only time I can remember a singer performing essentially solo at a nonmusical party. |
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03 May 05 - 01:48 PM (#1477182) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: shepherdlass But people DO sing - at football games, at karaoke bars, along to the stereo while driving, and yes, when drunk. Perhaps most of this is unselfconscious and not considered "being a singer", but, in the pubs where acknowledged traditional singers like Harry Cox could hold sway, did the people who joined in on the choruses consider themselves singers? Maybe there's a problem of definition here. Most people without disabilities can and occasionally do run but it takes a particular level of enthusiasm and expertise to class yourself as "a runner". That doesn't mean that running as a sport is dying out. |
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20 May 05 - 12:56 PM (#1489296) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,boo me gesy and boo like it |
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20 May 05 - 02:48 PM (#1489400) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Betsy It's all a matter for the performer - they've got to make the audience feel comfortable about joining in - and be careful, as this simple act can be overdone if one treats the audience like children and therefore have the opposite of the desired efffect. It's a knack like anything else we do, but, I put it down (loosely ) to coaxing intelligent people but remember to speak the bits beforehand which you want them to join in and give them some friendly patter, - don't assume just because everyone knew the chorus in a club last night that the club tonight automatically knows it. So appeal to them gently " For those who don't know the chorus here's how it goes " and those who DO already know it can feel ..............hmm .......what's the word........will "content" do ? All the best |
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21 Jun 05 - 10:13 PM (#1506511) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Victoria Moon Joyce Love the thread! Sorry about the wordy language - my original article was for an academic conference. But clearly, folks obviously figured out what I was on about ;) At least you've given me a good laugh and I take your criticisms of my writing style with kindness and appreciation. The question of non-singing continues to be an issue and I'd love to hear more stories. I am deeply moved by what many have detailed here from their own lives. Keep talking out there. If I may add to the thread... My friend and colleague Louise Pascale has helped me understand more about how 'singers' and 'non-singers' become divided as categories. She notes that we need to always bear in mind WHY it is that we choose to sing. Singing gives us so much and fulfills so many purposes in our lives and in the context of our humanness - as someone on this thread so eloquently put it. Categories are not helpful - we don't need to be 'singers' to sing. But for many, we need the invitation, a safe enough space, and sometmes,the generous-hearted support to begin singing or to develop our singing. That's partly the point I was trying to make - we need to extend such invitations, create such spaces, and be the supporting friends... As Michele George of Toronto states: "We have to make singing irresistible." As for the person who noted that anyone can sing if they get drunk enough. I couldn't agree more. Maybe I'll just go and have that beer right now! Cheers, Moon Joyce Fredricton, New Brunswick |
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22 Jun 05 - 01:45 AM (#1506615) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: PoppaGator Glad to see that Victoria Moon Joyce wasn't offended by any of the criticism, and that she enjoyed our discussion. I certainly enjoyed her essay, which kicked this whole thing off. And I'm really glad to see this thread get resurrected ~ I just re-read the whole thing! Many eloquent contributions, on a topic very near to all our hearts, and well worth a return visit... |
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22 Jun 05 - 05:40 AM (#1506702) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Le Scaramouche I don't sing because I suck at it. Simple as that. |
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22 Jun 05 - 06:11 AM (#1506721) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Kaleea As a choir director, Music educator & private voice teacher & coach for many years, I have found many people had an event in their youth where they were put down openly by others, often a teacher or older sibling. Then there are those who need to be in the middle of strong singers. Some folks just can sing melody only, and not harmony. I once had a small group of people from which to make a "choir." One guy could not find the bass notes to save his life. But, he was terrific & on the melody, so I made the 2 or 3 guys the melody singers, & the gals were singing alto & tenor to make a nice 3 pt harmony. Once a fellow came to me for private lessons at the suggestion of the folks who danced at the square dances which he called. He could not match pitch. Not at all! He was quite serious about learning to sing. I had him come twice a week for about a year, as we worked at finding pitches & learning intervals. He was eventually able to sing simple melodies similar to "Skip to my Lou," and other dance tunes as he called the dances. I wouldn't have put money on it before, but I learned that if the true desire is there, and an educator is willing to be flexible, anything is possible to those who believe. |
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22 Jun 05 - 11:40 AM (#1507016) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,leeneia My thoughts on why people don't sing (much) 1. There are so many canned things going already: TV, CD's, iPods 2. Most contemporary music doesn't have any melody. I worked for a year in a store where "great hits" were playing. I can't remember a single song they ever played - they all just droned on. How many contemporary hits with a real melody can you name? My answer: 1. Stairway to Heaven 2. Can I have this dance for the rest of my life? 3. umm... 3. People who sing around the house are often ridiculed if their voices are not perfect. This keeps their voices from improving. I tell them to sing while cleaning up the kitchen. Nobody will stop you then. 4. People think that famous singers are "stars" who were born with "talent". While it's true that heredity has a lot to do with what voice you have, many of the faults that bug people in Point 3 above could be cured. 4. Non-church-going. Church-going families probably sing more because they're used to the idea that ordinary people sing. 5. Ugly pop music has been around so long that we now have non-singing parents raising non-singing little ones. Or at least I think so. If you know young children, do they sing while washing dishes, on long car rides, around a camp fire, at youth-group meetings? We used to sing at these times, although I admit that singing while doing the dishes was a rare phenomenon. |
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22 Jun 05 - 12:07 PM (#1507045) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Le Scaramouche I'm church-going and sing there, but not really anywhere else because I can't carry a note. Where do I fit in? |
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22 Jun 05 - 01:17 PM (#1507101) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing - some suggestions From: GUEST,V. Moon Joyce Dear Le Scaramouche: though I don't know your particular circumstances, I'm going to take a chance here and suggest the following: 1) Finding a place to sing when you have trouble carrying a melody is very difficult. But there are some places. Community choirs are one site. They often are large enough, strong enough, and inclusive enough to welcome singers like yourself who can usually follow a song if supported by strong singers around you. It's basically the theory of strength in numbers. And while most community choirs have as their goal some performances, most also are able to provide the opportunity for singers with pitch challenges to participate fully. I often find that once a group sets its sights on performance, then many group members get all nervous and demanding about "doing it right." Some can get right nasty about it. So, make sure the group you choose is willing to include your 'less-than-perfect' singing voice. 2) recreational singing with friends is another option. Though it may seem awkward at first if you and your friends/family haven't made much music together before, it IS possible to gather and have a terrific time singing as a group just for the hell of it. Anything you can think of to reduce the inhibitions that folks might have (what Frankie Armstrong in the UK calls "disinhibitors" and what I think of as an adequate supply of wine) - go for it. It won't be long before you develop your own repertoire of favourites and you'll be looking forward to those evenings of song without the earlier "disinhibitors". 3) Start with a small and easy repertoire of songs that you REALLY like to sing. Choose material that is very accessible to sing and that everyone knows "by heart" (interesting term, that). Old songs like "Michael rowed the boat ashore" exist for generations BECAUSE they are great songs and easy to learn and sing. Avoid complicated songs in the beginning. Build. 4) Another suggestion - sing outdoors alone where you can really let rip and just enjoy the sheer sensual pleasure of your voice pouring out with all you've got. It really is a treat and is just a bumped up version of shower singing. 5) Do what my Mom always did. Sing when you're working with loud power tools, or alone doing repetitive (rhythmic) work. (My mom was a gorgeous singer, but was silenced in adulthood. To get that story, you'll have to read my dissertation!) Her power tool of choice - okay, maybe not choice - was the vacuum cleaner. 6) You may think you "suck at" singing now, but that's irrelevant. Sing for your own reasons. If you're not sure why you sing, find out why, or find better reasons. It matters - for no other reason that it matters to you. Go for it. cheers, Moon Joyce |
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22 Jun 05 - 04:33 PM (#1507259) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST The BBC has a weekly arts programme on British TV. Every week there is a section devoted to 'popular music'. The other week a succession of youths bellowed incomprehensible words into microphones whilst other youths thrashed electric guitars and drum kits or, occasionally, keyboards. This went on for a bit and then the presenter announced a new, 'breakthrough band'. This time a youth bellowed incomprehensible words into a microphone whilst other youths thrashed... For the life of me, I couldn't discern any difference between the 'breakthroughs' and their predecessors. The other week I went on holiday to Slovenia. I switched on the TV in my hotel room and witnessed a youth bellowing what may have been English (although largely incomprehensible) words into a microphone whilst other youths...well, you get the picture! I believe that our (and many other people's) culture has been infected by a sort of plague called 'rock music'. This virulent disease has infected everything and is turning what is left of that culture into a sort of featureless, meaningless, albeit noisy, mush. It's no wonder no one sings any more!! |
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22 Jun 05 - 04:41 PM (#1507269) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: shepherdlass Leeneia, a lot of what you're saying makes great sense but once again I worry about the pessimism inherent in so many of these posts. There is always a tendency to think our generation was the last to know how to sing - and it's tied into a lack of faith in the young, who are just finding what songs fit their lives in the way we did when we were that age. Personally, I'd like to hear anything as anti-establishment as Anarchy in the UK in the current scene, but it's doubtless being made - I've just lost the map to find it! Specifics: 1. I'm an ipod addict and I sing all the time, both for fun and - when people are fool enough to pay me - for money. I don't think that you can blame people not wanting to sing on the technological distribution of music. If this was the case, then the folk boom of the 60s - in the midst of cheaper vinyl LPs, multi-tracking, etc - shouldn't have happened. 2. and 5. You have to pick and choose your tunes from contemporary popular music - John Legend's Ordinary People is a prime example of fantastic melody in the pop/R&B genre - what filters through from the past is the stuff that's left when the samey dross is forgotten. Just look through a collection of Victorian parlour ballads if you doubt this. 4. links a little to 3. - some people I know decided that they couldn't sing the day they were turned down for the Sunday School choir! TTFN A former choir soloist who nonetheless gets whupped at karaoke! |
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22 Jun 05 - 09:19 PM (#1507574) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Inero Can anyone recommend a song book (words and music) of non-complicated folk songs? Like Le Scaramouche and a few others on this thread I have trouble carrying a tune. But if given the dots, I can first play it on the flute and then hack through it vocally. I must be good; my dogs howl in approval. Michael |
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22 Jun 05 - 09:52 PM (#1507599) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Janie There are three threads currently active, with mostly different people posting to them, that are really very interwoven. This thread, "Why Folk Don't Sing," the "Songs We're Too Cool to Sing" thread, and the "Best Songs to Get People Singing" thread. They are three different explorations into the meaning of the verb, 'to sing.' check it out. Janie |
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23 Jun 05 - 10:40 AM (#1507989) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,leeneia Sherherdlass, I hope you're right. It's true I'm pessimistic. Here's a true story. My husband joined a co-worker and her young daughter (age 7) one Sunday for brunch and a movie. This involved riding together from their house to the restaurant, from the r. to the movie, and from the movie back to their house. During that period of a 3-4 hours, the mother spoke to the kid only 4 times, never saying anything important or affectionate. Most of the time, the kid was listening to something on headphones. The mother was often on her cell phone. I gather this is the norm among his co-workers. Aaargh! Recently I rode 150 miles with a man and his teenage son, and they didn't exchange a single word. Quality time, anyone? -------- To people who want to sing better -- try singing along with recordings of professional singers (not opera or country) while doing the housework. I think the most characteristic the pro should have is the ability to carry a tune. If you are a bass, sing along with a bass, etc. Here are some pro's I think would be good for this: Harry Belafonte Johnny Mathis Judy Collins Sorry I can't think of any more right now. Any suggestions? |
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23 Jun 05 - 11:20 AM (#1508027) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Leadfingers This is aimed at all the people (Like Le Scaramouche) who say they cant sing ! My Brother couldnt carry a tune in a bucket when we were in our teens - He then married a girl who sang in the church choir . He is now one of the mainstays of same church choir and helps other members sort out their harmonies ! Moral ?? EVERY ONE can sing - Just need a bit of a push from the right person in the right direction . |
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23 Jun 05 - 11:53 AM (#1508058) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: freightdawg Patrick, thanks for the hysterical story. Boy, I wish there was a video tape of that performance. I laughed until tears came down my cheeks. What a wonderful thread. I grew up in a singing household. We sang at church, and once a month or so a group of adults would all get together and sing hymns and spiritual songs. All acapella - just four part harmony with some occassional warbles and "in betweeen" parts. Great stuff. I didn't know it then, but I was being taught in some small way just what it means to be human and to share in a common spirit. Way back up yonder in the thread a comment was made that you cannot tell what is singing anymore when you buy a commercially produced cd. (I would argue that the same is true with many instrument sounds, as well). That is what is so sad about how "we" as a commercial conglomerate view singing. Can't find a good actor? Who cares? George Lucas can build you one on his computer. Can't find a good guitar player? Who Cares? Some super computer gizmo will create one for you that never misses a beat or hits the wrong fret. Can't sing with picture perfect tone and pitch? Who cares, we'll just tell the computer what we want to hear and out it comes. But, thankfully, there will always be Bogey and Bacall, there will always be Hitchcock, and there will always be a group of folks on the street corner or in some corner of the basement crooning away. Some will be on key, some will be off key, and some will invent a key of their own. Sometimes there will be an instrument, often times there will not be. But they will be wonderfully happy. And in that brief time there will be the creation of genuine music, the language of the heart. Freightdawg |
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23 Jun 05 - 12:15 PM (#1508074) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,MMario Scaramouche - try some chanties! or some call and response gospel. You can get CD's and sing along with them if you want - or find a gathering that does that type music. Pauline - I could have sworn I've heard you singing at Getaway. Good G*d, you should be comfortable joining in THERE if nowhere else. With your love of music I don't see how you can resist. |
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23 Jun 05 - 08:12 PM (#1508438) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Mr Happy if u can talk-then u can sin! its just practice that makes u better, especially sining along with others. i sin almost every nite & more at weakends! Sining's the main reason 4 living!! |
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24 Jun 05 - 08:54 AM (#1508794) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: JennyO freightdawg, that was beautiful! |
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24 Jun 05 - 03:31 PM (#1508911) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: GUEST,Liz I love to sing but I don't know what to sing. I'm all signed up for a coffeehouse show tonight full of singers and players but I've been sitting here all day trying to learn songs (old folk stuff like John Barleycorn, which is how I found this page, trying to decipher the lyrics). So in the spirit of bringing the commodified arts back into the communities from which they were stolen, should I encourage the whole audience to sing along? Should I choose songs that have easy to learn choruses, or ones that people are likely to know? I feel a bit guilty as someone who cringes at off-key singing... but I'm willing to change. |
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24 Jun 05 - 07:18 PM (#1509075) Subject: RE: Why folk don't sing From: Nick Liz If you sing something that makes everyone else in the room WANT to sing then might that be better? I say this off the back of last night. I went for a sing in Thirsk (North Yorkshire) at a friend's folk club at the Three Tuns Hotel. By chance there were Black Umfolosi 5 staying in the hotel on tour. The format Terry has is a two song go round the room singaround and they did their turn and sang WONDERFULLY. Young and old - blues fan - folkie - young lads who like their rock stuff etc were bowled over. But everyone came away thinking that the coolest think in the world is to sing. |