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29 Jan 13 - 08:45 AM (#3472900) Subject: Song Session Songbook From: RobbieWilson I am thinking of starting up a sing session in Wolverhampton. There is a new pub with a small function room ( no room for instruments and cases)and good beer. I have always loved getting into sing sessions at festivals but am not aware of anything like this anywhere near WV. I would like to build a song book of good singalong songs, chorus songs, call and response and so on. So I have started this thread in the hope of help in two ways: If you live in or near Wolverhampton and would be interested in taking part get in touch. If you have any suggestion for repertoire please suggest it here. I have an early list of songs which I know either well or vaguely which I think would work well. This should also give you an idea of the kind of stuff I am thinking of. Thanks, Robert |
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29 Jan 13 - 09:10 AM (#3472912) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Jack Campin I don't have a problem with people singing from songbooks or folders (many people here do) but I DO have a problem with people spending ten minutes flipping through a phonebook-sized folder when it's their turn, in search of something to sing. I have seen people spend the duration of an average ballad in searching for inspiration and then give up. Keep it small (preferably stapled A5) and keep it indexed. Maybe catagorize it into light and funny, tragic, romantic, political, work songs, etc so that people can easily avoid getting stuck in one type of song. |
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29 Jan 13 - 09:22 AM (#3472915) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: RobbieWilson I know what you are saying Jack and largely agree. I am thinking more of a shared repertoire and that people can go away and look into the songs between sessions and find some they might like to lead sometime. I would like to build up a few songs that we get used to singing together and the whole group becomes familiar with. There are wait your turn and sing something to impress us circles around I want to start something different, almost like building a choir but with more traditional material. |
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29 Jan 13 - 09:37 AM (#3472925) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Rob Naylor Try this resource: Traditional Music You should be able to put something together from that lot! |
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29 Jan 13 - 10:14 AM (#3472942) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: RobbieWilson Thanks for that, rob, that is a mega resource and will take a while to work through but a quick look through reminded me of a couple more I have added to my revised list: A sailor's not a sailor A-Roving Blow the Man Down Bold Reilly Cockles & Mussels Drunken Sailor Eriskay Love lilt Fathom the bowl Green Grow the rushes Oh Grey Funnel Line Ilkla Moor John of dreams Let the back and the sides go bare me boys Lincolnshire Poacher Little Brown Jug Mingulay Boat Song Oh! No John! Road to the Isles Rolling up, rolling down Shenandoah Strawberry Fair South Australia The Mermaid Waltzing Matilda Westering Home When all men sing Widdecombe Fair More suggestions welcome. Robbie |
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29 Jan 13 - 11:36 AM (#3473018) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: YorkshireYankee Nice list. Here are a few of my fave chorus songs not already on your list: John Ball Bright Morning Star Hard Times (Come Again No More) Roseville Fair Country Life (To Ramble in the New Mown Hay Rolling Home (trad song) Rolling Home (John Tams song) I'm Marching Inland Let Union Be (in All Our Hearts) Granny's Only Left You Her Old Arm Chair Penny for the Ploughboy If there are any of these you're not familiar with, let me know & I'll point you to 'em... |
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30 Jan 13 - 04:40 AM (#3473407) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Les in Chorlton We have an evening Singaround at The Beech M21 9EG for 5 years now. We sit in The Snug - 20 is full 30 is rammed. We go around the room and sing one each then go round again - standard singaround. We have been getting requsts to sing elsewhere - something that some of us have done. To increase the 'quality' of what we do we have, 2 or 3 times, gathered on a Sunday afternoon to sing chorus songs. We have the words to the chorus and we practice it - sometimes sitting in groups - basses(?), them in the middle and most women and high tenors. Straight away this improved how we sound. Not a chior but a group of friends singing together. Les |
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30 Jan 13 - 04:58 AM (#3473411) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Johnny J "There is a new pub with a small function room ( no room for instruments and cases)" Pah.... Plenty of room for song books, obviously!!! Generally, I'm not very keen on the idea of having "approved" common repertoires and "set lists" in sessions whether they be tunes or songs. Unless it's a learning situation, of course. I'd much prefer a situation where people introduce their own choice of songs(or tunes)to the proceedings. It shows more imagination, is more imaginative, and ultimately more enlightening for the other members of the session. Of course, certain items will become popular and will possibly be featured on a more regular basis than others. However, this should be an organic process. |
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30 Jan 13 - 05:03 AM (#3473413) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Marje It's difficult to get this right, isn't it? On one hand you want to be inclusive and make the songs accessible to all, but there's a risk of it becoming prescriptive and limiting. At our local singaround, the landlady suggested that each of us learn a chorus song that we could do every week, so that we all got to know a core repertoire. My heart sank at the idea of singing and hearing the same songs every week. Fortunately no one took any notice, and we continue to have a mix of new and better known songs. Marje |
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30 Jan 13 - 05:27 AM (#3473417) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Johnny J Of course, I'm not too keen on "wait your turn and sing something to impress us circles" scenarios either unless it's a smallish group where the atmosphere is much more relaxed and you don't have to sit around waiting too long before getting a chance. The again, some singers prefer really large singarounds as there is more opportunity "to impress"! Each to their own. A compromise might be to build up a "song book" as you go along containing the more popular and requested material. Other songs could just be exchanged or passed on between session members as often happens at present. Mind you, not all singers are keen on others singing "their songs" and can sometimes get a bit precious about such things. |
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30 Jan 13 - 07:28 PM (#3473693) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Leadfingers Folk is a broad field - Folk Clubs all vary in how they functin , and often start as one sort and gradually change to something totally different . Best of luck with your club Robbie , an 'Everyone Sing Together' is one format which is of the rarer variety . If you do produce a 'Club Song book' , can I suggest that Sources of songs are not forgotten , particularly , Composers should always be credited for their work and posssibly whoever the singer you collect'trad' stuff from . |
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30 Jan 13 - 08:07 PM (#3473710) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: RobbieWilson Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. To try and restate, hopefully better, what I would like to create does not involve people singing from books or always singing only the same songs. I would like to have a group for the express purpose of singing together but in my area this is almost non existent and most people who I listen to at the many local sing arounds and "folk clubs" never sing unaccompanied joining in songs so people dont know them. I only know how wonderful voices united can sound really from folk festivals. The idea of a songbook is only to give people somewhere to start as we grow together into something new. |
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31 Jan 13 - 03:38 AM (#3473789) Subject: RE: Song Session Songbook From: Les in Chorlton Our songs and tunes nights are temporarly in another pub - and last night we were sort of double booked with a group of 10 or 15 young people from the Forest Schools Camp organisation. They have song book of maybe 100 songs and they brought loads of copies. We played a few tunes ( squeezers, banjos, guitars, whistles from our tune book then we went turn and turn about - they sang from their book and we sang songs - each song led by whoever fancied. It was extemely succesful - nealy all their songs were well known folks songs with big choruses and the sang with great gusto and skill. I left at 11. 20 and they were still going. Will we do this again? Yes!!!!!!! How often? Dunno Les |