25 February 2016

The one with Jenny again ... Jack was off lighting up some snow for drama ...

Numbers were down wth a particular lack of men, none present apart from Michael and Big Ron ... Lalala-lalala-lalala-lalalah, we all went. Followed by The Grand Old Duke Of York with claps and stamps! Such Fun!

In bad news, we won't be singing with a famous person in June, but The Best of Dorset will be in June this year and that may be a possible concert, or not. 

Used stamps can be collected for The

MS Society at choir everyweek. 

Then it was time to rehearse both of our Weymouth Music Festival songs, starting with Life On Mars. The final long note type ending is still rather scary for many people. Ron won the prize of Largest Cavern. Nice. Wide mouths everyone and lots of confidence! 'Remember, sensual won't cut it! Louder and bigger!' Said Ed roughly. 

Starting over again we practiced the perfect intro and found we had lost the harmony! Breaking it down worked a treat and it was all lovely. 

And we gave that the elbow, and dug out the music for - Elbow! One word - Believe! Convince me its your song and dog deep to get back that sparkle. Happiness injected fish we shall be. We had lost our synchopation and it really makes a HUGE difference! 

We seperated out The Holy Cows because some bum notes and creeped in, and we can't have that. Got to stay true to the root chord. 

Then we stood to perform it, then stayed on our feet to perform Life On Mars. Only two songs this week to really get these songs right! 

Well done DFS now sing those all the way home in the car, (can you tell I blog live?), and Lots of Love to you all, keep singing Xxx

11 February 2016

The where we weren't sure which room we were going to be in .... 

Ed threw a notice at us because Jenny had sent a reminder text about Fayre in the Square being the 30th May, and might well be at 11am. We will be willing to fit on the postage stamp stage. Then we warmed up while Ed waited for an update from his wife ...

Jack tried to cure the snap crackle and pop that popped out of the left speaker and was vaguely related to the position of the d.i. Box and the leg of the keyboard on the cables. Well done Jack. 

5th match at 3.30pm is our slot among the choir section, at Budmouth School for this years Music Festival. We need to pick two songs to perform at this event.  

We are nearing 30 people for the trip, keep your deposits coming and it may well be going ahead. 

Life On Mars was our first song, followed by Only Yesterday, singing from our boots! For those who want to up-the-Octave Ed had a lovely harmony ready! 

One Day Like This came next with all those nice overlaps! Ed liked it but warned us against going to high too soon with the curtains ... Four parts we covered! We have been approached possibly a tiny bit to sing with someone almost as famous as Ed. He's looking for a choir who can sing four part harmonies, and it looks like we now can! If it happens it will be in June. But for now, Mum's The Word. 

Right By Your Side next. Hmmm. Someone laughed and others muttered ... It should have been in Bb-3. So I thought I had better blog that. 

Then we had to choose two songs for the festival. We felt Mars was ok, and One Day Like This was also felt to be a good choice. Job done. 

Monday Monday was run through, and our choir master was pleased. Video Killed The Radio Star features more lovely overlaps, and Ruth at the end and I was well impressed because I missed last week. 

Finally everyone standing to sing Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Life is good. 

Keep singing and don't turn up next week. Enjoy half term especially if you are a teacher. Lots of Love, Cat xxx

4th February 2016

This week, as Cat was away, Dear Leader has written a blog poem:

This week as Cat was poorly
I thought I'd do the blog
To make it slightly different
I'd rhyme the words I log

We started with a warm-up
Extending vowels again

Some ta ta tas, and ooha and ahs
And finished with  'Amen'

Then onto our first number

We harmonised some bars
And did the song great justice
A classic 'Life on Mars'

Then came a little story
That choir needed to know

About 'Absolute 80's'

On my new DAB radio

So with this inspiration
We sorted out two parts
And all were Bonnie Tyler

With a Total Eclipse of the Heart

We scrubbed out a whole paragraph
And sang 'I'm in the dark'

Then got really excited
And screeched 'giving off sparks'

Onto our song number 3

About a Radio Star

And Video that killed him

And went a bit too far

Then Elbow had an airing
It's sounding quite high-brow
With lots of lovely harmonies

And several holy cows

We finished with a song request
The choice of two great songs
The Floral Dance for Terry
Or Something Inside So Strong

Labi Siffre was the choice
Your singing did impress

As we closed another practice

I love you DfS 

by Ed hintze aged 42-ish

28th January 2016

Back in the common room again! And jack opened all the windows because the computer didn't work ...

Ed announced the return of the PayPal machine so card payments for memberships can be resumed! Then after some menopausal type jokes, it was time to warm up!

And the real joke, if you missed it - What does Dr Who have as a side order? Daleck Bread. Thank you Ed. 

There are 50 letters to take home with Isle of Whyte information, as our trip will probably be between 40 and 50 members.

Then straight in to Life On Mars. Singing in the common room, as we know, eats our sound having no ceiling. All mistakes show up very clearly. What do you do if you see a space man? Park in it, man!

Mars bars. That means three bars for the word Mars, not that we had broken out the snacks. And please lose the nice sound in favour of something rougher! Ever get the feeling we here that a lot? 

From Ibeza to the Norfolk Broads also has a different tune to the same-ish line in the first verse. You know what I mean. Then Ed demonstrated a wrong note, and invited us to pick our own three for the big ending! Then a final run through. No standing as this is the common room! 

Maracas were in the room next, Right By Your Side. Also shaky-eggs made an appearance. And not always on the beat, which is fun. We won't mention the squeaky chicken, it's just not Rio De Genero. And it's definitely not Isle of whighte. 

Ed reminded us of a) some tunings b) a gap c) syncopation and d) e) f) and more tunings and timings! Everyone needed to have their pencils out and their chickens under control. Jack from the back added a few annotations like Up Arrows and dashes for gaps! Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah! Limb-to-limb was still going UP so maybe next time Ed will do a repeater for us, or you could do it at home for free. Have fun!

Monday, monday next. Too many words in this baby if you ask me. And I like the mamas and papas. Also too many bah-dah-dahs drowned out the three of us who came in with the melody. We sang it again and it was much better. 

My ear worm of the week to finish. Ed went through the ending, which is fun. Gentlemen, split yourselves between cows and curtains. Cows are mostly stage left. Careful now. 

Well done everyone for working so hard in the hardest room. Keep singing, enjoy this weeks ear-worm and remember I Love Ya! XXXX 

B- 

21st January 2015

The one where the Isle Of Wight went ahead at the original date but to be confirmed ... This could also be the one where Ed spelled it wrong!

Ed gave a break down of the trip itinerary but I was sulking so I didn't make notes. But please pay £50 deposit by 5th February, and pay the balance 

We have now been asked to sing at Fayre in the Square next 30th May at 11.30, and also on 13th May we could possibly be singing at  All Saints on Portland. Or maybe the week before. 

Saturday 5th March is Weymouth Music Festival if we are interested and it will take place at Budmouth school. 

Kareoke Annie Lennox first up, Right By Your Side. That woke them up. Everyone wished they had brought their maracas but instead made like a farm yard in search of that Brazilian flavour. 

We nailed it. Oh yea. Yeah yeah yeah....

Elbowing that aside, we turned out attentions to One Day Like This. Ed ran the different parts and we tried to remember. I got lost somewhere in the holy cows. Sounds like the farmyard again! We also tried it A Capella! We have gone up a level, and achieved 4 part singing! 

Everyone on their feet for a run through including some acompanyment and some A Capella for the 4-part singing. Ed said this was a building up song and it needs a good poke. But not til next time. 

Life On Mars has such a short intro, we had a few goes at that until Beryl stopped getting it wrong! Perfect. Said Ed. 

Monday Momday to fit in before its time. But-whenever-Monday-comes only faster please! And it was better than last week. 

You are so fab DFS. I Love you keep singing XXXXX

 

14 January 2016

The one where it was still Happy New Year Until Februay...

Welcome back, so good of you to remember to come. The school had forgotten, but luckily we did get in. Jack was in with his post-charity hair (£175 well done Jack) and lovely Jenny was on the door again. 

Ed introduced some of our new songs and explained the words-and-music-for donations system and advised a change of date for the Isle of White trip which would otherwise clash with The Race For Life. I'm running as Queen. I'll be putting my fund raising page your way nearer the time. 

More breaking news is that Out Loud want us to squeeze onto their miniature sized stage again. Date to follow... Ed was pleased the we are still loved after not having much of Christmas presence in town this year!

A new song next, Elbow's One Day Like This, was played by Jack on the old YouTube. Throw those curtains wide!  It's one of those split up and overlap songs. It was completely new to me, I wonder where I've been? Ed found the response part too heavy so may well ask the men to switch parts and give the first part more beef. Nice. 

Plus 5 is the key for our next song, in remembrance of David Bowie, one we have sung before - Life On Mars. Ed played it on the piano to follow Rick Wakeman's fingers. After we sang it through Ed asked us to give it more tention. Grrr. Then he reminded us of the lovely harmonies. Some people might sing a big ah-ah-ahse at the end of Mars, but I might have to try not to laugh. 

Monday Monday on a Thursday! After an adventurous run-through a brave Ed decided to allocate three parts:- men, women, and everyone else. Or something like that. Things started to come together and we felt jolly pleased with ourselves. 

And finally we sang One Day Like This to finish after a quick and totally rigged vote. Everyone stood to give it some welly. 

So that's three songs and 7 days to practice them in. Have fun DFS, I love you. The blog has just entered it's 8th year. Grab a coffee sometime and read the wisdom contained therein. Love you xxxx

10 December 2015

The Most Wonderful Night Of The Year

DFS performed two Christmassy concerts this year, the first in Dorch and the second in our old haunt, at All Saints School, where it felt like we had not been for some time!

I as Carnival Queen got the greatest honour of Launching the Weymouth event, announcing Ed in true unrehearsed woffly fashion. Such fun. Another one for my bucket-list this year!

And there was some singing too. Choir sang their socks off to a packed hall, saving the seasonal jollities until the second half, if you don't count the harming solo rendition of Silver Bells in our middle section!

Fabulous raffle prizes, fun games and an auction all helped to fill our charity buckets. It was also a pleasure to don sash and crown again and help Jim with the Heads and Tails game, I know I wasn't picked for my tossing skills. I'm one-eye-sighted, so please don't throw coins at me ever! Both concerts together raised over 800 of your British pounds for our chosen charities.

A fabulous solo section this year with lots of brave and confident performers, from 7 to ... as tall as Big Ron. I pushed myself by being Sam Smith/James Bond and proved I listen when my choir master is sharing wisdom by being more careful with diction than Mr Smith. DFS has had many reminders about running words together and missing ends, over the years!

The Christmas section saw the appearance of Ben, the pesky rat. He hadn't shown up since a carol concert we performed once outside debenhams in the square. He lost his had twice but at least he knew all the words!

An equally festive encore finished the night off good and properly and I took my tired happy Fuzzies off home to bedlam. 

See you next week for carols organised by Julia and Ron, followed by Kareoke in The Golden Lion at 8pm. What to sing? I'll drop you a line then to wish you A Happy Christmas, Lots Of Love, Cat xxx

3 December 2015

The one where naughty people stay behind, and we overheated in the dining room. 

Concerts next week folks, please arrive at 6.45pm if Ed likes you and everyone else at 6.55pm please. The stage is dark and the steps are steep so it's a little hard to be seen. Everyone wants Ed to be on a step ladder so we can see him!

 Please don't come topless if your polo shirt hasn't arrived yet, and you are hoping it will be waiting for you. Did he really say that? 

Tonight's format is another complete run through, in two halves and minus the solo section. All solos are being practiced secretly, some in little rooms at Wey Valley School. 

I sat next to Jack who was juggling two lap tops and the speaker which stopped playing for reasons of its own, and lead to a lovely a Capella version of So Happy Together. 

It got its act together for Song of the Sea. Ed went over the descant part again as we had a bit of a mind-the-gap moment. 

Rosé next. Don't forget these long notes need a lot of support. Ed suggested some of us could mine and leave a gap if the air is running out. Let's hope we don't all do that. Although that would be very impressive in itself!

Medley time, we got slightly out of order but we promise we won't do that on the night! Sound Of Music precceded a break, which will of course wil happen on the night too. 

And after more waffle from Ed we dived into the second half, giving anyone who had to permission to leave at 8pm. And following Dusty we had a good talking to about not talking and laughing in between songs, even if we really are utterly-butterly surprised that we sounded half decent. So there. We have been told. 

Xmas medley next. Followed by a quick chorus of fairy tale of New York so see you all next week. Lots of love xxx