Video transcript
The Arts Unit @home Art Bites – Choral singing tips with Ian – 6. Note bashing

[music playing]

[music playing]

IAN JEFFERSON: Today I'm going to attempt something I haven't tried before, and that is to teach you a verse and chorus of a well-known Australian folk song in 10 to 15 minutes. Now, I'm just going to teach you the pitch, the rhythm, some of the words, and that is what we call in the biz, 'Note Bashing'.

[music playing]

If you're able to download the sheet music-- 17 pages-- or the teaching--

[exhales]

If you are able to download the sheet music-- 17 pages-- of 'The Wild Colonial Boy' or the teaching tracks, great. Here to help us I have a computer for audio playback. I have my keyboard

[plays notes]

I have my trusty metronome [metronome ticking] that will help us stay in time. I have my conducting. I have my singing. I also have slides that will show you the lyrics and some of the sheet music on the screen. So let's get started.

I'm now going to read this next section, just to tell you the rough story. There are four verses in this 'Wild Colonial Boy.'

'The Wild Colonial Boy' is an Irish-Australian ballad that originated in the mid 1800s.

It tells of a young lad called Jack Doolan who leaves Ireland and comes to Australia where he becomes a bushranger, not a wild park ranger, as I thought when I was a kid. That all happens in Verse 1.

One morning, while running along, he suddenly comes upon three policemen. That's Verse 2. They yell at him to surrender. He says, forget that. I'd rather die. That's Verse 3.

And then in Verse 4, they have a shoot out, and Jack Doolan is killed. Final verse.

Alright, let's get started with the first verse. Here's is a teaching track recording of Verse 1.

[music playing - 'Wild Colonial Boy']

WOMAN (SINGING): There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name. He ran away from Ireland and to Australia came. He robbed the wealthy squatters, and their flocks he did destroy. And a terror to the rich man was the wild colonial boy.

IAN JEFFERSON: OK now, that's quite frantic and fast, so we're going to bring it back a little bit and go phrase by phrase. I'll sing it, and then you sing it. I expect you to join in. We'll sing the whole thing mezzo forte. I know there's other dynamic markings on the music, but we can ignore that, just for the 'Note Bashing' session here. So we'll go about this tempo.

[metronome ticking]

[singing note]

IAN JEFFERSON: And we're going to learn it very accurately and a little bit mechanically so that we make sure it's dead right. I'll sing first.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name. Name. Name.

IAN JEFFERSON: That's a melisma. Two notes on the word 'name'. Here we go.

[singing note]

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): There was wild colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name. He ran away from Ireland and to Australia came.

IAN JEFFERSON: The starting note there is very important. It's an F sharp. So we go--

[plays note on piano]

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Doolan was his name. He ran--

IAN JEFFERSON: So we have to go up to that note. Here we go 1, 2.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): He ran away from Ireland and to Australia came. He robbed the wealthy squatters, and their flocks he did destroy.

IAN JEFFERSON: You.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): He robbed the wealthy squatters, and their flocks he did destroy. And the terror to the rich man was the wild colonial boy.

IAN JEFFERSON: You 1, 2.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): And the terror to the rich man was the wild colonial boy.

IAN JEFFERSON: Right. Let's see if we can run the whole lot together. Here we go. From the beginning.

[plays note on piano]

[music playing - 'Wild Colonial Boy']

IAN JEFFERSON: 1, 2.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Then was a wild colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name. He ran away from Ireland and to Australia came. He robbed the wealthy squatters, and their flocks he did destroy. And the terror to the rich man was the wild colonial boy.

IAN JEFFERSON: If you need to go back over Verse 1 again, just pause the video and go back to this time. Having a metronome--

[metronome ticking]

--ticking away can drive you crazy, but it really emphasises where the beats land, so your choir can really hear and feel the syncopation. I used to use--

[muted snapping]

[snapping]

That's better. Finger clicking. But I developed so many blisters, I had to stop. And with your metronome, you can control the tempo, when you start racing because you're feeling frantic with time.

So now we come to the chorus. The melody of the chorus is shared between the sopranos and the altos. So it's very important, sopranos, bear that in mind and don't overpower the altos when the altos have the tune. Let me just sing the tune-- [metronome ticking] --with the metronome going.

[plays notes on piano]

I'm going to stare at my music, so I sing it absolutely accurately.

[finger snapping]

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys, and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: That's the tune. When I'm teaching two parts to my choir, I like to teach the whole choir both parts, because they're usually both in the room at the same time, and it stops one half of the choir getting bored while you're just focusing on one side.

Some choir teachers think that children will find that confusing, and they may be right. But that's what I do. So we're going to start with the soprano part of the chorus. [metronome ticking] I'll just do it with the metronome ticking away at 144.

[plays notes on piano]

[finger snapping]

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander valleys and over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: So we'll go phrase by phrase. I'll sing, then you sing. Here we go.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high.

IAN JEFFERSON: Your turn.

[music playing - 'Wild Colonial Boy']

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along me hearties, we'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die.

IAN JEFFERSON: Again.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Together we will plunder, and together we will die.

IAN JEFFERSON: Now this bit. High voices, lots of space. Deep breath.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): We'll wander valleys and over plains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Try it.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): We'll wander valleys and over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Little bit of a difficult octave jump there at the end.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Let's try the last phrase from--

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): And we'll scorn to live--

IAN JEFFERSON: 1, 2.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: That's the soprano part. The alto part starts in unison with the sopranos

[plays notes on piano]

[metronome ticking]

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys, and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: In particular, that last phrase is difficult for the altos to stay where they are because they want to automatically join the sopranos on their harmony.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: But the altos must stick to their guns and sing--

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Let's go, phrase by phrase. Beginning one, me first. And--

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high.

IAN JEFFERSON: You.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high.

IAN JEFFERSON: Me.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Together we will plunder, and together we will die.

IAN JEFFERSON: You. And.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys, and we'll gallop over plains.

IAN JEFFERSON: You.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): We'll wander over valleys and we'll gallop over plains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Last bit.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: You.

IAN JEFFERSON (SINGING): And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Let's try it, both parts together at tempo. See if you can do it. Two bars in.

[music playing - 'Wild Colonial Boy']

IAN JEFFERSON: Here we go. And.

WOMAN (SINGING): So come along, me hearties, we'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys, and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Well, I hope you were able to follow your part there. If you want to go back and do the chorus again, go back to this time.

Alright,

let's try and sing through the entire song with me conducting, standing up here with my sheet music. Singing along at tempo with the teaching track. You have to decide whether your singing soprano or alto. I'll do my best to help you. And we'll just see how we go. Here we go.

[music playing - 'Wild Colonial Boy']

WOMAN (SINGING): There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name. He ran away from Ireland, and to Australia came. He robbed the wealthy squatters, and their flocks he did destroy. And a terror to the rich man was the wild colonial boy.

So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys, and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

Well, early one spring morning as Jack Doolan rode along, a listening to the little birds, their pleasant, laughing song. He met three mountain trappers, Kelly, Davis, and Fitzroy. They swore that they would capture him, the wild colonial boy.

So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

Surrender now, Jack Doolan, for you see it's three to one. Surrender now, Jack Doolan, for your thieving days are done. He drew a pistol from his belt and shook that little toy. I'll fight, but not surrender, said the wild colonial boy.

He fired at Trooper Kelly, [slap hands] and brought him to the ground. But 'twas a shot from Davis, [slap hands] that the fatal mark was found. All shattered through the jaw, he fell, still firing at Fitzroy. And that's the way they finished him, the wild colonial boy.

So come along, me hearties. We'll roam the mountains high. Together we will plunder, and together we will die. We'll wander over valleys and we'll gallop over plains. And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down by iron chains.

IAN JEFFERSON: Well, how did you go? Don't answer. I can't hear you. Has this been helpful in any way? Let me know in the comments below.

What? This doesn't have-- oh. Well, forgot about that. OK we'll see you next time, when we look at time signatures and basic conducting patterns. Remember, keep singing.

[music playing]