Vocalist.org archive


From:  John Link <johnlink@c...>
John Link <johnlink@c...>
Date:  Fri Mar 9, 2001  9:08 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] ack! a crack!


I have two stories, one second-hand, the other personal.

The first has to do not with cracking but with mistakes in
performance, and might offer a helpful perspective. SomewhereI read
(I don't know where) that while playing with Miles Davis, Herbie
Hancock suddenly played a terrible chord on the piano. Miles, who was
soloing on trumpet, immediately made his solo conform to the chord
that Herbie had played, making the chord sound right.

The second story deals with a recent performance in which I was
singing Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby" in a range that runs from
middle C to the F an octave and a fourth above middle C. Since I'm a
baritone, that means I was performing as a counter-tenor for that
piece (Tako, take note!). The only accompaniment was provided by
myself playing guitar. I find the vocal part and the guitar part each
quite challenging, and when I do both at once I feel like I'm really
putting myself to a test. I had never performed the song before, and
for the few days leading up to the performance I considered not doing
it (even during the hour before the performance). As I began the song
I immediately wondered what was wrong with the amplifier through
which I was playing my acoustic guitar, because it was nowhere near
as loud as I expected it to be. Half-way through the song I finally
figured it out: I had left the volume pdeal in the off position, so
that the guitar was not amplified at all! Did I fell silly. Without
losing a beat I smoothly pushed the pedal to the on position. Perhaps
it would have been better to leave the pedal off rather than changing
it in the middle of things.

I hope these help,
John Link

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