Thursday, June 14, 2018

Msg #8 Is it well with your preparation?

Useful Links Are At The Bottom Of This Letter


Coming Soon

Next week I will start collecting travel information (rides needed, rides offered).
Also between now and then, Daniel and I have been working on some tips for better quartet singing that are specifically useful for run-throughs and rally's.  That will be a bonus email later this week.

We Are Nearing The Halfway Point

If you are on track for the "song a week program", you should be at about halfway - meaning that while there are rough spots, you should have the ability to sing through at least songs 1-6, with some exposure to songs 7 and 8.  (Obviously, if you are recently accepted, this doesn't apply to you.)

As with any generalization, some people are far ahead, some are a behind.  The people who are far ahead - I'm not talking to you. :-)  But let me point out that I've been to a lot of run-throughs, and nobody I've heard has been word and note perfect....

If you are having trouble keeping pace, I remind you - you can always ask for help and receive it.  We can help with trouble spots, we can help with finding a nearby aide, your sponsor can help you - we can try and arrange more run-through practices near you.

We want to help - we want to get every person across the finish line, ready and prepared for the rally.  I'm not here to nag - let us help.  If your sponsor can't help (or you still don't have one) - ask me, and I will see about getting you help tailored to your situation.

Your frustration may be at or near it's peak.  But there is plenty of time to be ready - if you let your friends in NEHB help you be ready.

Together we can have a better rally.  We want this rally to be worth your while, so please - grab help now, while there is plenty of time.

I'll Share My Status With You

I'm having a good year - the changes I have made in my personal practice have let me reach "basic singable status" on all 12 songs.  But I have lots of personal growth notes - NONE of my songs are word and note perfect.   Here are my trouble spots for 1-6, just to show you that you are not alone.

  1. No, No, Nora The bell chords at the end are killing me, and I consistently take one very ill-timed breath that messes things up in the second verse.
  2. Blackbird - I still fail the transition after the second verse, and sing the wrong thing.
  3. The Bare Necessities - This has been chorus rep, but I did find one wrong note, and I keep forgetting my "shout" during the bridge.  "Money, {silence], Power" is not correct.
  4. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring - oh, the many minor tuning mistakes!
  5. I Can't Give You Anything But Love - I still stumble over the "Can't Buy Me Love" part, every time.
  6. Go The Distance - I learned this 2 years ago - incorrectly.  I still mess up the intro, and the newly voiced tag keeps tripping me up.

It Is Well With My Soul


Sometimes a song just captures me, whether it applies to my situation or not.  Not being a religious man, it's still true that a religious song can capture my heart. That's how I felt when I first heard the barbershop version of "It Is Well With My Soul".

 The story of the poem which became a hymn is well known.  Horatio Spafford was a real estate tycoon in Chicago with 5 children and a beloved wife.  Within a few short years, his only son died, he lost his properties in the Great Chicago Fire, and then his remaining daughters all died at sea while on a vacation to Europe.  As he sailed to reunite with his wife, he penned the poem.  Not long after, it was set to music by Phillip Bliss.  (Spafford's life continued to be plagued by problems.  He and his wife had 3 more children, and his second son died in childhood.

 A lifelong devout Christian, his tribulations eventually found him leaving his church and forming his own Messianic sect.  He and his family left America and settled near Jerusalem, where he eventually died and was buried.  Vestiges of the movement they founded (The American Colony) became highly respected in the area, and small portions of their legacy are still active today.

 The barbershop version of this song uses only the first and last verses of what is a five verse poem.


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