Building Your Band

A better conversation about music, with David Loftis and Peter Bulanow

Dave Tauler – Not Enough Bassoon Gigs

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Youtube | Facebook | Twitter

Dave Tauler: Youtube | Facebook | Twitter

In this podcast episode, Dave talks to us about how playing wind instruments informs the way he approaches singing and composition, and warns us about how solo instruments can conflict with vocals. He then gives us his formula for using these instruments in a band setting, describing not only where to play but where not to play.

Along the way, we discuss the difference between Handel’s Messiah, Watermusic, and Fireworksmusic, as well as the difference between Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos and his St John Passion, and Dave gives a big shout out to the Bach Collegium Japan (Amazon | iTunes) version of the latter.

If you’ve ever wondered about how to incorporate note-readers into the (chart or ear-based) worship setting, this podcast is for you, as Dave gives practical steps toward this and points us toward the free notation software MuseScore 2.0.

Connect with Dave Tauler on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes & Stitcher

 

Season 1 Remix | Kaleidoscope Edition

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While recording and editing the first 18 episodes of the podcast, I began to notice some of the content commented on some of the other content. I began to think how awesome it might be to hear these ideas back-to-back, remixed into a super-episode, which would demonstrate both the importance of the ideas, as well as some of the different ways they’re approached. When my amazing wife suggested I do a “kaleidoscope” edition, I poured through all 18 episodes, finding clips to put together, resulting in this fascinating overview of Season 1.  Special thanks to all my guests who shared their quality content.

If you missed Season 1 of the Building Your Band podcast, this is a great way to catch up! It is also an invitation to go back and revisit specific episodes.

I would love to hear your comments right in the Soundcloud stream or below in the comments section. For all the episodes past and future, subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher!

Season 2 will be coming soon! Please contact me if you would like to be featured!

“Almighty“- Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Peter Bulanow | http://meltingearth.com

Featuring: Taylor Carson | http://taylorcarson.com
Additional Vocals:  Eileen Graham | http://eileengrahammusic.com
Cello: Michael Thomas | facebook.com/CelloMT
Bass: Aron “Teo” Lee | facebook.com/teo.lee

Special thanks to all the musicians for their collaboration, and to Dan Rebeiz (http://danieljackproductions.com) for his advice and mentorship.

Terri Plant, ‘Carrying Shoes’

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Terri Plant

Terri Plant

Vocalist Terri Plant talks to us about cross-cultural singing in both English and Arabic, and how music has both moved into (been a gift) and out of (been a hindrance to) her life in service to God.

Terri sings “En Tal El Layl”
“If the night should prolong”
Words: Wafaa Adel
Music: Amgad Saad Zakri

If the darkness of night is prolonged
even so the dawn will arise
and my Lord comes to me in His peace
and says, “I am here” (x2)

I make music on my flute and my lute
my troubles and wounds don’t remain
My Lord sweetens my existence
and my heart is comforted at last (x2)

Perhaps we pass through trials
maybe tribulations war with me
But my victorious God lifts me up
even in my extreme difficulties (x2)

I make music on my flute and my lute
my troubles and wounds don’t remain
My Lord sweetens my existence
and my heart is comforted at last (x2)

Instrumental Break

Certainly there lie thorns in my path
as this wilderness journey is tough
But the glory of my home to come
is so much better than here! (x2)

I make music on my flute and my lute
my troubles and wounds don’t remain
My Lord sweetens my existence
and my heart is comforted at last (x2)

Bridge

If the darkness of night is prolonged
even so the dawn will arise

Iconic Artists Mentioned:

If you wish to connect with Terri or have a question of her or any of our guests, please use our contact page.

Eileen Graham, ‘Wax On, Wax Off”

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Eileen’s love for singing is the subtext throughout this episode during which she surveys the typical range of vocal responsibilities in a church – that of worship leader and backing vocalist – and contrasts both of those with the role of the soloist.

Eileen goes on to provide all kinds of ideas for how to improve as a vocalist and how churches can be more effective in employing songs to facilitate worship.

For vocal lessons with Eileen, or to find out more, please visit her website at: EileenGrahamMusic.com.

Connect on Twitter & Facebook, and check out her Youtube page for videos.

Buy her music at iTunes or Amazon.

Playing the Mic

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I generally haul in $5k of hardware and $5k of software when I play a keyboard gig, even if I have access to a house grand piano. An electric guitarist probably has as much investment in what he is doing. A drum kit is in the neighborhood of $10k, and a good acoustic guitar is at least $5k. A good cello is more. Setting up all of that equipment takes a bit of time. Loading in and setting up a keyboard or guitar rig probably takes twenty minutes, a drum kit even more. We show up early; it comes with the territory.

Backing vocalists, by comparison, have no equivalent investment to make either financially or in set up. Quite honestly, it seems like sometimes their commitment suffers because they have so little skin in the game. The one investment they could make, that I argue they should make, is in selecting and owning their own microphone.

A microphone is very personal thing. Not only is it very close to your lips, allowing it to serve a dual purpose as both a germ repository and a voice-amplifying device, but not all microphones pair equally well with all voices. Each kind of mic has its own frequency response, its own dynamics, its own proximity effect. All of these are things that a vocalist should care about, and should ideally be matched to the voice.

Vocalists commonly refer to their voice as their “instrument”. By analogy, that would make my fingers my instrument. My fingers are what I warm up; they have the muscle memory. However, I would argue that the piano or keyboard is my instrument. Similarly, I argue a microphone is the instrument that a vocalist actually plays, that converts what their body does to electrical sound that goes down to a mixing board. Even if you don’t like my comparison on the basis that my fingers don’t actually create sound but vocal chords do, a carefully matched microphone is the last step a vocalist could and should take to impact their sound.

If you find yourself singing through a standard SM 58, or even a much improved Beta 58, you really owe it to yourself to check out a Beta 87A if you use traditional monitors, or Beta 87C if you use in-ear monitors.

Serving the song as … [vocalists]

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Why do we have multiple vocalists? Any ideas?

Are they there to detract from the person fronting?  No. They remain the focal point.

Are they there to detract from the melody? No. That’s the main thing.

So why are they there?

They are there to make the lead vocalists sound good and fresh once our ears grow tired of their voice (which happens no matter how good they sound). So we probably don’t want any backing vocalists until that happens. We may not need to hear backing vocalists on the first verse at all. When they do join in, they shouldn’t sing a harmony unless the melody for that part has already been established.

One alternative is to start by singing unison for a while, and then give the lead plenty of chance to shine once again on their own before coming back in. But only do harmonies once the melody is well established!

Now a choir is a true gift! That being said, we probably don’t need to hear a choir sing the same thing on all four verses of a song. Once we’ve heard something once, we’re good. So why not pull out on the first two verses and come in with ooooohs or in unison on the third, and then bring full volume and harmonies on the fourth? Or just punctuate a song with several well chosen phrases? Or make a grand entrance when we loop the chorus after the bridge and the band drops down to just kick on 2 & 4… and then sing it out in full voice with the band. In my mind, that’s what the gates of heaven opening sounds like!

The possibilities are endless with a choir, but because they are such a big instrument, it’s so easy to just let them fill all the space, all the time, and quite honestly, even a choir can get boring.

Arranging vocals is a full time job. Much intentionality is required to do it right, and keep everyone sounding their best.