SCORING YOUR SONGS FOR SUNDAY SERVICE: TOMMY TUSH

SCORING YOUR SONGS FOR SUNDAY

Tommy Tush

I’ve been told to stop using the term “scoring songs” for contemporary singers. That to score means you are proficient in sight reading and sight singing. Musicologists, pardon my stubbornness. The lay choir people understand that term so let me use it one more time.

Rehearsals are most effective when everyone has done their home work well by scoring the songs well, learning their parts, mastering their arrangements, learning the lyrics, perfecting the instrumentation before coming for general rehearsals. We spend longer hours at rehearsals doing nothing. So much can be achieved in 3 hours when you have a Music Director who knows his onions and a team that takes their work serious. Earlier today at rehearsals I took my vocalists through 3 full choir pieces and an extra song in less than one hour. Who said you have to use 5 hours to learn one chorus?

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The issue is many choir members wait till a day before rehearsal before they pick up the song to learn. Others wait for perfect moments to score a song instead of making every moment they have to be perfect. Some believe that their MD will teach them so no need to learn anything. Others believe scoring songs is meant for a select few who are gifted or paid to do so. I once had someone come to join a music team many years ago and wanted to be paid for scoring songs. I was “flabberwhelmed and overgasted”.

Stop being a dependent singer or musician. That song only looks difficult and technical. If you concentrate you will dissect it easily. You can’t know how to score songs if you don’t start. Expose your mind to lots of music. Keep listening to different genre. As you’re listening let it sink in. Stop doing fire brigade scoring. Identify the genre of song you want to perform. Knowing the genre makes scoring easier. Break the song into sections if you’re a beginner. Score verse today, chorus tomorrow, bridge on the next day. This makes the job easier. Understand the whole music not just your part.

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Any singer who doesn’t score his or her songs has no right to go upstage. There’s no excuse acceptable. We always find a way for whatever we want to do. Many singers love the stage but hate what it takes to get up there. They won’t score songs, will come late for rehearsal and still want to be in front on stage or even lead. How do you lead a song you don’t even understand?

Score your songs dear friends. A choir that doesn’t score their songs is the definition of Laziness, Indolence and Bad work ethic..

Tommy Tush
The tall MD wey dey worry Music

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