I Want To Be A Noisy Panda

Saturday May 12: the day High Spirits found out how loud I can sing!

We left the apartment at 9:15am and got back home at about 1:30am on Sunday morning. Kim (an alto from the High Spirits and Afternoon Delights choirs, who has been very kindly lifting us to the pub and then homewards on Wednesday nights) collected us and took us to Ieva's house, where Marvin Regier was giving a singing masterclass. There were about fourteen singers in total, and we each got 15 minutes of his attention while everyone else listened carefully. The guy knows his stuff. I was interested because although I'm pretty confident with what I do, I don't necessarily know how to solve technical problems while singing; I rely on what works in front of an audience, and I try a song over and over until I hit upon its particular recipe. This is all very well when it works, of course, but I don't really have much of a technical toolkit, just a whole bunch of past cases where I've gotten it right or mostly right. I figured this is what 'exercises' are for, to give you a toolbox of singing techniques redux; can't sing this note right, or reach that note? Try this exercise, achieve the result out of context, then put it into context. So, that was what I eventually got to ask him, and indeed that was the answer... and using such subtle tricks, I managed to sing the end of Grand Hotel's epic song Love Can't Happen, which has hitherto eluded me. So I was happy. I was particularly happy because Marvin said some nice things about my voice and also took away a DVD and programme for A New Brain. Sarah was also very happy because she, asking him for tips on maintaining her tone while singing higher, got a bundle of tips and a big compliment. External validation: very useful, because despite our cocky appearance - well, my cocky appearance and Sarah's occasional lapse into self-confidence - we are ever so shy and uncertain! This is why performing regularly is so good for you; it's the one true measurement of whether you rock. Theory and practice, whatever; get out there and sing!

Which leads me to the High Spirits performance party which started at 6pm and ran for seven hours. The performance party is, depending on who you are, dear reader, either (1) an enthusiastic musical free-for-all in which members of the choir get to perform songs of their choice in front of a warm and appreciative audience, or (2) Not Quite A Posse Party, But Nice Try. Kim sang Giants In The Sky but other than that there was nothing from musicals. Nothing! Dearie me. We fixed that pretty sharpish. We sang our own All You Have To Say and I Want To Be A Panda in our first slot, then All The Wasted Time and Big News in the second. Sarah played piano for a three-part instrumental piece by Tara, and accompanied Kim's song and a couple of others. Then, once the scheduled entertainment was over, we stole up to the piano and did a bunch more stuff, including Bring Him Home, The Song That Goes Like This, and some other songs from musicals - which people didn't know! Oh, the shame. Try singing One Day More in Littlehampton without instantly attracting twenty people who equally instantly pick out parts for themselves. We may have to poison everyone's mind with musicals. And we didn't even do Four Jews In A Room Bitching. Maybe next time. In short, we had a ball and Kim awarded us the Rookie Of The Party award. Boom! This is what it means to Hit Vancouver!

Good party in general though. One in the morning is not a humiliatingly early time to stop drinking. I was on Southern Comfort for the night. Man, did I have a headache this morning! But well worth it. And now we have to write some more songs...

Today (Sunday May 13th) was less than action-packed, except for a horribly early start: Sarah had been roped into playing piano for an hour at an arts exhibition down on Denman... you can imagine how happy she was about that... and I sat there dutifully turning pages. We were interrupted near the end by a guy who thought we would know where he could buy guitar tablature with fingering positions, which immediately put a big smile on my face as I recalled the French & Saunders sketch featuring the guitarists... "And now with the book?" Very tiring day as a result. We ate out - must be about the eighth time we've had skewers at Kalypso's - and otherwise stayed in.

We still haven't gotten around to downloading photos. Still, reading is good for you. It's not all about the visuals, you know. Much love to all, and tune in next time.