The ESMB Choir thread is born…

[Free Being Me]

Given that policy is still being formulated (and will be telexed to you all in due course), at this stage I think drinking games of the nature portrayed in the above moving picture would be best left to the individuals own discretion. Those of you with bath tubs in your homes will be fine to proceed with the above drinking game. The rest of us will just have to make do with sitting on a sofa.

However, I possibly do have something useful which I can share prior to the policy release. About bicycles and drinking. It is not advisable to ride a bicycle during - or after - playing drinking games. This can lead to some truly bad bruising if one rides into the old back shed - or a parked car - or other inanimate objects of various sorts.

I don't think "bruised all over cos I was pissed out of my mind whilst riding my bicycle" is a look we should present to our adoring fans.

I will give this matter some serious thought the next few days.

[Note to self: formulate policy on drinking games and riding bicycles to present at next Choir practice.]

I await your telex re: drinking games, breathlessly. Sadly I've unplugged my telex, it kept spitting out messages about stats and photo-shopping. I do have tinfoil for all important urgent communiques (doesn't everyone?). Now that I've mentioned it, is the wearing of tinfoil acceptable within the ESMB Choir Mission Statement? I can't sing however with some practice after watching The Rolling Stones videos of Mick Jagger swishing and swaying I may yet master this elusive art and truthfully it's what lead me to drinkings games in the first place (a good bourbon adds wonders to swishing and swaying). I wish everyone joy and shopping bargains seeking the Elusive Frock.

As the ancient Sumerians said, "aga te kù-babbar zà-mí!" (aluminum foil hat be praised!)

 

[Purple Rain]

Now hold on.

I was quite serious in my offer to MIX SIMPLY (i.e. synchronise and concatenate, not auto-tune) some mp3s and upload the result somewhere, but I am not any kind of professional sound engineer with unlimited time available. From my experience of massaging my own sound files, minor tweaks can be made to improve things but a shitty recording isn't going to be magically turned into something great or even acceptable. Maybe a pro using expensive pro equipment can turn an off-key Britney Spears rendition into something acceptable, but I can't. Besides, from the responses to my offer it seems that all this "ESMB choir" business is being taken as an amusing thought experiment rather than there being any actual intention to DO something.

"We Stand Tall" is not the best song to do. It is actually rather catchy and the us-versus-them idea is amusing, but sticking an ESMB version on YouTube is likely to result in trouble from you-know-who. To create some real ESMB Choir product like this we need:

1. A YouTube video of a song to sing along with, that is relatively short (1 minute?) and relatively easy to sing but not so boring that no-one will be interested.

2. Each participant to record and upload their vocal track, from singing along with the video on headphones to provide the words, pitch and timing but without any of the original sound ending up on the individual recordings. Probably the easiest way to do this is by uploading a video to YouTube, making it UNLISTED, and PMing me the link. I can then download it and easily strip out the audio.

Now, to get some video agreed upon will probably take forever and may never happen, so I will hold off on any details about (2) until someone actually requests help with it.

Paul

Well, I am serious about it, as well as liking a good joke. Part of the problem with the above is that what makes a choir special are the different melodies everyone is singing to kind of harmonise. If we all just sing the same thing it will sound like a group, but not a choir. Also, the other problem I envisage is that when you are singing with headphones you can't hear your own voice, so the whole tone deaf cat strangulation sound can occur where it wouldn't otherwise. It's really cool what some people can do, though. This guy has like his own choir.

[video=youtube;dWTQtpnmaxM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWTQtpnmaxM[/video]

 

[Purple Rain]

One more gorgeous piece we do in choir

http://youtu.be/9WPX__QrJyQ

(sounds shitty at the start but gets better: the first verse lyrics are from Michael Leunig"

Let it go
Let it out
Let it all unravel
Let it free, and it can be
A path on which to travel

We finished choir with this one last night. You just close your eyes and sink into the harmonies around you. It's just beautiful.

Love this!

 

[tetloj]

Love this!

I admit I sing this as a bit of a mantra when I feel a bit tightly wound. That Michael Leunig is one clever fella!

 

[The_Fixer]

Okay, got two to start off our repertoire......

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHC-85nLbkA

That should put that little upstart Neil in his place *humph*

then another little delicate number....

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBW--bgyezg

Eat yer heart out Him, we're here.... coff... hawk.... spittooie....

So as a finale offer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8clrOQ_6QKE

I'll vote this dude for our conductor...........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cyIxkFLjWI

 

[Purple Rain]

Okay, got two to start off our repertoire......

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHC-85nLbkA

That should put that little upstart Neil in his place *humph*

then another little delicate number....

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBW--bgyezg

Eat yer heart out Him, we're here.... coff... hawk.... spittooie....

So as a finale offer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8clrOQ_6QKE

I'll vote this dude for our conductor...........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cyIxkFLjWI

I think we should do Ray's song, and ask if he's got any more!

 

[Dulloldfart]

Well, I am serious about it, as well as liking a good joke. Part of the problem with the above is that what makes a choir special are the different melodies everyone is singing to kind of harmonise. If we all just sing the same thing it will sound like a group, but not a choir. Also, the other problem I envisage is that when you are singing with headphones you can't hear your own voice, so the whole tone deaf cat strangulation sound can occur where it wouldn't otherwise.

That's good that you are serious about this, Purple. It might even happen then. Of course this isn't going to be as good as the real thing, but it's a question of making the best use of existing resources.

The different harmonies are no problem whatsoever. When laying down a track, you just sing appropriate harmonies. There is no requirement that everyone sing the same melody, as long as it works with the model recording being followed.

Now, a proper choirmaster/mistress would, among other things, hand out the piece to be learned/sung with its three (or whatever) parts (bass, tenor, soprano etc) and divide up the group into sections to sing their part. Then rehearse the parts bit by bit until the whole choir together can perform the whole song. I've done a bit of choir singing and it's very uplifting to harmonise well with good voices all around you.

But who is going to put a lot of time into this, like arranging the different harmonies, rehearsing the individuals who will be doing each part and correcting errors as needed? Then tweaking the recordings to make sure they don't have background noise, are at adequate volume but not so much that the audio is clipped, aren't recorded using such a poor quality mic that it's all distorted to hell and gone? And more.

I would make a wild guess and say that no-one at all is going to produce an arrangement for bass/tenor/soprano and oversee it being sung well.

But what is real is:

1. Pick a relatively easy song (on YouTube!) that isn't too hard to sing and isn't very long, but also isn't boring.
2. Anyone interested wears headphones and sings along, harmonising as they wish (word clear the word "harmony" if needed!). It's easy to hear one's own voice while wearing headphones: it's just a question of juggling the volume or even uncovering one ear. Record it too.
3. The resulting tracks get mixed into the best result possible with what's available.

Paul

 

[Dulloldfart]

Heh. Great stuff! I'm not at home right now but I'll try it out in the next couple of days. I've used the VST plug-in before. Hadn't heard of the free autotune one before, but I had wondered if there was some free autotune software anywhere.

So I tried out that free auto-tune software on one of my own songs that was already on YouTube. It was easier than faffing around with something new. The result was far worse than the original (below). So I'm not going to be auto-tuning anyone's tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBrE87JurQQ

Paul

 

[strativarius]

So I tried out that free auto-tune software on one of my own songs that was already on YouTube. It was easier than faffing around with something new. The result was far worse than the original (below). So I'm not going to be auto-tuning anyone's tracks.
Paul

Oh dear, and I thought I was going to be able to have made a small contribution to the endeavour.

I spent a while a year or so back downloading synths and soundbanks and VST plugins and all sorts of musical paraphernalia only to find that my computer just wasn't up to running it. So that's my dream of musical superstardom down the drain. :{

 

[Miss Pert]

I would like to join the choir also, I can assist with the swishing and swaying as I am a better dancer than I am a singer. My only condition is that I get my own cage. Panda and Jenni always promised me a cage and, much to my disappointment, never delivered. I now see the perfect opportunity to get the cage I so deserve. I have included a video verifying my deservedness of said cage.

I was going to post my twerking video who twerks in a cage?!?!

https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.turner.1671/posts/10200758402829006

I made the post public so hopefully you can all see it.

 

[jenni with an eye]

I would like to join the choir also, I can assist with the swishing and swaying as I am a better dancer than I am a singer. My only condition is that I get my own cage. Panda and Jenni always promised me a cage and, much to my disappointment, never delivered. I now see the perfect opportunity to get the cage I so deserve. I have included a video verifying my deservedness of said cage.

I was going to post my twerking video who twerks in a cage?!?!

https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.turner.1671/posts/10200758402829006

I made the post public so hopefully you can all see it.

Oh Miss Pert I would love to be able to swish & sway like that.


It may require numerous rehearsals

Regarding your "cage" I'm sure we can organise something.... it just ain't gold

 

[Purple Rain]

So I tried out that free auto-tune software on one of my own songs that was already on YouTube. It was easier than faffing around with something new. The result was far worse than the original (below). So I'm not going to be auto-tuning anyone's tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBrE87JurQQ

Paul

I love how you've changed the lyrics to that song. I think we should do that one - if you put up the track you sing along with so everyone is doing the same thing. Not sure if I want to post my individual recording - can I PM it to you?

Edit: And I guess I can live without autotuning, so long as it's just you that's hearing it.

 

[Purple Rain]

Oh dear, and I thought I was going to be able to have made a small contribution to the endeavour.

I spent a while a year or so back downloading synths and soundbanks and VST plugins and all sorts of musical paraphernalia only to find that my computer just wasn't up to running it. So that's my dream of musical superstardom down the drain. :{

Just do it anyway! With a lot of us you won't even notice - and if it's truly cattish we can just mix it in at a bit lower volume. I think the spirit of the ESMB choir should definitely be that it is for all to sing and dance and have a jolly good time!

I would like to join the choir also, I can assist with the swishing and swaying as I am a better dancer than I am a singer. My only condition is that I get my own cage. Panda and Jenni always promised me a cage and, much to my disappointment, never delivered. I now see the perfect opportunity to get the cage I so deserve. I have included a video verifying my deservedness of said cage.

I was going to post my twerking video who twerks in a cage?!?!

https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.turner.1671/posts/10200758402829006

I made the post public so hopefully you can all see it.

I'm afraid I can't see it Miss Pert, and damn! I have always wanted to see a bit of cage twerking!! Lol!

Oh Miss Pert I would love to be able to swish & sway like that.


It may require numerous rehearsals

Regarding your "cage" I'm sure we can organise something.... it just ain't gold

I can't believe you and Panda have not delivered on the cage promise!! What happened to senior policy! Lol!!

 

[Pheryn]

Not sure. I am a bit confused to be honest with ya. :wink2:

I will be working through the night to [STRIKE]make some shit up[/STRIKE] formulate the defrocking policies (and also policy on drinking games and the riding of bicycles afterwards). There seems to be some confusion about when to leave a frock on and when to defrock, so we need to clear (normal definition) this matter up before the ESMB Choir Ideal Org World Tour commences.

I am also hoping to release policies regarding travelling on a DC-8 plane. There will be an entire series of policies on this vitally important matter. It will probably be known as the "How to Travel with Style and Elegance on a DC-8 Series" so please keep an eye out for this (non) sensible advice. :wink2:

But can I defrock WHILE riding the bicycle...? Very important issue.

WAIT!

Unicycle!

Oh, just get in there and defrock. After the drinking games have gone on long enough noone will notice anyway!

Don't have to tell me twice...I'll need some...uh...inspirational music. Winkity-wink!

 

[Purple Rain]

But can I defrock WHILE riding the bicycle...? Very important issue.

WAIT!

Unicycle!


Don't have to tell me twice...I'll need some...uh...inspirational music. Winkity-wink!

I'm almost certain that unicycles are allowed in the constitution. I'm sure Sallydannce will get right on to selecting some appropriately inspirational music for the serious defrocker!

 

[Dulloldfart]

I love how you've changed the lyrics to that song. I think we should do that one - if you put up the track you sing along with so everyone is doing the same thing. Not sure if I want to post my individual recording - can I PM it to you?

Edit: And I guess I can live without autotuning, so long as it's just you that's hearing it.

Email it to me at [email protected]. Or upload it to YouTube UNLISTED and PM me the link. I won't pass it on to anyone.

I have no idea what the original recording I used is, beyond it being on YouTube. I vaguely remember it sounded Spanishy with far too much instrumental fluff. It looks like my version is in C major, but I don't guarantee that.

Paul

 

[Miss Pert]

I'm afraid I can't see it Miss Pert, and damn! I have always wanted to see a bit of cage twerking!! Lol!

Damn Purple! It's a FB video, I made it public so anyone should be able to see it.

Well, alright!!! I'll post the YT drunken birthday twerking video, just for you Purple. My family really does throw the bestest parties!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmHFS5Q4CRs

 

[Purple Rain]

Damn Purple! It's a FB video, I made it public so anyone should be able to see it.

Well, alright!!! I'll post the YT drunken birthday twerking video, just for. My family really does throw the bestest parties!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmHFS5Q4CRs

Oh, excellent!! Lol! We definitely need more of that in the choir! I'm thinking perhaps drunken choir performances should be mandatory. Where the hell is Ms Dannce, the choir director??

 

[I told you I was trouble]

But can I defrock WHILE riding the bicycle...? Very important issue.

WAIT!

Unicycle!


Don't have to tell me twice...I'll need some...uh...inspirational music. Winkity-wink!

Here you go, this might work ... yeah, I know it's an uninspired choice but at least you can 'leave your bicycle helmet on' so that's nice isn't it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGBvbrXNjs0​

 

[I told you I was trouble]

Oh, excellent!! Lol! We definitely need more of that in the choir! I'm thinking perhaps drunken choir performances should be mandatory. Where the hell is Ms Dannce, the choir director??

Oh, you know what's she's like ... she'll be practicing. Apparently she was last seen zooming up and down Kiwi hills and dales on her bike with that steely, determined look in her eye that she gets ... and ripping her clothes off in time to music to see if it's do-able!

Bless ... at least it saves us having to try.