rhapsodic.org is a weblog by Valette Keller

Choral Karaoke

I just got back from a Sing-It-Yourself Messiah. It's kinda like karaoke, but with middle-aged conservatives who know how to sing and read music. And who aren't drunk.

I drug along a friend so I wouldn't be the only one under 35 and wearing demin. We got there late and had to sit with the tenors. We did a thirty second warm-up (because everyone should be ready to sing the Messiah after thirty seconds of scales), and then the first hour was just practice, and we ran through a bunch of the more difficult songs.

And since I had never sang Handel's Messiah, I was grateful for the hour of sight-reading 64th notes. At least it got my voice warmed up enough for the high notes.

I sang in the church choir growing up, and in high school opted for playing percussion in the band instead of the choir. I could sing Soprano 1 if it was needed, and in church choir it was rarely needed. Now, after six years of singing along with the lower-keyed radio and alto harmonnies in a rock band, my soprano is sorely out of practice.

And I do mean sore, because those six years didn't stop me from trying to hit that high A again and again tonight. I don't think I hit it even once. The G I could get fine so long as the progression worked up to it, but the A was elusive. Every time I tried, my voice looked at me sideways like I was crazy and decided to completely shut down.

Maybe if I don't do any practising, next year will be better.