Having fun re-arranging music

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Tom

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I'm not a "musician" per se, although I wish I was. I "play" various instruments, but my music really comes from my singing and my ability to "hear" a tune.

With that caveat, I've recently been getting some fun out of "re-arranging" a number of songs; Simple key changes, substituting chords, changing the beat, and changing lyrics are all things I've been playing around with. In each case, I have to play/sing the change, and my ears tell me if it sounds right.

One of my re-arrangements is a medley that I hope/plan to present to our uke band. It's really an instructional piece, showing the options available using a simple (aka easy to play) chord progression.

Separately, I'm working on a number of songs from around the world. It's going to take some time, as I have to learn lyrics in various languages. Probably not ready for prime time for another year or two.


 
One of my re-arrangements is a medley that I hope/plan to present to our uke band. It's really an instructional piece, showing the options available using a simple (aka easy to play) chord progression.

With apologies to the accomplished musicians here ...

Guitar players and other musicians are familiar with the simple I-vi-IV-V7 chord progression, and variations such as I-ii-IV-V. Attendees at our uke beginners class learn these chords as C-Am-F-G7 and C-Dm-F-G, and learn that there were numerous songs written using these progressions. For a little fun, I recently put together a medley and played it to the band at an open mic' session, weaving a (vocal/spoken) story around the songs. It was specifically aimed at the beginners in the band.

Some of these songs were originally written in a different key, and I took the liberty of changing keys and substituting some chords to make them easier for newbies to play; I also tweaked some lyrics (lead sheet attached). The result may not be 100% technically/musically correct, but was good enough to get the point across. I also played/sang 'full' versions of a couple of other songs using the same chord progressions.

A number of newbies have commented that they were sufficiently motivated to learn to play/sing these songs, and to seek others they can play/sing. A few experienced players commented that they now have some 'pocket songs' for the times they get asked to "play something I know".

One song I played around with, but didn't complete the re-arrangement in time, was 'Hey Soul Sister', written and sung by Patrick Monahan of the group Train. It requires a 'different' strum, and the original is sung way above my register, but I was able to get it to work.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on a medley of songs from around the world. Apart from Welsh songs that I grew up with in the homeland, one of the easiest for me to play/sing is the Japanese song Sukiyaki. Just wish I could whistle those two lines  :-[
 

Attachments

  • Medley.pdf
    77.8 KB · Views: 13
Hey Mike, I'd be really impressed if you could sing tracks 3 and 11  ;D
 
I like to rearrange music also; I rename the folders in ITunes so they appear in the order I want. ::)
 
LOL Jeff. We'll let you solo at a future RV Forum rally  ;D
 
[quote author=Jeff]With my Bluetooth speaker?[/quote]

Whatever speaker you wish Jeff; I have a (wired) sound system with mic's that would work just fine  ;D
 
Tom my speaker plays whatever is in my iTunes playlists.
 
I'm still working on a medley of songs from around the world.

Sukiyaki is still a work in progress, but almost done. Meanwhile, I thought I'd play around with a few Welsh folk songs, then got distracted by the well-known Welsh love song Myfanwy. I'm fortunate to have grown up hearing and singing the original in Welsh, although I'd never played it on an instrument until a few days ago. I transposed it from the original key of G into the key of C. I also tried playing it on several instruments, and decided that a baritone ukulele is optimal, probably closest to the triple harp often used to accompany soloist singers and, occasionally, choralists; It might be interesting to play it on guitar (when I've learned to play).

I found that a thumb strum (I'd call it more of a thumb roll) works best. Folks who can speak Welsh will realize that I've split a number of words to coincide with the playing of chords; Otherwise, these words make no sense. I'd guarantee that playing and singing this to a Welsh audience would result in no dry eyes in the house.

I'll get the English translation finished shortly.
Edit: Fixed typos in lead sheet.
 

Attachments

  • Myfanwy-C.pdf
    45.2 KB · Views: 1
People cry when I sing too. And dogs howl. Nearby plants wither. sometimes glass breaks.
 
...the well-known Welsh love song Myfanwy...I'll get the English translation finished shortly.

First cut of the English version of Myfanwy. Interesting challenge I didn't think about ahead of time ... Welsh grammar is quite different from English; More like French, with nouns written first, followed by adjectives. Also, some words & phrases don't translate literally. The combined result is that the English words appear in 'different positions' than their Welsh equivalents, and the length of some phrases changed. Since I'd never sung this song (or heard it sung) in English before, I played around with the relative positions of chords and words so the result 'sounds right' when I play and sing the song. Maybe not the musically-correct way of doing it, but it works for me.

Personally, I prefer to sing and hear the Welsh version.
 

Attachments

  • Myfanwy-C-English.pdf
    58.8 KB · Views: 6
Tom said:
First cut of the English version of Myfanwy. Interesting challenge I didn't think about ahead of time ... Welsh grammar is quite different from English;

My eight year old granddaughter recently took part in a regional vocal recital, attempting to sing in English and part Welsh while her teacher accompanied her on the piano. After hearing what she was required to sing, I was totally amazed that she even attempted to do it. Part way through the Welsh part, she totally lost it, and couldn't continue!! And that was the point where I stopped breathing, fully expecting her to burst into tears and run off the stage crying. Nope! Not my granddaughter! She is even more stubborn than I am. She just glared at her music teacher accompanist as if to say: "Don't stop now! Let's just get on with the English part!" And so they did.

As an organist, I am somewhat more than merely aware of the wonders of Welsh music. It is absolutely awesome!! And no big surprise that Welsh Katherine Jenkins, a most wondrous mezzo-soprano is at the very top of my list of favourite singers.
 
Tom said:
Since I'd never sung this song (or heard it sung) in English before, I played around with the relative positions of chords and words so the result 'sounds right' when I play and sing the song. Maybe not the musically-correct way of doing it, but it works for me.

Not to get all tangled up with "the musically-correct way". . . That's sort of a modern concept. Way back in the pre-Bach Lutheran era, church music was typically written in a simple single line melody with no inferred harmony. The job of supplying the harmony was the duty of the organist, challenged to come up with a different harmony with each and every verse of a hymn.

In similar vein and era, like Clarke's simple Trumpet voluntary, originally written in the 1600s as a mere two line theme for two trumpets, has developed into so many wondrously complex entities. With no "correct" way to play it, and never the same.

Like you, I really prefer to play it MY way!
 
 
Great story Stan. I'd have loved to have been at your granddaughter's recital. I'm curious to know what she was singing.

Katherine Jenkins is also one of my favorite singers, and not because we lived in the same town. I didn't receive any formal.music education (long story), and listen in amazement to many of the wonderful singers and instrumentalists.
 
As an aside, I was introduced to the Hawaiian love song Kainoa by Joe & Kristen Souza, owners of Kanile'a Ukuleles. Joe did a nice job of playing and singing, while Kristen danced a very nice hula. However, there were IMHO errors (music and lyrics) in the lead sheet I had. I made some changes, introduced the song to our ukulele band, and it's become a staple in the Hawaiian breakouts at our concerts.

It occurs to me that Myfanwy is a Welsh parallel to Kainoa, but I'll probably need to sing it (Myfanwy) in English to introduce it to the band and get them to embrace it.

Reminds me of the time I introduced the Welsh favorite Ar Hyd Y Nos to our Music Director, suggesting it would sound great sung in 4-part harmony by his 80+ strong mixed chorus. Sure enough, they sang it at their next concert, although they sang the English version, All Through The Night. I was honored to be invited to sing it (solo) in Welsh to the chorus at one of their pre-concert rehearsals. One of these days I'll introduce it to the ukulele band, after doing a little arranging.
 
She sang Suo G?n,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM9uyA0wVIA

which is hard enough for an 8 year old in English, let alone having to do two verses in Welsh. She was doing just fine a home, but getting up on stage in front of an audience can add enough stress to tip the balance. She isn't at all like me: On stage I just go blank! But she has been on stage so often since her early years, that even if she messes up, she just takes it in stride as if nothing had happened, and just keeps on going.
 
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