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Heather Cairncross

Jazz Singer

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Making An Album | Choosing Songs And Finding The Best Microphone

The last few days I’ve been choosing songs and thinking about the best microphone to use on the new album.

After the first flush of excitement, we knuckled down at Cairncross Castle to all the preparations for next weeks’ recording.

The Real BookMy main task (apart from updating my blog) was to finalise the list of songs and make sure I had some clear charts for them. I know (and hope) that David Newton will probably largely ignore these and weave his own harmonic magic over the music, but I think it’s only polite to make it easy for him to do this, with a clear chart to base things on.

A good friend of mine wrote to me in response to an email I sent out to my mailing list telling people about the new album. He quipped “I see you’re doing some Doris Day, but I see also you’re only doing the most beautiful ones, which may possibly exclude my Doris Day favourite,  which I think I’ve mentioned before. Still, if you do need a filler, here’s a suggestion with some ideas on interpretation…Well, I’m just trying to help!“

Here’s his helpful suggestion:

One of the things I see very often at our local pub’s Jam Session, is the singer who jumps up to sing and doesn’t know their key, or even the speed or feel in which they want to sing the song.  They invariably don’t have a chart (the chords written down for the musicians to read) and then they wonder why things go wrong – or even worse, blame the band. In my opinion, it really gives singers a bad name. Most Jazz musicians know tunes in the keys that they appear in The Real Book (or other similar books of charts). These are often the high men’s key and as a rule, they’re usually lie about a fourth away from the suitable keys for me. (I have quite a low voice anyway).

To make it easier for myself, I always try to turn up with the chords (the chart) in my key. I think about the tempo and feel, and try to communicate this to the band (not always successfully I admit). I think about getting the tempo right in my head and then I count in the band – I confess that I have also made a few mistakes doing that in my time!

For the album songs I don’t already have charts for, I have emailed Dave a PDF version with the chords I have found on the sheet music. (This a very handy, as he lives in Bath and I live in Brighton, some three hours drive away). I have also sent a chord-less version of the melody and words, which I have prepared in Sibelius. When I made the list of sixteen songs and wrote down the keys, I found a few were in the same key. It would sound a bit dull on the album if I put them a row in C major, for instance. The advantage of writing your charts in a score-writing program, is that you can magically transpose the songs at the press of a button.

I’ve asked Dave to look at the keys and see if he would prefer to play them up or down a few steps. Not too far, or it wouldn’t sit so well in my voice, but I can be pretty flexible.

When you’re thinking about keys you should find the high and low notes in a song and then try singing the song in a few different keys. If you can’t do this yourself, then try and make friends with somebody who can help you. Perhaps try and sing along to recordings of various singers until you find one you’re happy with, and then ask a pianist “what key does Ella sing All the Things You Are in?”, for example. If you know your key, then you’re half way there. It’s also well worth paying a pianist to make you some charts in the best key for you, if you can’t do it yourself.

Another good tip is try not to pick really difficult keys ( a lot of sharps and flats) unless you always use the same musicians, or have a chance to rehearse. If you want to ‘sit in’ at a Jam Session (get up for a guest slot) then don’t assume that the band will know the song – if it’s in a friendly key then it makes it easier for them to read. Finally, you might want to think about choosing a key that’s not too difficult for the transposing instruments like the trumpet or saxophone. They play the printed note and sound the name of their instrument. eg. A Bb trumpet will play a written C and you will hear a Bb. So their chart will have to be a tone higher – that’s when a score-writing programme is really useful – you can run off a Bb chart for the horns up a tome from the piano part.

making an album

The hallowed Neumann U87 handover

I was speaking to another, rather more helpful Sound Designer friend about the best microphone to use for my voice. After a few suggestions he very generously offered to lend me a vintage Neumann U87. Today we met for a coffee and he handed over the precious cargo and then scared me by telling me that they cost over £2000 new! Even more scary, was the history of this particular microphone. Apparently Ian Curtis from Joy Division recorded using the very same microphone. (He very sadly killed himself when he was only 24 and the same band that reformed as New Order later used the microphone ).

So, we nearly have the songs chosen and their charts almost completed. We have a fantastic microphone to record my voice. As you can see, my internet-marketing expert (and big sister), Nicola Cairncross is also cracking the whip, making me update my website often, so that when we have made the fabled album, people will know how to get hold of it.

There’s so much more to do – find out about manufacturing the album, MCPS licences and bar codes, designing the cover – I’m only a singer after all!

Help….can somebody please let me off

 

 

 

As always, if you enjoyed this blog and would like to know when I write a new article, or bring out the new CD, don’t forget to add your email address to the VIP box on the top right hand of this page. Then click on the link in the email which you receive to confirm your interest. Your email address is completely confidential.

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Heather Cairncross Singer

2 days ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

A Lesser spotted August Jazz gig!We are delighted to reveal the musicians who will play at this year’s Winchfield Festival. Eight nights from Saturday 7th August until Saturday 14th August. Sat 7 Aug: The Festival opens with the electrifying Tango Siempre, UK’s leading Tango Company, who will take us on a breath-taking journey into the heart of Tango Argentina. www.facebook.com/Tango.Siempre/Sun 8 Aug: Fenella Humphreys Violin and Cara Berridge, playing violin and cello, will thrill the audience with pieces from Bartok, Bach, and Ravel.Mon 9 Aug: The Galliard Ensemble, comprising flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn form one of Britain’s leading chamber groups, known for its virtuosic, entertaining and distinctive performance. Tues 10 Aug: 16-times Best UK Jazz Pianist David Newton and singer Heather Cairncross, with drums and bass will perform some mesmerizing jazz with great technical artistry. www.facebook.com/AltovoiceWed 11 Aug: Robert Plane, an eloquent and impassioned clarinetist, will join the Solem String Quartet to perform the wonderful Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major as well as the Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor. The Solem Quartet has established itself as one of the most innovative and adventurous quartets of its generation, presenting daring feats of virtuosity within thoughtfully curated programmes. www.facebook.com/robertplaneclarinet and www.facebook.com/solemquartet/Thurs 12 Aug: Welsh harpist @Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita, will bring an exciting repertoire of music which draws on the deep harp-based musical traditions of both countries.www.facebook.com/CatrinFinchSeckouKeita/Fri 13 Aug: 12 Voices and 4 Saxophones will come together in an exciting collaboration between Corvus Consort and the Ferio Saxophone Quartet. Their programme will include a variety of classical and baroque pieces which explore the close interaction between the timbres of voices and saxophones. www.facebook.com/corvusconsort and www.facebook.com/feriosax/Sat 14 Aug: Elton John Band, a professional tribute act, will perform an exciting finale to eight nights of a fantastic music festival. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028245982648&ref=sgm

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Heather Cairncross Singer

2 weeks ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

Vocal Health and Fitness Workshop For Your Choir | KatieThomasConductor.com

katiethomasconductor.com

Arrange an online interactive Vocal Health and Fitness Workshop for your choir with freelance conductor and BBC Symphony Chorus Vocal Coach KATIE THOMAS

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Heather Cairncross Singer

7 months ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

Take 2!

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Heather Cairncross Singer

7 months ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

UPDATE. Well it seems it was too good to be true….following the government’s unclear announcement the managers of the pub have cancelled the jazz for now. I’m really sorry if you’ve booked a table but you now need to call and cancel to make sure they don’t take your deposit. Hopefully we’ll revive this gig in the near future. I KNOW!!!! This Sunday lunchtime in Brighton

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Heather Cairncross Singer

8 months ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

The Swingles & The Stay at Home Choir – You’re All I Need to Get By

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Heather Cairncross Singer

9 months ago

Heather Cairncross Singer

In the absence of any live Prom concerts (courtesy of Covid 19), the BBC is re-running many gems from previous years. Tonight on BBC4 at 19.00 is @johnwilsonorchestra with a starry cast of soloists and the ever splendid @maidavalesingers in ‘The Broadway Sound’. Possibly the campest ever prom?Back in 2012 when this concert was recorded, I still wrote a backstage blog which may interest some of you – it seems a lifetime ago and I sincerely hope that those wonderful concerts will be back in business next year – in fact any concerts…..the prospects seems rather bleak at the moment.heathercairncross.com/the-broadway-sound-singing-in-the-john-wilson-prom-2012/

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Making An Album | Choosing Songs And Finding The Best Microphone - Heather Cairncross UK Jazz Singer