Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
Having returned safely from Poland a few days ago, we are now gearing up for the next few weeks which are packed full of goodies! In the immediate future, we're recording for three days Tuesday to Thursday. We'll be recording more tracks for our GOLD album, celebrating 50 years of The King's Singers, up in Highgate (North London). After that we head to York and Kendal, in the north of England, for a couple of concerts, before we go away again on a little European trip to France and Spain. This is, of course, all alongside preparations for the Christmas season, when we head to the United States for three weeks. I'm at home today, putting in some of the crucial hours of personal preparation, so that I'm as battle-ready as I can be when we turn up to perform or record.We're always aware how lucky we are to be recording and performing great music all over the world, but our schedule is such that it's crucial to plan ahead, and to be learning the right music at the right time, to the right degree of thoroughness so as never to end up in a stressful situation on the day of a concert or recording! Before joining The King's Singers, I did often have to prepare music for concerts, but for this job it's a whole lot more complicated. As the new guy in The KS, preparation is particularly important for me, and especially at this point in the year - so I'd love to tell you some more about how I go about it.[caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignleft" width="311"]
Preparing a score of some Lassus[/caption]When sitting down to prepare music, there are lots of different factors and questions to take into account, particularly when running a schedule like we are. These include: when is the piece being performed? Does the piece have to be learnt from memory, or will I have my score? Have I already performed or rehearsed the piece? Is it difficult or easy? How long do I have until it needs to be ready? Putting these variables into a melting pot, one is able to come up with a priority list, which tells me how long I need to spend working on each piece, whether it will be possible to do some of the learning on public transport/in a café or if it all requires me to be at home (with piano and singing-space!), and crucially, in what order I need to do the work in order to be ready in time.At this particular point in the KS calendar: there is a big pile of Christmas music that needs to be learnt from memory for the December tour; there are around 15 pieces that we will record in the coming few days, which need to be revised and polished (but which we have already rehearsed and/or performed as a group), and there are a decent number of pieces, both early and modern, which are unfamiliar to me and need to be concert-ready in just over a week's time. So I have my work cut out! But factoring in how long each of these 'categories' will take, I'm able to plan so that I'll have worked on the languages, marked up my scores effectively, listened to previous KS recordings, and got tricky music into the voice in time for the relevant days in our diary.For some music, I find it most helpful to listen to recordings. This is particularly the case when memorising things - hearing the sound of the group singing it, and where my part fits in, really helps me retain it quickly. For some music, I prefer just to look at the score and to mark it up with annotations to help word-pronunciation, breaths, dynamics, and places to listen to other parts for tuning and balance. For some pieces, the only way really to make sure it's learnt is to sing it out loud; on our non-concert days it's crucial to save our voices and make sure we get good vocal rest, so planning when to spend time singing a piece into the voice is tricky - but that's just another factor to add into the melting pot!I hope this has provided a little insight into the off-stage preparation that has to happen to make our fantastically busy schedule work. I remember that, before I joined the group, I used to be fascinated by how on earth these 6 guys managed to be so in control of all their repertoire with such a high turnover of music. Now, being on the other side of the fence, I thought I might share with you some of the planning that goes into making it all run smoothly.
