December 12, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, December 12 at 2 p.m.

Carl will be Coaching. Trish will be hosting.

Just a reminder for the Reminder: This week's workshop will be online only. Our next in-person + online session will be on January 9.

Anne will join us for the first hour. She is on East Coast.

She has a young daughter (7).

She will begin a short overview of her world in music.

She will ask how the participants use their voices.

Topics:

Breathing Basics

Vocal Styles.

Activity-Ask everyone to take 3/4 minutes to try an exercise.

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

Next week, December 19, Chris will be Coaching. For our last SSV Short Take of 2021, we'll cover using the concepts we've learned in How to Figure Stuff Out. If you've got a song that has mystery chords, e-mail Chris.

December 4, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, December 5 at 2 p.m.

Robert will be Coaching. Ed will be hosting locally, with Trish Hosting remotely.

‘Tis the season of sharing! We’ll be in person at Artichoke Community Music and on Zoom, sharing and sharing alike. Bring your songs, originals or covers, poems, stories, anecdotes, and good cheer. We’ll be there and see you there!

Here's how to get to the workshop:

In-person:

Artichoke Community Music

2007 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202

Map

Please note that our kind hosts at Artichoke Community Music require proof of COVID vaccination on the premises, so please be prepared to show your card if you're planning on joining us in person. Otherwise, we'll be happy to see you on Zoom.

Remotely, via Zoom:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

Next week, December 12, we'll welcome Anne Weiss for her first SSV Workshop as Guest Coach. This will be a Zoom-only event.

November 27, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, November 28 at 2 p.m.

Carl will be Coaching. Ed will be hosting.

Thinking about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving I think about getting together with the people, people we care about in our worlds.

Songs that you think about Thanksgiving?

Spotify had no songs listed when I googled "Thanksgiving?"

I was surprised I eventually found a couple songs about Thanksgiving on YouTube.

Here is a song by Mary Chapin Carpenter called Thanksgiving.

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

I had a question? Where were all the songs about Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Apple pie and Green bean casserole.

So do you have a favorite Thanksgiving song? Maybe we should write one, what do you think?

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

Next week, December 5, we'll be on Zoom and in-person at Artichoke Music. Robert will be Coaching.

November 20, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, November 21 at 2 p.m.

Chris will be Coaching. Trish and Ed will be hosting.

We will review the Chords Short Take in preparation for taking the plunge into vocal harmony.

And we'll share some songs, as usual; songs that are anything but usual!

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

Next week, November 28, we'll be on Zoom and welcome Guest Coach Anne

Weiss.

The next in-person SSV workshop at Artichoke Music will be on December 5.

November 12, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, November 14 at 2 p.m.

We will be in-person at Artichoke Community Music and on Zoom

Carl will be Coaching. Trish and Ed will be hosting.

It will be a Haiku Sunday. See this pdf.

Please note that our kind hosts at Artichoke Community Music require proof of COVID vaccination on the premises, so please be prepared to show your card if you're planning on joining us in person. Otherwise, we'll be happy to see you on Zoom.

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

November 6, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, November 7 at 2 p.m.

We will not have a live session this week, either at Artichoke Community Music or on Zoom.

We invite you to join the Reveille Retreat, currently in progress:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/98386664331?pwd=dTAvZi9uN0ZmeXJReWRrc1Zycm5KZz09

Meeting ID: 983 8666 4331

Passcode: 115621

October 29, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, October 31 at 2 p.m.

We'll be strictly online this week at the usual time and we hope you will too!

Robert will be Coaching, with Ed Hosting.

We'll present another installment of our Masters series, this time with Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. You know their songs, even if you don't recognize their names.

And we'll play and sing. Bring a song or two to share, from the 1950s or 1960s.

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

This week we will be on Zoom only--we won't be at Artichoke Community Music.

Next week, November 7 we'll be back in person as well as on Zoom.

We're working on a plan to present hybrid workshops biweekly, Stay tuned for details.

October 16,2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, October 17 at 2 p.m.

We'll be at the usual place at the usual time and we hope you will too!

Chris will be Coaching, with Ed Hosting.

We'll do some more exploring of consonance and dissonance and take a look at close harmony.

And we'll share sone songs. Extra credit if you harmonize along.

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

October 9,2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m.

We'll be at the usual place at the usual time and we hope you will too!

Carl will be Coaching, with Trish Hosting.

We'll welcome Sean Davis, writer, teacher, artist, veteran, community organizer, and fire fighter, as well as former Post Commander of American Legion Post 134, and City of Portland mayoral candidate.

Here's a link to more info about Sean.

If we have the time during the second half, we'll have an opportunity to play a cover song that you have made yours.

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275

September 27, 2021

Here's what will be happening on Sunday, September 26 at 2 p.m.

We'll be at the usual place at the usual time and we hope you will too!

Carl will be Coaching.

Here’s what Bill sent us about Sunday’s session:

Prosody: what is it, and why does it have such a big effect on how the audience perceives your song?

Things to consider:

- If you start with a lyric/story idea:

- is the feeling or intent of the lyric/story - somber/humorous/hard-hitting/satirical?

- what tempo/melody/key (major or minor) best supports and conveys the story?

- If you start with a melody/groove/instrumental riff:

-what kind of story is the melody/groove conveying to you (and your audience)?

- how does the rhythm/rhyme scheme of the lyrics “ride” on top of the melody/groove?

“Pastures of Plenty”: two different versions of the same song

- Woody Guthrie - major key

- Odette - minor key

In my songwriting experience, well over 90% of my songs start with a lyric/story idea, and the melody/groove rarely comes to me until the lyrics are done. For me, it is about putting music to a poem. I also have a pretty basic guitar/banjo skill, so I naturally put greater emphasis on the story/lyrics. Sage advice from Jack Williams, one of the best songwriters/troubadours I have met: don’t let guitar pyrotechnics steal the show from your story!

Of the few (less than a dozen) of the songs in my repertoire that started with an instrumental groove / melody line, ALL of them involved either noodling with an alternative tuning (e.g., DADGAD) or picking up a less-familiar instrument (banjo, mandolin, ukulele). That is a great way to break out of a slump and discover something new in your musical brain!

Takeaway: do a major/minor key switch on one of your songs, or any popular song. I seem to recall that some record producer took an entire album of Beatles tunes and did that to amazing effect!

Music is a mighty force!!

Here's how to get to the workshop:

Click on this link or paste it into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09

Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628

Password: 228275