Harmony—egads, he wants me to sing harmony in a song! Is it too late to cancel this trip to Hawai’i?
Back when I started in the Luongo Ukulele Ensemble, I had no idea what to do when Peter Luongo asked the women to seat ourselves in either a soprano or alto section. I failed singing in 7th grade Girls Chorus (but I did a great job helping mimeograph the songsheets) and I grew accustomed to seeing family members’ eyebrows raise (and not in musical appreciation) when I’d sing along to the radio (remember radios?).
Soprano? Alto? Who knew? Lyrics come easily to me, but the singing…well, not so much. So where would I sit?
“If you don’t know what you are but you like to sing melodies rather than harmonies, sit in the soprano section,” was Peter’s advice.
Got it! I scootched my music stand over into the midst of a group of smiling ladies. I’m a soprano, whaddya know?
And that’s where I’ve happily remained for the past 22 months. I like the LUE sopranos. They’re a friendly bunch (well, okay, the altos are nice, too, and they laugh—a lot!) and the best part is that we get to sing the melody of every song. Since I’m a singer who’s growing in ability (thank you, Jessica Agg for the great FaceTime vocal lessons throughout the year), I’ve embraced the melodies and can (usually) hit the right pitch. Except on that high part of “California Dreaming,” but I digress…
Sopranos all three of us; we like melody.
Until this weekend. We’re getting ready for 10 performances on Oahu as part of LUE’s participation in the Sakumas’ Ukulele Festival Hawai’i and we get to play and sing a nice selection of Hawaiian songs in addition to our regular repertoire.
Those of you who know me, know I really cherish Hawaiian music. I’m certain I have the biggest collection of Hawaiian CDs (remember CDs?) in all of Butte County. I know the melodies and I can sing many of the songs in passable Hawaiian (if you don’t listen too closely).
So, when Peter chose “Wahine Ilikea” and “Koke’e” as two of our songs, I was delighted. Heck, I even know a hula to go with Wahine Ilikea. And the melodies? They’re ingrained in my heart, my memory and my vocal chords. Piece of cake (haupia, to be precise)!
Then he dropped the bomb.
“Sopranos: You’re going to sing harmony on the chorus of Wahine Ilikea,” Peter smiled at us. “But it’s an easy harmony—just one note throughout the chorus—a G.”
What? One note? My favorite song, which has a melody rising and dipping in island delight, is turning into a single note? Just one G, with every precious Hawaiian word sung at that pitch throughout the chorus?
Did I say “egads?” already? (And are there enough question marks in this blog post already???)
I struggled with it throughout last weekend’s rehearsal (11 hours on Saturday, but who’s counting?), holding my ukulele up to my ear and plucking that illustrious single G note so I could hold the pitch throughout the chorus.
“It’s a pedal tone,” Peter explained. “It’ll sound great with the other parts.”
And, I have to admit it does (I had the chance to stand in front during one run-through and listen to all the vocal and played parts ). Peter knows what he’s doing. But I don’t. Holding on to that G has been my vocal practice nemesis since the weekend.
Until this morning. And here’s my tip for you other sopranos trying to do this: Get yourself a 2008 Toyota 4Runner. Put the key in and turn on the ignition. Do NOT buckle your seatbelt.
Now listen.
Yep, that warning chime telling you to “Buckle up, dummy,” is a perfect G pitch. And it just repeats itself over and over. And I sing along with that single note in the Wahine Ilikea chorus. All the way to work.
It’s a great practice tip. Perhaps a little unsafe, but that G is right there, steady and unwavering. I sing along happily. And, when I’m at the office, trying to remember that G pitch as I practice quietly at my desk (aren’t you glad you don’t work here, too?), I only have to recall the seatbelt warning chime and I’m right in tune once again.
I can do this.