Recording

Ann and I have been sharing in a recording session tonight, with a local choir we sing with.  What an interesting experience!  We were at Gregynog Hall, near Newtown, in the music room, which is a small concert venue with excellent acoustics.  We have been there to hear The Sixteen, also the King's Singers - and our friend Andrey Chulovskiy giving a piano recital.  And we've sung there ourselves in the past.

But a recording session requires a very disciplined effort at listening to one another, and an equal discipline in not being heard as a single voice, but blending in.  Certain pieces had to be done bit by bit, though at least one was recorded in virtually a single take.  Sometimes a whole section would have to be scrapped, simply because one person held a note fractionally too long;  or certain notes hadn't been held long enough.  One short piano intro had to be re-done simply because someone was breathing a mite too heavily.

It's important to recognize that each voice is important, but none is more important than the others.  Together, we can make a blend that works, provided we're disciplined and aware, ready to support one another and absolutely fixed on our conductor. That's a good recipe for living, it seems to me, as well as for singing!