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Unit 4 · Sell the song

Hail, Poetry, the first half

Sing the tune of a Gilbert and Sullivan chorus marked "voices only", phrase by phrase with the company around you, from The Pirates of Penzance. Free.

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Hail, Poetry, the first half

"Hail, Poetry" is the chorus the pirates sing, moved to tears by a line of verse, and Sullivan marks it "Voices only": no orchestra. Your line is the tune, with the others around you.

Voices only. Just the company

Phrase by phrase. The first half today

The last Hail. Held, then let go on time

What you sing

  1. Phrase 1, your tune with the company.
  2. Phrase 2, your tune with the company.

Challenge: The company

Your button, then your part in the company: the tune of "Hail, Poetry", recorded in Sing over the guides.

The button. Buttercup's last line, then stillness

Then and now. Lesson 1 beside today

Then Sing. The tune in your own octave

What you sing

  1. Buttercup's last line with its button.
  2. The finale: record the tune of "Hail, Poetry" in Sing, over the guides. Add the other parts too if you like.

Singing safely

Medium volume, the middle of your voice; never push to be heard. Bright is not belt. First steps to belting is the first step; full belt is for later, with a teacher. Stop if anything tightens, scratches or hurts.

Free tools by Stackapella

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Stackapella teaches you to sing harmony one part at a time, right in your browser.

Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up.
  • A guide sings your partHear your line over the others, slow it down, then take your turn.
  • Your notes light upEach note shows where you landed, and a hint when to go up or down.
  • Record every part yourselfStack your takes in time until you're the whole choir.
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