crowd Pleasers - Song Selection and Tips for Piano Bars (page 2)/title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en" /> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <meta name="description" content="Advice for singers wanting to sing in Broadway musicals" /> <meta name="keywords" content="piano,bar,piano bar,sheet music,music,singer,range,broadway,musical,advice,tips" /> <link title="Default" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="../css/musicalsingers.css" /> <link title="Print" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="../css/print.css" /> <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> /*<![CDATA[*/  /*]]>*/ </style> </head> <body> <div id="page"> <div id="identity"><a href="http://www.musicalsingers.com/"><span id="url">www.musicalsingers.com</span></a> <span class="green">■</span> Resources for singers of musicals</div> <div id="columns"> <div id="content"> <div id="content1">  <h1>Page 2 of Crowd Pleasers - Song Selection and Tips for Piano Bars (Or Elsewhere)</h1> <p>Continued from page one of <a href="crowd-pleasers.htm">Crowd Pleasers</a></p> <p><strong>Songs for Showing Off Your Great Voice</strong></p> <p>There are certain songs, though, that seem to show off certain voices and ranges better than others. If you have the range for it, "Bring Him Home" gets an audience every time. (If you're familiar with the edition of "Forbidden Broadway" that skewered "Les Miz," you appreciate the satirical lyric that says, "This song's too high!" That's because to sing it right you have to have a good high tenor range. But if that's what you've got, then that's a winner in the bag.)</p> <p>The same with some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's best known and loved songs: You have to have a pretty good range to deliver the likes of "Memory," and it would be a mistake to sing it in public if you don't have those high notes. </p> <p>Of course, not all piano bar players are able to instantly transpose in order to cater to your particular range, but if you're lucky enough to latch onto a piano bar player who is willing to work with you in terms of finding what your best key is for any given song, do try to remember it. It will stand you in good stead for the rest of your singing life.</p> <p><strong>Notes for Baritones and Mezzos/Altos</strong></p> <p>Baritones and mezzos/altos have a slight disadvantage, because most songs are published in a standard tenor/soprano range or key. I myself am a baritone. That's how I got to be so good at transposing: when called upon to sight-read a song for myself to sing, I automatically have to transpose it down at least one whole step, often as far as a major third down, sometimes even more. And that's a good rule of thumb to remember: if you know your range is lower than the standard tenor/soprano, you can expect that a piano bar player will have to transpose a song's key down somewhere between a whole step and a major third down to accommodate you to best advantage. Of course, when a baritone or alto appears at my elbow, being of the lower register myself, there is a comfort zone built right in. Likewise, if you're a tenor or soprano and the person at the piano is in that range, there's more of a chance he (or she) will know your song in your key.</p> <p><strong>Some Words of Caution</strong></p> <p>Some words of caution: Every piano bar is different. A number of songs I mention are, in a phrase, done to death. Unless you know you can deliver such a song in some terribly unique way or just plain better than most, you might want to go with one a little less over-done. Similarly, some bars' patrons love to sing along, especially to the more popular songs, and don't take kindly to anyone who thinks they're good enough to sing them as a solo. If you're new to a piano bar, it's best to first get a feel as to some of the ground rules of any particular place. Regulars can be very testy when it comes to "newbies," so step lightly until you get a sense of the prevailing atmosphere. </p> <p>Also: Please, when it's your first time approaching a piano bar player and you ask if it's okay to sing a song, when the piano player asks you what you'd like to sing, do not, under any circumstance say, "I don't know. What songs do you know?" Believe me, anyone holding forth at the piano is going to know lots more songs than you; that's their job. It's going to be much easier for you to mention songs you know and have the piano player say yes or no, than for the piano player to start going through every song in their repertoire trying to find one you'd care to sing. Determine beforehand a number of songs that you can suggest.</p> <p><strong>More Tips</strong></p> <p>I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a player who is accommodating enough to play the song you wish to sing in your key. A mere whole step too high (or too low) can make all the difference in landing that "money note" or totally blowing it. When determining what your optimum key is in any given song, you have to determine what that money note is, and it is usually the highest note in the song, and at the climax. You should sing the song that allows you to deliver that note at your greatest comfort level. It will often be a note that you can nail on good days but will kill you on bad days. That should be avoided, if you can. Or else choose to not do that song when you know your top notes are a bit shaky. However, choosing a key in which you can almost always count on hitting that big note at your best is what you should strive for with every song you do.</p> <p>Just as important as knowing your key and how to land the big finish is understanding what you're singing. Unfortunately, all too often you get singers whose voices are certainly pleasant enough, but it's painfully clear that they have no understanding of the words and feeling behind the song. If you don't "get" what you're singing, then do not sing it. It's not how well you sing a song but how well you "sell" the song, and you can never sell a song without understanding it. When you can both sing a song well and sell it, that's when you really connect with your audience. </p> <p>Above all, enjoy what you're doing. If you're nervous in front of a crowd, singing at a piano bar on a regular basis is the surest way I know to get over such shyness. If you enjoy what you sing, it is not only infectious, but it outweighs all other aspects of your delivery. You can forget or mangle lyrics, you can crack on your money note, you may not even be an outstanding singer; but if you enjoy what you're singing and can convey that sense of enjoyment, the people will be with you. Guaranteed.<br /> </p> <p>Now go forth and slay that audience!</p> <p>BACK TO PAGE ONE OF <a href="crowd-pleasers.htm">Crowd Pleasers</a></p> <h2> Sheet Music</h2> <p><em>Our two favorite online stores:</em></p> <form action="http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/ard.asp?SID=1125&LID=40" method="post" id="mndropdown1" name="mndropdown1"> <table bgcolor="#006699" width="468" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top"> <img src="http://www.musicnotes.com/images/smsbanner.gif" width="468" height="30" border="0" alt="sheet music search" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td><img src="http://www.musicnotes.com/images/smsby.gif" width="67" height="30" border="0" alt="" /> </td> <td><select name="whatsearch"> <option value="song">song </option> <option value="artist">artist </option> <option value="keyword">keyword </option> </select> <input name="all" size="16" type="text" /> </td> <td> <input type="submit" name="submit" value="find it now!" /></td> </tr> </table> </div></td> </tr> </table> </form> <p>Musicnotes.com offers 40,000 downloadable songs as well as standard sheet music. Order instant copies, buy print, or create a wish list in your shopping cart for future buying.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/broadway.html?id=61560"><img src="http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/smp/smp_but_bway_120_w.gif" alt="Broadway Sheet Music, sheetmusicplus.com" width="120" height="60" border="0" class="pixleft" /></a> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/broadway.html?id=61560">SHEET MUSIC PLUS Shop for Broadway Sheet Music A - Z </a>Sheet Music Plus has a wide variety of printed songbooks specific for each show and more.</p> <h2>Musical Sheet Music on CD Rom</h2> <p><a href="http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/ard.asp?SID=1125&ppn=efhl631193">Rodgers and Hammerstein on CD Rom</a> 122 Songs From 11 Classic Musicals CD-Rom Sheet Music</p> <p> Product Information:<br /> A wealth of musical treasures on one convenient CD! This CD-ROM lets you view and print the music and it also allows you to hear a MIDI playback, transpose to different keys, and substitute the instrument that plays the melody line. Songs include: All at Once You Love Her · Bali Ha'i · The Carousel Waltz · Chop Suey · Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? · Do-Re-Mi · Edelweiss · Getting to Know You · Happy Talk · Hello, Young Lovers · I Cain't Say No · I Enjoy Being a Girl · I Whistle a Happy Tune · It Might as Well Be Spring · Kansas City · Maria · My Favorite Things · Oklahoma · People Will Say We're in Love · Shall We Dance? · Some Enchanted Evening · The Sound of Music · The Surrey with the Fringe on Top · You'll Never Walk Alone · and more. Compatible with both Macs and PCs. 650 pages of music on one CD! (Hal Leonard Corporation)</p> <p></p> <h2>Accompaniment tracks</h2> <p>Don't miss our <a href="../karaoke/karaoke.htm">karaoke page</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00025C2QI/musicalsingers-20">The Broadway Box- 80 Songs From 51 Shows </a> Here's a 5-CDG box set that contains 80 classic songs. Includes songs from <cite>Pippin</cite> and <cite>Godspell</cite> - 51 top shows in all. </p> <p> </p> <p>To send suggestions, comments, or questions write to info@musicalsingers.com with QUESTION or COMMENT in the subject line.</p> <div id="footer">Content Copyright © 2004–2007 Carol de Giere . 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Z</p> <p><cite>Aida</cite> to <cite>Wicked</cite></p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#000000" width="120"> <tr> <td align="center" height="30"> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=5410502"><img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/gfx/smp_logo_100_black.gif" width="100" height="30" border="0" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="118"> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=5410502"><img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/060x080/5410502.gif" width="60" height="80" border="0" vspace="3" alt="Fred Ebb, John Kander: The Kander & Ebb Collection - sheet music at www.sheetmusicplus.com" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2"><b> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=5410502">Fred Ebb, John Kander: Th...</a> </b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=5410502"><img src="http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/smp/smp_but_buynow.gif" height="19" width="63" border="0" vspace="3" /></a> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <p>The Kander and Ebb Collection (link above) includes And All That Jazz, Cabaret, and New York, New York, How Lucky Can You Get, Mister Cellophane, Willkommen and more</p> <p><a href="http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/ard.asp?SID=1125&ppn=bkhl313262">Kander and Ebb Collection - from MusicNotes</a></p> </div> </div> <div id="promote"> <div id="promote1">  <div id="googleinsert"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[  //]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </div>  <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing=1 cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#000000" width=120> <tr> <td align=center height=30> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2909006"><img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/gfx/smp_logo_100_black.gif" width=100 height=30 border="0" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width=118> <tr> <td align=center> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2909006"><img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/060x080/HL-00311608.GIF" width=60 height=80 border="0" vspace=3 alt="Broadway Belter's Songbook - sheet music at www.sheetmusicplus.com" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2><b> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2909006">Broadway Belter's Songboo...</a> </b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2909006"><img src="http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/smp/smp_but_buynow.gif" height=19 width=63 border="0" vspace=3 /></a> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing=1 cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#000000" width=120> <tr> <td align=center height=30> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2932245"><img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/gfx/smp_logo_100_black.gif" width=100 height=30 border="0" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width=118> <tr> <td align=center> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2932245"><img src="http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/smp/lookinside-sr.gif" width=60 height=15 vspace=3 alt="Look inside this title" border="0" /><br /> <img src="http://gfx.sheetmusicplus.com/store/060x080/2932245.gif" width=60 height=80 border="0" alt="The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 1 Revised - Soprano - sheet music at www.sheetmusicplus.com" /></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2><b> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2932245">The Singer's Musical Thea...</a> </b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=61560&item=2932245"><img src="http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/smp/smp_but_buynow.gif" height=19 width=63 border="0" vspace=3 /></a> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> Includes "Summertime" and many others <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="navigation"><a href="../index.htm">Home</a> . <a href="../karaoke/karaoke.htm">Karaoke</a> . <a class="selected" href="sheetmusic.htm">Sheet Music</a> . <a href="../training/training.htm">Training/Technique</a> . <a href="../auditioning/auditions.htm">Audition Tips</a> . <a href="../health/health.htm">Vocal Health</a> . <a href="../career/career.htm">Career</a></div> </div>  </body> </html>