For my solo repertoire i am dividing the repertoire into 3 sets, so in the future if i ever have to perform a 20 minuet set or perform less then 10 songs i could just choose from one of these 3 sets.
I balanced the program into 3 sets of 20 minuets so it would be easier for me to add up to 60 minuets of songs, and also by having 3 sets it gives me more variety and easier to look at.
For each set i have varied the tempo of the songs, the genre, the accompany and how the song would be played.
The way i balanced these sets is very straight forward and i made it simple for myself and suitable for my skills in performing. I have mixed up varieties in different genres, tempo and from someone either playing guitar or piano for me, to a full band to a backing track and to me accompanying myself.
I will talk through these 3 sets and every important aspects of them and why certain things are important and what i need to look out for.
SET 1:
1.Mama Do (Full Band) - UPBEAT, POP (2:00)
2.Blame It On The Boogie (Full Band) - Upbeat, DISCO,FUNK (2:41)
3.The Only Exception (Acoustic - Guitar) - SLOW, POP ROCK (4:25)
4.You Got The Love (Backing Track) - UPBEAT, INDIE ROCK (2:51)
5.Take A Breath (Original) (Piano) - SLOW,POP (2:24)
6.The Way You Make Me Feel (Acoustic) - UPBEAT, R&B (3:30)
7.Under The Bridge (Acoustic - Guitar) - UPBEAT, ROCK (3:19)
TOTAL: 19.9
'Mama Do': - I started set 1 with mama do because it is an upbeat song and it will give a upbeat, groovy atmosphere and in my opinion would get people interested because this song would allow me to be joyful, would give a smile on my face and hopefully would pass the atmosphere and mutual feeling to the audience, i would perform this set in front of students from college and most students are in there teenage years, and this song is very modern and well known so people will attract to the song and be interested to hear and see how the performance of the specific song choice would go and just have a natural interest to come and watch. I chose this song because I have had a lot of experience with singing it and i am very comfortable with the song and i feel it suits my vocal range. I decided to perform this song with a band because this song needs a drum beat to groove to, and other instrumental elements to make the song sound full and lively. For this song i would need a drummer (drum kit), bass player (bass guitar), pianist (keyboard), and the singer myself (Microphone). So to be able to perform this song successfully i would need to book rehearsal time in a suitable rehearsal space with the band and practice enough times to be able to be comfortable to perform as a band. I would need to print out the song chart with the chords and lyrics for the song and give to the band members in the band rehearsal so they can follow the song chart and get started quickly, if i would not think about printing out the song chart the band would waste a lot of time trying to get Internet to find the chords and lyrics and etc. I would need to find someone to sort out the sound system because this song is going to be performed as a band and we would need a sound engineer to make sure the drums, bass, piano and the vocals all can be heard and the equipment is all plugged in properly.
'Blame It On The Boogie': - as the previous song mama do is an upbeat song performed with a band i decided to carry on the upbeat and fun atmosphere with the band and perform 'blame it on the boogie', this song is a very well known song by michael jackson so once people hear this song playing after 'mama do' it will get them excited and make them want to stay and listen more and it would drag them into the performance. I chose this song because i find it fun to sing a long to and it is one of my favourite songs so i would show the love for the song in my performance and the joy i put through the performance. It also suits my vocal range, especially because this song hits high notes so it will show off my soprano vocal range. I decided to contrast from modern to the older days and change the genre from pop to disco,funk, but keep the upbeat tempo and even make the tempo faster because this song is faster in tempo then mama do. When i would rehearse as a band for 'mama do' i would also bring song charts for blame it on the boogie so we all as a band can practice them both and practice flowing from mama do to blame it on the boogie. We would need the same instruments but also adding a synthesiser keyboard to add the effects added in the actual song, but it does not have to sound identical. The sound engineer would be doing the same job as for the previous song. So for rehearsals the sound engineer would need to be there so they know what sound the band wants.
This is how i would want 'Blame it on the boogie' to sound like.
'The Only Exception': - i decided to choose this song next because i want to calm things down and slow it down from the funky groove, and bring it back to the modern 2000's and take away the band and just have a guitarist playing for me, this gives a big dynamic and contrast change to the performance because i just finished performing with a full band a full on funk song so then if i perform this calm slow rock song it will calm people down and show a different side to me, because i want to show different sides of me and that i am able to perform slow songs and fast songs and different genre songs. This song is pop rock and is originally played with guitar, simple drums in certain bits and some sort of synth or instrument from a electric keyboard. But i wanted to make it acoustic and simple and use a guitar and i found a guitar version i would want my guitarist to play the song similar to. I also chose this song because the melody the girl singer is singing in this song really suits my voice because my voice is thin and my range is soprano so the singer is similar to mine and i thought i would give it a try and i also really like this song, i like the instrumental i have a special groove to it, the lyrics in the song is telling a story and i can relate to them in some bits of the song so because i relate to the lyrics and i like the melody it will come out in the performance and the emotion would come through in my voice, my face and my general performance, and emotion is very important in a performance.
I would need to print out the song chart with the chords for myself and the guitarist and arrange rehearsal times and a rehearsal space for me and the guitarist to practice and make sure it is perfect. I would need at least 1 week of practice before the performance and depending on the guitarist and their timing 2 weeks but it all depends on when me and the guitarist are available.
I would need a sound engineer to put reverb on microphone, and to sort out the guitar and connect the guitar to the amps and make sure we blend in together and no one is louder then the other.
This is the guitar version of the song i would like the guitarist to play similar to:
'You Got The Love': So now that i relaxed the mood i decided to bring the groove back and perform with a backing track 'you got the love', this is a cover of a old song that was released but i like this version. This song is indie rock so i changed the genre again from the previous song which was pop rock, both rock but have a different groove and atmosphere to their songs. This song is upbeat so i decided to liven things up after i perform the slow song. I chose this song because it is a very catchy and well known song that has been in the charts so everyone would know it, I also chose this song because the melody is in a soprano range and i am able to sing it and show off my range, towards the end of the song the singer belts and that would show off my skills in singing and show i can belt out really high notes and usually when singers sing high notes and belt out people find that amusing and good. I also chose this song because it has a good groove and as an artist i like to groove on stage and move around the stage and have fun on stage in the sense of dancing or moving about so this song could allow me to do that, but to a certain extent.
I am going to use a backing track for this song and that shows variety in my technical side of performance because so far i am using a full band, guitarist and now a backing track it shows i can perform with different accompaniment's. The good thing about using a backing track i can practise is in my own time everyday before the show but i need to make sure i have it on a usb or my laptop to connect to the sound system so on the performance i would just press play but before the performance i would have a sound check with my sound engineer and make sure the backing track is even with my vocals through the microphone and this is why i need to make sure i have a trust worthy sound engineer where the sound engineer will known what sounds good, so in advance i need to find a sound engineer to work for my performance and before the performance he will get to know the sounds i like and the way i like everything and what i am comfortable with.
This is the backing track i will be using:
'Take A Breath' (Original): the next song i decided to come after this upbeat song is my original song, which is slow and has a lot of meaning and emotion to it, i would get someone to play piano for me, because this song is a slow piano song, so once again i have changed a lot of variety in the speed and accompaniment. I chose this song because the lyrics in the song has a lot of meaning to me and i really get into the song when i perform it and to share it with the audience who i know can relate to this song, i wrote this song to inspire people and to lift their moods if they get what the song is about then it would definitely lift their mood. Because it is my original song it suits my voice because i made the melody while i wrote it so naturally it suits me because it is my song and i wrote it to suit my comfort.
Because it is a piano song and i need a experience pianist i would need to arrange a lot of practise time before the performance because one of the chords in the song is quite complicated and when i once gave a pianist to play it he did not like the certain chord and took him a few times to practise to get used to. So i would need a lot of practise time with the pianist also for the speed of the song.
For the performance i would need a keyboard and a microphone and probably a song chart so the pianist can follow just incase they forget the chords and forget the structure of the song. I would need a sound engineer to balance the keyboard and my voice from the microphone.
'The Way You Make Me Feel': So now i decided to speed things up in the set and bring the olden days 80's back, i decided to do this upbeat, feel good song by michael jackson but an acoustic version, a guitar version with 2 guitars and a simple drum beat. I chose this song because it is one of my favourite songs by michael jackson, i can relate to the lyrics and i love to dance to it and groove to it, so when i perform it i will be confident and have a smile on my face, get people clapping and grooving with me, it is a very groovy song that a lot of people are fond of because this song became a hit and i do not know one person who did not like this song. I also chose this song because the melody is in soprano and there is a lot of belting out notes so i would show of my vocal range a lot in this song, and also this song would just pick up the sad and emotional song and make the mood brighter and the atmosphere brighter and people would really relate to this song because most people love it and would groove to it.
I would need 2 guitarist's, a drummer and a lot of practise time because the guitarist's need to get the exact groove i need and the right rhythm,and the drummer would need to keep the rhythm going and also because the 2 guitars harmonise with each other i would show the guitarist's and the drummer the video i want them to relate to and try to play similar to and print us song charts with lyrics and chords so we know the structure and be able to follow each other.
On the performance i would need 2 guitar's, drums and a microphone and the sound engineer would need to balance the guitar's and vocals And importantly make sure the guitar's are not distorted.
This is the version i want to do:
'Under The Bridge': so i decided to keep the same paste going but change the genre and the feel of the atmosphere and performance, this song is a rock song and is a very calm upbeat song, i would need a guitarist to play for me because only a guitar would suit best for this song in my interest and opinion. I chose this song because i can relate to the lyrics and the lyrics have a good story to tell and i can really relate to the story, also the melody is mixed with normal mid range then goes soprano range so it will show of my vocals from all different ranges. I would need a guitarist and 2 weeks advance of practise to get the rhythm right and the right groove going, to get the right pitch i want so i can sing it where it comfortable and is not to high or low for my range, so it is exact right. I would bring printed song charts to the rehearsals so we both know the structure i want and be able to follow each other.
On the performance i would need a guitar and a microphone, the sound engineer would need to do the same simple job and make sure both the guitar and vocals are balanced and sound even and smooth. I also chose this song because this is my last song and you need a good feel good song and a song to show of your skills and just a good song with a lot of confidence.
This is the version i am going to do:
SET 2:
8.Hopelessly Devoted To You (Backing Track) - Slow, Pop (3:06)
9.What You Gonna Do (Original) (Backing Track) - MIDDLE, POP (3:00)
10.No One (Full Band) - Upbeat, R&B (4:00)
11.Poker Face (Piano) - UPBEAT, POP (2:40)
12.Get Me Out Of This Misery - (Guitar) - Slow, POP. (2:51)
13.Silly Boy - (Guitar) - Upbeat, ELECTRO (3.26)
14.Don't You Worry Child - (Backing Track) - Upbeat House (2:35)
TOTAL: 20:58
'Hopelessly Devoted To You': So i ended set 1 with under the bridge a rock mellow song. To start my second set i chose the song 'Hopelessly Devoted To You', from set 1 i started with a full band pop cover of 'mama do', so i decided to start my second set with a backing track and a musical film song which was based in the 70's, this song is a slow emotional song from the musical Grease a hugely well known movie which involves musical numbers including this song. In this song the girl is singing about getting her heart broken by the guy she likes and how she cannot help but fall in love with him and she cannot let go, also how embarrassed she is because the guy has pushed her love aside and treated her like dirt. I chose this song because it suits my vocal range hugely and suits my specific tone in singing, this song has very high notes that people tend to feel are hard to hit so i like to give myself a challenge and show people how good i am and show people that i can do such a tricky song, it is not that tricky but the high notes the women sings not everyone can hit them. I have had a lot of experience with singing this song so i am 100% comfortable with singing this song, i have no worries and the performance will come out comfortably, i just have to practise the tricky notes and make sure i will not fail on the performance. I also chose this song because of the lyrics the character in the movie is singing, every girl can relate to what this women is talking about in this song in the specific scene in the movie, so again i would show a lot of emotion and confidence. I chose to start this set of with this song because it is different and not from the modern days music so it would get peoples attention and because it is a well known song they would want to see if i do a good job in singing the song.
I would need to download a backing track and practise with the same backing track every day and make sure i have access to the backing track in easy places where i could connect to the sound system at the performance. I would need the backing track on a USB or laptop, on this case i would have the backing track on my laptop, all my backing tracks will be kept on my laptop, so on the day of my performance i would have to remember my laptop, connect a jack lead to the sound system and press play. Although i would need my sound engineer to make sure the sound from the laptop will come out of the main speakers and that the backing track and vocals through the microphone will be even and the backing track will not be louder then the vocals or the other way round.
'What You Gonna Do' (Original): The song i decided to follow onto after the grease song is my original song, this song is in a medium speed and i will be using a backing track to represent the song. The song is originally a piano song but i found it too simple so i got a producer to produce the song and make it sound fuller and liver and in the performance it will give a strong and full sound and effect. This song is about drugs and how people think their cool by doing drugs when they are throwing their life away and making mistakes and etc. This song is very emotional and has a very strong meaning to the song so this is why i am using a backing track to make the song sound strong and full. I also chose to use a backing track because i wanted to keep the same level of tech from the first grease song, because after this song i will change the accompaniment and show variety like i am doing with all my sets. I also chose this song because the melody in this song is very varied and changes pitch and range all the time and the way i wrote it i made it sound very interesting and not a simple straight line of melody, so this allows me to show off my variety of skills to be able to change from one pitch to another quickly and change from high to low, i also added some riffs and unique add libs so this song will hugely show off my vocal skills and ranges. Because this song is being used after grease i would not need to change any setting just click on the track on my laptop, and i would just have to trust my sound engineer to change the volumes and frequency's to make the song and performance sound good. I would need to practise with the exact same backing track and make sure i am following the timing of the track so then i would get used to it and it will go naturally in the performance. Because this song has a very high pitched note in the chorus i would need to practise to sing those high notes away from the microphone because when you sing high belted notes to the microphone it would create a horrible distorted, forced sound so i would need to practise with maybe a microphone or a bottle, to basically make a action routine and work out where to go and how to move when i sing certain notes, like learning a dance.
'No One': So now that i have performed 2 backing track pieces i will move away from that and bring back the full band and perform a different genre i have not performed yet, an 'R&B' song and a very well known song that was a big hit in the charts and is by a very huge and well known artist, the song is very well known and i'm sure people would be very happy to hear the intro for the song and probably start singing a long with me, and performing as a full band would just make a very lively and happy atmosphere. I chose this song because again the lyrics really touch me and i can really relate to the lyrics when i sing to it, the song has high pitched notes which i could hit comfortably and because there is high pitched notes and the lyrics are really emotional and strong, by belting out these big notes while singing these lyrics, there would be a very strong emotion and confidence going through the song and the power of my voice and pain, even though this song is half happy and half emotional. To be able to get a succesful lively, full and strong atmosphere and sound with the full band, the full band would need to have rehearsal time very often and very few times so the whole band gets used to it and because of all the practice the band would trust each other and get used to each other and the song would come out natural, strong and confident. For rehearsal's with the full band i would need to print out song charts with the lyrics and chords and the specific structure because we might want to change it and we would need to follow the song chart so the whole band is on the same page and everyone is fully comfortable and knows what their doing. On these song charts i would highlight who in the band is doing what so it would avoid to many questions and waste time.
On the day of the performance the band would need a soundcheck with the sound engineer to make sure everything is evened out and everything sounds like how we want to sound, and give the sound engineer infortamtion about how the band wants to have a strong and full atmosphere and sound. We would need a keyboard, drum set, microphone, synthesiser, bass guitar. We would need the right amps and wires to be able to connect all this equipment.
This is the backing track i would want to follow with the band and try to make our version sound like this:
'Poker Face': So now that we have played a calm and upbeat song, i have decided to now calm things down but keep the same speed of song but play an acoustic piano version of poker face by lady gaga. This song is fairly upbeat but has a very different and unique feel. I chose this song because i like how lady gaga has made a original electro simple song into an acoustic and more complicated song but still has that upbeat feel to it. I generally do not understand what lady gaga is talking about, but i like the melody of the song and i like the way in this version of the song it starts all low and then for the pre chorus gets higher, then to the chorus belted notes. I like the way it varies and goes from low to high and does not just stay on one level. I also chose this song because i am confident with how i sing it and i am confident with my range being able to reach the standards in this song. I would need to practice a lot with my pianist and make sure the pianist gets the same groove and rhythm as lady gaga is playing. I would have to print us both song charts with the structure, lyrics and chords.
At the performance we would both need a keyboard or grand piano, and a microphone and a sound engineer to balance everything out.
This is the version i would want to work with but shorten it because of the amount of time i have:
'Get Me Out Of This Misery' (Original): Now for my next song i decided to bring the tempo down, slow things down and show of my original song. I only know how to play piano so all my songs are piano songs but i want to experiment and get a guitarist to play this song. I chose this song because this song is very meaningful and relates to everyone and when i wrote this song i was in a very emotional place and i just have a very special feeling to this song that i don't have with my other songs. So i chose this song because i want to share it with my audience and i know my audience would relate to the song because the audience are teenagers and teenager have all felt like way i have felt, well obviously not everyone. I would need a lot of practice with the guitar player because this song cannot be ruined and has to be performed perfectly and with a god feeling, so i would get the song chart for both of us, with the lyrics and chords and care fully go over every detail and make sure the guitar knows what feeling i want for the song with the guitar. At the performance we would both need a acoustic guitar and a microphone and a sound engineer to make the magic happen and make the sound sound beautiful.
'Silly Boy': This song is not every known so this is why i chose the song to be different and stand out and not do what everyone else is doing. The previous song was emotional and slow but this song is emotional but way more upbeat and has a different feel to it. i chose this song because the lyrics is a good way to tell a guy its stupid to mess with a girl and how its their loss for letting the girl go because they would not find another. I want a guitarist to play this for me even though this song is originally a electro synesiser song. Because in the previous song were using a guitar i like to stay there for one more song and carry on that atmosphere for the guitar, but only just change the tempo and feel. To be able to pull this off i would need a lot of practice with the guitar, because the timing is different and needs to be looked at in order to nail the way the version of this song is being played. In rehearsals we would need a guitar and a song chart to follow each other and keep on the same track. As for the same for other songs the sound engineer would need to balance the guitar and microphone and i would need to trust he will make sure it all sounds decent.
'Don't You Worry Child': So now were slowing down but also using a song that is originally a house upbeat song which is very well known. I am going to use a backing track because there is only a backing track of exactly the version i want of the song. I chose this song because it is a big hit, it is a very nice song to sing and is a perfect song to end the set because it is a big hit which everyone knows about. I also chose this song because of the range of the melody and because i love the delicate piano backing track i found of the song. I would simply have to practice with a backing track and on this performance of the set just walk to the laptop and press play, and i would have to trust the sound engineer to make sure the right equipment is being heard and everything is balanced out.
Here is the version i found:
SET 3:
14.Fields Of Gold (Guitar + Electric Guitar) - Slow, (1.35)
15.Back Stronger (Original) (Piano) - Middle Tempo (3:35)
16.Black Parade - (Full Band) - Upbeat, Rock (5:10)
17.Girl On Fire - (Backing Track) - Upbeat, (3:48)
18.Keep On Believing - (Backing Track) - Middle Tempo (3:30)
19.I Turn To You - (Guitar) - Slow (4:05)
TOTAL: 21:03
'Fields Of Gold': i decided to start the third set with a simple intro to show off my tone and range of my voice. I will cut it short because i just want it to be an intro and to show off my vocal range and tone of my vocals. I would make this a guitar piece because this song is played with a acoustic guitar. I would need to practice for a week before the performance with the guitarist even though it is short and very simple and not something hard to play. I would have to provide the rhythm i am looking to perform in and the song chart with the lyrics and chords. In the performance i would need an acoustic guitar, sound engineer and microphone.
This is the version:
'Back Stronger': After the short intro i decided to move on to my original song, but this song i would acompany myself but problem is i only like to play this song on a grand piano, so if i was to pick this set i would have to make sure there is a grant piano in the room or venue of the performance. This song is in a moderate speed to kinds of speeds up after the intro because the intro is slow. I chose this song because i play the piano very good with this song and i can sing at the same time, so this would show i am very skillfull and i can multy task. So this will show my skillfull side and hopefully would impress people. Because i am acompaning myself i would need to practice a huge amount so i do not make any mistake at the performance and hesitate. At the performance i would either have to use a keyboard or if im lucky a grand piano. But if i play with the grand piano i would desperatly need my sound engineer to place the mircrophone in a secure and comfortable place where i could play piano and sing at the same time. Because with the grand piano there is no space for the microphone stand to be put infront just at the side so you have to take some time to adjust it. But with a keyboard the keyboard is smalls so you can just put the microphone stand infront of the keyboard and the job would be done easily and you would be able to sing comfortably.
'Black Parade': I would then speed things up and rock things up by playing this song with a band, from the previous song, this song is a very strong, powerful song so i would need a full band to help me full fill that success. This is why myself and the full band would need an awfully lot of practise time to make this song work. I chose this song because this song has an awfully lot of changes in the song and the changes has a very big effective strong impact in the song, these changes are in speed, melody and everything you can think off so i would really experiment myself and gain me a new experience and technique. I also chose this song because of the range in this song, i have a high range and i love to belt out notes and this song has a perfect example of belting out and showing a lot of high notes. The full band would need to look up the instrumental of this song i have in mind and really explore it. But in rehearsals we would most defanent need song charts because the structure of this song changes so much. In this song we would need a electric guitar, piano keyboard, drums, bass guitar, syhnesiser.
'Girl On Fire': For the next song i decided to slow things down and change style from rock to R&B/pop, this song is very delicate and soft and i chose this song because of the range of the melody is very high and suits my voice and tone. I like to sing a lot of songs to show off my high vocal range. This song i will perform with a backing track so after all the madness with the full band from this crazy and strong rock song i will just go and press play on my laptop and calm down the atmosphere and mood. The preperation i would need is to learn the lyrics and practice with the backing track to get used the rhythm of the backing track. And like usual i would have to trust my sound engineer to balance the backing track and the vocals.
'Keep On Believing': I then decided to slow it even more down and keep the backing track flow and perform my original song with a backing track so there would not be a lot of change only, because i announce it is an original song it will attract people and make them wonder how the song will go. i chose this song because it is a very uplifting song and it is towards the end of the set so it is a good song to go towards the end to lift the mood and inspire people.
'I Turn To You': To end the set i decided to pick a very tricky song and end the set with an amazement, this song is a christina aguilera song and most her songs are very tricky and involve very high belted notes. So that is why i chose this song to show of my vocal range and be able to show that i have enough vocal range to be able to sing a christina aguilera. This song would be the most to remember so people would be talking and would be amazed, but only if i succeed with the song. I want to do a guitar version of it because this song is a piano song so changing it up will make it different and unique and looks like i made a lot of effort and people would be impressed and even more interested to watch. In the performance i would need an acoustic guitar and an sound engineer, because this is a very challenging song and the quality of the sound the balance of the sound needs to be on point.
TOTAL OF 61:51
