No, not the kid's book series of scary tales.....This first post might be a little boring, but I think it's necessary since it demonstrates where I came from and what lens I look at things through.
I grew up in a small town and began playing the trumpet in 6th grade. It was my first musical experience being a participant, and I am very thankful that my parents chose the trumpet out of all the instruments! It was there I learned some music theory, how to read sheet music, and eventually (in high school) how to love playing. I was in the concert/classical band, jazz band, and the "pep band" which played at the school's sports games. It was amazing fun and I will cherish those 4 years of playing for the rest of my life. Those years showed me a glimpse into what music could be to
me, and to other people too! It was the first time of having these kinds of goosebumps.
After graduating high school, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life and as I did that, I somehow began to play my horn less and less. I had gone through some acne medication in my senior year and it dried out my skin which included my lips (the last time I checked). My playing was impaired as a result and it was somewhat discouraging. It was around this time, one or two years after high school graduation, that I began to play guitar and sing. My mom had a borrowed, $40 acoustic guitar that she played from time to time and I decided that I wanted to try it. It was quite difficult, being so cheaply made, but I began to look on the internet for free tablatures and eventually learned how to play some of my favorite songs. I eventually bought my own acoustic guitar, and electric guitar with a
*GASP* amp.
Sometime, about 6 months into my discovery of the guitar, I was in my room, most likely playing video games. My parents had check out a VHS video from the library entitled something along the lines of "Singin' Out Loud". Mario seemed more important to me, however, so I didn't pay any attention to when they were watching it. They were just about done with the video, and I was at a quiet point in my video game, when I heard something come from the living room I had never heard before. It was 4-part male harmony in an unbelievable lock that was absolutely foreign to me. I paused the game and walked out into the living room.
"What are you guys watching in there?" I asked.
"A video about barbershop singing," one of them replied.
"Oh," I stoically said.
I watched the video until the quartet on the screen had finished with some really high notes. I was intrigued. I waited until they were done, and I went back out into the living room to rewind back to that part I had seen.
What was that? I thought. I watched the whole song again, then again, then again. Then I called my friend who once told me about a singing group called The Nylons, and said "I have to show you this video, these guys sing like nothing I've ever seen before." So, off I went...but the goosebumps didn't come yet.
It wasn't until months later that I would truly experience the glory of singing in harmony for the first "real" time. I downloaded all the barbershop I could find, and found videos of quartets singing. I was so impressed with the tightness of the sound...they were like instruments playing in perfect time. I started singing along in my car with all the burned barbershop CDs I had made. I always changed the CD when other people got in my car though. About 3-4 months later, I looked around online for local groups and came up with one result, the Mt. Baker Toppers. Even with this knowledge, I didn't contact anyone for another month or two. Then, one day, I just went. I had no idea if I could really sing, I just wanted to hear the sound I heard on the video...only from INSIDE it. That first day, I could have been singing with the worst chorus there is, but I was loving it. We sang a song they called an "uptune" and it was a rip-roarin gospel song. It had this really long bass note at the end (that's where they put me...bass) and I could hear all the other parts moving around my note. Just like the video! I was thrilled. After the rehearsal, one of the guys asked if I wanted to sing a tag.
"That's the last few measures of a song," he said. "A lot of times, we sing the whole song JUST to get to the tag!" he continued.
"Sure," I said with goosebumps started to form on my arm.
.......................
So, that's where it all started. I sang a tag with 3 other guys which I had never met before, but we all wanted the sang thing to happen in those next few moments. And it did. I still sing with the Mt. Baker Toppers chorus (www.topperschorus.org), 6 years later. I also keep busy with a quartet of my own, U4eeuh (www.u4eeuh.com) and the Northwest Vocal Project (www.vocalproject.com).
Singing has consumed most of my life now and I couldn't imagine not singing. I've been told I have a very smooth and unabrasive voice, which I attribute to my introverted personality which doesn't ever want to be abrasive or jagged. I constantly have to work on being an outgoing, confident person when I'm singing (you can fool your audience), but maintain that smooth, connected way of singing that barbershop is known for. I have had many more goosebump moments since that first rehearsal. 90% of them have been when singing for someone. You start singing about love and eternity, and all of the sudden you're not just singing notes and words anymore. You are singing life itself. You are actually telling this person listening, that the person THEY are thinking of their head really loves them, and that it is undeniable. THAT is the power of music...to tell someone the truth about something in such a way that there simply is no alternative. Sing life, and the the goosebumps follow you like your shadow.
