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Welcome to Vocal Harmony at the Frank Hamilton School!
In our vocal harmony class you’ll learn the elements of harmony and vocal ornamentation. We’ll use tunes from the Old Town Folk School book as well as ballads and folk songs from recordings. You’ll develop an ear for creating layers of harmony and variations on familiar melodies that will help you sing harmony on new songs as well.

August 29th - TBA

 * Plan
 * What we plan to work on.


 * Demo
 * A Song If You Want (G)


 * Rehearse
 * Another Song (C)


 * Assignment
 * We know that homework makes us stronger

Thursdays - Toco Hills Jam
There's a new jam of musicians and singers doing old time, folk, and other styles of music in the plaza at Toco Hills shopping center. They get started around 7:00 and go until the music stops. Bring a chair (and a music stand if you're a slacker :-). Reach out to [mailto:mfnicholson2@gmail.com Maura Nicholson] for details.

September 23rd - Song Swap
This is the monthly get together of a open circle of singers socializing and sharing their craft in living rooms in and around Decatur. Usually there's a pot luck at 6:00 and the singing starts at 7:00. This month Jim Anderson and Joey Hannaford are hosting. Contact [mailto:canoe4ever@gmail.com John Miller] for details.

Various Dates - Frank Hamilton Players
Founders, teachers and students periodically play and sing at festivals, farmers markets and other events around town. Contact [mailto:wclarkbrown@gmail.com Clark Brown] to find out what's coming up.

Resources

 * Songs by Title
 * Syllabuses and Class Notes from Previous Terms
 * Modal Keys

Crushes
Here's a list of song crushes one or more of us share. Please add a link to a song that you're obsessing about, one that wakes you in the morning playing in your head. Let's constrain it to traditionalish vocals. Give a hat tip to someone if they turned you onto it:


 * July 12, 2017 - Angelina is a modern song from Ghana, It sounds like an old song, and yet the lyrics tickle your heart with their new world sensibilities. AB Crentsil and the band Sweet Talks created this infectious gem.


 * July 1, 2017 - I've only heard spiritual versions of Climbing High Mountains, but here's a bluesy version by Blind Willie McTell with Curley Weaver singing harmony called Trying to Get Home. Weaver’s harmony is very chromatic, using a lot of half steps as he walks down the scale.


 * June 29, 2018 - Wondrous Love is an old shape note song performed by Blue Highway. It has a wondrous gospel build that we will steal when singing the Ballad of Captain Kidd. This seems only fair, since Wondrous Love stole the melody from Captain Kidd back in the mid 1800s. [H/T Caroline Anderson]


 * June 26, 2017 - Dan Boner had an awesome live video on Facebook. It's called "Professor Dan’s quick singing tips for "old school" southern/mountain bluegrass style." [H/T Barbara Panter]