Concho Capers THE TWIN MOUNTAIN TONESMEN San Angelo, Texas Chapter, Southwestern District of Champions Adapted from original painting Old Fort Concho by Hugh Riker Volume XXX February 2009 Number Two Valentines will be sung Feb 13 th and Feb 14 th a great money maker for the Chapter. Inside: - Tonesmen give to Rehab - Membership Drive Meetings Monday Nights 7:29 PM Southland Baptist Church, 4300 Meadowcreek Trail Get up to date at www.tonesmen.org
Twin Mountain Tonesmen Barbershop Harmony Society, Inc. Officers President, RODNEY RIPPLE 651-7511 Music V.P., BRUCE CLARK 949-0608 Chapt. Development V.P., JUSTIN DELOACH 277-6300 Program V.P.,and Marketing and Publicity SID CLEMMER 653-7008 Secretary, DEL SUMMERS 947-2299 Treasurer, ROBERT GORDON 949-8870 Ass t Treasurer, PAUL WHITE 947-1053 Members at Large ROBERT EUBANK 949-7176 GREG JEFFERIES 942-9065 Librarian, DON RUCKELSHAUSEN 942-8008 Other positions: Chorus Manager, LYNDAL EMERT 944-8899 Music Director, MARK CLARK 947-8663 Bulletin Editor, PAUL WHITE 947-1053 conchocapers_ed@yahoo.com Internet Web Page Editor, MARK CLARK 947-8663 Web Address: www.tonesmen.org Mailing address: Twin Mountain Tonesmen PO Box 2897 San Angelo, Texas 76902 Coming Events Singing Valentines Feb 13 and 14 Board Meeting Feb 19 District Competition San Marcos, Spring Break weekend March 20-22 Our Annual Show May 2 2009 International Convention, Anaheim, California, June 28 July 5, 2009 Bumpersnicker Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular? Special THANKS to the following contributors for this issue: Rodney Ripple Justin DeLoach The Concho Capers is published monthly for the members and friends of the San Angelo Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, Inc. All articles by the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the chapter membership. Material for the bulletin is expected from chapter officers and board members and is encouraged from all members. All articles will be credited to their author. Matter can neither be created, nor destroyed. However, it can be lost. A Message from your President Howdy, Tonesmen and Friends Life is like a 10 speed bike most of us have gears we never use I recently read this anonymous quote and didn t think too much about it until I started digging for ideas for this month s column. Then it struck me, I think all of us are like that 10-speed bike. We all have gears we do not use, or at the very least, not very often. We all, by nature, try to do the very best we can. We do our best at work. We help out around the home. We help a neighbor in need. We enjoy our hobbies where we love to catch the biggest fish, shoot the lowest score on the golf course, tag the largest deer, or maybe just have the best quality time playing with our kids and/or grandkids. That s great, isn t it? What I love about my association with the Tonesmen is just that. We try to do the best we can and we normally do just that. You may be wondering where I m going with these thoughts, and here s my point. At our recent chapter planning session, you brought up three major points: developing high school and college age youth activities, bringing in more new members, and stepping it up a notch in our singing and performance with more choreography and more sectional rehearsals. We can talk about these ideas until the cows come home, or in other words, stay in about 7 th gear on our bike and just kind of slowly get there. Or we can kick it up a notch or two, get into high gear and really get things done. From the excitement I ve noticed at our recent (President s comments continued next page.) 2
board meetings and rehearsals, I think all of you are ready to get er done! I d like to challenge all of you get into 10 th gear with the ideas you presented at our planning session. We need someone or some group of members to grab hold of the youth ideas and run with it. We need someone or a group to help in improving our performance and singing skills and sectional rehearsals. We need everyone to resolve to bring at least one guest with them to a rehearsal this year. Let s not forget our upcoming projects, too. Singing Valentines and 2009 show ad and ticket sales are something we all will need to get into 10 th gear with. Our success in these endeavors insures our financial security and our ability to have funds to spend on our various projects. I ask all of you to sell that extra Valentine, show ad, or show ticket. As I have said before, the Twin Mountain Tonesmen are the greatest group to work for and to work with. But it takes more that just the board of directors to implement everything we want to do as a chapter. I hope that each and every one of you will shift into 10 th gear and make this our greatest year ever. In harmony, Rodney "Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh how beautiful' and sitting in the shade." - Rudyard Kipling Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. TONESMEN GIVE TO REHAB 2009! On Saturday, January 17th, 2009, representatives from the Twin Mountain Tonesmen traveled to Abilene for the annual West Texas Rehab Telethon. Mark Clark, Bruce Clark, and Justin DeLoach represented TMT as we gave our annual $1800.00 donation to the Rehab. Each year, the Tonesmen give to the Rehab due to its on going impact it has on many of our members and friends and family. The Tonesmen are pleased to give this every year due to sales of Singing Valentines and ticket sales to our May Show. Mark represented the Tonesmen on stage and presented the check to Pat Attebery. 3
4 Sermonette Don t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson How to Be a Great Baritone An oxymoron perhaps but it s worth exploring. Submitted by Ron Knickerbocker, The Regents, 1974 International Champions There are only two things one must do to be a great baritone: use proper vocal production and understand (and obey) the baritone s job description. For purposes of this discussion, let s pretend we all produce sound correctly and focus on the job. A quartet baritone or baritone section in a chorus has three basic responsibilities: tuning chords balancing chords staying out of the way. (Some people, mostly basses, feel that the Bari has a fourth job making the bass sound good but I won t address the impossible here.) In both tuning and balancing, it is critical to know what part of the chord you are singing. For mathematical reasons, fifths should be sung a tad sharp and minor (barbershop) sevenths need to be tuned a bit flat. Thirds should be sung sharp, because we habitually sing them way too flat). As a general rule, it is easier to tune to the bass than to the lead. Two things dictate a Bari s balance responsibility. The first is where your note is with respect to the melody. Bari notes above the melody need to be sung somewhat softer (how much softer depends on how far above the melody your note is), while notes below the melody should be sung relatively louder. Some coaches maintain that balancing isn t necessary as long as your quality matches that of the lead. I agree that a Bari can sing a bit more loudly if he matches the lead well, but the melody must still be predominant. Thus, balance is no less important than it used to be thought, just a little easier to do. The second factor in balancing chords is the part of the chord you are singing. As a general rule, sing roots and fifths more loudly than other parts of the chord. Staying out of the way means the Bari must do whatever he can to enhance the musical flow. Maintain vowel integrity, energize singable consonants and soften hard consonants. Most of the time it is desirable to substitute softer consonants for the hard ones, like using d instead of t. The substitutions must be subtle, however. Don t hit the listener over the head with the fact that you are using a different consonant. Most rules have exceptions, but if you adopt these general suggestions, you will be well on your way to becoming a great baritone. Now, if we could only find a bass that deserves you! RON S 10 TIPS FOR BETTER BARIS Produce sound correctly. Balance to the lead, but Tune to the bass. Know what part of the chord you are singing. Sing thirds and fifths a little sharp, AND. Sing minor (barbershop) sevenths a bit flat. Balance to the melody. In general, roots and fifths should be a little louder than other notes in the chord. Extend the duration of vowels Reduce the duration and percussive ness of consonants. Contents copyright of the author and copyright 6/10/2007 Barbershop Harmony Society 110 7th Avenue N Nashville, TN 37203-3704 A Texas Wife Three men married wives from different states. The first man married a woman from Michigan, and told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away. The second man married a woman from Missouri. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and cooking. The first day he didn t see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done and there was a huge dinner on the table. The third man married a girl from Texas. He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn t see anything, the second day he didn t see anything, but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Have you told someone about the Tonesmen lately? Did you know that February is the ideal time for us to recruit new members for the Tonesmen? We begin to finalize our May Show, we are performing Singing Valentines, and contest is usually right around the corner. Three easy steps to asking a guy if he likes to sing is this: Ask him if he has heard of barbershop music. If he says yes, then let him know what you know about barbershop. If no, tell him about the Tonesmen. Second: Ask him what he does on Monday evenings for about two hours. Third: tell him you'll pick him up at 7:11 (and no not the convenience store!) This February we all need to at least tell one person about Tonesmen. This past Christmas we gained two members just because someone mentioned Tonesmen to them. We know that this may not be for everyone, but what is it going to hurt? Maybe remember how you were asked to be in the Tonesmen or how you found out about us. Use these tools to recruit, recruit, recruit! FMI about tips on recruitment, contact Justin. SINGING VALENTINES ARE HERE The Board met on Jan 15 and discussed the following: - Singing Valentines important that sales be made. This year may be slow due to the economy. - A multi-chapter meeting is proposed for Feb 16 th, to include Abilene, Midland, Coleman, and others. - Division Contest. A poll will be taken to see if we have enough members who will be able/willing to attend. - It was noted that we had 15 members present a record attendance! Next board meeting will be Feb 19 th. Can we exceed our new record of attendees? Do you have a special sweetheart in mind for a Valentine? It is that time of year where sweet harmonic chords fill office buildings and restaurants for the Tonesmen Singing Valentines. This year, the special deliveries will occur on Friday, February 13th and Saturday, February 14th. Justin DeLoach encourages every Tonesmen to sell at least two Valentines. Ask your neighbor, friend, co-worker, or complete stranger if they need a special, affordable gift, for their sweetheart this Valentine season. Get your orders in and let s make this Valentine season a memorable one for many! FMI contact Justin at 226-3272. If your eyes hurt after drinking coffee, you have to take the spoon out of the cup. - Gypsy Rose Lee Sell those valentines! 5
Chapter Planning Session 2009 The following was a result of the Chapter meeting January 19. Each of the items would be contingent on Chapter/Board approval, and finding a leader for the project. Submitted by Rodney Ripple. - Get involved in BHS Youth in Harmony Program. - Provide personnel to help in high school choir sectional rehearsals. - Provide college scholarship funds ($300$500) for an individual pre-requisite would be that he attends TMT rehearsals and participate in TMT activities in order to qualify for funds. - Ask local college or high school quartets to perform on our show. - Take our annual show on the road. - Hold a guest night in conjunction with the show, and multiple guest nights throughout the year. - Refresh choreography for all music. Create additional choreography for music without it. Hire choreographer to design moves for music. - Include more items to TMT website: learning tracks, etc. Make members only section more user-friendly. - Tap area church choirs for additional members. Send quartet to sing at church choir rehearsals to recruit new members. - More section rehearsals. Encourage individual sections to meet outside of regular chorus rehearsals. 6 Pecans At the Cemetery From The Morning After email newsletter Thomas Woodall, Editor The Voice of Rushmore February, 2009 On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me, said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend, he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. Come here quick, said the boy, you won t believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls. The man said, Beat it kid. Can t you see it s hard for me to walk. When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. The old man whispered, Boy, you ve been tellin me the truth. Let s see if we can see the Lord. Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, One for you, one for me. That s all. Now let s go get those nuts by the fence and we ll be done. They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike. Moral of the Story As with barbershop performances, you need the visual as well as the audio to completely understand the message. Singing Valentines will be your success!