PRE-PRODUCTION TIPS

Previously, we spoke about developing the mock up for the show.   This is done specifically for a corporate functions, or other events where we form part of a larger production team.  James handles the mock-ups and, once approved, sends them out to all the singers so that they can learn their material, gain a really good idea of the form of the songs and what it’s going to sound like on the day.


Before we go any further, here's an example of some pre-production of a full-orchestra section that Jay programmed for the performance that we worked on last weekend.  This will be expanded on further down... so keep reading.


20120224 Cello Fan String Programming - FULLL ORCHESTRA by Thatch Music


The next step, after the mockups, is the pre-production stage - getting everything prepared for the first rehearsal. 

1. The music is arranged for the orchestra and charts are printed.  In this case James orchestrates the majority of the songs (we outsource necessary work to David Cousins to help speed up the process).
2. The digital backbone, all the sequencing and loops that will form the support tracks, is created and Jay is responsible for this.
3. A Midi mock-up of the full orchestration is created to support the live orchestra and double the sound, giving the live performance a massive presence. (This is done with string, woodwind and brass beds). On this job,  we used Andrew Orkin to help us with this.

PRE-PRODUCTION | GOING DEEPER INTO THE MUSIC

It all starts with James’ work in Sibelius, a premium music notation software package.  Whilst this is awesome for writing great charts and sheet music, its MIDI reproduction is very elementary.  As we completed sections of the orchestrations, we sent these Sibelius files to Andrew Orkin who exports a MIDI file from Sibelius and then, using Logic, edits and automates the MIDI entries in order to give them a more realistic sound.  Specifically, Andrew works with the attacks, sustains, crescendos, articulation and other dynamics of the brass, woodwind and string sections to create realistic sounding MIDI entries. 

These are then sent to Jaydine, who has been working on the sequencing of loops and percussion tracks, to add to the digital backbone that he’s been working on.  At this stage, Jaydine then assigns sounds (patches), using a combination of Garritan Jazz and Big Band, Kontakt 4‘s Vienna Symphonic Library and Logic’s own sound library to get the tracks to sound as close to a live orchestra as possible.  

LOYISO | PLAYING WITH THE PROS

It’s such a privilege to work with the talent that we have in the South African music industry!  Our performance with Loyiso a few weekends back was once again a testament to the caliber and competence of performers and musicians that we get to work with – week in and week out.  Playing to an ecstatic crowd in Cape Town, our performance with Loyiso was euphoric and proof that good pre-production and professionalism always pay off when the fans go crazy.  As our friends in the Cape would say – it was amazeballs.

LOYISO IN CAPE TOWN
This was our first Loyiso performance with a band that was solidly comprised of Cape Town musicians.  Mike Horne (drums), Gorm Helfjord (guitars) and Shaun Johannes (bass) did us proud, and Loyiso had nothing but praise for the talent and delivery of the band.  Jaydine was the MD and keyboardist, so he had 48 hours in which to rehearse and oversee all the music with a band that was playing new material (for them) and together for Loyiso for the first time. 

The music was sent to the Cape Town trio in MP3 format to assist the musicians in learning their parts - see below for an example of a rehearsal track. Full Circle (listen to Full Circle).

BLOW YOUR MIND - Example of a guide track sent to the musician.
0.00-0.31 Edited and programmed to fit the live arrangement.
0.31-0.57 Original track.
0.57-1.20 Edited and programmed to fit the live arrangement.

20120224 Blow Your Mind - Rehearsal Track by Thatch Music

Meeting on the Friday afternoon, Jay had set aside his standard four-hour rehearsal (read about our typical rehearsal structures).  The band arrived, setup and started with the material.  Within an hour, the first run-through was complete!  Not only did they know the music but they’d prepared their own charts too.  Because they were all so well prepared, the following three hours were highly productive and an effective use of time for all four.  Jaydine adjusted his approach, seeing that the guys were so well acquainted with the music, and focused on rehearsing the finer details of each song to bring out the best of the music.

At the second rehearsal, on Saturday, Jay brought in the tracks and they were able to do four full run-throughs of the entire repertoire.  Loyiso arrived at the function, ready to perform, and was met by a band that were so tight, it sounded as if they’d been playing these songs for weeks!  Singing crowd favourites, including Wrong for you and This World of Mine, Loyiso and band performed a sterling show.

Thanks to Gorm, Shaun and Mike – you guys delivered at a professional standard that does our industry proud.

VOCAL REHEARSALS BEGIN

A QUICK UPDATE - FROM THE FIELD!

From our new HQ, Delta Park Environmental Centre, we commenced vocal rehearsals, this morning, for the corporate performance at the end of the month.  Pebbles, Bongi, Jeremy and Brandon joined us at 10 (ish…) to start working on the harmonies and vocal group parts of each item.  James, Jay and Kaz started to set the venue from the early hours of the morning, making sure all charts, technical gear and other extras would be ready and hooked up in time.

James, running the rehearsal, took the singers through their paces, using Logic to select the relevant loops, pulling them in and out of the mix to help the artists familiarise themselves with the music and arrangements.

In between costume fittings, coffee breaks and key changes our singers nailed their songs with the ease and delivery that keeps them in this industry.  The orchestra will be joining us later this afternoon for their first rehearsal – BOOM.

WEDDING MUSIC & THE STICKY TRIGGERS

With a schedule slightly less busy than our normal weekly activities, the Thatch team welcomed the reprieve to focus on the heavy demands of our corporate performance at the end of the month.  Our week is not without its exciting endeavours as we will be performing with Loyiso in Cape Town on Saturday and the Sticky Triggers will be performing wedding music down in the quaint seaside town, Standford.  BOOM!

Here's a video clip of a LeAnne, one of our performing artists, with Freshly Ground at the 17th SAMA's.

LOYISO
Loyiso Bala will be performing in Cape Town at a school festival in Ravensmead on Saturday.  Backing him will be Thatch’s Jaydine Baron along with Mike Horne (drums), Gorm Helfjord (guitar) and Shaun Johannes (bass).  As a solo musician, performing live, as often as possible is the best way to boost your profile and promote your original work! Corporate performances, while they do a better job of filling your pockets, don’t count towards expanding your public image.

STICKY TRIGGERS | WEDDING MUSIC
Also on Saturday, the Sticky Triggers will be providing wedding music in Cape Town at the scenic Beloftebos in Standford.  Jeremy Olivier, along with Marlon Witbooi, Paul Mayers, Dan Shout and Lana Crowster will entertain the guests in true Sticky Triggers style with a reminiscent repertoire that has become a standard with the Thatch Music wedding band.

CORPORATE FUNCTION UPDATE
As we mentioned last week, we’ll be walking you through our pre-production preparation for a large corporate function that we will be working on at the end of February.  Having booked the musicians and signed off on the song selection, James set to work on creating mock-ups (guide tracks) of the music (see our article on this).  At the end of the week all of this work was complete and signed off by the show director.

WORKING WITH SINGERS | VIVA VOCE!

Working with singers is a dynamic that every musician should realise is different to working with other musicians.  Just the same as working with dancers is different, there are several considerations that we employ when working with singers  - and we’d like to voice them with you.  Again, this is our approach, we may not have it right, but we’re finding that it works for us.

Here's a snippet from James's very first musical direction job in Johannesburg back in 2005, which required some severe vocal arranging, preparation and rehearsal savvy.

WORKING WITH SINGERS | CORPORATE FUNCTIONS

Firstly, when it comes to preparing for a corporate or function in which singers are booked on a freelance basis (i.e. when the singer is not the client), Thatch Music handles the full repertoire selection with a small amount of secondary input from the singers.  There are several practical reasons for this:

• we have the relationship with the client, so we know what the client wants to achieve
• keeping things central in the planning and pre-production phases keeps the admin to a minimum and streamlines the rehearsals
• all the music needs to be arranged specifically, by us, for the gig
• we know all the other artists and can choose songs that will fit with the overall theme of the evening

MUSICAL TERMS | IN AN EVERYDAY SENSE

Most musicians are more well-versed in Italian than they realise... apparently, so are many non-musicians.  The terms that we use in our arrangements and orchestrations come as a second tongue to us, but we recently read an article that brought these terms to light in their everyday sense.

Many of our non-muso friends use the same words we do - just in a slightly different context!  Take a look at these.  There's 50 of them!

1. Ad lib (from ad libitum): an improvisation
2. Baroque: elaborate, extravagant, and/or flamboyant
3. Beat: a brief measure or pause
4. Cadence: a sequence or measure of rhythm
5. Choir: a group of people sharing beliefs or values (“preaching to the choir”)
6. Chord: the target of a stimulus (“strike a chord”)
7. Chorus: a unified response (“a chorus of approval”)
8. Coda: a conclusion
9. Conductor: someone who organizes an enterprise or scheme
10. Crescendo: a high point
11. Cue: a signal to start or do something or cause it to happen
12. Downbeat: pessimistic
13. Duet: an action undertaken by a union of two people
14. Encore: an additional performance or achievement
15. Ensemble: a group in which no one person stands out
16. Falsetto: an unnaturally high voice
17. Fanfare: celebratory attention
18. Finale: a concluding performance or act
19. Gig: a job or assignment
20. Impromptu: spontaneous, improvised
21. Interlude: a planned interruption or intervening period
22. Leitmotif: a recurring overarching idea
23. Maestro: an accomplished person
24. Medley: a series or other collection of ingredients or actions
25. Opera: extended to “soap opera,” the slang term for domestic radio and later television dramas (so called because detergent manufacturers often sponsored these programs aimed at homemakers) and “horse opera,” another name for westerns (plural of opus)