Duck59
Guru
- Joined
- 23 Apr 2015
- Local time
- 6:11 PM
- Messages
- 3,149
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
- Website
- duckholiday.com
Inspired by music documentaries (and a few drinks), I "interviewed" a musician last night. This is part of it.
Me: How many songs do you think you could sing from memory?
Catherine W: No idea! Hundreds...I don't know...maybe 700, 800. Of course, a lot of folk songs have different versions and you get different lyrics, then you get tunes that get used for completely different songs, like Sean South of Garryowen and Roddy McAuley.
Me: Have you forgotten a lyric when you're performing.
CW: Loads of times!
Me: What do you do when you forget?
CW: Ad lib, usually. Or sometimes you forget a verse and just repeat one you've done or one that you remember. Sometimes, I've forgotten a verse and then remembered it halfway through the song. You can sing it later in the song as long as it doesn't make the song sound stupid.
Me: Ad libbing...that reminds me of your famous, er, diversion at the end of Young Ned of the Hill.
CW: <giggles> Ah, yes, that...I'd had a few drinks that day and they put me on later than they'd planned so I was a bit sozzled. It just came to me while I was singing the chorus. I knew the audience wouldn't exactly be upset if I slagged off Maggie Thatcher, so I just let rip!
Me: And how many of my songs can you remember the words to?
CW: About fifty or so, I should think...
Me: I'm touched and impressed...unless you're lying!
CW: <outraged> No, I can!
Me: Blimey, you must like some of them.
CW: <grinning> Most of them...some are really good.
Interview ends amid much giggling.
Me: How many songs do you think you could sing from memory?
Catherine W: No idea! Hundreds...I don't know...maybe 700, 800. Of course, a lot of folk songs have different versions and you get different lyrics, then you get tunes that get used for completely different songs, like Sean South of Garryowen and Roddy McAuley.
Me: Have you forgotten a lyric when you're performing.
CW: Loads of times!
Me: What do you do when you forget?
CW: Ad lib, usually. Or sometimes you forget a verse and just repeat one you've done or one that you remember. Sometimes, I've forgotten a verse and then remembered it halfway through the song. You can sing it later in the song as long as it doesn't make the song sound stupid.
Me: Ad libbing...that reminds me of your famous, er, diversion at the end of Young Ned of the Hill.
CW: <giggles> Ah, yes, that...I'd had a few drinks that day and they put me on later than they'd planned so I was a bit sozzled. It just came to me while I was singing the chorus. I knew the audience wouldn't exactly be upset if I slagged off Maggie Thatcher, so I just let rip!
Me: And how many of my songs can you remember the words to?
CW: About fifty or so, I should think...
Me: I'm touched and impressed...unless you're lying!
CW: <outraged> No, I can!
Me: Blimey, you must like some of them.
CW: <grinning> Most of them...some are really good.
Interview ends amid much giggling.