rhiannon

It really all began in the fields, on the plantations - secret prayer meetings held deep in the woods. Harmony, syncopated rhythms, blues - a whole lot of feeling and messages of praise and gratitude. One line, one verse freely improvised. Every word sung with one purpose in mind - the uplifting of the human spirit. "Old School" gospel employs elements of call and response, repetition, staccato phrasing, and thythmic interplay between the choir and soloist. Melisma (quickly moving vocal embellishments that slide, move in scale motion, and surround the phrase with color and feeling) is always important in gospel singing, but in the old school style, the song is never sacrificed for the sake of the solists' vocal prowess. Gospel music has heat - sometimes it gets so hot that all you can do is shout!

Joey Blake
bass vocals
about joey
The bass is the foundation of most musical ensembles. It is responsible for setting the musical style and harmonic structure, and for keeping the time and feel intact... Read more


Laurel Murphy
blend
about laurel
Blend is the heart of ensemble singing. It is quite the opposite of singing solo. You have to drop back and find a common sound, matching the other voices in pitch, volume, tone... Read more


Linda Tillery
gospel tradition
about linda
It really all began in the fields, on the plantations - secret prayer meetings held deep in the woods. Harmony, syncopated rhythms,  blues - a whole lot of feeling... 
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Jeanie Tracy
the soloist in gospel
about jeanie
The soloist is never separate from the choir. She or he works with the ensemble, often repeating the choir's words, deepening and expanding them...   Read more


David Worm
mouth percussion
about david
Singing percussion is something I came to out of necessity at first. In order to complete musical ideas in an a cappella context, I realized I would need to use body sounds...  Read more