Stand Up - Woodshopping

Melismas and "runs" don't just happen. You have to practice that shit until it sounds effortless. In "Stand Up" I had no guideline. You see, the awesome arranger commissioned this piece just for our choir and we premiered it. Thus, as a soloist, I got a chance to put a mark in the universe with how I styled it.

Y'all, I had a helluva time trying to figure out the middle bridge portion of the song. I had the choir director play my part (as written) a gajillion times so that I could get the meter and the feel for things. And then suddenly, it all clicked. I could see that the composer was adding in some gospel swag and so I schmoozed that "small" word for all it's worth. I don't have a full recording but I included this short clip as a reminder that making things look easy takes a lot of work.