Karaoke Microphone
Public Domain Repertoire Included with Emerson Karaoke Machines: Valuable or To Be Ignored?
Copyright 10/2011 by www.GoKaraokeMachine.com
Songs on karaoke CDs cost close to $1 each. Because public domain songs are free to the publisher, they are commonly included as bonus songs in karaoke music collections, in order to bring the cost of each song down considerably.
Emerson karaoke machines often include public domain selections.
Public domain songs are usually characterized as "traditional." These songs sometimes do not appeal to a karaoke singer who is focused on a certain style. . . initially.
Certain things we eventually come to treasure are not readily seen as important, when we first encounter then.
Here's an example of how value may be discovered:
On a trip to England, my traveling companions and I traveled through the Chiltern Hills, in the vicinity of the West Wycombe Caves. This area was in the Southern England Chalk Formation, known also as "chalk downs." It wasn't lush and green like the Lake District. It wasn't quaint. It was a very plain landscape.
I tried to make the best of standing in a very plain field fenced by inhospitable barbed wire, examined the dirt, and, being unread about the region, was ready to ask why we had come such a distance to see this part of England.
I picked up a chunk of conglomerate rock, and couldn't believe my eyes: the conglomerate contained flint.
Somehow I was aware that flint had an important part in making fire in primitive Britain, although I knew no details of that process. I had never seen flint, but recognized its similarity to chert and obsidian which we have in California.
So I stood there, in the midst of an ordinary-appearing field, realizing it contained flint in every square yard. I experienced a sense of privilege, and of amazement at how I could have wished for a greener location.
There were more surprises to come: rustic cottages built with the flint conglomerate; and chalk caves nearby. But the contrast of how I first saw the landscape with the moment I discovered the flint left an indelible impression.
This transformation of a seemingly less significant experience into a treasured experience is how many traditional songs included in karaoke music CDs may come to be appreciated by a singer. As karaoke singers, our interest in a certain style or content may cause us not be aware of the possibilities of traditional songs. When we first see the songs, we at times recognize that the software publisher included those songs as bonus songs without extra cost to the publisher, but can't help wishing they were songs in the style of music we prefer.
It is clear that traditional songs offer many possibilities. They tell real experiences through music, even though those experiences might be outside of our own experience. A mixed audience will have members who appreciate a traditional song, and often be familiar with it, and may sing along with lyrics on the TV monitor.
To foster appreciation of the storytelling qualities of a traditional song, when planning a family or other gathering where karaoke will be an activity, it can break the ice to ask each person a song to prepare and present. If the event does not allow for advance assignments of songs, short written histories might be offered to the presenters to introduce the song before traditional songs telling unfamiliar stories are performed.
A singer's preparation of the song might involve searching for renditions on YouTube, and choosing among them as a model for a performance. Because traditional songs reflect real history, it would seem preferable to use a straight singing style for these songs. However, it is possible to apply a style to them, and such possibilities may present themselves after watching several YouTube renditions.
GoKaraokeMachine.com surveyed renditions by famous artists of the traditional song, Nine Hundred Miles.
Nine Hundred Miles appeals to all ages. It is included in a K-1 Learn, Read, and Sing CD by Forever Hits. It is contained in an Emerson Plug 'N' Sing microphone song collection, and as a permanent song in an Emerson All-In-One karaoke machine. At GoKaraokeMachine.com, a search on "miles" will bring up these products.
In a video included with this article, one may hear an excerpt from a rendition of Nine Hundred Miles sung straight, by Tom Joad.
On a children's karaoke disc, a traditional song will normally be performed in a quick tempo, and will be appropriately performed as:
-an action song,
-a look back in time,
-a song best presented with introductory remarks,
-a song inspiring audience participation,
-a duet or group song.
A MIDI accompaniment for Nine Hundred Miles played at a quick tempo typical of children's versions, is heard in this article's included video.
The wonderful website, Second Hand Songs, provides links to many versions of the song, Nine Hundred Miles, some of which appear in videos on YouTube. Only a few are listed below. You will need to join as a member, but there is no charge.
Straight renditions by female vocalists include those by:
-Judith Durham (The Seekers),
-Mary Travers (Peter, Paul & Mary),
-Hedy West (wrote The Journeymen version), and
-Roseanne Cash.
Straight renditions by groups include those by:
-The Journeymen,
-The Brothers Four,
-The Seekers, and
-Peter, Paul & Mary.
Stylized renditions include:
-Country: Reba McIntyre, Bobby Bare
-Idiomatic (belonging to a certain time or place): Woody Guthrie
-Soul: Mary Wells.
In conclusion, while we sometimes expect and want stylized singing with karaoke, at other times, style can interfere with a story. Traditional songs, sung straight, can be riveting.
A karaoke singer will want to remember that singing "straight" and "out of genre" is always a choice.
All of the above artists' renditions are available on YouTube except those of:
-Tom Joad,
-Woody Guthrie, and
-1manband.com.
If you lose track of this article on the web, you can find it again, along with YouTube links at www.GoKaraokeMachine.com, in the Articles section, How To Choose a Karaoke Machine - Article #3, on traditional songs.
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