Practice Tracks
~A note on cultural appropriation~
•Recordings are for your ears only! Do not disseminate. For real. It's illegal.•
•And bare with me on some of these, they're quite imperfect. Sometimes its flat by the end of the recording, or my voice is straining. But I hope these rough cuts get the basic parts across!•
•If a track glitches, try refreshing the page.
To search:
1. Create a shortcut to his page on your desktop
2. Use the search function to find the song you're looking for. ctrl. + F or cmmd. + F
I'm putting a lot of tracks on here, and we'll see if we get to them all this season. Every week, I curate the flow of the session to match where the group is at and mix in new and old ones, so please no song requests during class!
In Winter, nature can seem really dead. But life never sleeps. Traditionally around the beginning of February, Imbolc is where we pay homage to the seeds actively germinating under the earth in late Winter. It is a "Cross-quarter" holiday falls half way between the winter solstice and the Spring Equinox. Let's keep these magical little seeds in our hearts!
In the beginning was the seed, was the seed
and in that seed was a dream
sings "awake, arise,
begin the growing you will need,
till one day you're a seed again."
Marias's Bonus Harmonies!
An important reminder to count our blessings. There is so much to be thankful for, and at times our minds can be like velcro to negative things in life, while acting like teflon to the good stuff. Daily gratitude practice is so helpful to keep things in perspective, and having this song stuck in your head works pretty well!
Practice Tracks
All around me are blessings
raining down
all around me
The story behind this song is a powerful one, and I highly recommend listening to this seven minute podcast by Julia Alvarez. It is this piece of her writing that Laurence wrote the song from. The lyrics are a direct quote from Henry James, and the overall message is one of deep acceptance of the world even in the darkest of times.
Practice Tracks
Be the one on whom nothing is lost
and you will gain the whole world, and a soul besides.
Gracias. Gracias.
Another of my pal Karly's magnificent three-parters, I learned this last summer from her at Song Village. It has a bittersweet redeeming quality I think.
For this breath, this sound, this holy, holy ground
for this wondrous living world,
give thanks, give thanks
A powerful insta-song by Eugene-based songstress Karly Loveling. Put this one in you pocket! Interesting subtle polyrhythms.
• Doin' my best to be the love
my deepest heart is dreaming of
•With every breath I take,
Let me be the love
•Letting my cup overflow
Teaching Tracks
A beautiful and heartfelt song of gratitude and parting. This is a great one to learn a few of the parts of with a few friends, such that when somebody departs, you could break into this layered caress as they leave, singing our friends in and out of our days and lives... I have all six parts, but I find that combinations of three or four work best. And All parts can be sung the octave down for lower voices!
Teaching Tracks
Love that you were here with me,
Love that you were with me
In my waking, and in my sleeping,
love that you were with me.
The triumphant chorus to Helen Yeoman's Stronger. I imagine this coule be a pretty powerful protest song. Here is a sweet rendition inside a huge cathedral.
I believe it's stronger.
I believe that love is stronger!
I believe that love is stronger!
I believe that love is stronger!
Teaching Tracks
A traditional Bulgarian song, arranged in the 20th century by Philip Kutev. into a 3-part choral piece. This one presents an interesting story around cultural appropriation. Kutev was interested in "preserving" traditional Eastern European music, and succeeded, while simultaneously changing it to fit the modern, Western-competing Soviet ear. Everything we touch, we change. Here is a great article that goes into these issues.
In a nutshell, the whole song is a repetitive back-and-forth between Mari and Rada. "Vecherai Rado...Murivomka iezleza" is Bulgarian for "Have supper Rada, outside with Mari" And the conversation says, " Have you heard...Rada? people have been talking about me...Rada....saying Ive been knocking..... on doors, Rada....on your door....Rada..." Pretty funny actually. No resolution. Is it true?
We will learn the first three verses this season, and see how far we get! The harmonies are classically Bulgarian and full of droning magic...
Vecherai rado x3
Muri vomka izlisa
Da si ta pitam x3
muri ti chula li si
za men da gulchot x3
Rado, po tselo selo
Full lyrics here
Teaching Tracks
The epic gospel chorus of a longer song, a powerful reminder to let go. And endlessly goosebump-inducing juicy harmonies!
We let the love wash over us
we let,
we let it be
We let the (Joy) Etc...
Teaching Tracks
This classic anthem from the Natural Voice Network of the UK hits the sweet spot for four-part harmonies. Singing this song is like dessert. An important reminder that we do infact have everything within ourselves that we need to meet the challenges and rewards of our days and lives.
We've got all the love
All that we need
to change our world, halleluia!
We've got all the love
all that we need
blesssed be.
Teaching Tracks
I learned this one in a song circle that Karly lead a couple years ago, and it pops into my head constantly. Sometimes there are those circumstances in life that require us to release control and accept that "it is what it is", and to move on. Sometimes we don't need to recontextualize/reframe, or search for the silver lining in everything. Sometimes, we step in dog poop, and as Forrest Gump said, "It happens." That kind of immediate acceptance is what this song is about.
- It is what it is, like it or not. It is what it is
.-Love keeps loving, oh-oh. And I'm still Loving you...
-Push-pull, give it up give it over.
Dream-scheme, fall down and start over
-Keep on moving, keep on moving forward.
This song came to Soleil in a dream. I added the ridiculous minor harmonies. Praise be unto an avocado that can really feed you and your friends...
-Giant, giant avocado x3
With a pit in it, giant avocado
-You can eat it with your friends on some tacos!
An epic round and great reminder to learn from our experiences in life. The "let go" part should overlap directly on top of itself, creating a chord that makes its way around the circle. Quite fun and a nice intermediate challenge as a song leader. Give it a shot!
For all that has been, take lesson and be grateful.
Let go, let go, let go, let go, let go and move, move on, move on.
This song takes its content from a chapter in Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass (which everyone should read.) All about lichen, which is the embodiment of mutual thriving. Lichen is a co-operation between algae and fungus. Two beings from different "kingdoms" working in harmony to support one another, and weathering the ages in difficult environments. The term 'ear of stone' refers to a common name for a kind of rock tripe/lichen. Here is that chapter read aloud. The quotes we are singing come in at the very end. To fully understand the meaning of this song I highly recommend listening to or re-reading this chapter.
-Oh lichen, oh lichen turning light and stone into flesh and bone.
-Ear of stone will you hear our anguish when we understand what we have done? x2
-May you also hear our hymns of joy when we, likeyou, marry ourselves to the earth.
A great "bang for your buck" three-parter. Awesome harmonies, clear message. Sing it with a couple friends on a night hike!
-Full moon shining bright, guide my way through the night.
-Full moon shining, guide me through the night.
Coming in with my required Mary Poppins style here, this is SUCH a great round, easy to learn and teach, and with a clear purpose. I have ended many fire circles with this song. Author unknown, older lyrics say "may angels surround you, their silent watch keep".
Goodnight to you all, and sweet be your sleep, may silence surround you, your slumber be deep. Goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight.
Unknown author, fun little lilting melody that speaks of this exact time of both flowers and ice.
When Winter is passing I long for the Spring. The days now grow longer, the sun it grows stronger, and down in the valley I hear the birds sing!
Mysterious sounding layer/insta song. Check it out on Spotify. Pretty friggin groovy.
A classic round, and one that I often hear sung in a simplified or shortened manner. A bit of a workout for the vocal chords to get all those notes just right...Latin for "grant us peace"