Metro Mix Chorus has fun with 'tagging' at its rehearsals
In barbershop harmony quartets or choruses, such as Metro Mix, when we hear the word “TAG” we don’t think about chasing each other. Instead, we “sing tags.”
I asked our lead section leader of Metro Mix, Janelle Aberle, to assist with explaining what tags are and why we learn them, sing them in songs and find them so helpful as we rehearse. She shared the following information:
Wikipedia described a tag as this: In barbershop music, a tag is a dramatic variation put in the last section of the song. It is roughly analogical to a coda in classical music. Tags are characterized by heightening the dramatic tension of the song, frequently including a hanger or sustained note against which the other singers carry the rhythm.
Aberle explained that, basically, a tag is the end of one of our barbershop arranged songs and often it has embellishments to add some spicy parts and end the song on a climax.
When we "sing tags" or "tag sing" or "tag it out," we are singing the last part of those songs. In rehearsals, we might sing those tags over and over until we get them just right and the chords are ringing. So fulfilling!
We also do tags in a chorus to promote independent singing. Since we don't stand in sections in our chorus, being able to sing your part is vital to a successful chorus. Knowing what to do with your own voice to make the tag better is a skill that can be applied to chorus singing.
To hear it for better understanding, look for videos by Jen Cooke. Check her out online. She teaches them and then there are other videos where parts are left out and you get to add your voice.
Example: Happy Birthday
https://youtu.be/lmdbGiC8MQI
Or to hear a great tag (while being able to watch the music), check out “Ringmaster,” a quartet from Sweden
https://youtu.be/B1qtFgcI-5Y
If you want to see how our chorus learns, practices and performs tags in our music, come to the Shueyville Methodist Church on Thursday evenings to visit a rehearsal. Call Dianne Gray for time and specific information: 319-461-4792. We love visitors, and our ever-expanding chorus will share our harmony and maybe teach a tag.
The chorus is indeed growing, as we gather more area Sweet Adelines to perform with us at the international competition in September. We officially accepted some of them into Metro Mix last Thursday at our rehearsal. They will have opportunities to rehearse our competition songs and learn others, if they wish, to participate in our summer activities and “singouts.”
Look for us this summer when we sing the National Anthem at the Cedar Rapids Kernels ballgame on July 7, at the Shueyville Sunday Service on Aug. 7, and an ensemble performance by the Extension Chords at Herbert Hoover’s birthday celebration in West Branch on Aug. 10.
Lots of fun to be had this summer, maybe playing tag, singing tags and sharing the harmony.
Lynda Black-Smith sings lead for Metro Mix. Thank you, Janelle Aberle, for your help with this column.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Metro Mix Chorus has fun with 'tagging' at its rehearsals
