O My Problematic A4

Ever since we moved on to attend a different church, I have not served in the worship team for two and half years. Wow, I wasn't counting and I did not realise it was that long. No wonder I missed it so much.

Which explains why when Ee-Tan, my cell group mate who will be worship leading tomorrow, called me yesterday to fill in for a back-up vocalist who fell sick, I gladly agreed.

We just had our practice and it lasted for more than two hours. My fellow back-up vocalist sort off apologized for the many songs we need to sing because of the Holy Communion service, but I was so happy I wouldn't have minded it at all. In fact, the more songs the better, to make up for the lost years!

The experience of being a back-up vocalist however, is interesting I must say. This is indeed my first experience in being a back-up vocalist. I have always been the worship lead. As we began to practice, the other vocalists were harmonizing, and so I decided to sing it all in melody to back-up the lead. It was a good experience.

Then I was asked to take on a short verse in solo to be sung during the communion time. All of us have at least one solo part to sing. I am ok with singing solo, quite used to it being in Grace Notes, but the song was really not in my range - it is low in D major. It builds up to A4 and B4, just above the middle-C. The A4 is my most problematic note. I have to use my chest voice to sing in that range but on reaching A4, I had problems maintaining it in the same quality as my lower notes. I tried it a few times, it wasn't working. It wasn't nice and I was wobbling. I knew I had homework to do.

And homework I did. It sounded nicer using a softer and rounder voice without forcing it. Indeed I pray I will sound ok tomorrow.

pearlie