Hi, folks !
In my Corner this week I will present to you one of the legendary Champion Gold Medal Singers that took gold in the International Senior Quartet Championships in 2007 together with the quartet Friendly Advice, in which he sang the bass part. Forrest LaMotte has an impressive record from different competitions. In 1978 he took the Evergreen District Championship together with the quartet “The New Rendition”, in 1987 he became Evergreen Champion with “Easy Street”. In 1995 he was due for the Evergreen District Championship again, this time with the Quartet “Extra!, Extra!”. In 1999 he again struck gold at the Evergreen District Quartet Competition with a new quartet called “Reunion” and in 2007 it was time for the definitive breakthrough, winning the gold medal at the International Senior Quartet Championship together with “Friendly Advice”, an impressive list of high quality achievements in this wonderful genré of barbershop singing. I consider it a great honour that I could get this interview with one of the best barbershop basses I’ve ever heard! So, my dear readers, here are the questions and Forrest’s answers to them. I am sure you’ll find them most interesting and constructive.
Forrest Lamotte
How was it that you came in contact with Barbershop music?
My earliest recollection of barbershop (and close harmony singing) was seeing the Osmond brothers quartet singing on the Andy Williams show in the early 1960′s. I was fascinated by the sound (it may be some kind of resonant gene that I have). I also would stop everything I was doing and listen to the Lennon Sisters when they sang their beautiful four-part harmony on the Laurance Welk Show back in those days. It wasn’t until 1970 when my mother (who knew of my interest in barbershop) bought tickets for a big barbershop show at the Seattle Opera House. I went with my fiance” and my parents. I was hooked! It wasn’t until two or three years later that a co-worker spotted a very small advertisement in one of the local papers. It said ”SnoKing barbershop chorus holding auditions for admission. Come to the Northgate Mall” (on some day). My co-worker and I decided to go and see what it was about. The SnoKing chapter’s chorus was there performing and they invited me to come to their weekly meeting/rehearsal the very next Wednesday. When I arrived they immediately made me feel welcome. There were quartets there that sang as well as the chorus. I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn’t died and gone to heaven! They taught me a tag (”When I Leave the World Behind”). It was about a 40 minute drive back home and I must have sung the bass part to that tag 50 times in my car. I joined the chapter as soon as I could and never looked back.
What do you find so special about singing barbershop?
Like I mentioned in #1 I think maybe some of us are born with a gene that resonates to close harmony. It certainly does with me anyway. I just get a thrill every time I hear a nice, tight, well-sung chord. That is only slightly more important to me than the wonderful comraderie and life-long friendships I have made over my years in this wonderful life-style. Just look at me…I’m writing to someone who I consider a great friend (Dan Lindroos) and he lives half way around the world and I met him (and a lot of other wonderful Finns) because of barbershop. How many other hobbies could you say that about? This summer I will be attending the International Convention and contest in Anaheim, California (home of Disneyland). I will be there with nearly 10,000 other barbershop fans renewing friendships and singing tags (ask Dan or Chris what those are about) until 5 o’clock in the morning. That is about as much fun as you can possibly have with your clothes on!
How has barbershop music affected your everyday life?
It is like having a supplemental religion but you don’t have to wait until Sundays to get the most out of it. It provides friendships, activities on a weekly basis, opportunities to travel and, most importantly, a satisfaction while singing that I have never felt when singing any other kind of music. In the almost 40 years I have been a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (formerly the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America Incorporated) I have continually met new friends and enjoyed a social involvement that is unlike any I have experienced anywhere else.
I still have lunch about once a month with the lead of my first quartet even though we haven’t been in a quartet together since 1979. I have been to contests and conventions up to 5 or 6 times a year, met with close friends in my quartet on a weekly basis, and attended an annual camping weekend of barbershoppers every Labor Day for the last 23 years. Of course I am a bit more addicted than some. Others do not choose to be quite as involved as I have been and some are even more connected. I am very hopeful that the membership in Finland will increase to the point that my friends there will have the same amount of opportunities that I have had over the years. It takes a certain number of members to achieve the amount of activities I have mentioned.
What does it take to become a good barbershop singer?
To be candid it does require a reasonable sense of relative pitch. Prior musical experience, especially singing, can also be helpful but it is not necessary. Other than a little singing with the church choir and about a year with my junior high school choir I haven’t had any training other than what I got from being involved in barbershop. Be careful though…barbershop singing has a lot to do with producing ”overtones” (harmonics). These won’t happen if any of your singers are using a lot of vibrato. It is OK for the lead to add a little vibrato at the ends of some of the phrases for effect but as a rule it will tend to destroy the overtones. The other parts should avoid vibrato entirely. A quartet or chorus will never be able to achieve a rich expanded sound if any of its members are not singing their notes accurately. There can be places in a singing organization for those who do not sing well however. We have many members in the U.S. who do not sing well (or at all) who love the fellowship and love to be around the singing. These members will often perform the administrative duties (secretary, treasurer, music librarian etc.). I would say another requirement for good singing is a willingness to listen to coaches and those who have barbershop experience. When I started in barbershop I joined a quartet within the first year. We competed at the local level in our first contest and came in dead last out of about 20 quartets. As I began to listen to the more experienced guys and what the director was saying to the chorus (including some of the guys that offered to coach us) I began to understand how to place the sound within my singing mechanism and my sound improved. As the years went by I joined other quartets and managed to win several District contests and ultimately the International Seniors Championship in 2007 with my friends in ”Friendly Advice”.
As with anything that requires skill, practice is important. Lots of singing is important. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! SING! SING! SING! Sing as often as you can paying close attention to what qualified critics tell you and making a concerted effort to put their suggestions into your music. When I coach quartets I always suggest that they spend about 30 minutes of each practice session singing duets with the lead singer (one part singer at a time). Lead sings with the bass then lead and baritone, then lead and tenor (not necessarily in that order). The two members who are not singing should listen while the other two sing and point out the problems they hear. Be sure to stop those who are singing as soon as you hear a problem and offer your suggestions then have them sing again to correct the problem.
This will improve the matching of the voices, the timing (the attacks and releases of the phrases) and many other important issues. If you are not comfortable critiquing each other, do it in front of someone you trust to give you good advice. It is important when the four of you sing together that each of the part singers (baritone, bass and tenor) continue to try to duet with the lead singer. Always sing as though you were duetting with the lead. If everyone matches the lead well, the quartet will also match well. Another good idea is to buy CDs of good quartets. Especially those that have won the international contest (and that you like). I cannot tell you how many casette tapes I wore out in my early years. Sing along with these CD’s in your car as often as you can and try to sing like the guys in that quartet.
You don’t have a CD player in your car? GET ONE! It is a great way to put your driving time to good use and two or three hundred euros is a small price to pay to enhance your ability to sing music that will be with you for your entire life. If you don’t spend much time driving get a small portable CD player and listen while you are walking. You don’t have to sing along out loud to learn!
Is there any special advice or things that you would like to point out when recording barbershop music?
Use a professional studio if you are making a CD that you want to sell. Find a studio that has recorded A Capella music before and be sure they understand the volume relationships etc. that are involved with this kind of music. The wrong technician can get the volume relationships wrong between the parts and ruin the sound. Take your coach with you to listen and make sure they are doing it right. If you are doing your own recording (and I recommend that you do every time you rehearse) get a hand-held digital recorder. It is a good idea for each member of the quartet to have one. They are fairly inexpensive now and will produce a near-perfect sound. Record somewhere where it is quiet and there will not be distractions. Do not use a room that is too large and creates too many echos. You need to hear every detail of your singing without it being masked by reverberations. This is how you pick out the little problems and correct them. While you are learning songs record them each time you sing them and listen to the recording between rehearsals. You will automatically hear things that need improvement and correct them the next time you get together. Make a list of things you want to discuss with the quartet when you get together. If you record your songs again each time you get together the quality of your singing will improve as the quality of your recordings does.
Can you recall any special outstanding moment or situation in your barbershop career?
Winning my first district contest is right up there. There is nothing like singing your best and having the crowd respond with a huge cheer at the end followed by the award ceremony when they announce the winner and it is YOU! Walking onto the stage at the international contest in front of thousands of barbershoppers and their families is a good one too. The absolute best has to be singing in Vaasa and St. Petersburg for people who may have been exposed to barbershop for the first time. Their response has been overwhelming. I know for Wes (my lead singer in Friendly Advice) and me one of the most memorable moments was when we were presented a plaque of appreciaton in the Vaasa church after performing all week at the choir festival. We were both reduced to tears. We barbershoppers tend to wear our emotions on our sleeves:).
What is your favourite barbershop arrangement(s)?
So many arrangements to choose from and so little time to sing them all! I don’t have just one favorite but ”Here’s that Rainy Day” (arranged by Bob Brock) is near the top. I am also fond of ”Operator” (arranged by Fraser Brown) and ”Why Did I Choose You” (arranged by our good friend Ruby Rhea). Those are songs that my quartet has sung. I don’t remember the arrangers but I really like ”Hello My Baby” sung my the Second Edition and ”Many Happy Returns of the Day” sung by the Boston Common.
How do you think that barbershop singing will evolve from where we are today?
I see barbershop becoming more widespread around the world. As our planet shrinks and communication and transportation become more and more advanced it becomes easier to spread the barbershop art form. We already have people singing it in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and Canada just to mention a few. There is a trend toward singing songs that are a bit more modern as opposed to those from the era between 1890 and 1930 when barbershop was first gaining popularity. Some do not like the change but I think it is inevitable. I would like to see the day when I could travel to any country in the world and find people singing barbershop. It would be wonderful to be able to join them in a song that we all know.
What would you like to convey to newcomers of this musical style?
Run, do not walk, and join a group of barbershop singers. You will never regret it. You will find a lifetime of wonderful experiences and friendships. This is one way we can bring people together, at least for a short while, put our differences aside, and have a wonderful time singing in the process. The society has a list of songs called polecat songs which are intended to provide something for all members to be able to sing as long as they can find a lead, bass, baritone and tenor. This way whenever you find yourself among barbershoppers you will be able to sing a song or two even though you may never have met them before. I suggest you learn these. The music and ”learning CD’s” are available from the society for very little money. Learning CDs (with your part sung with predominant volume as well as ”in balance” with the other parts) are available for hundreds of songs and the guys who make these CD’s will make a learning CD of your favorite song for a fee if they don’t already have it. Many arrangers now have the ability to create a computer version of learning CDs and will give or sell these to you when you buy their arrangements. This is a great way to learn music quickly and accurately. See Chris, Dan or any of the FABS guys for more information on this.
One last thing. It’s all rated ”G” (for all audiences)!!!
Yours for a song,
Forrest LaMotte – Bass
Thank You Forrest so much and all the best for the future!
