Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast
where we make your music selection less complicated.
On today's episode, we are going to be discussing
You Better Slay by Gerard Hall. Cheers to starting
the conversation. This piece is so fun to program
for a winter concert or an elementary wintertime
demonstration, right? It came out when Stetson
Beguine did it for Midwest a couple years ago
and y 'all this piece your kids are gonna be
begging you to play it year after year Yeah,
actually, it's funny. You should say that I was
just talking to another director who said his
kids asked him Hey, can we make this an annual
thing like instead? of sleigh ride, can we do
this one? Which I think is so cool. Yeah, it's
so fun. It is in funk style, so lots of articulation.
The key of concert B flat throughout, it's about
two and a half minutes. It's in cut time. So
that I think is probably with the syncopated
funk rhythms, I think that's probably the thing
that makes it most complicated. It does have
split clarinet, alto trumpet, and trombone parts.
Lots of cool percussion in this. This is something
that you really need. to have six. percussionist
minimum to cover all of the accessory equipment
and you want all of those parts covered because
I think they really add to the color of the piece.
Yep and there's an optional vibraphone part but
it sounds really cool it adds a lot of color
to it so it would be a good one if you have enough
players. So it's in cut time as Laura just mentioned
and it starts off with all the low voices and
I don't know how you teach cut time but I remember
when I played this piece last year I taught it
to them in four first so we learned to count
it one two three one two three four yes two three
and I am currently preparing it for winter concert
and we are doing the same thing okay but what
I do is we learn it in a fast four but I put
the met click on every two beats so that they
feel the emphasis where the cut time beat will
eventually be. And that helps them to start to
kind of feel that. But we counted in 4 -4. Yeah,
all of that. I made the kids actually tap their
foot in cut time even from the very beginning.
Yeah. So, but we did count it in 4 -4. Okay,
so that's how we both did it. But that helps
just, you know, to give you guys some ideas for
when you rehearse it too. So it starts off like
I just mentioned with the low voice is going
one two three and then you get like a long chord
in the upper people a little harmon mute on the
trumpet and they're gonna hold this long tied
note for a while with some cool like drum stuff
happening behind it and then the lows are just
doing a little bass line for one For one and
so it's just fun very fun. It's very funk. It's
very groovy Your kids have to be really good
independent counters. Yes and players Yes, because
especially when it goes up to tempo they have
to feel really good about I'm gonna play on an
and beat here I'm gonna play on a downbeat here.
So just this is definitely a piece that if you
have kids that can count, this is a good one,
but it's really tricky if kids can't feel that
syncopation or the upbeats in nature. As we continue
on, the saxes, who are featured a lot in the
piece, along with clarinet two, come in with
two, three, and four, and then the lows. For
a note, like in response. So it's just really
fun. The whole piece starts out kind of thin,
thinly scored at nine. The lows keep doing the
same little like walking bass line, but now we've
added in flute, oboe, clarinet, one, two, three,
and four. So it's like the same thing. Lots of
column response, kind of moving through the ensemble.
Lots of articulation. So all of those quarter
notes that Katie's singing are marked staccato,
and then there's slurred. Yeah, there's slurred
patterns. There's marcato, all those. low voices,
that funk stuff, that syncopated stuff they are
doing is all marked to Marcato. Just lots of
style, lots of style, independent counting, accidentals
because of the key. It's the beginning of Slayerite.
But it's like in a funk version. So it's real
fun. And then the trumpets come in one measure
later along with clarinet, too, and alto sax
with the same thing. So, you know, these are
just little conversational pieces. You know,
they're just kind of all. having little call
and response type things. It's like a tower of
power were to do a sleigh ride version. Love
it. Then the kind of like medium to low voices,
trombone, euphony, and bassoon tenor sax have
a long note. We still have the low voices kind
of punctuating it. Then we add in the horn and
the tenor sax with like the first melody. So
it's like a little part of a little town of Bethlehem
So it's really fun And then at measure 14 flute
oboe clarinet still have another little interjection
two and three and four in Followed immediately
by alto four and one and two and three. Yeah,
so it's just like real jazzy Vibraphone gets
to have it with sax, you know, that's just cool.
Like yeah jazz vibes. I love it Percussion is
just kind of jamming away on like a drum set
type part It's like snare, hi -hat, and bass
drum. And that is really important. It could
be a drum set or it can be multiple children.
There's a lot of accent, closed hi -hat, open
hi -hat. Yeah, the hi -hat part is kind of tricky.
It's really important obviously to add to that
whole feel, making sure they can execute that
right. Yep and then um we have our last little
interjection where like all the uppers go two
three and four and then everybody together one
and then we're decrescendoing. 19 is just the
hi -hat -y type part and then we start off with
um this like little staccato -y part for everybody
so two three four one and four or four yeah so
it's real fun the kids love it it's a woodwind
feature and then brass comes in and the next
measure for their feature three and or sorry.
Yep. Yeah. Three and two. Yep. They answer. And
then one and, and, and, and, and, and, and two
and uh, and then the lows. So much syncopation.
Yes. And so it's really fun and it's marked really
well with all the accented entrances. Um, but
just going over that with the kids when it's
slower is really helpful, obviously. Um, but
then the lows get to have this cool part. low
reeds only clarinet bass is just woodwinds very
sax yeah they get to have this cool like little
walking bass line and 29 and 30 and then four
one and two and and four so it's just um you
know continuing on just featuring your beautiful
woodwinds then there's a little solo for the
trumpet and it's uh muted still yep and it's
just a fun little like jazzy interjection and
then the lows get to come in two three and four
one and then they take over the the melody Da
da da da da. And then trumpets come in and this
is like where it starts to build up Just like
in a jazz chart where everybody comes in and
you're building it up One three one and and four
One and two and three so it's just just a beautiful
fun arrangement And again everybody's getting
to have something you know harmonies are a little
bit different Which I think yeah, which I think
is is really really cool, but it just gives a
different. It's a different twist Yeah, so then
the flutes and the trumpets kind of have the
melody along with clarinet back and forth and
they're doing So that's going back and forth
and then we've got just some cool like little
like chords underneath like Laura mentioned from
some of the lower voices in the mids and then
at 50 we kind of all have half notes again and
some chord chain like some passing tones and
51 cool color chords and then we're crescendoing
up and then this is where it starts to be super
fun this is like the shout section in a jazz
piece so 54 is unison rhythm yep Two, three,
one, and one, two, three, and four, and. Yeah,
I'm thinking you can't tell you're there yet.
One, and two, and one, two, three, four, one.
But it's the whole band with the same rhythm,
the same notes. So it's like all of these horn
hits in a jazz chart, but it's unison for your
whole band. It's so cool. And it's also like,
it takes a lot of precision because everybody
has the same thing. So just really cleaning this
section. We did this like on a loop a lot in
rehearsal because we wanted to make sure it sounded
really nice. There's like a little marimba solo
too where they get the interjection in a measure
of... complete silence for the wind three and
four it's just the marimba which is pretty fun
and then we have another like the end of the
shout section is at 60 one two three four one
then the low brass get to plan a melody right
here and then it's still like the yeah they're
still in the flute oboe clarinet but i love it
i think this part is really cool because i like
that the tenor voices like your trombone euphonium
tenor sax bassoon this tenor voices get this
kind of legato it's even it's marked legato this
totally different feel but there's still the
stuff that's going on behind them is still funk
yeah right it's still all of that articulate
stuff but you have this beautiful legato melody
just layering through I love this section yes
I do too so they're playing the melody as we
were just singing and then there's even like
a little like scoop yeah in the Trombones. We're
gonna make fun of ourselves later. Let's listen
to this good at the same time. Sorry And then
at the end of the melody though, they get my
kids loved this measure 68 and and one and it
says punch it so like I was like come on trombones,
you know, like it's fun and if you articulate
it well, that sounds so cool and then We've got
to like a little again a little interjection
from some of the upper people and then at 70
the um trumpets have ding dong merrily on high
Is that the name of the piece? Uh, yeah, let's
say yes. Yeah. Yeah, let's say yes. Hopefully
you guys all know this song. Um, it's the only
time when that little melody comes through, but
the trumpets get to be the important part here.
But it's like, it's complicated and awesome writing
because there's still other stuff going on. Like
the, um, What is this? Yeah, the tenor line people
still doing the da da da da da da da da da da
da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da
da da da da da cannot be just it's not every
melody for itself you have to figure out you
know yes who needs to be in the foreground who
needs to be in the background yep absolutely
because it is it's a bit it's a lot yeah but
if you layer it correctly it sounds really cool
and I'm still like I'm glad I'm gonna be picking
Katie's brain on this this we have had three
very short rehearsals on this so that like we
are not at a point that we are even talking at
that level yet I know it's coming yeah but the
trumpet part is super cool here at 70 bring that
out then the tenor voices like Laura had just
mentioned, they're gonna come down one level.
There's a cool like walking bass line underneath
that is awesome. Then you still just have the
cute little interjections from flute, oboe, clarinet
and sax. They just keep having that as their
main function. Then we're crescendoing. We got
another scoop in 74. So they're doing a partridge
and a pear tree. Not on the downbeat. Everybody
has it together on beat two. It's super fun.
Then percussion keeps on grooving. The hi -hat
part is super fun. There's little scrapes in
the suspended cymbal part. Then the vibes get
to have the... along with flute, oboe, and sax.
And then we get this cool like buildup again,
kind of like a jazz chart. Two, three, four,
one, two, three, and one, two, three, four, one.
So you're getting to kind of build it up and
it's a little bit more like... low voices here
so that's pretty fun and then at 84 oh man my
kids love this part so this is definitely like
low brass super fun so we have like tuba euphonium
and trombone with and then there's cues in the
low reeds i would let them play it if you know
why not if it's just for a christmas concert
and the horn is going to play with them too so
they have so it's just like this little like
eight measures of like a it's like a totally
different like vibe it's not even a Christmas
song it just sounds fun and it's cool and the
kids love it and then this was their favorite
part 92 this is the low brass part so they get
this cool Now listen, we skipped over the clap.
Oh, yeah, I'm so sorry. There is a woodwind clap.
Well, and then we have to say Stetson was amazing
at Midwest when he did this piece. Midwest is
a band and orchestra international convention
that happens every December in Chicago, in case
any of our listeners have never heard of Midwest
or been to it. And his band was one of the featured
programs that year. And Stetson came out on stage
in this like sparkly red awesome jacket it was
so amazing and then all of his kids had like
the fans like you know like a yeah like a hand
fan not like the kind that is electronic like
like a like a folding fan a folding fan I don't
know okay and so they all like at the same time
they didn't clap they did the They like opened
the folding fan, do you remember? Yes, I do.
And so every kid like took their fan and opened
it and it made the like... Like all of them made
like, it made a clap sound and then they like
kept doing it. It was just so much fun. But that's
like, you know, an extra step if you want to
like go above and beyond like Keita, that's super
fun. But it does just say clap in the part. So
like my band, when we played it last year, we
just clapped. Um, but it is so fun and we like,
we did it kind of sassy and like up where everybody
could see it. Um, okay. Then we get the low brass
part one and four. and four. So it's like, it's
such a cool funk line and my tubas loved it so
much. You're missing out. I wish this was videoed
because you could see Katie's dance moves. You
don't get the full effect without them. Sorry.
I mean it's way better when you do that, especially
on the podium for the kids. They think you're
really cool when you do that. Anyway, so... I'm
shaking my head. Yeah, right. So this part is
so fun though and like how often, you know, Gerard
being a tuba player, he gives them cool stuff,
which I love. Like the bari part and the bass
clarinet, they're getting to play just this like
really low jam and then the saxes get to come
in with the clarinet. One, two, three, four,
one. It's kind of like, like a little bit like...
mysteriously. And then the lows are still doing
it. And then there's little claps interspersed
in here too. And then the trumpets and the horns
and the clarinets and flutes. in oboe are now
at 100 clapping the whole time so they're clap
clap clap clap they're just doing it on the beat
for a while while the saxes keep going and then
the trombone and euphonium have now joined the
cool funk line boom boom boom boom boom Now,
listen, on all this clapping, it's marked fortissimo,
but it is way more important that it be precise,
that it is in time, and it is precise than that
it is loud. And you gotta let your saxes rip
here, because it is a sax feature, and they've
got little, what do we call these? Glissando's,
yeah. Little rips. Yeah, little rips, rips. So
fun. The Barry player should just go to town
here. Then we're getting another build up to
a shout section. Two, one, or sorry. Yeah, if
we're in cut time it would be that, but three,
one, three, one. Yeah, so it's just super fun.
It's another shout section Everybody's kind of
playing similarly together then the trumpets
get three and a one two three four they're the
last little melody here and then we come back
with the sleigh ride from the flute and clarinet
and oboe over them with the marimba and the vibes
and then we're crescendoing and the woodwinds
are building us up to 122 where we have one and
two again so it's kind of like a recap of the
beginning but it's not just the lows this time
it's the full ensemble and then two three and
four one and then it ends and a two and a one
and one or sorry two and one yeah so it's really
fun the whole band has like the same rhythm at
the very very end there is not a lot of times
in this piece where it is full band like it's
it is woodwind or it's here it's mid voices or
high voices or low voices there are plenty of
times but there's not a lot of resting no it's
just like you have four measures off that's right
playing that's right or yeah it's but it's they're
playing like the whole piece almost. Your kids
will love this, but I think Katie opened it up
by saying, and I think it is so important, they
have to be independent counters. If they are
not independent counters, this is not for you.
Yeah. For sure. But it's super flashy and so
much fun. It'll have your audience on their feet.
Yeah. And I played this, like Laura said, last
year for my elementary tour and just... everybody
went crazy and we played it at the mall too and
like all the mall people were like loving that
song. Yeah. It was like the most fun one of all
of them. So, you know, Gerard is such a great
writer and he really knows how to make sure everybody
can get their special moment in the sunshine
and you will not be disappointed with this piece.
So we hope you will consider programming. You
better slay in the future and thank you for joining
us on this episode of Band BFFs.