WEBVTT 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:10.320 Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.660 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:15.859 On today's episode, we will be discussing Upbeat 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:18.719 by Randall Standridge. Cheers to starting the 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:23.620 conversation. This piece is a blast. So cute. 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:27.899 It is a publisher grade 1 .5. It's about two, 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.059 two and a half minutes in length. It's really 00:00:30.059 --> 00:00:34.560 fast. Lots of energy, lots of repeated syncopated 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.520 rhythm, massive amounts of percussion, of course. 00:00:38.579 --> 00:00:41.880 There is a split clarinet part and split trumpet 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:46.380 parts. Everything else is pretty simplified except 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:48.960 percussion. There's an optional drum set part. 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:52.060 So like if you have a that can play that this 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.079 this room this is like funk to me right so fun 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:57.899 so a drum set would be awesome but you can also 00:00:57.899 --> 00:01:00.740 split that out amongst lots of lots of different 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:03.439 players if you need to and it is not on the Texas 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:06.959 PML and so Laura and I both said oh my gosh this 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:10.159 would be so fun to do with a region band because 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:14.219 it's just beefy enough but also not too out of 00:01:14.219 --> 00:01:19.560 reach so super super fun so the whole piece is 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:23.780 it's marked upbeat rock, it's at 144, it's in 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:26.060 the key of concert E flat, and it starts out 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.859 with everybody having the same rhythm. One, and, 00:01:28.859 --> 00:01:31.640 and, and, and one. Little chromatism in there. 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:34.379 And then like timpani and drum set. One, and, 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:36.859 and, and, and one. Concert E flat, by the way, 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.340 I forgot to say that, sorry. So at the beginning, 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:41.959 the first time you have that little part for 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:45.519 everybody, the final note on measure two, downbeat 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.680 of measure two goes down. One, and, and, and. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:53.599 and won. then it goes one and and and and one 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:57.439 and it goes up to the upper octave so the reason 00:01:57.439 --> 00:01:59.920 I bring that up is because just for teaching 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:02.280 opportunities that's pretty cool you can teach 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:05.280 like your flutes how to play the lower C and 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:08.000 how to play the upper C with a good sound trumpets 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.360 same thing D with the kick slide upper D without 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:14.240 being out of tune things like that not everybody 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.500 goes up and down the octaves it's just flute 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:19.500 and trumpet but that's an excellent opportunity 00:02:19.370 --> 00:02:23.150 to always teach how to sound good in ranges of 00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:24.810 your instrument that you don't always go to. 00:02:25.469 --> 00:02:26.849 As you mentioned, the drum set part. And that 00:02:26.849 --> 00:02:28.870 unison octave, right? I mean, this whole thing 00:02:28.870 --> 00:02:32.110 is unison. A lot, a lot of unison, yeah. So then 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:34.389 there's this little rim shot, little snare jump, 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:37.610 digga digga rim shot. And then at five, it's 00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:40.250 so cute. It's a digga digga rim shot. Digga digga 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:42.849 rim shot. Lots of cymbals too, which you know 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:46.650 Standridge loves, so just use with caution. Yes. 00:02:47.590 --> 00:02:50.430 So then the... drum set part kind of keeps going. 00:02:50.889 --> 00:02:53.909 You've also got like a tambourine part like you 00:02:53.909 --> 00:02:55.789 really do just think of like a little. It is 00:02:55.789 --> 00:02:59.990 rock yes. At five the sax and the horn have the 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:03.349 melody and it's got some accents one two and 00:03:03.349 --> 00:03:07.629 three four and one two and and and then at seven 00:03:07.629 --> 00:03:10.449 the low people come back in with that same rhythm 00:03:10.449 --> 00:03:15.370 one and and and one and and and one and then 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:18.030 they play it once alone and then at eight the 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:19.979 the upper people join in and play it with them. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:22.900 I told Laura before we started this, we're playing 00:03:22.900 --> 00:03:27.199 this right now with our Sweet Sub -Non -Varsity 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:30.210 and they love this piece because... They're like, 00:03:30.409 --> 00:03:33.810 it's so hard. It's so fun. Cause it's the same 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:35.909 rhythm over and over. And they're like, but there's 00:03:35.909 --> 00:03:38.069 a style marking on everything, right? So like 00:03:38.069 --> 00:03:41.090 there, I mean it does, it can look a little intimidating. 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:43.169 The rhythm with all the eighth rest and then 00:03:43.169 --> 00:03:45.169 the accidentals and then the style, but it comes 00:03:45.169 --> 00:03:48.990 together so sweetly. So I, I just, I love this 00:03:48.990 --> 00:03:51.069 piece. So you're going to hear me sing it a lot. 00:03:51.069 --> 00:03:53.469 And I just think it's so fun. I come home from 00:03:53.469 --> 00:03:57.330 work singing it. So it's very catchy. Um, so 00:03:57.330 --> 00:04:00.009 then the horns and the altos. Take over again, 00:04:00.330 --> 00:04:02.889 same little rhythm. One, two, and three, four, 00:04:03.030 --> 00:04:07.050 and one, two, and one, and, and, and, and one. 00:04:07.210 --> 00:04:09.669 So then everybody's got that. And then the lows 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:13.830 get to keep going. Two, three, four, one, two, 00:04:14.030 --> 00:04:15.810 and one. Oh no, wait, sorry, we're not on that 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:20.430 part yet. So right at measure 13, the horn and 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:23.269 alto and second clarinet comes in with this little 00:04:23.269 --> 00:04:27.199 almost chromatic little lock down. One, three, 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:29.579 four. Yeah, it's so fun. When the upper voices 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:32.579 get the one, two, and three, four, and one, two, 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:34.959 and, and. Yep, and then the lows got it again, 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:36.379 then everybody joins them. It sounds like something 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:39.120 from Sesame Street. I don't know. Do you know 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.680 what I mean? Like, teaching you a, this is the 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.680 word of the day. I don't know. Okay, well anyway. 00:04:45.180 --> 00:04:48.639 I just showed my age. I'll take that back and 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:51.959 we can use that in the band hall on Monday. So, 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:56.560 so fun though. So continuing on, we get a, the 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.720 next little moment is with trumpet and flute 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:02.500 and oboe at 17. They have the same thing. One, 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:04.939 two, and three, four, and now we've got this 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:07.579 cute little chromatic thing. One and two and, 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:11.259 and then everybody has one and, and, and, and 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:14.259 one, two, three, four, and those all, all those 00:05:14.259 --> 00:05:17.129 notes. have an accent on them when we're crescendoing 00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:20.110 up to 21. This is the melody I was thinking it 00:05:20.110 --> 00:05:23.430 was before. So now the trumpet, horn, and clarinet, 00:05:23.670 --> 00:05:25.870 and sax. And percussion, by the way, is super 00:05:25.870 --> 00:05:27.790 active all the way through this. Not only do 00:05:27.790 --> 00:05:29.550 you have that cool drum set part, but I mean, 00:05:29.769 --> 00:05:32.870 there's lots of cymbals. Lots of cymbals. There 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:35.689 is some mallet percussion stuff that's going 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:39.829 on. Cowbells, suspended cymbals being hit. And 00:05:39.829 --> 00:05:41.730 cowbells are pitched cowbells. Like you want 00:05:41.730 --> 00:05:44.459 two different pitches of cowbells. There's all 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:47.860 types of some serious funk percussion happening. 00:05:48.540 --> 00:05:52.199 At 21, now we've got a new melody. One, three, 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:56.699 four, and. Three, four, one, three, four, and. 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:00.740 two three four one so it's so cute so catchy 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:04.939 again a great teaching piece because you do have 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:08.379 like inharmonic notes you get to talk about like 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:11.259 oh it's an f sharp in this measure but now we're 00:06:11.259 --> 00:06:14.639 in a new measure now it's f natural um you know 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.019 all those little things that you know are great 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:20.879 to teaching moments yeah um There's the bass 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:23.319 line happening underneath that as well with percussion 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:26.759 just kind of keeping the groove. The melody comes 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:29.259 back again. And this bass line in this section 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:31.819 really is just like a something. A walking bass 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:36.620 line, yep. Then we've got everybody reaches at 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:40.759 28, one and two and three and off. And then 29, 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:42.920 everybody has the same rhythm again. It's just 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:45.240 like the beginning. And one, lots of percussion 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.360 in between. Yep. 33, we go back to that same 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.420 thing from before, this time with flute oboe 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:54.279 and clarinet one only on the melody with bells 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:57.000 only. And it's not accented in the same way it 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:58.980 was earlier. You don't have those punches on 00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:00.899 one and three. Yeah, it's a little bit more like 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:03.040 calm here. The low brass are doing something 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:05.220 different. That's a piano, yeah. And they have 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.720 like a cool little chromatic -y thing too. Then 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.139 the horn and clarinet have a response. So they 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:15.319 play first, upper people. One, two, and three, 00:07:15.339 --> 00:07:18.899 four, and one. two and and and then horn and 00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:22.600 alto one two and three four one and two and so 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:24.720 now we've taken that same melody and just split 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.379 it out between two different voices um then they 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:29.519 we all kind of all join in together and lead 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:33.699 up again to 39 lows get to have one and and or 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:37.819 sorry one and and and and one then it's a percussion 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:41.939 break then everybody one and and and and one 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:45.319 percussion break again then a forte piano 43 00:07:45.290 --> 00:07:49.250 the lows have the melody one and and and trumpets 00:07:49.250 --> 00:07:53.810 add more people add and one then it's percussion 00:07:53.810 --> 00:07:58.310 break for four measures and now it's a ds all 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:02.490 coda so you go back to five and you play basically 00:08:02.490 --> 00:08:05.689 the same stuff again so the same type of roadmap 00:08:05.689 --> 00:08:10.029 yep until measure 28 and then it goes to the 00:08:10.029 --> 00:08:13.329 coda and the coda has really similar stuff in 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:16.350 it again everybody playing together. We bring 00:08:16.350 --> 00:08:19.509 that same theme back one and and and and one 00:08:19.509 --> 00:08:22.310 just like the beginning. Yep we've got the accented 00:08:22.310 --> 00:08:25.350 melody again one two and three four and one two 00:08:25.350 --> 00:08:30.889 and everybody one two three four and so it just 00:08:30.889 --> 00:08:33.649 has this cute little ending I mean this piece 00:08:33.649 --> 00:08:38.000 is just adorable and really easy to put together. 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.100 Because it's so repetitive. Or depending on your 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:42.679 group, right? That's right. Yeah. That's right. 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:46.220 But just a couple of basic melodies to latch 00:08:46.220 --> 00:08:49.399 onto. And then it's about. That's right. That's 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:52.519 right. Then it's about layering and balance. 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:55.559 Exactly. And where's my ear going? Ear mapping 00:08:55.559 --> 00:08:58.360 it out correctly for them. Letting your percussion 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:00.940 have some fun, but not get too crazy. And like 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:03.679 people are always asking, you know, Laura and 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.159 I for like advice on what should I. I program, 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:09.259 blah, blah, blah. Recently, somebody asked us 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:11.419 like, I need a piece with dotted quarter notes 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:13.840 in it. I need to make sure my beginners understand 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:16.759 this rhythm or whatever. This is a piece where 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:19.799 you, it's literally called upbeat. So do you 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:22.279 need some help with some syncopation? This is 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:25.220 your piece, you know? And once they get it, they'll 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:27.019 get it forever, you know? And they'll always 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:29.120 be like, oh, remember upbeat when I learned how 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.460 to play on an A and well, and I love that so 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:34.440 many of those trickier rhythms are unison, right? 00:09:34.789 --> 00:09:37.090 The style is unison, the rhythm is unison, so 00:09:37.090 --> 00:09:39.389 I mean that makes teaching it so much easier. 00:09:39.409 --> 00:09:43.009 You could spend a week on the first four measures 00:09:43.009 --> 00:09:45.669 if you needed to because everybody plays the 00:09:45.669 --> 00:09:48.110 same thing. Yes, and it comes back over and over. 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:51.149 But like I said, it makes kids feel really successful 00:09:51.149 --> 00:09:54.509 and they love it because it sounds harder than 00:09:54.509 --> 00:09:58.529 it is. And with the DSL Coda, it makes it seem 00:09:58.529 --> 00:10:01.450 longer than it is as well, which again is really 00:10:01.450 --> 00:10:04.139 fun for... Any kid to feel successful and excited. 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:06.259 Yeah, it's 50 printed measures. Plus the CODA, 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:08.340 of course, you know, which is another, what, 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:11.059 20 measures or something. Oh, there you go, 62 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:14.600 measures. That's so fun. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:17.240 hope you will consider programming Upbeat in 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:19.379 the future and thank you for joining us on this 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:21.879 episode of Band BFFs.