Most of the work I did preparing for this week’s sing-around session was on a song led by someone else. My friend, Steve, wanted to reprise the Kick the Cat song we did about a year ago but, since it is just voice and double bass, and the double bass also gets a series of breaks after each chorus, that was quite a lot of responsibility on me! Here’s the version we were working from:

Out of interest – does anyone have any idea about the tune that comes at 0:41? The next two are Greensleeves and Vaughan-Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme from Greensleeves but, although it sounds familiar, I still haven’t quite placed the first one.

The three I led were Down in the Hole, Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) and I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free. The first one is a reliable 16 bar blues that works well for my voice. I think it dragged a little but it still worked. I’ll have to check the key on the second. For some reason I had it transposed to G which pushes a note or two too high. C was what I used to do it in with the ukulele group where I learned it. Moving to D or perhaps higher might make better use of my strongest vocal range but G is too far (or I’d have to be down in the region that doesn’t project so well for much of the song). I think I made up for that though with my third one – also in G but it fits my voice like a glove and works through the bass with infectious energy. Definitely my best of the day, even including the Cat one (in which no actual felines were harmed).