I've contended for years that the original 48-minute version of this video should be required viewing for every single barbershopper -- on an annual basis!
@@rweaver912 If you aren't with the times, you'll always get left behind. Barbershop will move on with or without you. Besides, it isn't like we don't learn about the classics.
4:39 "What do we technically call that? Circle of fifths. And I hate to say that because basses wake up and say 'did someone call'", that had me rolling. love this
I live in Santa Barbara CA and was out at a local Farmer's Market promoting our next Barbershop show and this guy came up to me, took one of my flyers and said to me, "Dave Stevens was my dad." It was his son, Jack, who lives in Santa Barbara and I was just stunned. I got goosebumps, because I knew Dave, he was a friend and one of the most entertaining barbershop icons I ever met. And I was also lucky enough to be in the Harmony College audience when this video was made.
I attended a couple clinics by Dave Stephens. One was in Birmingham, AL during the late 70s. What an experience. He was a master. By this time I had already competed at an International in both chorus and quartet - nonetheless, Dave doubled my music savvy.
i still have my arrangements manual signed by MR STEVENS from HEP SCHOOL IN 77 he was a magician and ext nice when he told me no way ! thank god i listened
Thanx, Grady. I'd been hoping someone would upload all or part of this to TH-cam. (Too tonic? That calls for some gin--might as well make it supertonic!)
He also directed the Berkeley CA chapter "The Californians" to an international gold medal in 1957. He sings the bass part on the learning track for the song "Rainbow 'round my shoulder"
well...from bass to bass let me explain: basses often sing the 5th in a chord and are regarded as ....well....less interested in the theory-of-music-stuff....but as they love to sing their part, you can wake them up easily by asking them to sing their "five"....
He made it simple for us, we are in C major. Home base (I) is C After Dark (V7) is G7 Coney Island (II7) is D7 Had my way (VI7) is A7 Five foot two (III7) is E7. The Five foot two chord progression (or the Liebesträume or a thousand other songs) in C major goes like this: C E7 A7 D7 G7 C (G7)
I've been watching this for the last few months via the link on the BHS site with a very tiny presentation and bad A/V synch. Thanks for putting it on here. Is this available in full through BHS? I haven't been at this craft long but I love this video.
I have not seen a video. An audio recording of the entire address is available (I've heard it); likely buried somewhere in the now mangled BHS website. I will echo the above comments: this should be required listening for all new barbershoppers. David Wright should be required to sit in a cell and listen to it daily.
While the alcohol jokes may be part of why everyone laughed, the Basses in a typical traditional Barbershop arrangement have the most responsibility for keeping the chorus or quartet tuned through the circle-of-5ᵗʰs regressions back to tonic (“Home Base”), because the considerable majority of the time they sing the root of the chord (Root Position), and most of the rest of the time they sing the Perfect Fifth of the chord (2ⁿᵈ Inversion). If they’re singing a Major Third (1ˢᵗ Inversion) or Barbershop Seventh or some such (3ʳᵈ Inversion), that’s called a “weak” tuning as opposed to the “strong” Root and 2ⁿᵈ Inversion. In previous versions of the C&J (Contests and Judging rules), the MUSic Judge (the one responsible for determining how “true Barbershop” the song and arrangement _as performed_ were) would dock points if “weak” tunings were used prominently (such as in a sustained chord longer than a quarter note, instead of in passing) or unless there was good reason (such as for voice leading [same reason the occasional Tenor/Lead “crossover” is allowed where the Tenor goes _below_ the Lead for a note or two to prevent unwieldy voice leading]).
TIL there are conservative and progressive barbershoppers. Apparently conservative barbershoppers don't consider a lot of recent barbershop music as being "barbershop" because the harmony doesn't always use this overly simplistic and limited progression, and thus they try to gatekeep the creative potential of future barbershop because they personally don't like the way it sounds. Guess what? The old barbershop songs you like will always exist, but all musical genres, including barbershop, are allowed to develop and evolve over time. Talk about elitism within the barbershop community. After watching this and getting a sour taste in my mouth from his conclusion/message, I read someone in the comments who mentioned forcing David Wright to listen to this on loop all day everyday. I'm currently checking out his lecture/video series on the future of barbershop, and I appreciate him actually having an open mind about the topic and not trying to tell other barbershop arrangers what they are and aren't allowed to do just because old barbershop didn't do that.
This was filmed in the mid 1980s and, at that time, Dave was right; that's exactly what barbershop was. Take in the historical context. Of course things change, and have, drastically, since then. But I still think this video is an excellent primer to understand the basics of Barbershop.
I've contended for years that the original 48-minute version of this video should be required viewing for every single barbershopper -- on an annual basis!
I would LOVE to see the whole thing!
Those days are gone. Barbertrash is here to stay...until Barbershop gets "Culture Cancelled!"
@@rweaver912 If you aren't with the times, you'll always get left behind. Barbershop will move on with or without you. Besides, it isn't like we don't learn about the classics.
Well...Who'd have thought would be NOW? Somebody hit the lights on the way out! Goodnight Irene!
4:39 "What do we technically call that? Circle of fifths. And I hate to say that because basses wake up and say 'did someone call'", that had me rolling. love this
I live in Santa Barbara CA and was out at a local Farmer's Market promoting our next Barbershop show and this guy came up to me, took one of my flyers and said to me, "Dave Stevens was my dad." It was his son, Jack, who lives in Santa Barbara and I was just stunned. I got goosebumps, because I knew Dave, he was a friend and one of the most entertaining barbershop icons I ever met. And I was also lucky enough to be in the Harmony College audience when this video was made.
Yes!!! I'm so glad to see this up online now. This age 24 barbershopper wants more of the old stuff!!
I attended a couple clinics by Dave Stephens. One was in Birmingham, AL during the late 70s. What an experience. He was a master. By this time I had already competed at an International in both chorus and quartet - nonetheless, Dave doubled my music savvy.
That's somebody who has elevated teaching to an art form.
I saw him do that routine so many times, and even when you knew what was coming, you just about split a gut! Dave was one of a kind.
Nothing has blown my mind more than when I first watched this video.
i still have my arrangements manual signed by MR STEVENS from HEP SCHOOL IN 77
he was a magician and ext nice when he told me no way ! thank god i listened
Thank you very much with a big smile from a German bari girl - greetings of Vier Im Paket, BinG! - Barbershop in Germany!
Only discovered this today. Totally fabulous! I have a whole new vocabulary for chords now! 💈🎶
Yes. Excellent video. It also has Dr. Henry's Gold Medal Moments keynote.
I got Hooked in the 80s and sang as quartet in the 80s as a international qtet.
NEW ATTITUDE QTET.
Yea we did not to do too great but MAN I loved it!
What a great teacher he was!!!!!!!
Master Dave Steven’s! Was fortunate to attend one of his classes!
Who can forget his wonderful line, "Hell of a deal!"
Just ordered my copy as well. Thanks for including a link!
Awesome video!
God Bless this Man
That was fantastic. A GREAT way to make use of the archives.
I miss those days as well as well as those songs.
Awesome video. Go ahead and spring for the full version. I've seen it several times -- and I still don't get it! (ha)
Thanx, Grady. I'd been hoping someone would upload all or part of this to TH-cam. (Too tonic? That calls for some gin--might as well make it supertonic!)
He's saying "Teutonic" which relates to Germanic ancestry. It's a pun for "to tonic"
He also directed the Berkeley CA chapter "The Californians" to an international gold medal in 1957. He sings the bass part on the learning track for the song "Rainbow 'round my shoulder"
BRILLIANT!!!
He has a great barbershop voice
Science of woodshedding! ;)
Because basses primarily get the roots and 5ths of the chords... that and perhaps a veiled reference to a bottle of booze. ;-)
Spectacular
god i miss his humor and ability so long dave
Ordering my copy right now. Thanks for putting this up. Already linked to my FB page
well...from bass to bass let me explain: basses often sing the 5th in a chord and are regarded as ....well....less interested in the theory-of-music-stuff....but as they love to sing their part, you can wake them up easily by asking them to sing their "five"....
Nope. It's about booze. :-)
And also... "fifths" were little bottles of liquor, like what are found in hotel room refrigerators, lol ;-)
Yes
Cool dude!
He reminds me of Al Jolson.
I need to know the chord progressions here. I know 1, and 5. What are the rest?
He made it simple for us, we are in C major.
Home base (I) is C
After Dark (V7) is G7
Coney Island (II7) is D7
Had my way (VI7) is A7
Five foot two (III7) is E7.
The Five foot two chord progression (or the Liebesträume or a thousand other songs) in C major goes like this:
C E7
A7
D7 G7
C (G7)
I've been watching this for the last few months via the link on the BHS site with a very tiny presentation and bad A/V synch. Thanks for putting it on here. Is this available in full through BHS? I haven't been at this craft long but I love this video.
What about the Sunshine chorus (Biii Bailey's last eight)? Does that occur anywhere in the music of the masters?
I'd love to see the rest of the video. Is it only available if purchased?
I have not seen a video. An audio recording of the entire address is available (I've heard it); likely buried somewhere in the now mangled BHS website. I will echo the above comments: this should be required listening for all new barbershoppers. David Wright should be required to sit in a cell and listen to it daily.
Can we please have the full video and not just this segment? 😊
Please put this on Utube!!!
So, about that "more" part . . .
What year was this?
1983
someone please explain the bass joke: "when I say circle of 5ths, the basses wake up and say, 'did someone call?'"
Just in case no one answered you... A "fifth" was a small bottle of liquor, like the size you find in a hotel room cabinet. ;-)
Me thinks a "fifth" is one fifth short of a quart. I.e. 4/5ths of a quart.
While the alcohol jokes may be part of why everyone laughed, the Basses in a typical traditional Barbershop arrangement have the most responsibility for keeping the chorus or quartet tuned through the circle-of-5ᵗʰs regressions back to tonic (“Home Base”), because the considerable majority of the time they sing the root of the chord (Root Position), and most of the rest of the time they sing the Perfect Fifth of the chord (2ⁿᵈ Inversion). If they’re singing a Major Third (1ˢᵗ Inversion) or Barbershop Seventh or some such (3ʳᵈ Inversion), that’s called a “weak” tuning as opposed to the “strong” Root and 2ⁿᵈ Inversion.
In previous versions of the C&J (Contests and Judging rules), the MUSic Judge (the one responsible for determining how “true Barbershop” the song and arrangement _as performed_ were) would dock points if “weak” tunings were used prominently (such as in a sustained chord longer than a quarter note, instead of in passing) or unless there was good reason (such as for voice leading [same reason the occasional Tenor/Lead “crossover” is allowed where the Tenor goes _below_ the Lead for a note or two to prevent unwieldy voice leading]).
TIL there are conservative and progressive barbershoppers. Apparently conservative barbershoppers don't consider a lot of recent barbershop music as being "barbershop" because the harmony doesn't always use this overly simplistic and limited progression, and thus they try to gatekeep the creative potential of future barbershop because they personally don't like the way it sounds. Guess what? The old barbershop songs you like will always exist, but all musical genres, including barbershop, are allowed to develop and evolve over time. Talk about elitism within the barbershop community.
After watching this and getting a sour taste in my mouth from his conclusion/message, I read someone in the comments who mentioned forcing David Wright to listen to this on loop all day everyday. I'm currently checking out his lecture/video series on the future of barbershop, and I appreciate him actually having an open mind about the topic and not trying to tell other barbershop arrangers what they are and aren't allowed to do just because old barbershop didn't do that.
This was filmed in the mid 1980s and, at that time, Dave was right; that's exactly what barbershop was. Take in the historical context. Of course things change, and have, drastically, since then. But I still think this video is an excellent primer to understand the basics of Barbershop.
Drinking joke.