the Baritone's Creed has just been completed. the quartet by Earl McGhee is
now complete.

THE BARBERSHOP BASS'S CREED
By Earl McGhee

1. I will always remember that Basses are God's chosen people and will
strive to convince others of that truth.

2. Whenever the notes fall within my "Power Range", I will sing in a
manner that conveys the message "I am a Bass! Hear me roar!"

3. Whenever there exists the slightest opportunity for a swipe, I will
take it, whether the music is so written or not.

4. I will, on rare occasions, allow the Baritone to take a swipe.

5. I will always remember that the Bass establishes the sound of the
quartet or chorus and I will not allow the Bari, Lead and Tenor to
forget it.

6. I will remember that the lead carries the melody and message of the
song and so, will show him a modest amount of respect. I will not
over do it.

7. I will remember that the Tenor, though he sings girlishly, is a rare
and hard to find guy and so, will treat him with grudging respect. I
will not over do it.

8. I will not step on the Lead's pickups and will tune my voice to his,
even though he is prone to drop pitch. For I am a Bass and I can
reach it.

9. I will frequently remind the Bari that his proper function is to
make the Bass sound good.

10. I will do all of the above in a spirit of humility befitting one of
God's chosen people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BARBERSHOP TENOR'S CREED
By Earl McGhee

1. I will remember that I am a Tenor and that Tenors are unique among
men. I will conduct myself accordingly.

2. During chorus rehearsal, I will allow myself to be shushed by the
Director, but at the performance, I will drive my high notes to the
far corners of the room.

3. I will show a certain respect for the Bass, for few men could sing
with their knuckles dragging upon the ground. I will not get mushy
about it.

4. I will always remember that the Baritone really thinks that those
strange notes are hauntingly beautiful. I will respect his
intentions, but I will not get mushy about it.

5. I will not forget that all Leads really wish they could sing tenor,
but I will not let my pity for them become obvious.

6. I will be very selective about the Lead, Bari and Bass that I will
consent to sing with in a quartet. I know that I will always be in
great demand, for they are many and we are few.

7. I will practice until no one can tell when I go from natural voice
to falsetto, for I know it drives the others crazy.

8. When pickup quartetting, I will insist upon trying to sing the bass
part, for I know it causes the real Basses great pain.

9. Whenever, in a show, my quartet manages to create an overtone, I
will let a sly smile play across my face that says "Yes, I really
did hit that note".

10. I will hold my head high, remembering that I am a Tenor and that
humility is for those who can not afford arrogance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BARBERSHOP LEAD'S CREED
by Earl McGhee

1 . I will constantly remind myself, and all others, that I am the
natural center of the quartet or chorus.

2. I will never be tempted to try to sing Tenor, Baritone or Bass, for
I can carry a tune.

3. I will strive to never drop pitch, for I grow weary of hearing the
Bass whine that I am forcing him to go too low. Isn't that where
he's supposed to go?

4. I will make no attempt to understand why the Tenor sings way up
there.

5. I will take command of the melody and the other three parts can darn
well harmonize with whatever I'm singing.

6. I will treat the Baritone with kindness, for he is a sensitive
fellow and cannot help making those strange sounds.

7. I will smile wider and make more gestures than the other singers,
for mine is the part that everyone listens to.

8. I will, on rare occasions, allow the Bass to take the melody,
bearing in mind that he can't be expected to handle it for long.

9. I will allow the harmony parts to take a swipe now and then. It's
all they have.

10. I vow to remain generous, modest and unspoiled by acclaim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BARBERSHOP BARITONE'S CREED
by Earl McGhee

1. I will never forget that I am a Baritone and will never attempt to act
normal, lest others forget

2. I will sing softly, with quality, leaving the bellowing to the Bass.

3. I will sing what works, even if it cannot be described on paper, for I
am a Baritone.

4. I will show a little respect for the Tenor, for he also sings softly,
though his notes are ordinary.

5. I will sing flawlessly thru the two part swipes, creating wonderful
sounds, in spite of the Bass.

6. I will never attempt to match volume with the Lead, for I understand
that what I must seek is the harmony that only a Baritone can produce.

7. I will, at every opportunity, practice my part alone, for I know it
drives others up the wall.

8. I will occasionally tilt my head to one side and smile blissfully, so
that everyone will think I'm hearing wonderful harmonies that they can
only dream about.

9. I will try to understand that others do not realize that it is really
the pitch pipe that is off.

10 I will remember that very high notes, very low notes and the ability
to carry a tune are grossly over rated and that only a Baritone can
settle a chord.


Earl McGhee
Daytona Beach Metro Chapter
jmcghee6@...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[and in case Yahoo still has us cross-linked, this is not Myron. reply to:
cbaker84@....]

KTWWS!
Christopher

Bass, Surfside Chorus
VP, Program & Chapter Development
Webmaster, www.surfsidechorus.org
Society Member # 280320

Bass, Surftones, www.surftones.net
Bass, Port Orange Harmonizers, www.portorangeharmonizers.org

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