Every now and then you just feel that need to check up on your knowledge, don’t you agree? Indulge!
1. What tool should all singers bring to an outdoor performance?
A. Umbrella
B. Hairdryer
C. Plastic bag
D. Clips
2. Who said: “I wanted to sound like a dry martini?”
A. Amy Winehouse
B. Paul Desmond
C. Miles Davis
D. James Bond
3. What should you never eat before you go on stage?
A. Apple pie
B. Nuts
C. Spinach
D. Any fruit with a G in it
4. What is your best spot on stage?
A. Near the map with your lyrics
B. Next to the drums, to perfect your timing
C. In the spotlights
D. On the lap of your piano player
5. How do you find your perfect key?
A. You have to be lucky
B. I sing everything in the original key
C. I look for the highest and lowest note in the song
D. I sing all my songs in Bb, that’s my perfect key
6. When and with which song did Ella Fitzgerald win the Apollo Amateur night?
A. In 1935 with I’ve got rhythm
B. In 1934 with A-tisket, A-tasket
C. In 1936 with I’ve got a right to sing the blues
D. In 1932 with God bless the child
7. What is the first line of How High The Moon?
A. Somewhere there’s music, how high the moon
B. Somewhere there’s music, how faint the tune
C. Somewhere there’s music, it’s where you are
D. Somewhere there’s music, how near how far
8. Which keys are hardly ever used during jam sessions?
A. C and F
B. B and F sharp
C. Bb and Eb
D. Cm and Gm
9. How do you study your lyrics?
A. By whispering them once
B. By singing them phonetically
C. I never study my lyrics, I collect them in a map and hold them close on stage
D. By writing them down
10. How do you deal with your audience?
A. You never do, really
B. You admit you’re nervous as hell, and that you’ve hardly had time to prepare
C. You focus on what you’re about to share with them
D. You imagine they are not there
Solutions:
1. D (during an outdoor performance it can be windy – you don’t want to lose your charts)
2. B (Paul Desmond, jazz saxophonist, known for “one of the largest livers of our time”)
3. B (nuts may leave you with an itchy throat)
4. C (always look for the ‘sun on your face’, so you’re clearly visible to your audience)
5. C (find the key between the highest and lowest note you’ll be singing)
6. B (I knew you knew this one)
7. B (it’s very faint, but somewhere, you can hear the music)
8. B (you’re likely to make lesser friends using these keys)
9. D (writing them down makes you more aware of your lyrics)
10. D – just kidding: C (make your performance about them, not about you)
How many did you get right?
1 – 3 Excellent, you got at least 1 right!
4 – 6 Congratulations, but I wouldn’t give up your daytime job just yet
7 – 9 Very good, did you do it all by yourself?
10 Whoop whoop, you’re simply the best
