Part Tracks

Drastically reduce rehearsal time spent learning notes, and leave more time for music making! 

"Part Tracks" are part-learning aids for vocal jazz ensemble members, and are a new addition to KerryMarsh.com starting in 2010, and are currently in the process of being rolled out for the entire catalog, starting with the most popularly requested charts first.  I will, however, take requests for prioritizing a certain charts that you may wish you order for which the Part Tracks are not already prepared.

For a price of just $25, you'll receive a collection of mp3 files each containing the full demo file (the one featured on this site) panned fully to the left stereo channel and either a piano or vocal track of the individual parts panned fully to the right stereo channel.  I know that some directors create part learning tracks themselves, but I thought that the hectic schedules of school music directors might be alleviated a bit by my offering this new product for a fairly modest price.

The purpose of Part Tracks, of course, is to allow your students to practice their parts on their own, outside of class, without having to be able to play piano.  Ideal use of these tracks would involve playback on a stereo system or computer/speaker system that allows control of the left/right panning.  This would enable the student to control the relative amount of the demo track vs. the part track in the mix.  A good way of learning a part well, then, might be to use more of the part track in the early stages of practicing a chart, and then gradually weening oneself off the part by panning more to the left

On a Mac, iTunes does not have a balance control for panning, but Garage Band does, so simply importing the mp3 file into Garage Band for playback may be the most effective option.  To control the panning without using Garage Band, open System Preferences-->Sound-->Output, and select your output device, and you may see a Left/Right pan option.

On a PC, the volume control panel/sound mixer will usually have the option to alter the left/right panning, and you may be able to control this within your music player as well.

From an educational standpoint, I would encourage students to always follow along with the notes (and not just the lyrics) of their chart to develop their eye/ear connection for sight-reading music.  Part Tracks do not have to serve as a replacement for teaching music reading skills.  Rather, if properly used, they can supplement music reading training and, at the same time, leave more class time for working on ensemble sound, groove, dynamic shaping, etc. 

About splits/divisi

The majority of my arrangements have at least Soprano 2 splits, and most also have Baritone splits as well.  In the case of a standard six-part SSATBaB arrangement, I'll include the following part tracks for your students:

Soprano 1 only
Soprano splitting to Soprano 2
Alto splitting to Soprano 2
Alto only
Tenor only
Tenor splitting to baritone
Bass splitting to baritone
Bass only

Deeper splits will usually require more Part Tracks, to try to include all conventional part assignment possibilities.  The Part Tracks will work best if you're able to assign the parts in this sort of conventional way, of course, although, for example, if you have six singers, you may prefer to double the alto part during 2-part treble clef writing, say, and so the "Soprano splitting to Soprano 2" Part Track won't be needed.  

Solos

Solo parts are generally not going to be included in the Part Tracks.  The intended purpose of the Part Tracks is to help the ensemble use their ears to learn sometimes challenging parts that aren't easy to hear in the demo, nor very melodic and intuitive.  Since solos are often interpreted fairly freely, I didn't think solo tracks would very useful. 

Ordering info

On the charts order form, you'll find a section dedicated to indicating any Part Tracks you'd like to order.  If you request them, I'll simply add $25 to your invoice for each song requested, and I'll send you links for downloading zip files containing all needed files, including a pdf file explaining how the tracks work for that particular chart.

Part Tracks are currently available for the following charts:

Angel
April in Paris
Don't Be on the Outside
Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
Esperanto
Fly Me to the Moon
Headlock
Hide and Seek
Home (new! 5-4-10)
I Love You
In the Winelight
It's You
I Want You Back
Just For Now
Little Sunflower
Mind Trick
More Than Words
Ordinary World
Scarborough Fair
Selfless, Cold and Composed
Sing a Song of Song
Slow Me Down
Someday My Prince Will Come (both SSAA and SATB sets)
So Nice (new! 5-4-10)
Thriller
Uninvited
Virtual Insanity
Walk With Me, Lord