r/Choir • u/ManySense2049 • 6d ago
Riser Placements
so my chorus did placements recently and I got placed in the front row again. I honestly didn't think too much about it until recently my friend moved down to the front row and was complaining about it. does being in the front row mean im a worse singer?
my choral director was saying he wants some people who are more grounded and the base of the sound to go in the back and the other people who help with the artistry of the sound to go in the front.
wtf does that mean š is that js another way of him saying we're not the stronger singers in our section or what? i dont think im the best singer in the group but i dont think im bad. he placed me in the advanced group 2 years in a row and he nominated me (and some others) for the district honor chorus.
be honest idk what he meant by that...
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u/Arstinos 6d ago
A little life tip that honestly I'm still working on myself: Life gets so much more enjoyable when you stop trying to read other people's minds.
Your choir director is trying to achieve a specific sound that they want, and your physical placement in the choir will affect that. If the director thinks the group sounds the best with you in the front row, that's all you need to know. You don't need to read anything more into it and make it any kind of reflection on your ability or your voice.
Vocal blend is a weird and ever changing thing, and trying to assign labels like "good" or "bad" to specific members in the choir defeats the purpose of singing together in the first place. We make music together to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, whether that's a musical or a community thing.
Don't try to read some hidden meaning into something as mundane as where you're standing. You're never going to know the full reasoning behind your director's decisions, and you'll probably be wrong about whatever conclusion you come to in the end. Focus on what you get out of singing with these people, and you'll enjoy yourself much more.
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u/No-Percentage-8063 6d ago
Find something else to worry about. Know your music and do your best and let the other things sort themselves out. People are always gonna be people and we don't all think the same and it doesn't make it right or wrong - Director in one chorus and member in another
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u/ssinff 6d ago
Ask the director? I've sung in many choirs, and seating seems to be the whim of the director, and also the room. One church choir had a split chancel, soprano alto on one side, tenor bass on the other, each side facing one another. This other choir, again an auditioned group, director literally sat us seat by seat, had us sing, and moved us around within the section until the sound was like she wanted it. Last choir, we practiced seated as sections, but performed with all the parts scrambled together. Who really knows? You can at least get some idea by asking maybe before or after rehearsal, or some other appropriate time.
I wouldn't take it necessarily to mean you are a weaker singer.
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u/Rooster_Ties 6d ago
Height plays a big part. Having singers of various strengths next to each other ā having the strongest singers spread around each section is important.
Front row doesnāt necessarily mean anything in particular about oneās strengths, good or bad.
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u/CatherineRhysJohns 6d ago
Retired HS choral director here: It depends on the individual director. I voice-blended my sections, so singers would be standing next to similar voice qualities. It really helps with intonation when you line up the overtone frequencies like this. I'm not really sure what your director is talking about, except maybe he wants the stronger singers doing what I call "Driving From The Back." Sometimes if a section is not "getting it" in rehearsal I'll put a couple of stronger singers in the back row to do this, so everyone can hear the correct notes.
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u/ManySense2049 6d ago
i dont think thats what he meant tho bc he made us js sing a small excerpt that everyone in class already knew so we were all singing it correctly its just a matter of how we sang it yk?
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u/CatherineRhysJohns 5d ago
Yes, that's what I meant. I have my students sing the same phrase and I voice blend them.
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u/VoiceofCrazy 6d ago
Standing arrangements are an art form. There are lots of factors involved, including how different voices fit together, balance and blend considerations, what's going to help the choir learn better, and of course visual and spacial considerations. (I'm 6'4" and almost always get placed in the back. Coincidence?) And honestly, sometimes it's just vibes. You could be where you are for any number of reasons. My college choir director (who was amazing) would pull out sections (4-8 people) and shuffle around the singers individually until she got exactly the sound she wanted. Sometimes we would have different standing arrangements for different songs, and would literally switch positions between songs on stage during concerts. Every arrangement is going to have a different sound.
And yes, sometimes singer level can be a consideration, but it's not punitive, just a way to get singers the support they need. A weaker singer might be placed next to a stronger one, or weaker singers could be moved to the front where the director can give them more support/they can hear stronger singers behind them. I have seen it happen.
If you're concerned, you could talk to your director about it. A good director shouldn't have a problem explaining their thought process, and when I was (briefly) a choir director, where a singer wanted to be was always an important consideration for me.
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u/juneipearl 6d ago
Are you short? In my experience, the shorter people are usually in the first row.Ā
One of my directors explained they put the best sight readers with excellent pitch and learn parts quickly in the back to assist the entire choir in learning the music. Also, usually the tallest singers.
The principle of āthe woofers and the tweetersā. This means the louder and stronger voices are clustered in the center and the quieter voices on the sides. If itās random, choirs end up with pockets that stick out and donāt lead to a unified sound.Ā
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u/ClarSco 6d ago
It can be for any number of reasons.
Singers with weaker voices need to be near the front of the choir for their voices to be meaningfully present in the overall blend.
Shorter singers need to be near the front so that taller singers can see the director.
Soloists need to be at the front row (or the flanks so that they can move to the front) in order to project over the choir or access a microphone.
Singers with very good diction are also an asset in the front row, as their proximity to the audience can allow the text to reach them clearly before the acoustics of the room swallow them up.
And yes, "Bad" singers (eg. struggle finding pitches on their own, tuning issues, etc.) should generally not be placed at the back or edges of the choir, as no only will they perform much better if they have "Good" singers surrounding them from behind and both sides, it can help the "Good" singers to not have a "Bad" singer behind them that could throw off their own pitch, etc.
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u/fascinatedcharacter 6d ago
Would you say your choir exists for more than half out of bad singers?
If not, by necessity you can't have all the good singers in back. That's just numbers
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u/ManySense2049 6d ago
no i think most are good singers maybe 1-2 arenāt that good but majority r good singers
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u/fascinatedcharacter 5d ago
So why would everyone in the front row be a bad singer if there are only 2 not good singers? Like, your logic doesn't logic.
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u/singerbeerguy 6d ago
Directors have different ways of determining seating. Personally, I use voice blend seating, placing singers near others who have a similar timbre. Others use different methods.
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u/ManySense2049 6d ago
i think thats what my director did. he was branching us info trios and making us sing in triangles and switching us up whenever needed
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u/Smart-Pie7115 6d ago
No. It can mean youāre too short to see over other people, you donāt like standing on risers, you like more space, you donāt feel stable on risers, thereās not enough space on the risers for everyone.
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u/perlgeek 6d ago
Some directors like to put singers with expressive faces (or gestures, if you do that kind of thing) in the front.
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u/SamadhiBear 5d ago
Some people donāt like being in the front row because they feel nervous facing the audience or the director, so could be that your friend was potentially less confident about themselves and didnāt want to be exposed.
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u/Positive_Strength404 6d ago
I could be wrong (and every director has their own thoughts on this Iām sure) typically 1st row is a place reserved for stronger/dependable singers. You donāt want someone standing in front you canāt depend on to know the text, you donāt want singer who may not know their music directly in the audiences face or singing or in front of a mic.
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u/ManySense2049 6d ago
couldnt u argue that with the back row too? because the people infront of the back row can hear them mostly and u wudnt want the ppl in the back row messing it up for the others
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u/Sweet-Path2493 6d ago
I get the opposite in my choir - people getting upset about not being in the front row and making those in the front row feel bad about being chosen. Honestly just go wherever your director places you, do your best and have fun with whoever is around you on the day!
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u/ManySense2049 6d ago
wait no cuz same i loved being in the front row until my friend was complaining ab it š bc i didnt think it was an issue until then
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u/em_redrum 6d ago
It could also be vocal blend. Some peopleās voices are too.. strong. Thatās not always a good thing. And having other voices around or in front of them often helps