The first time I switched to bass, it was both exciting and uncertain. Exciting because I get to sing differently, and uncertain because I had no idea what I was doing. Being a real trouper, I lingered on, hoping that I didn’t make a bad decision.
One of the songs we did, Vladimir Radian’s version of The Maple Leaf Forever, was for the Vancouver Unison in 2006. The bass part was really low, so I decided to come back up to baritone (or tenor 2). When we sang it at the Chan Centre at UBC, the gorgeous acoustics of the performance hall magnified the opening bass notes into a lovely low rumble that made my spine tingle. I’ve never heard anything so beautiful.
Over the years I’ve gotten so used to singing the low parts that I can project the bass notes. It felt like I’ve grown a lot of hair on my chest though, or as if my Adam’s apple grew bigger. Maybe my brain kept pumping more testosterone in those years I sang bass. Whatever it was, I can say it was the manliest I had ever been.
Nelz A., member since 2006