Portland Megaband 2026
Rehearsal Report #6
March 1, 2026
Announcements:
History: Over our 30 years, the MB may have made around $45,000 for PCDC grant fund. (This is a wild guess, since some years we netted $100 or so, and other years, it was much more.)
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After Party: Today is the last day to sign up at rehearsals for the after-party. If after today you decide you want to attend or have guests who want to attend, get ahold of Lori Shaffer directly via email, loris.notes@gmail.com. Cash, check or Venmo accepted—Lori will explain.
T-shirts and Swag: All of the swag and shirts will be at the next rehearsal for you to claim. Payments for swag go to Norman. He has contacted everyone who ordered via email with the pertinent information. T-shirt payments will go to Sue, check or Venmo only. Venmo payments will be available at the rehearsal. More details about the shirt payments will be coming later this week.
Advance Admission: The next rehearsal will be the last chance to purchase advance admission for friends and family. Lanny will be managing this.
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Next week’s rehearsal is our final dress rehearsal. Wearing a dress is optional. But attendance is pretty important. Rehearsal starts at 12:00 noon (door open at 11:30) and there will likely be church parking that time of day, so plan accordingly. Don’t go into the rehearsal space until Sue gets there, even if the door is unlocked. When the door is propped open, you may come in. We’ll play until 4:00 with two short breaks and one longer break. Bring sustenance if you think you’ll need it.
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In addition to the early start, next Sunday is the first day of Daylight Savings Time. PLEASE remember to set your clocks ahead so we don’t have anyone wandering in at 1:00 wondering why everyone is playing already. We’ll mention this again…
Baker’s Favorite / Gondolin / Baker’s Favorite
Variation in Baker’s is the LouieLouie rhythm played in the B part after we switch back into it from Gondolin. When the variation is signaled (probably the second time through the tune), we will build on the Louie Louie riff in this order.
1. Only the miked back up will play the riff. The rest of the band plays normally
2. The horns will join the miked backup playing the riff.
3. The entire band will play the riff.
If you are wondering what the riff is, the notation for it has been included twice as attachments to the rehearsal reports. Also, here is a link to the recording that this idea came from (yes, we shamelessly stole it). You can clearly hear the rhythm of the riff, which starts at 3:51. Slow it down to hear it more clearly.
Please practice this set and the riff to speed (aim for 114 bpm). Leave out as many notes as you need to. There are always people in the band who can play all the notes.
–Ending: Choke after the E quarter note. Just staccato that E and then silence. We’ll look at that next week.
Next week’s rehearsal is at noon and Daylight Savings time starts that Saturday night.
Honeylocust / Bogan’s Reel
Ending of Bogan’s is to change that last bar of the B2 to a B, G# and hold the A.
Next week’s rehearsal is at noon and Daylight Savings time starts that Saturday night.
Kitchen Jig / Scatter the Mud (Am) / One-Horned Sheep
One Horned Sheep has several variations. Strange sounds on the first beat on bars 1, 3, 5 in both the A1 and A2. Backup play quietly on the A part bleats so they can be appropriately appreciated by our audience.
Sue says: Pro and Anti bleat factions have developed in the band. If you don’t want to bleat, you don’t have to. Just take a moment of silence and let the bleaters bleat.
Skippin’ Cat / White River Bottoms / Bell Cow
Last time through Skippin’, fiddles will do hern diddles in the B part. Everyone else plays as usual.
Next week’s rehearsal is at noon and Daylight Savings time starts that Saturday night.
Winchester March / Ménage à Quatre / Caps in the Air
We tried to keep tempo and did fairly well, although Sue had to work pretty hard to keep us at 111 bpm. Get a metronome and practice playing at 114 which is at what we’ll aim.
Next week’s rehearsal is at noon and Daylight Savings time starts that Saturday night.
Waltz des Bois
1. A part—mandolins, flutes, accordions, clarinets, miked backup;B part, whole band.
2. All play. Add low harmony
3. All play—low and high harmonies.
Throughout—crescendo and decrescendo as the melody rises and falls to provide lift and movement.
End: slight ritard and hold the last note and chord.
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Last Light
1. A part, front row of fiddles only; B part, all fiddles. Only miked back up this time.
2. A part, flutes and miked back up; B part, all the nobows.
3. All play
4. All play with high harmony
5. All play with high and low harmonies
End: Hold last note and chord.
If we are short on time, we’ll leave out the 3rd time through.
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Schottis från Lima
We’ll get a two-bar intro from fiddle. Play two times through, first time with low harmony, second time with both harmonies.
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Britches
This will go fast. And we’ll choke the ending.
Next week’s rehearsal is at noon and Daylight Savings time starts that Saturday night. Have I mentioned that?