There are usually a number of links to practice tracks on this page to help you practice at home.
John Fletcher
John Fletcher has an huge collection of practice tracks available but you are expected to create an account and login to access them. If a work is out-of-copyright then this is free, and a work that is in copyright requires a small subscription.
Note: As both The Armed Man and Five Days that Changed the World are in copyright you will need to pay a subscription to John Fletcher.
Please click the links below to access these practice tracks. Just click, or tap, on the required part and listen. There is an option to change the tempo too. There are also instructions on the John Fletcher website explaining how to play the tracks and how to download them if required.
Bob Chilcott: Five Days that Changed the World
Midi Files
If you are able to play these there is a set of Midi files of The Armed Man available on John Hooper’s site: https://www.learnchoralmusic.co.uk
Midi files can be really useful for learning your part, but you can’t just play them in a browser. You need to download them and play them in a suitable application. There is more information on Midi files and. how to play them on the choir website here:
https://wordpress.com/page/hexham-orpheus-choir.org.uk/91
Slowing down practice tracks
If you can download any tracks you can also slow them down using ‘The Amazing Slowdowner‘ from Roni Music. You can buy this for Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone and Android devices. The Mac/PC versions cost more though. Once installed, you can create playlists for the works you are learning.
There are also two free web-based tools, recommended by John Fletcher, where you can open a file and change the speed. You can also drag and drop a file into the window. You can only use one file at a time with these tools but they do work if you are using a computer.
- Time Stretcher – this will also work on iOS devices such as iPads
- TimeStretch Player. You can also change the pitch and is generally more sophisticated! However, this one will not work on iOS devices.
Any questions or thoughts of your own?
If you have any questions or good ideas about this section of the website please fill in the form below. We’ll be pleased to hear of any other novel approaches you have on practising your part.
Hexham Orpheus Choir 