Index of Musical Hotspot

Introduction Welcome to Musical Hotspot The Basics - What is improvised theatre, and what role does music play?

Articles Here's One We Prepared Earlier - Using iconic (and maybe pre-recorded) music in scenes Time After Time - Hitting the boredom barrier and working through it Who Needs Sleep? - Stand or sit? The Famous Polka - Avoid distracting the audience with well-known music Rest Awhile - When to be quiet My Evil Twin - Working with another musician Eight Hundred and Thirteen Mile Car Trip - What makes a long-form show different The Bells Are Ringing - Sound effects for improvised scenes Subliminal - How to lead singers (and non-singers) through a chord progression They Got Lost - Surviving a "mistake" Extra Savoir-Faire - Working with great singers Wake-Up Call - Starting a show It's Not My Birthday - Giveaway games Mr Xcitement - Supporting an MC Prognosis: Death! - Lessons in Long-form The World Before Later On - Pre-show and interval music We Want A rock - Committing to a troupe We're the Replacements - Working in a 3-piece improv band The Dan Exercise - Improvised music to match non-improvised lyrics and melody Mysterious Whisper - Working with actors who are unfamiliar with musicians Song Styles - Some of the styles of music that have come from audience suggestions The Question - What advice do you give improviser who is not confident about their singing voice? Breaking an Opera - How to change pace in an improvised Opera Musical Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy - A review of Michael Pollock's book Thunderbirds Are Go - Letting the players drive you around the keyboard On your marks... Get set... Stop? - Commit and go for it Prognosis: Death! Character Themes - Themes for recurring characters can bring a great element in to a long-form show The Inconspicuous Instrumentalist - Crave attention? Or not? Don't Stop Believin' - In-jokes Song Structure - Common building blocks for songs Starting a Song in a Musical Foley - Organic sound effects for an impro show Who Starts - the musician, or the singer? Songs on Rails - Songs may have set forms, even in an improvised show The Return of the Paddington Bears - Refining your approach for an improv band Learning to Play By Ear - Talent, or teachable? For Love Or Money - What makes you do Impro, anyway? Starting In Your Home Chord - Guide singers as they start Hiding Behind the Fourth Wall - Please don't call me "Mister Music" Listen And Be Changed - The one skill that makes a difference Oohs and Aahs - An easy trick to improve your backing vocals Simple Chorus - Create a memorable song with a simple chorus Lovers' Duets New Lovers - The moment love begins to bloom Separated Lovers - How to construct a separated duet Bringing it All Together - Blending and Legato Staying On The Rails No Matter What - Encourage actors to hop on and off the music Recordings Theatresports Lightning Doubles (1992/1993) A Tim Tam Too Far I Want To Be A Minority Group My Mother Was An Undercover Cop Tommy's Little Boat Don't Call Me Jack, Mon I'm Short, Shirty and I Want to Shout (second half of post) Big Chief No Friends Soap Gets In Your Eyes EDGE Improv A Place You Can Go Danthems Pinch Me Skullcrusher Mountain Impro Mafia's One Bride for Seven Brothers In This Lake With You Where Have You Gone I Can't Believe What's Happening Now Make A Deal With Me

Performance Games Musical Hotspot Soundtrack Gibberish Song Singing Barman Cuthbert Song in the Style Of Musical Opera Ballet Music Workshops for Actors Introduction Emotional Symphony Chorus Circle Levitation Hum Getting Started Don't Lets Start - Finding a group and training yourself Learn to Underscore Using TV as inspiration Restyle music you know Building blocks Reading a scene Jingles - Do you need to learn set pieces? Setup and tech Piano vs Keyboard Keyboard vs Guitar App Store Reviews Review: Pianist Handy patches: Drum and bass ICU - Where to set up to play Man, It's So Loud In Here - how to set your level Picking a Good Piano Keyboard - what to spend your money on Piano vs. Other Instruments - choosing the sounds to use in a show Overture - a great opera patch Foldback - required for improv musicians? In the Gig Bag - What to have on hand for tech emergencies Contributors Kris Anderson Robbie Ellis ...and more coming soon... Weird Stuff iShell - Using music to enhance food My Eyes - Inspiring music from Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog