Hard-Boiled Egg

We have a funny feeling that this might be the favorite song of this issue for your students. It most likely was for the singers in our recording session. Especially the boys.

A secular tribute to the Easter season, this fun, funky, and humorous rap is very contemporary in its style. It utilizes two deeply resonant basses, processed kick drum, all kinds of synthesized sound effects, sizzling old phonograph ambience, and, oh yeah - boiling water. Even our guitarist enjoyed adding weird layers of sound to the overall arrangement. (This is a case where we can't imagine a performance without the recording. But hey. We're open-minded. If you do perform it live, we'd love to know what you did and how you did it. Maybe even send us a tape?)

As with many contemporary raps, the piece begins with a solo rapper who is answered by a group of rappers. We decided to use four different rappers for the four times through the line just to give each volunteer a chance to rap. You may find you have a similar situation.

The spoken lines at measure 17 are meant to be performed in unison, but there are no rules. The two claps correspond with a synth effect and are optional. Ditto the claps during the next section. The students performing part 1 actually sing the line and may wish to insert the single clap in every other bar. Part 2 is the same as it was at 17, and again, the claps can be used or not.

The piece goes back for a D.S., your solo rappers get to shine once more and then it ends. At the end, the sound of an egg cracking is heard. Definitely campy. Definitely fun. Too bad Easter only comes once a year.