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URSULA YOVICH

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The Dues caught up with the talented Ms Ursula Yovich to ask her to explain why she seems to be doing even bigger and better things since the birth of her daughter Djarla. Is she trying to make the rest of us working mums look bad?
“No way,” laughs Ursula. “I just think the music industry’s a lot more flexible than other work but the downside is you don’t get any extra money to help with babysitting. I’m so fortunate to be able to be doing what I’m doing and having a bubba and a husband who’s happy to look after her and being able to live on what I make is quite nice – even though we don’t make lots of lots of money we get by.”

Being a first-time mum has made Ursula stop, look back and reflect on her life. During a time when most new mums would simply be trying to recover from the birth, Ursula started putting pen to paper to record a life well lived in her now completed autobiographical play, Magpie Blues. “I was getting stories down for Magpie Blues during the last two months of my pregnancy and from there we just kept writing and refining. The birth of Djarla really made me look at the work I do and I decided that if it’s work that’s going to be recorded I want it to be something that my children and grandchildren are going to look back on and be proud of.”

The play follows her love affair with music in particular in the context of what it was like to grow up with an Aboriginal mother and a Serbian father in Darwin.
“I absolutely believe that it’s important to know where you’re from as much as you possibly can. I guess it’s never been a huge issue for me as an adult but as a child you have to navigate your way through little remarks here and there - especially with the black side. It was difficult at some points in my life but then what’s been so lovely about performing this play is that I’ve been able to meet a lot of other people that have mixed nationalities who’ve really enjoyed the show and really got it.”

The show also highlights Ursula’s love of music and she says that while she still loves acting she is now at a point in her life where she is wants to focus on her music.

“I’ve always loved music, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve known that’s what I wanted to do,” says Ursula, “not that I necessarily knew how to get there but I just wanted to sing, sing, sing. I think it all started when I was in primary school and we did a Christmas concert of the Cinderella story Roald Dahl style. I was a biker’s chick on a tricycle and I was in the back and the last class that got up was much older than me and there was a young girl who sang a solo piece. She was a black girl and when I saw her sing I remember thinking, yep that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ursula says that if she could go back in time to when she first began her career she wouldn’t sit around and wait for opportunities to come her way.

“I’ve been lucky in my career in that things have kind of happened around me and I’ve been in the right place at the right time,” says Ursula. “But if I could do anything differently I think I’d make those opportunities happen as well, and when nothing’s happening I’d try to make it happen. There’s always something you can do whether that’s just writing something or spending time on growing your creativity. But having said that I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone - I’m very fortunate.”
Perhaps it is because of her positive experiences in the industry, that Ursula says she would be totally at peace if her daughter wanted to follow in her footsteps.

“That would be fine if that’s a way of her expressing her soul,” says Ursula. “Music is so natural, kids just pick up on it if creativity is encouraged in their environment. Djarla sings along with me when I rehearse and she tries to top me by singing at the top of her lungs,” she laughs. “If she chose a music career I’d be flattered that she’d want to go into the same industry that I’m in - on the condition that she’d have to chat with me as much as she possibly can because it can be hard. One of the things I’ve learnt is that the people who make it are the ones who stick at it – it doesn’t happen overnight there’s no truth in that – overnight sensations are just those people that have been working really hard. Having said that I really love the industry so I’d say go for it - whatever makes her happy.”
Despite singing the blues it seems that Ursula is very happy with life and her new album will no doubt reflect that when it is released in 2010. In the meantime you can check out Ursula’s music on www.myspace.com/ursulayovich

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Dear Uncle Terry,

In your last column you said that the Musicians’ Union was one way of getting money people owed you for gigs and that it was cheaperthan a lawyer. Are they any good with explaining contracts?

Ben

Dear Ben,

Whilst not necessarily agreeing with your paraphrasing of the reply to which you refer - UNCLE TERRY COLUMN - Issue 19, I would certainly suggest that you consult them.

Uncle Terry

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“Thirteenth” chords

Here are all 12 thirteenth chords in musical notation (with the alternative note names in brackets):

Remember the “11” 
In the last two installments we discussed in some detail the natural 11 vs. sharp 11 controversies. Make sure you have a good grasp of the issues related to this, go back if you need to

Harmony - Part 17

Harmony - Part 16

MORE ON “WYSIWYG”
Last time we also introduced the concept of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) as applied to the chord symbol system. This enables us to start with a chord we know how to construct and include variations.

Some variations are already catered for in the system, for example it would not make sense to use this symbol:

Why? Because this would create the chord we already know as Cmin7. Similarly F (#3) would create the chord we already know as Fsus4.

D9 (#5) is the same as Daug9 or D+9 but is commonly used (who knows why!). D9 (b5), however, is not expressed in any other way by the system. On the other hand, Dmin (b5) is already catered for by the symbol Ddim (or D°).

Whenever you are considering using a “WYSIWIG” variation, ensure that it not just creating a chord that the system already caters for. Apart from anything else you don’t want to confuse the musician reading what you have written. We are talking about effective communication here, not the construction of cryptic crosswords!

Here are a few “WYSIWIG” varied chord symbols. Your homework is to figure out what notes they indicate.

C7 (b5), F (add9), Bb9 (#11), Eb13 (b5, #5), Ab7 (#9), Db7 (b9), F#min7 (b5), B7 (#11, b13), E9 (b5, #5, b9, #9, #11)

More about variations next time and remember if you have any questions you can always email me musosunion@aol.com

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