My Conviction (from "Hair"): Piano/Vocal/Chords

This collection captures the raw energy and melodic sophistication that made Hair revolutionary. MacDermot's songs demand genuine emotional commitment from singers; they cannot be performed glibly or safely. The piano/vocal arrangements preserve the harmonic ingenuity of the original score while remaining accessible for performance in studio, recital, or classroom settings.

These songs carry the restless energy and idealism of their era. They move from playful and irreverent to deeply vulnerable, often within a single number. Singing them feels like inhabiting a moment of radical possibility, where music and words together ask uncomfortable questions and refuse easy answers.

This book serves singers preparing for auditions, recitals, or concert performances of Hair repertoire, as well as pianists seeking substantial contemporary musical theater material. Voice teachers will find songs that teach genuine musical interpretation and emotional authenticity. Musicians drawn to the cultural and musical significance of 1960s Broadway will value having these scores in accessible form.

• Invest in the lyrics. MacDermot's melodies serve the words; singers who rush through the text or treat it as mere vehicle will lose the power of these songs. Take time to understand what each lyric is claiming and sing from that conviction.
• Navigate the harmonic shifts with intention. The score moves freely between jazz sonorities, blues progressions, and contemporary rock idioms. Play chords with awareness of their color rather than defaulting to a steady, neutral accompaniment.
• Honor the rhythmic flexibility where it exists. Some passages sit squarely in time; others breathe more openly. Listen to recordings to understand the intended pulse, but do not sacrifice genuine phrasing for metronomic precision.

Perform individual songs in a recital program to explore the range of MacDermot's songwriting, from the plaintive introspection of "Easy to Be Hard" to the exuberant declaration of "Good Morning Starshine." Songs from Hair also work beautifully in concert settings focused on musical theater history or American popular song. Consider programming a Hair-centered voice recital that traces the show's emotional and stylistic journey.

• Interpreting contemporary harmony (jazz voicings, blues changes, and chromatic movement)
• Connecting lyrical meaning to vocal phrasing and expression
• Understanding rock and soul idioms in a theater context
• Sight-reading and performing from lead sheet notation
• Building stamina and emotional range across a full song cycle