From The
Practical Canary Handbook- Breeding and Keeping Canaries
Written by Marie Miley-Russell ©2005
The song of a great American Singer canary
cannot be rivaled; free-flowing, interesting, and pleasing to the ear,
the song is a welcome addition to any household. What makes an American
Singer song unique is its very uniqueness- unlike the song of other
canaries bred for singing ability, the American Singer has no song
standard. It is not required to sing particular tours in the twenty
minute judging period- only to sing fully, freely and with good variety,
tone, showmanship, and overall quality.
Many fanciers of other breeds of song
canaries have the incorrect perception that American Singer judging is
based purely on a judge’s personal preference due to lack of an official
song standard. While it is true that certain judges have a particular
sound or quality they prefer, a great bird will place under many
different judges. This is illustrated by results from the annual Quad
shows in California, where the same birds will turn up again and again
in the top six places under different judges.
Something that critics fail to take into
account is that the American Singer canary is a reflection of the
country of its origin- democratic, egalitarian, continuously evolving,
and valuing freedom and personal achievement over bloodlines and rigid
conformity to a particular system. The thing which many criticize the
breed for is the same one which attracts so many fanciers that the breed
is capable of supporting more than thirty American Singer sections a
year across the U.S. - far more than any other song breed. It is
possible for a novice with a basic understanding of song to begin
winning at shows with American Singers without the lengthy study of
notes, tours, score sheets, and pedigrees required to master the
breeding of rollers, waterslagers, and timbrados. As with all subjects
however, study improves performance. For this reason a discussion of
American Singer judging would be of assistance to the novice as well as
to those seeking a greater understanding of song judging.
The Score
The American Singer is judged on a
100-point scoring system, which breaks down this way: Song, a total of
70 points may be earned- 10 points for Freedom (one point for each
complete song), 60 points for Rendition; Conformation, a total of 20
points; and Condition, a total of 10 points.
The judging period is 20 minutes long and
is subdivided into two 10 minute segments- the first is called the
freedom period and the second the rendition period. During the freedom
period birds are awarded one point for each complete song they sing-
cheeps, trills, and call notes are not counted- to a maximum of 10
points. According to the American Singer constitution, birds which do
not sing during this period can receive points for freedom if they sing
during the second 10 minute rendition period but common practice among
judges is to not award freedom points for singing during the rendition
portion as a bird which does not sing early fails to meet the basic
qualification of being a free singer. The second 10 minute portion of
the judging period is called the rendition period. It is during this
period that the song itself is evaluated. (Although in reality song
evaluation begins as soon as a bird begins to sing on the bench.)
Evaluation of the song includes issues such as tone, volume, variety,
and range. Shrillness, harshness, excessive chopping (defined as more
than six chops sung in a row; some chopping is expected due to the
American Singer’s Border ancestry), and other faults cause deductions to
be made to the rendition score. Freedom plays an essential role in the
rendition period as a bird who does not sing often cannot be fully
evaluated.
Conformation, which accounts for a maximum
of 20 points, refers to how well the bird conforms to the physical
model. Points are lost under conformation for crossed wings, skinny
bodies, flat heads, missing toes, fish tails, size, plumage, and similar
issues. In practice, faults such as missing body parts are sometimes
deducted under condition but in these cases the bird is really failing
to conform to the breed standard- which includes two eyes, eight toes,
etc. One point is deducted for each fault. Color is irrelevant and is
not considered under conformation.
Condition accounts for a maximum of 10
points and considers issues such as apparent health, vigor, cleanliness
of both bird and cage, and conformity of cage setup to standard. Points
are deducted for dirty plumage; long toenails, missing bottom perches,
incorrectly sized or misplaced perches, etc.
As outlined in the ASC Constitution, ties
are broken by conformation and condition scores.
Rendition
The rendition score is the judge’s overall
evaluation of the song. This score can be a cause for both confusion on
the part of novices and a source of contention for experienced
exhibitors. One thing that every exhibitor should be aware of is that
birds sound very differently from the position of the judge’s table.
Having sat there myself as I begin preparation to become qualified for
my judging card, I can attest to the fact that a few feet of distance
between the birds and the listeners can make a world of difference in
what is heard.
Rendition can be defined simply as a
musical performance. Judgment of musical performance is inherently
subjective but judges- as do all good music critics- have certain values
in mind when critiquing song. These include, but are not limited to:
volume, tone, range, variety, melodiousness, and showmanship.
An American Singer should be neither too
loud nor too soft. This is quite obviously very subjective (and highly
sensitive to variables such as the acoustics of the judging room, the
relative volume of other birds in a class, etc.). In broad terms, a bird
which overpowers all the other birds in the room is too loud and one
which cannot make himself heard is too soft.
Tone is defined as music or sound with
reference to its pitch, quality, and strength. To those who prefer a
simple explanation- such as myself- this refers to the bird’s ability to
sing on key with a beautiful, strong, rich fullness to the song. A bird
without good tone can sing the best song ever produced by a canary, but
it just doesn’t sound good.
Range refers to the lowest and highest
pitches a bird can sing. Rollers sing in the low range while borders
tend to sing in the high range. An American Singer should be able to
sing both low and high notes.
Variety in simplest terms refers to the
collection of distinct notes, tours, or song passages the bird sings. A
bird which repeats the same limited number of notes and passages over
and over again lacks variety. The term variety could also be used to
more broadly describe the way in which a bird mixes the notes and tours-
singing notes one way and then another and changing the order of
passages and tours.
Melodiousness refers to the pleasing,
harmonic way the bird puts his song together. The song should flow from
one passage to another in a pleasant, coherent stream of sound rather
than bounce from one sound to the next with little connection.
Showmanship is a vital part of the
American Singer’s performance. Often the major difference between a
Grand Champion and a good singer is that the Grand Champion puts on a
show- he is proud of his song and wants to be heard. He will not stand
on the bottom perch, hide behind a water or seed cup, stand on the floor
of the show cage- he perches confidently on a top perch, looks the judge
in the eye, and sings. The judge cannot help but notice a bird
who is a good showman.
Good judges will include notes about both
positive and negative aspects of the bird’s song to assist the exhibitor
in developing a clear understanding of the bird’s strengths and
weaknesses. Judges, like music critics, have personal preferences- some
prefer louder or softer volume, longer songs, wider range, or place
heavy emphasis on tone but every judge notices quality song. Knowing the
sound of the birds the judge breeds him or herself does not guarantee
that an exhibitor will be able to predict with any certainty what the
judge will choose. The one guaranteed thing that will grab any judge’s
attention is a truly exceptional song
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