The numbers on the game cards aim to describe music, and music resists tidy measurement. Some values are objective, others are informed judgement, and a few are cheerfully opinionated. While important for game play, the numbers may also be interesting starting points for conversations.
Banger Rating
The least scientific, but perhaps most important, category. A banger might raise the roof, or it might hold a room with a single cadence. It measures emotional impact, memorability, and that unmistakable feeling when a piece speaks to you. There is no formula, but musicians know a banger when they hear one.
Vocal Range
The overall range of notes across all vocal parts, counted in semitones from the lowest to the highest notes.
Number of Parts
The number of independent vocal parts and splits, whether throughout the piece or in a single chord.
Accompanist Fear Factor
An informal gauge of how demanding the accompaniment is. Unaccompanied repertoire has a value of zero. Higher values win by default, unless players want to be sympathetic to their accompanist.
Director Anxiety Level
A measure of the nerves felt by the conductor before a performance (and often during it). Higher values win by default, but players who have directed a choir might choose to invert this category.
Year
The year of composition, first performance, or first publication, is taken from a published score or historical research. Earliest values win by default, but the category can be inverted to celebrate more recent additions to the repertoire.
Duration
Typical performance length based on common recordings and editions. By default, a longer piece will win, but shorter anthems may be preferred, if players want to get out of Evensong early.
Values have been drawn from musical scores, recordings, and more than a few years in choir stalls and organ lofts. Where evidence is clear, the numbers are firm; where judgement is required, values reflect a mixture of experience and practical reality. The QR code links to a recording for players who do not already know the piece.
Use the two blank cards to add your own pieces to the deck, and decide on values which reflect your experience.
Full Score is a game, a celebration of repertoire, and an excuse to talk about the music you love.