The Black and White Show

No I don't mean underskirts, I worry about slipping up, making a mistake especially when it comes to getting everything right for a performance.    I have nightmares about arriving at the wrong venue (it has happened on one occasion I arrived at the Roman Catholic Southwark Cathedral instead of the Anglican one), or with the wrong clothes (again it happens white shirt instead of black etc.) so I like to make sure I avoid these sort of slips.

 Last night I agreed to play in a concert with a local band that I am not a member of but am a good friend to.   Just to make sure that I had all the details correct I sent a text message to the conductor.

"OK for Sat. please confirm time venue and dress"
The reply;~
"7pm St. Paul's Church.  Black dress for you"
 As he often wears a kilt as formal wear I replied
"Are you suggesting I wear a dress to distract the audience from you wearing a skirt?"

Having said all that I do have night mares, real night mares about getting on stage and not having my music, sometimes I wake up in near panic about a concert that isn't even real, but where I found myself on the stage all dressed up with my instrument and ready to play a solo but with no music so unable to perform, any way to get back to the point,

After taking a shower I took note of what I ad been told a put on a black dress shirt and trousers, and as it was a warm night didn't bother with a jacket.   When I got to the concert all the men were wearing dinner jackets with white shirts and all but two of the ladies were wearing black bottoms and white tops ~ ARGHHHH.   I'm, glad I had the conductors text with me to show why I was wearing all black.

Go on, yo know you want to

I have actually been doing a fair bit of playing recently, lots of practise / rehearsal on trombone for a concert in a couple of weeks, and a bit on the electric bass for services at Church, and of course my regular nights at CSB on tuba.

I have taken a plunge that I meant to make months ago, I have resigned as MD of the Brass Band, although I have enjoyed the job enormously and found the musical challenge very stimulating, I just don't have the time for the commitment, sometimes family is just more important.

Valuable Tips

No matter how experienced, or competent a performer we may be we can always do with learning from the valuable experience of others.

These are all from one of my favourite cartoon strips 9 Chickweed Lane.

We have been having a busy performance based week, on Wednesday my Daughter had a public run through of the song she would be singing at her audition for the BRIT school, on Thursday I had a Brass Band Concert, then on Friday my Daughter had her audition.

Today we will be going down to Brighton to buy her a new guitar, then tomorrow I will be playing Electric Bass at the morning service, before dashing up to London for an Orchestra rehearsal.

Just like buses

Yes post on this blog are just like buses, they are not big and red, neither do they have two decks, however you can wait ages then two come along together.

I have just been sent some photos from the concert I played a couple of weeks ago and I thought it would be good to share,

torch song

Tomorrow the Croydon Band plays in Thornton Heath as the Olympic torch goes past.   I am not sure that I can work up much enthusiasm for the whole Olympic thing never mind the torch relay, but it is a chance for us to be out and playing in the community.

Maybe tomorrow I will get a bit fired up and excited, if I am I will let you know, in the mean time enjoy this alternative use for Baritons

No Tuba

Nobody wants me to play tuba these days, it seems like ages since I last played a tuba in performance; that's not to say that I haven't been playing, I have had my fair share it's just not on tuba.   Of course for the Brass Band I am the stick waver, a position I am still surprised and honoured to hold, and at the Croydn Symphonic Band I am currently on Bass Trombone.   We have had a bit of a change round in the heavy brass section, still looking for a regular Euphonium player we have a "friend" who plays with us when ever he can, on top of that we lost one of our bass players and our bass trombone.   The first trombone is very committed to other things and finds it hard to make every rehearsal, so that leaves our new bass player, just back from Cardiff University, and me.

Having said all that we will be having a full section of three trombones, euphonium and two basses at our concert on Wednesday as well as for the National Concert Band Festival on the 1st of April.   The concert on Wednesday is at the excellent hall at Trinity School, we have played there a couple of times, and the only draw back it has as a venue that I can see is the lack of a bar.   The whole Croydon/Bromley/Sutton area has a real problem in that there is no suitable venue for amateur music outside of school halls.   We have the wonderful Fairfield hall, but this is simply too big, an audience of two or three hundred will just get lost, everything else is a theatre, very good theatres but they all have a presidium arch which causes acoustic chaos for some of us.   What we want are halls like the QEH and the Purcell Room.

Bad Back

I have been suffering, not in silence but I have made sure that every one around e knows that I a suffering.   This also mean that I have not been working, which in turn means that I have been thinking. I have also been watching daytime TV, surfing the net, and finding all sorts of ways of not doing my Tax Return.   I think what actually did the damage to my back was playing Mrs T stood up waiting for the Croydon Christmas lights to be turned on.

Having cut the marching lugs off the EEb and the ones on the CC being for a European style strap I had to use Mrs T.   Nothing wrong with that,,,,except that she is a little heavy, ad I haven't played a BBb in bass clef for about two years.  Seriously I just couldn't put the right fingers down.   I just hope that there weren't too any musicians listening. I also hope I can get back to work soon

Saturday Night

Saturday night just over half of the members of the Croydon Band band played at the end of a masons dinner.  To be be perfectly honest it wasn't our best performance.   We were missing our two top cornet players, and we really missed them.   There were a couple of moments when,,,,,, no I think I will leave it at a there were a couple of moments;- while I know that the band was a bit disappointed and I know I was too by some aspects of our performance, the punters seemed to enjoy it.   Yes I know they had had a few drinks, and I know that they enjoyed the jokes, but, still we had to play the tunes.

The important thing though is that the audience enjoyed what we did.   We gave them what they wanted and I hope enough of it to be asked back at some point.   I also realised that playing the trombone and conducting at the same time is not a god idea with a bad back.

Bad Back

Just when I am really busy something goes and throws a spanner in the cogs.   Last night I went out to pick up a new(er) van, on my way home I stopped for some shopping which I put on the front seat, reaching across to get something I put my back out.

I have been t the osteopath today to get pummeled and he assures me that I should feel better over the next few days, but I have already had to have one day away from vigorous work, and can't really afford many more.   Add to that how much I have on on the music front and it looks a bit desperate.   Tonight I am meant to be playing trombone and at the moment I'm not even sure I can hold it!   Then tomorrow we have an extra rehearsal with the brass band, and then the mega weekend - think of me and my pain!

Busy Weekend

I have a busy weekend looming ahead of me, on Saturday the Brass band has a gig in Surbiton playing for a Mason's dinner.   We are only doing a half hour slot, but it still takes up the whole evening, and off course I will have to take the band kit and give a couple of members a lift.   We will not be doing anything too taxing, but this job came in very late so quite a few members are already committed to other activities, still we should be able to give them an entertaining half hour with a few songs to sing along to.

Then on Sunday it all gets a bit more serious. CSB are playing at the Colchester area round of the BASWE National Wind band Festival.   I shall be playing Bass Trombone for this, I am glad to be getting the trombone out, but am still surprised at how little I get to play.   It is always an odd feeling when you look around the band and see everyone else blowing their hearts out while you are still counting bars rest.   Of course with a Bass Trombone there is always an impact when we do come in, especially if it's a ff fzf.

One orchestral conductor I had stopped the orchestra to point out to the violins that the Bass Trombone had a dynamic that no other orchestral instrument possessed, "Obliterato".

HMS Belfast

Yesterday we played for the remembrance service on HMS Belfast.   This is a wonderful experience, and puts a lot of what we do into perspective.   The HMS Belfast is part of the Imperial War Museum. a second world war battle Cruiser, and the home of the main naval remembrance service in London.   This particular remembrance service has been going since about 1983, and the Croydon Band has played at nearly every one of them.

Initially it was a simple question of there being no service band avaiable, but the veterans wanted to have their service, at that time one of the veterans was a member of our band so he volunteered us.   Since then we have been privileged to be part of this event every year.

A few years ago the service went into a bit of a decline, less sea scouts and of course less veterans who served on Her around each year.   However over the last few years it has really picked up again.   Yesterday there were around 200 - 300 people on the quarter deck, including senior officers from at least four different Navies.   I am glad to see an increase in awareness of the sacrifice of servicemen, I just hope that by remembering we do not gloriefy war, but rather make sure we avoid it.

The Program

I should have said what the program for the festival is we are playing three pieces
Finnegan's Wake by Archibald J. Potter
The Sun Will Rise Again by Philip Sparke, and
The first three movements of Robert Russell Bennett's Suite of Old American Dances.

this is a good varied, and challenging program.   Let's hope the adjudicators agree.

Another day another dollar

Funny old game in't it? Today I acquired my new laptop, courtesy of a highly valued customer.    have managed to transfer all my files across and am just beginning to get to grips with it, this does however mean that I have not done much that pays me today!   Still I have managed a fair bit of admin stuff that needs to be done.

This evening we had a CSB rehearsal, I am getting the hang of the Trombone after m long lay off and beginning to remember why I took it up to start with.  We rehearsed the selection we are going to play at the the Colchester region round of the National Wind Band Festival and it is beginning to sound fairly well, still plenty of work to do though.   Musically I am mostly concerned with Sunday's Remembrance Service, we now have a drummer who will be playing so I am greatly relieved to know that we can start the National Anthem with a drum roll.   The congregation expect this, it gives them a chance to stand up and prepare themselves,whereas for eh last few years we have had t play an introduction and that just seems to confuse people.

Practise

I have a few performances coming up, with wind band, brass band and orchestra.   Now as a conductor I am always telling the members of the band that they have to practise, it's simply not enough to rely in the playing we do at rehearsals.   We need to practise so that when we get to the rehearsal we are ready to rehears the piece not practise the instrument.

The trouble is a lot of the time I don't follow my own advise, and now I have been found out big time!   All the time I was playing Tuba I was OK, I could pretty much cope with anything thrown at me, but at both the Orchestra and the Wind Band I will be playing Bass Trombone at the next few performances, and I NEED TO PRACTISE.   If you live near me I apologise but I just have to do it.

The Orchestral job is with the London Charity Orchestra and we are going to be playing lots of "lolly pops" including the Capriccio Italien, Roman Carnival, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and Dambusters, so it looks as though I could end up with quite a bit to do.

Stuck at home

I've been getting a bit frustrated this week, my daughter has been struck down with the dreaded lirgy, and since my wife can't take time off work I have stayed in with the young one. Having planned a full week out in gardens not only am I getting a bit stir crazy but also I'll be missing the money that I would have been earning.

On a better note (pedal C that's one of my favorite notes) I have been out to a rehearsal with a band I play with occasionally. The Surrey Yeomanry Band http://www.surreyyeomanry.com/ used to be the regimental band, but have now survived the Regiment but quite a few years. Not so long ago this band was struggling both with lack of players, and lack of ability. A new conductor and a few new recruits has transformed the ability and sound of this Band. They are now playing some challenging music, but more impressive to me they have a "sound". The sound they have is in the model of a Guards band with a wall of sound, big warm and mellow. This is not so surprising really since the conductor was trained in the Irish Guards, and quite a few of the players are ex-guards as well.

Just to add to my fun it was a real treat in an amateur band to sit next to a totally competent tuba player, again since the guy in question is currently with the Coldstream Guards again his playing was not a surprise, but finding players of that quality in a local amateur is a treat indeed.

Tonight I will be with my own band, Croydon Symphonic, http://csb.watchfresh.com/content.html This will be the first rehearsal after our last concert, so it will be interesting to see what music we will have out for the next concert which will be in Greenwich Park, then a more formal one in St John's Smith Square.

The photo on the right is from our Christmas concert last year, we played to raise money for a locally based charity Five Talents UK. www.fivetalents.org.uk

If you have been thank you for reading - I will post more tomorow