Showing posts with label brass band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brass band. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 February 2013

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.

Sunday, 23 December 2012

'Tis the season......

As a tuba player I am suddenly in a lot of demand, on Thursday evening we played carols around our Parish, four brass players and a little choir while others knocked on doors and handed out mince pies sweets and a list of the Christmas services in the Parish over Christmas. As we are a joint benefice with two ministers and two Churches there are quite a lot of services. Then on Friday evening we had an outdoors carol service in front of one of our Churches, this time three brass and electric keyboard along with the choir. All great fun and a good thing to do but none the less pretty tiring after a days work, on both days I didn't get home and have any dinner till around ten.





So it was nice yesterday to have a bit of lie-in before driving down to Hever Castle for a final concert of the year, this time with a different local Brass Band playing BBb bass. It was good to play some different music and meet up with some old friends, also the way the castle and grounds were lit up was very pretty, indeed I wondered about using the title "Hever on Earth" I didn't have a camera with me so these shots are ones I took on my rather poor quality phone camera.


It seems odd but I realised the other day that I only seem to play Mrs T (my old Hawkes Cavalry Model BBb) at Christmas, I used a band instrument yesterday evening so Mrs T went back up into the attic for another year. This evening I will be playing at our main Parish Carol Service for what feels like the first time for ages I will be using "the new toy" my Conn CC. I shall have to find some time today to have quick practise to see if I can remember which fingers to use!

Sunday, 22 July 2012

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

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

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.