singing angels!

It has been an exciting week. I may have mentioned before that I started work on some choral pieces before Christmas. The songs are new takes on old hymns with new tune, and updated text.

I got very enthusiastic about the project, then had a set back with lyrics and put it on hold.

I have put a choir of angelic friends together and we are performing two of the songs in a charity concert. We had a rehearsal, and it really lifted my spirit. Hearing the works performed really brings them to life, and I got excited again.

I have written two more settings this week and will soon have done enough for them to work as a book. This means a lot to me, as its a substantial piece of musical writing of the type that I don't often get chance to do.

The songs are for treble voices, but I may also do a SATB version. The response from my kind friends was good, so lets hope other people like them. ( My friends are prettier than in the picture)

"Wandering Pondering"

I am very pleased to have a piece in one of the new "Trinity Guildhall" piano exams.

I like very much the syllabuses for both piano and woodwind, and think these exams offer an interesting alternative for some pupils, especially those who would like to take grade 6,7,8, but who find it hard to fit into their busy academic schedule grade five theory and ( dare I say it?) scales.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chris for yesterday!

Support your local music shop!

I went into a music shop in a town I was visiting yesterday. It's always a surprise and a delight to actually find a decent one selling a good range of music, and not just the same old stand of "Big note Easy to play Lennon and Mc Cartney", or "Play blues harmonica in an afternoon" ( you know the ones).

While I was in there, I got talking to the owner, and heard the familiar tale of people going in and leafing through the books then going away and buying them cheaper on the Internet, or taking books, photocopying them, then taking them back. He also said there is no point selling current popular songs now because everyone just downloads them.

I felt very sorry for the music shop owner It was a far cry form the day when everyone bought sheet music. He was however providing a wonderful service for musicians, a great selection of music, and the chance to get books in your hands and really look at them. Clearly things are becoming very difficult for shops like this, and unless we support them they will disappear altogether.. this is starting to happen already.

After having a very sensible conversation with the man I left the shop. As I opened the door to go, and he shouted some parting words to me.... " By the way, What you need to do to sell more of your books, is put a few modern pop songs in them, the kids love those! "(HMMMM!!!)

Loads of lather

I have just been having an interesting ( and perhaps frustrating ) experience.

For each of the National Youth Music Camps each year, we present a forty minute musical, which is miraculously put together in about six rehearsals amid everything else that goes on during the week. Quite often the musicals are especially written for the week ( I have done quite a few over the years), and consequently there have been many new works generated because of the camps.

It is always a challenge finding something new and different to perform, and we have re visited musicals on occasions.

I really haven't time to write something for teenage camp this year, so have decided to do a musical I wrote with Derek Brechin about fifteen years ago about soap operas called "Loads of lather".

It has been an odd experience trying to update and refresh this piece. It was one of my earliest musicals, and the writing feels quite primitive. I feel a desperate need to re write parts of the songs, but can't seem to leave behind the tunes. There is a strange emotional attachment to the melodies, but a feeling that this is not the writing I would be doing now.

Oh well, I don't want to spent a lot of time on this, so hopefully crisping up a few rhythms (and writing them correctly) and changing a few wrongly chosen keys may do it.

Comforting to know that my approach has developed, and also comforting to know there are some good jokes, and cracking lyrics that are just as good as they always were.

Exciting news!

I have blogged before about a young harmonica playing friend Philip Achile. He is another pupil of Chris's harmonica teacher Jim Hughes.

He is only 19, and not only was he a soloist at the proms last year, but he played at the Royal Variety performance, and on various film sound tracks including the new Mr Bean film.

Well he has done it again!!. It has been announced today on the "European Young Musician" website today that he is one of the seven finalists to be playing a concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic. Its all happening this week, and we are proud to have Philip representing England on the HARMONICA!!.

Not sure when it will be televised, but watch this space .http://www.youngmusicians.tv/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

What is more exciting, is that Philip will be playing alongside Peter Fisher and a host of other stars(!) at a charity concert we have organised at our church very soon ( I'm going to write more harmonica music!).

Simon Ambrose

You may have seen another name on one of my books. Simon Ambrose is a fine drummer with whom I have worked for many years. When I was working on the Razzamajazz series I wanted to include a book for drum kit, and thought Simon was the ideal collaborator. I wanted the books to work together, so decided to put drum parts to some of the popular pieces so that they could be played alongside the solo books. Some of the pieces also appear in the "Really Easy band book" which doesn't have a drum part included.

Simon has worked with me on many educational projects and at the "National Youth Music Camps", so knows my style (!). He is also an experienced teacher and knows what works for young players, so he did a very good job of writing all the parts for the drum kit book.

Simon is also a good friend, quite good at magic tricks, and very funny!. I think I may struggle to find a serious photo of him.