Autumn Folkus Workshop - Sunday 25th November
I went to the last of the Autumn Folkus workshops which was the first all-guitar day. I went into the advanced class with Ken Nichol and learnt some clawhammer style. Alex and I worked on an arrangement of a tune in DADGAD that I’d learnt from Jonny Dyer at Sheffield Folk Festival last month. I couldn’t remember the name so Gan Ainm came in handy. All the groups played Whip Jamboree together at the end.
The Folkus organisers, Alan and Dave, were very pleased with the day and hopefully will organise another day on just one instrument at different levels.
Saturday 24th November
Earlier in the day, I learnt a Scottish song called Billy Taylor. I couldn’t find the version I wanted on the internet but I knew Aaron Jones did that version so I had emailed him for the words. Thanks for sending them, Aaron!
In the evening, I went to Mellor Brook for ‘Busking @ the Brook’, run by Seamus Heffernan. I sang Billy Taylor for the first time and also Banks of the Roses, which I’ve been singing a lot lot recently. There’s another song called the Banks of Red Roses which is a murder ballad. I really wanted to learn that song but I forgot there were two songs with similar titles, so when I bought my song book in Ireland, I bought the WRONG BOOK! So I just learnt this one.
Amongst the other performers, I liked Stuart’s Icarus song (by Ann Lister) and also the sound man, Julian, played some good fiddle tunes, some of which I knew.
I sold my first CD but it’s a secret who to as someone is getting it for Christmas!
Friday 23rd November
I went on a school orchestra trip to the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester to see the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. We had to wear our black orchestra clothes because we were sitting behind the Orchestra in the choir seats. The Orchestra played Scythian Suite by Prokofiev, Sing not to me, beautiful maiden by Rachmaninoff, Polonaise and Tatyiana’s Letter Scene (from Eugene Onegin) by Tchaikovsky and The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. I liked The Rite of Spring best because the expressions and dynamics were amazing!
Before the concert, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, all 47 of us! The night was brilliant!
Thursday 22nd November
Irish Session at the Moorbrook Inn, Preston; first time I’ve been because it’s on a week night. We found many of the regular players from the Comhaltas Sunday session there, and the standard of playing was high. It seemed that more musicians than usual had turned up so we were a bit squashed in! I took my whistle and fiddle to play the tunes I knew and my guitar to accompany the ones I didn’t.
Sunday 18th November
Another all-day rehearsal for the Lancashire Schools Symphony Orchestra. I only joined this term and I found lots of people from my school orchestra already there. I play in the 2nd Violin section. We are working on four pieces, which are Big Country, West Side Story, James Horner: Hollywood Blockbusters and Dambusters March.
Garstang Unplugged - Thursday 15th November
Went with my parents to the Angie Palmer concert run by Garstang Unplugged. She sang a song called The Ravens based on the poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Strange coincidence, but I was working on turning this poem into a song back in September because I’d liked it when we studied it in English last year. Hearing Angie’s atmospheric version really inspired me to get back to my song and finish it.
The support act at the concert was Alex Hulme who I know because he is a regular young performer at Garstang Unplugged. He’s a good guitarist and song-writer and his performances just get better all the time. He has a short CD out called ‘Awake or Dreaming’ and my favourite track is Whisper. But he’s doing himself down by selling it for only £2, it’s definitely worth more.
The Yorkshire Dales Fiddle Weekend 9th - 11th November
The Yorkshire Dales Fiddle Weekend was superb this year with Jenna Reid (Shetland) and Lauren McColl (Scotland) as the tutors. Some great new tunes I learnt are Arthur’s Seat and the Kiwi Reel. It was held in a hostel in the tiny village of Buckden – very pretty. I couldn’t be there all weekend as I had a LAMDA Drama grade to do on Saturday morning but I got there in time for the afternoon session and stopped over Saturday night – I chose an attic bedroom with beams to bang your head on. There was an evening concert and some great sessions, with Tom McConville there as usual.
|
|
