Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
|
Post by Stephen on Nov 18, 2015 9:31:13 GMT -5
Of course there was the infamous Portsmouth Sinfonia, a student group in the late 1970's who had very strict membership principles, to be a member you either had to not be able to read music, never played an instrument, or required to play an instrument you had never played before. After a couple of concerts they made records and even appeared at the Royal Albert Hall.... to give away a couple of things, there was a brave pianist who played along to try to keep them together, and the conductor was picked at random!!
They succeeded to mangle all the popular classics, the 1812 overture is truly a work of appalling genius, they do not end together, and the guns are all wrong.
I hope the humour of it translates to other countries, it was meant to be a huge joke, but they found that people wanted to watch and hear them.
Stephen.
|
|
Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
|
Post by Stephen on Nov 18, 2015 9:57:55 GMT -5
And the 1812 Overture, performed the The Royal Albert Hall, with appreciative audience participation.
|
|
mickeyobe
Lifetime Member
Resident President
Posts: 7,280
|
Post by mickeyobe on Nov 18, 2015 11:10:34 GMT -5
In my student time (45 years ago) I played the bassoon... Lately I was allowed to touch one - it was so hard to get a tone out of the instrument... almost embarrasing:-( Perhaps I should be mute. I played the double bass. No reeds. No embouchure. Just the occasional snack of rosin for the bow. Now with diabetic neuropathy and arthritis I can no longer press the strings against fingerboard or hold my bow or play pizzicato. I am looking for a music student to whom I can give it. Here is my old friend and accomplice. (1951 to now.) Mickey
|
|
mickeyobe
Lifetime Member
Resident President
Posts: 7,280
|
Post by mickeyobe on Nov 18, 2015 11:38:19 GMT -5
And the 1812 Overture, performed the The Royal Albert Hall, with appreciative audience participation. Thank you Stephen. Truly rare arrangements. The cat sat on the couch with his wide eyes much wider than usual until the first gun was fired. I have never before seen a cat fly. I don't know where he is now. The Sugar Plum Fairy running around yelling "eh, eh, eh ..." was a touch of genius. To misquote Queen Victoria, "We are amused." I must go now and wipe the tears of appreciation from my ears. Mickey
|
|
|
Post by herron on Nov 22, 2015 10:27:04 GMT -5
Hmmm...all this chatter about musical instruments made me go dig up my old trumpet. I wonder if my wife will call the police if I let out what has to be a screech after all these years? ;-)
|
|
mickeyobe
Lifetime Member
Resident President
Posts: 7,280
|
Post by mickeyobe on Nov 22, 2015 14:29:33 GMT -5
Hmmm...all this chatter about musical instruments made me go dig up my old trumpet. I wonder if my wife will call the police if I let out what has to be a screech after all these years? ;-) Ron, Tell her you are serenading the Newfoundlanders. They are a hardy, kind hearted folk. They thrive on Screech. Mickey
|
|
Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
|
Post by Stephen on Nov 22, 2015 18:39:51 GMT -5
Could use a Bugle!...... And whilst on Bugles, an amazing recording exists of Trumpeter Kenneth Lanfried who sounded the Bugle at The Charge of the Light Brigade. He is sometimes referred to as Lamphrey, apparently a mistake in listening to the Edison Cylinder recording.
Stephen
|
|
Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
|
Post by Stephen on Nov 24, 2015 17:27:42 GMT -5
The final insult to Handel, a competition between the Sinfonia and a choir who had no music parts, they did it from memory. Amazing they got to the end......
Stephen.
|
|
|
Post by philbirch on Nov 26, 2015 15:53:46 GMT -5
I have my original school recorders, a Sopranini, Descant and Treble. They come out each year and we play christmas carols. I used my treble once in the pub on band night playing the intro to Stairway to Heaven for a band I was promoting. It actually brought tears to my eyes and of many of the audience. It was beautiful. I'd never played it before with a band. They use a recording of it now when they play that song.
Primary school recorder groups can be cringeworthy. But you can't beat a decent group.
|
|
Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
|
Post by Stephen on Nov 27, 2015 7:30:26 GMT -5
I think the problem with young players is overblowing, older wooden recorders produce overtones that are way off the musical scale. Gently playing a recorder, especially well made modern gives a pleasant sound, especially for traditional airs, folk music etc. Tiny childrens fingers are the other issue with recorders, they do not cover the hole well, I always find Tin Whistles are for any child to play.
|
|
|
Post by philbirch on Dec 9, 2015 11:54:56 GMT -5
Blowing the recorder is important, its hard to overblow a decent wooden one but most school ones are plastic these days. And don't have such a nice tone. One thing that many players don't do is use their tongue between notes like going 't.t.t' over the hole. They use separate breaths 'ph.ph.ph'.
I find tin whistles harder to play than a recorder. You have to overblow to get the high notes. You can easily over-overblow. Recorder is easier as you use the thumb hole to get the high notes. The holes on my tin whistle are larger than a recorder's. I have difficulty remembering the fingering for notes on a tin whistle, so used am I to a recorder.
|
|