It was a youth meeting at Clydebank SA and I was to play a couple of solos. The first one was announced and I stood up – my accompanist (I can’t remember who it was) played me an A and I blew into my horn to check the tuning.
George McConnell
Back To Back Beethoven
When I posted about Hugh Seenan and the London Horn Sound the other day I went searching for him on the www and found a picture of the LSO horn section ‘modelling’ Paxman horns. Next to him in the picture was another horn player that I played alongside frequently – mainly in the Glasgow University Orchestra and the Scottish Universities Orchestra.
How Low Can You Go
I’m not sure how I first came across this video – but it is definitely my favourite version of this song.
My Brass Banding
It was inevitable that somewhere in the list of “types of musical group I have participated in” I would eventually get to Brass Bands as that has been where the majority of my music making has been done.
Face It – You Don’t Know
I am no expert, but I suspect that those that control the press (these days I guess it should be “the media” to be more inclusive) have always been viewed with a certain amount of suspicion by some elements of the populace – for all sorts of different reasons. This, of course, has come to a head in a big way in modern day USA where the “fake news media” are regularly blamed for many things.
Another Moment Of Calm
OK – so I appreciate that this is stretching it a bit to claim that today’s choice is continuing my “types of group I have performed in” – but I have been assured that I had some piano lessons when I was young – I have no memory of them 🙂 – my piano playing is best described as ‘limited’ and almost exclusively for my own pleasure.
Horn Memories
I realised that as I was going through this week I have been (subconsciously so far) picking different types of musical group that I have been a part of at some time – Concert Band, Orchestra, Brass Ensemble…. So I decided that I should continue that for the rest of the week.
Cats (Not The Musical)
On Sunday I shared some music played by our Brass Ensemble, Glorianna. Much of the influence that was behind the creation of that group was from the wonderful Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. The music that they played was varied from the very old to music commissioned for the ensemble itself.
Late Call
My older scottish friends may be able to work out how my very late post last night could lead me to today’s music choice – but for everyone else I think that perhaps you may need just a wee bit of help to work it out.
Military Band Camp
After I left school I was fortunate to be enlisted by the Glasgow School’s Music Department as a French Horn teacher and, as part of that I attended the Concert Band summer camp as Horn Tutor for five years. The best horn players went to the First or Second Orchestra camps so it was, in general, the younger players who were in the Concert Band – although some preferred that style of music.