Performances
Tough but enjoyable week. Tough because I completely lost my voice with a cold. Friday 28th saw us practicing Handel again - cool. Had to pull out of the singing workshop on Monday. Still able to play the fiddle though!. Monday began with more folk and sorting out the arrangement for our performance. I recorded our penultimate rehearsal and I am attaching a couple of files below. These are not the finished set but they are fun to listen to.
Tough but enjoyable week. Tough because I completely lost my voice with a cold. Friday 28th saw us practicing Handel again - cool. Had to pull out of the singing workshop on Monday. Still able to play the fiddle though!. Monday began with more folk and sorting out the arrangement for our performance. I recorded our penultimate rehearsal and I am attaching a couple of files below. These are not the finished set but they are fun to listen to.
| battleofwaterlooandnusaset.mp3 |
| road_to_skye_set.mp3 |
Tuesday was choir - couldn't sing but I sat in on the rehearsal. Sounds lovely. Then more Handel. Then down to Portobello for my fiddle lesson. Finally home for many paracetamol and practice.
Practice has been busy with six tunes for the folk set, Handel Concerto Grosso in D minor, as well as scales in 3rd position and several more tunes for my fiddle lessons. I am still using the shruti box which is helpful to play scales against. The tunes I am concentrating on at the moment are Neil Gow's "Drunk at Night, Dry in the morning" three gaelic waltzes for technique, and three english tunes.
Wednesday started with an improvement in my voice but the start of a dreadful cough.
We had a rehearsal for the folk performance and did a sound check. The performance in the evening went pretty well. The rock bands were first with a blues theme running through the performances. Our folk set was as fast as we have ever played it but it was great fun. We played six tunes in two sets. I really enjoyed everyone's performance - well done!
Thursday was the day of our classical concert as St Nicholas Church. We had final rehearsals for the choir and the strings group in the afternoon. Drank lots of cough medicine and was feeling slightly strange by the actual performance. But it must have worked as I made it through both the choir and strings group OK. I loved playing Handel. I have been surprised at how much I've enjoyed playing classical music. Another of the highlights of the evening for me was listening to the concert band. Such a big sound and great music. Holst.
Went into SCE on Friday for the music literacy pop in session.
Practice has been busy with six tunes for the folk set, Handel Concerto Grosso in D minor, as well as scales in 3rd position and several more tunes for my fiddle lessons. I am still using the shruti box which is helpful to play scales against. The tunes I am concentrating on at the moment are Neil Gow's "Drunk at Night, Dry in the morning" three gaelic waltzes for technique, and three english tunes.
Wednesday started with an improvement in my voice but the start of a dreadful cough.
We had a rehearsal for the folk performance and did a sound check. The performance in the evening went pretty well. The rock bands were first with a blues theme running through the performances. Our folk set was as fast as we have ever played it but it was great fun. We played six tunes in two sets. I really enjoyed everyone's performance - well done!
Thursday was the day of our classical concert as St Nicholas Church. We had final rehearsals for the choir and the strings group in the afternoon. Drank lots of cough medicine and was feeling slightly strange by the actual performance. But it must have worked as I made it through both the choir and strings group OK. I loved playing Handel. I have been surprised at how much I've enjoyed playing classical music. Another of the highlights of the evening for me was listening to the concert band. Such a big sound and great music. Holst.
Went into SCE on Friday for the music literacy pop in session.
Shopping
I have been thinking about buying a new acoustic guitar for a while. What to buy? An electro acoustic, or acoustic only, dreadnought or smaller. In the end I bought a nice Tanglewood dreadnought. Still on the shopping theme, I also bought some tickets to see Vasen and friends in Celtic Connections and We Will Rock you at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Two weeks to Fiddle festival (see my previous post). Go along if you can.
Hardanger Progress
Si has been working hard on the hardanger fiddle he has been making for me. See my previous posts to read more about hardangers. The front has been glued on with hide glue. Its painstaking work but this is a turning point as the instrument starts to come together. Exciting. Some pics are below.
I have been thinking about buying a new acoustic guitar for a while. What to buy? An electro acoustic, or acoustic only, dreadnought or smaller. In the end I bought a nice Tanglewood dreadnought. Still on the shopping theme, I also bought some tickets to see Vasen and friends in Celtic Connections and We Will Rock you at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Two weeks to Fiddle festival (see my previous post). Go along if you can.
Hardanger Progress
Si has been working hard on the hardanger fiddle he has been making for me. See my previous posts to read more about hardangers. The front has been glued on with hide glue. Its painstaking work but this is a turning point as the instrument starts to come together. Exciting. Some pics are below.
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