Alan Coady’s Musical Blog

Most people – even those with no formal musical education – are familiar with the term octave, even although they might struggle to define it. This short series of facts might do:

• each note makes the air vibrate at a given speed (frequency) e.g. 440 cycles per second or 440 Hertz (HZ)

• the ear judges pitch by an awareness of the speed of these vibrations

• if the frequency of a note doubles – the pitch goes up an octave (8ve)

• if the frequency of a note halves – the pitch goes down by an 8ve

• this relationship of half/double makes notes fit so well together that upon hearing them simultaneously, many listeners perceive only one note

• for this reason the notes share the same alphabetical name

• moving some of the notes of a melody into a neighbouring 8ve is called 8ve displacement and many composers use it to conjure a sense of strangeness while retaining a sense of the familiar

Octave displacement can seem nearly as odd for the performer as the listener. For most people, it would be easier to do this by reading or memorizing rather than improvising and most would agree that it would be easier on an instrument than with the voice. That’s why this seems so amazing - particularly from 0:29

Simon Thacker, formerly of Knox Academy, recently sent me information about his group Camera Ritmata’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe gig (details below). Along with special guest, Daisy Chute (of All Angels), the group comprises: Paul Harrison (piano), Mario Caribé (bass) & Stuart Brown (drums).

Details:

When - Saturday 23 Aug at 19:30

Where - Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh EH21 6AA

Booking - Tickets - £14 (£12), box office: (0131) 665 2240 or you can book online here.

After 17 years’ service to Wallyford PS, Mary Vevers was honoured with a retirement assembly. Part of this included a performance by a guitar group featuring current and former pupils. After playing a few tunes, we were joined by the Staff Choir who, with minimal rehearsal, sang a reworded version of Richard Rogers’ Happy Talk as a send-off for Mary. Among the lines describing the freedoms afforded by retirement was “…..even have your lunch before the bell.” With an irony that you could plan, the bell chimed in as this line approached. Personnel details and mp3s are available on the Wallyford PS page.

I took the opportunity to record the MGS Guitar Group’s two concert items yesterday - one in rehearsal and the other in performance. You can hear them on the MGS page

The concert was a great success and everyone everyone seemed to have a great time. In addition to the Guitar Group there were performances from: orchestra; choir; wind band; jazz band; string ensemble; cello group; brass group; solo and group vocalists and a new ensemble featuring flutes, guitars, cello & double bass in a medley of traditional Scottish tunes.

Here is a list of links to concerts in the Fringe featuring solo guitar, guitar duo, guitar in mixed ensemble & guitar/vocals. These links will take you to their entries in the fringe programme – giving details of dates, times, prices. Many of these artists have their own websites where you can hear samples of their playing.

Many of these gigs take place at The Acoustic Music Centre – follow the link to view their complete programme.

Andy McKee & Don Ross (two virtuosi of acoustic guitar – normally original material)

Adam Bulley & Malcolm MacFarlane (Malcolm is a Haddington-based jazz guitarist)

Antonio Forcione & Adrian Adewale (Italian guitar virtuoso with brazilian percussionist)

Bert Jansch (legendary folk guitarist)

Billy Jones

Cafe Cadenza mercurial trumpet & recorder virtuoso John Sampson with guitarist/vocalist Stewart Hanratty

Camera Ritmata (jazz ensemble featuring former Knox lads Simon Thacker (guitar) Paul Kirby (piano)

Neil Wilson – Classical Guitar & World Music

Spyros Dendrinos

Luca Villani

Abigail James (music by Scottish composer, Eddie Maguire – for flute/guitar/piano)

Flamenco for Lunch

Geoff “Hurricane” Watson: Acoustic Hits

Gill Bowman – acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist (a Haddington lass)

Sean Shibe – extremely talented young, local classical guitarist

Jan Akkerman + Gareth Pearson (former Focus guitarist meets young acoustic wizard)

John Renbourn (legendary folk guitarist)

Kevin Harding

Mike Whellans

Romantic Guitar – Luca Villani

Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenco

Sorros Duo – Music from Spain & Latin America (Phillip Thorne – of St David’s High School and RSAMD with Selina Madely)

Stefan Grossman (legendary folk guitarist)

SweetJune

Tony Monaco Organ Trio (there is a guitar in it, honest)

Women in Harmony (featuring singer/songwriter/guitarist, Karine Polwart) Check out their Myspace here

At this time of year the formal timetable often yields to entertainment, liaison and evangelism. Apart from the obvious benefits, this removes the incongruity of final lessons where no homework is given and no sense of urgency obtains.

Here are a few examples of recent and pending events:

Fri 13^th

The Big Gig @ MGS. This event always involves self-taught pupil bands, dance groups, staff performances (usually comical) and a staff-student band. This year a new element was included in the staff-student House Band which had interesting consequences – a horn section. As the horn parts had to be arranged and written out, this meant that the band had to adhere to and memorise the structure. The rehearsals were definitely a little more fraught than usual as there was clearly more discipline than some would have liked in their spare time, but the results made it all worthwhile and I feel sure that all involved felt that they’d raised their game.

Mon 16^th

Campie PS – guitarists from P5-P7 put on a concert of ensemble and solo music for P4 pupils. The audience contained next years new guitar players, and I was bowled over by their rapt attention. The situation also includes an opportunity for the P4s to question the existing players about what is involved in learning an instrument at school.

Tue 17^th

Four S3 guitar pupils from NBHS will accompany me on a trip to Law PS to play for the P7s. This coincides with the eve of the P7 pupils’ visit to the High School and so there should be an extra edge to the transitional feel of things. The P7s eduBuzzers plan to podcast the event so keep an eye on the Law PS blog. There will also be time for questions at this event.

Thu 19^th

MGS Summer Concert. There should be a doubly transitional feel to our Guitar Group this year. We are to be joined by two extremely enthusiastic P7 pupils from Wallyford PS and also by two former pupils who, as they are coming in to lend a hand with sound-mixing, will no doubt join the ensemble. This means the age gap between youngest and eldest will be 8 years (I’m not including myself in this equation). In addition to playing in our own ensemble, some of the pupils play in the orchestra, jazz band and a new traditional music ensemble.

Wed 25^th

P7 Leaving Assembly @ Wallyford. I can’t be at this event as I’ll be in another school but will be present in digital form – on a CD to accompany the pupils. This will be a new discipline for them as a CD can’t jump to their aid like a teacher.

Fri 27^th

Retirement Assembly @ Wallyford for a much loved member of staff. The plan is to bring six former pupils across from MGS so that, along with the P7s we can play, for the pupils and staff at this send-off. I can’t think of a nicer way to end the school year.

Despite having been a pupil at Knox for 5 years and having taught there at least one day-per-week for 25.5 years, the first time I sat through an entire concert in the school hall was last Friday. Normally, I’m on stage or backstage with pupils or en route between the two.

So it was a real pleasure to sit, free of duties, through a Lamp of Lothian concert featuring the O Duo. The duo comprises former Knox lad, Oliver Cox and musical partner, Owen Gunnell, on percussion – yes, it’s a percussion duo.

The presentation and the patter of duo was very inviting and the playing both entertaining and virtuosic. With the boys’ blessing, I recorded the concert as an aide memoir to writing a review which the Lamp of Lothian will submit to The East Lothian Courier.

It then occurred to me that posting a couple of samples here might benefit:

• The O Duo – encouraging people to check out the concert dates & CD on their website
• The Lamp of Lothian – an example of one of the many concerts they put on throughout the year – entry to which is free for pupils
• Knox Academy – perhaps an under-rated and over-looked venue – these mp3 samples were recorded on a Zoom H2 at the back of the hall

Hopefully these short samples will prove that there’s more to a percussion duo than hitting things with sticks.

Bongo Fury (composed by O Duo); Bongo Fury Alborada del Gracioso (Ravel); Alborada Courante Courante & Gigue Gigue from French Suite No. 5 in G BWV 816 (Bach); Etude in C# minor, Op. 10 No. 4; Chopin Sonata No. 90 (Soler); Soler Flight of the Bumblebee; (Rimsky-Korsakov); Flight of BB

Everyone in Scottish education will now be aware of the four capacities of A Curriculum for Excellence. The thing is barely off the ground yet but today, having seen it in action, I felt the need for a fifth – Ambassadors.

I was invited by Erika MacLaughlan, DHT of Musselburgh Burgh PS, to bring a couple of guitarists from Wallyford PS to provide a support act for the Krakow Youth Jazz Band who were visiting their school. The KYJB comprised students and staff from Krakowska Szkoła Jazzu i Muzyki Rozrywkowej (Krakow School of Jazz and Contemporary Music).

Being a hands across the sea event, the pupils, Andrew & Connor, bravely agreed to bi-lingual introductions and took turns at announcing and translating in Polish and English. They played a morning and afternoon concert to pupils from Burgh, Wallyford, Pinkie, Campie & Stoneyhill and also some Polish pupils from Musselburgh Grammar School. I think it’s not stretching things to say that the boys were great ambassadors for their school, their town and their country. They really enjoyed being around the band. It was a stroke of luck that their guitarist, Arek, was a live wire, a virtuoso player and a friendly guy.

I received a gift from Poland as a gesture of thanks from the band and it was nice to be able to offer them something in return – mp3 recordings of this afternoon’s concert which I have emailed to the Dyrektor of the Krakowska Szkoła, Grzegorz Motyka – another guitarist! I hope the recordings will bring back memories of their trip to Scotland. Unfortunately there was no-one to hand to record Connor & Andrew but you can hear them here.

Before returning to Krakow, the band will making an appearance at The Jazz Bar, Chambers St., Edinburgh, this Sunday at 3.00. This event is free of charge and I’d recommend anyone keen on jazz to get along if they can. Accompanied 14-18 yr old young people are welcome. Here’s a little taster of what you can expect: Sample

Dates for your diary page updated.

An intensive Chopin weekend is underway on Radio 3 - details of programmes here. Interesting programmes include Discovering Music, which takes an analytical look at Chopin’s Four Ballades, and World Routes, which explores the folk music of Chopin’s native Poland.

The dedicated website contains tutorials, a profile and timeline of the composers life, video footage of performances, many external links and, for the interactively minded, an audio quiz. There is also a gallery of photographs relating to Chopin’s fraught holiday in Mallorca in 1838 with George Sand and her children. Sarah Walker’s programme about this goes out at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon.

One of the tutorials, given by David Owen Norris, outlines the difference between the type of piano for which Chopin wrote and present day pianos. Those familiar with the music will not be surprised to discover that the touch of pianos back then was lighter and shallower, light and rapid playing. Classical guitarists will be familiar with a similar situation. The music of Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Dionisio Aguado etc. was written for a guitar which was not only smaller than the modern version but had a much lighter action (less tension in the strings). There is an impressive collection of such guitar in the Anne Macaulay Collection of Plucked String Instruments which is housed (alongside other impressive collections) in Edinburgh’s St Cecilia’s Hall.