tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57486464170947522482024-03-05T23:58:13.880+00:00Adventures in SoundReal games, involving sound and music, to play with real people. Discussion about music education in general.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-32391648801541622132012-11-17T17:39:00.001+00:002012-11-17T17:40:31.311+00:00Piano week
This time last week I was rushing from a wedding gig in a marquee. We were chilly until the hot air machine was switched on and then baking as it was pointing at the band. Then it was switched back off and the sweat cooled on our backs.
So it was good to go from there to a bonfire-and-firework birthday party on a friend's farm. He had been storing school pianos for a tuner Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-65730740750837809842012-11-15T12:12:00.001+00:002012-11-15T12:12:10.354+00:00Success story
It's always a pleasure to blow my own trumpet but last week two of my students did the blowing for me. They took the Associated Board's Jazz Saxophone Grade 5 exam. Usually the results take an age to come through but this time it took just over a week. And great news! They were each awarded 'Distinction' (which is the highest band, being better than a merit which in Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-62583668118673899662012-11-11T21:05:00.001+00:002012-11-11T21:06:30.251+00:00Three Colours
On Friday I went to Polka Theatre in Wimbledon to help Joy Haynes hold an audition for a puppeteer/performer to work alongside dancer Jasmiina Sipila in a new production. The piece will be a collaboration between Polka Theatre and Norwich Puppet Theatre and is aimed at children aged between two and four years. My part was to provide some musical accompaniment while the applicants Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-86952352123194049562012-10-02T16:27:00.000+01:002012-10-04T19:29:34.123+01:00Body Land Movement
Life just gets better. I had a wonderful day on Saturday playing for a dance workshop led by Celia Little and Filipa Pereira Stubbs in woods west of Cambridge. Called Body Land Movement, it facilitated expressive dance in nature and my role was to support people musically in their exploration. As they improvised dance, so I improvised music. It isJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-55495517962922560922012-10-01T13:18:00.000+01:002012-10-01T13:34:30.173+01:00Farewell, Monster
A rainy Monday is the perfect time to make a long-overdue blog entry. The eight weeks since my last entry seem have passed in a blur. For at least the last fortnight I have been completely submerged in 'There's a Monster in My Piano' which is the new show from Garlic Theatre. The title says it all really. The story features a toy piano from the famous (in toy piano Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-17151571788531495752012-08-05T07:27:00.000+01:002012-08-05T07:27:57.626+01:00Beverley Puppet Festival 2012
A mini tour performing The Chalk Giants and Claytime took in Beverley Puppet Festival. The weather plays a big part in any event using outdoor spaces but I think this would have been a great event even without the sunshine. The highlight for me was Sockobauno's Little Fawn Caravan. Not just because it is a wonderfully intimate space in which to view a performance. ShaneJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-32592325199667014742012-07-02T12:46:00.000+01:002012-07-02T12:46:30.641+01:00Birds of prey
The recent news item about Rufus the vanishing, and reappearing, Wimbledon hawk reminded me of some workshops I ran last month. These are a relatively new departure for me, about which more later, mixing 'found' and 'junk' instruments with storytelling. They took place in a marquee at Holt Hall and I was sharing the billing with friend, author and performance poet David Mason. &Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-56859778279736203942012-06-07T11:59:00.000+01:002012-06-07T11:59:59.624+01:00At last - The Tomb of Spirits
All the rewrites and timing alterations are complete and 'The Tomb of Spirits' opens at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge at 2pm today. Here are some photos from the last rehearsal I attended, which featured half a dozen or so students coming in to photograph the proceedings.
The three cues are all very long, the third over16 minutes, but I will post an extract or two in the near future.
Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-59762487113483695282012-05-25T21:33:00.000+01:002012-05-25T21:33:34.146+01:00A very old flute indeed
Another from the BBC: Apparently archaeologists have discovered flutes made from bird and mammoth bone. The flutes, from a cave close to the River Danube in southern Germany, are about 45,000 years old. The BBC article is here while the source article is from The Journal of Human Evolution.
The picture, of one of the flutes from two angles, suggests a swannee whistle but I'm pretty sure Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-52411271847178229382012-05-24T15:04:00.000+01:002012-05-24T21:46:00.973+01:00Why the British talk about the weather
My first real brush with the outdoors this year involved a weekend at what will be this year's Midsummer Camp venue. The last weekend in April and, although not especially cold, it never really stopped raining. Blind optimism, poor judgement and bad luck caused me to turn up with a strange tent and no car to retreat (or escape in). And I quickly discovered that my tent had no Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-75028571081776528982012-05-18T21:08:00.001+01:002012-05-19T08:57:37.380+01:00Procrastination
It's about time I posted. It's been a busy week with three shows on the go, two in rehearsal and a 'show and tell' session about the R&D (research and development) for Pied Piper. But I'm a firm believer in procrastination; it allows time for assimilation and for fresh ideas to appear.
So I've been doodling. I first came across Norwich based artist Sarah Beare when I saw an Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-828803969684153112012-04-15T21:08:00.001+01:002012-04-15T21:08:45.115+01:00Playing outdoors
So much to write about. A new piece of kit, a malfunctioning microphone, selecting tin whistles and, in respect of the whistles, the start of the R&D (research and development) week for The Pied Piper tomorrow.
But all that in good time. Today I drove across to a piece of woodland south-west of Cambridge where I'll playing for a weekend of expressive dance over the first weekend in Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-10353265879021234452012-04-09T10:00:00.000+01:002012-04-09T10:00:15.539+01:00The strap
I consider it a successful term, by the standard of recent years, at the academy (formerly the high school). My goals were modest. I wanted to correct the bad fingering technique of two eleven year old clarinettists by prevailing upon them to use a strap to hold the instrument. The weight of the instrument means that young players invariably take the pressure off their right thumb byJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-53006682076280823062012-03-27T10:13:00.000+01:002012-05-18T21:15:16.127+01:00The Tomb of Spirits
Another show for the Fitzwilliam Museum is coming together nicely. Last Friday I went over to Cambridge to see how The Tomb of Spirits was developing and to discuss the audio requirements. The exhibition which runs alongside the show is of Han dynasty tomb goods from two tombs: a minor king and an emperor's brother.
Since I got back I've been recording dew drops falling into a jade Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-54130946674343754922012-03-19T22:14:00.003+00:002012-03-19T22:23:16.968+00:00A workshop, a show but no camera
On Saturday I went to a music workshop run by PuppetCraft where I learnt a little about mbira technique by watching master musician Chartwell Dutiro play. I understood immediately why he doesn't use the name 'thumb piano' for his instrument. He uses the forefinger of his right hand, playing the keys from underneath, as well as his thumbs. I have yet to try this myself but somehow I Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-84948943849424215512012-03-12T06:49:00.000+00:002012-03-12T14:10:29.023+00:00AM Drum
I ran into a friend of mine at a gathering yesterday who had just returned from south-west France. He had brought back this wonderful instrument which he described as a poor man's Hang drum. I had a brief play on it and was entranced. It was more than sitting outside, post-sauna, in the sunshine on a warm Spring-like day. There was nothing impoverished about this drum,Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-34283498169821643842012-03-05T15:39:00.000+00:002012-03-05T15:43:21.284+00:00Natural Fibre
Thanks to BBC news for this gem about making violin strings from spider silk. I'm not sure when, or if, they'll be available to the average punter but I wouldn't bet against it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17232058
The spiders used are different from this garden spider, being Nephila maculata. The article also has an audio clip. I must say, Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-90023948932411751722012-03-03T09:03:00.001+00:002012-03-03T09:03:40.864+00:00Tamil Festival Music
We arrived in Munnar on December 23rd to find the hotels full. It was the Christmas period and the Indian middle class were on holiday. We'd met a family from Assam on the train from Madurai, spending a couple of weeks touring a mix of holy and secular attractions. Arriving in the mountains we discovered that hill stations were particularly favoured by Indians for short breaks. Most were Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-77779400908111950022012-02-21T17:41:00.001+00:002012-02-21T17:43:25.625+00:00Toy Piano
In Garlic Theatre's new show, There's A Monster In My Piano, there is a toy piano. It's a wonderful little thing with a wooden body and beaters with an 'old-fashioned' plastic look. It's French made and, without knowing the make and model off hand, I'd guess it was built in the 1950s. The 'strings' are metal rods and there are no dampers.
I have been Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-82271270790613150582012-02-16T19:55:00.000+00:002012-02-16T19:56:21.202+00:00
I would have liked to have stayed longer than the 21 hours I spent in the spectacular temple city of Madurai. A number of factors, including a dispute between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over a dam, made us get on a train to Trivandrum in the small hours.
Another British cock-up, although not on the scale of Partition, is reverberating down the centuries. In the late Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-59084096540659672242012-02-13T21:48:00.000+00:002012-02-13T21:48:19.864+00:00Poole Puppet Festival
You learn something new every day, as the saying goes. On Saturday I took part in two performances of The Chalk Giants at the Lighthouse in Poole and discovered that it was the first day of Poole Puppet Festival. It included a display of some particularly fine puppets, workshops for children and 'have-a-go' puppets too.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-33979363412796097342012-02-09T16:09:00.001+00:002012-02-09T20:01:35.077+00:00Two more from the natural world
Whales: Apparently their stress levels increase in line with engine noises from shipping. It interferes with their communication with other whales. Hardly surprising, really, but still good to have some firm evidence. Time to revert to sail? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16926005
Monkeys: The 'silent' Tarsier monkey from the Philippines is Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-83751042951003630522012-02-07T21:49:00.000+00:002012-02-07T21:49:34.028+00:00Insect asides
A couple of insect related items caught my ear recently, courtesy of BBC radio. The first concerned bees and one Huw Evans, an electronic engineer turned bee-keeper. He has been recording the sound inside his hives and analysing it in an attempt to predict swarming. He can also monitor the health of his bees in a non-invasive manner. Looking inside the Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-55467177092421480542012-02-05T10:02:00.002+00:002012-02-05T10:06:14.617+00:00The first lesson
When I bought my flute from Vunugoptal I tried to teach him a tune and he tried to teach one to me. Neither of us had much success. I had wanted to play The Lark in the Morning - a particular favourite - but could neither remember it nor conjure it out of the Keralan air. I settled for The Maids of Mitchelstown.
I don't know what tune he tried to teach me but Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748646417094752248.post-19616268545680347452012-02-01T14:41:00.000+00:002012-02-01T17:21:49.221+00:00A voice project
As part of my work on the soundtrack for 'There's a Monster in My Piano' for Garlic Theatre I am collecting true stories about, and people's early impressions of, pianos. This has involved sticking a microphone in front of my interviewees and so I am learning the knack of helping them relax while keeping my own mouth shut. An excellent discipline.
I didn't have much toJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10412300721454784537noreply@blogger.com2