Category: Blog

I recently wrote about the importance of concentrating on one’s own line of music, and not being distracted by checking if I / we are in unison with other parts.. but what if the music is fast and has a rhythm that is tricky to grasp? Namely “The Isla Reel” arranged by Marg Hall. A…

Three of us met to practice “Adriane Musica”, “Branles” , “Fair Phyllis” and “Greensleeves to a Ground”. Who doesn’t prefer a score to follow, to check were to come in, and feel reassured that we are at the right point.. Do we have a preferred other line to follow as well as our own? Perhaps…

There is much to be said for all three! My old treble ,which is plastic and painted to look like wood, has had years of wear. The wood effect paint has worn off around the most used holes. I took the plunge and bought a pre-owned wooden one, secretly imagining someone else having played amazing…

What a great meeting we had, with such a variety of time signatures! Greensleeves to a Ground being 6/4 with plenty of staccato. Lascia Ch’io Pianga being 3/2, slow and mournful, yet a beautiful piece. The bass has some tied bars, which need careful thought ! Summer is Icumen In is 3/4. Written in 1240,…

Three of us had a very useful line by line practice of a number of pieces. The trills in Scherzo took time to clarify, particularly as it is a challenge to count beats when trilling! Any advice on this would be welcome. The three Bach Chorales are really good, but we grapple a little with…

What a wide range of rhythms we embraced yesterday! From the lively and loud Quickstep of Houndayawka, through the Scottish Island tunes to Three Chorales by Bach!. The Scottish Tunes may look straightforward, but closely watching the timing is necessary to appreciate the evocative sound. The gardener outside the church apparently appreciated listening to our…

The most fulfilling 10 years of my nursing career was spent working with very profoundly disabled young children , in a team that worked in happy skilled unison. Everyone contributed to that special collective feeling . There were difficult and sad days, just as there were many hugely uplifting ones. We carried one another and…

Great fun today , tackling the new playlist. “Houndayawka” provided us with plenty of enjoyable work, tackling the semiquaver runs, particularly for the descants and Trebles! Thoinot Arbeau’s Branles were more interesting and challenging than at first appeared. We played them as one continuous piece, rather than six small ones. “Fair Phyllis” by John Farmer…

Most of our members were busy over Easter, so two of us with one Cello playing husband met to play some interesting pieces.. great sight reading practice, and lovely to have the mellow Cello with the Tenor and Bass.. Just two of us met today, interchanging between Bass and treble, and Tenor and Contra Bass…

What other instrument is portable, easy to start learning on, fosters a socially beneficial experience, and helps the brain handle maths and fine motor skills?!To name but a few of it’s benefits. It can be a stepping stone to learning a different instrument or a different and maybe larger recorder. There are many professional recorder…