|
|
In August, because so many people were away on
holiday or at events, we decided to have a practice night instead of the usual concert night. This went down well and was well attended. For those who have not been to a practice night, its not a group of us playing as an accordion band or anything like that, it’s a free for all where players choose a corner of the room to play, chat with others, share tips, fix accordions or just listen to someone else playing. It’s a social night where you can talk as much as you like all night long
without disturbing any players. Often you will see a naked accordion in the room at these nights, with two or three people staring at it while tools and lights are used on it. The accordion normally recovers well and its owner is suitably happy that a previously unwell accordion is now playing fine. I always encourage new duets to start up on these nights, and we often see people playing together who you would not normally see together on stage. These nights are good for giving confidence,
gaining skills and being comfortable at playing in the club without being the centre of attention on stage. Sometimes people bring other instruments to these nights and play along with other players on their accordions. This is all part of the club experience and I encourage other instruments to duet with an accordion, but we keep it as a free reed club by insisting that other instruments (eg. A guitar, drums, keyboard etc.) are fine to play on stage at concert nights if accompanied by an
accordion. If you haven’t been to a practice night before then please try one out in future, you might like it.
David Batty
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Wednesday is one of our local players concerts. Hopefully you can support your club and attend. If you are a player, please ensure you have your
accordion and your music(if needed), so you can play your latest pieces for us. If you don’t play then you have an important job too, players need an audience, so I hope you can attend and support them. The night starts at 8pm but doors are always open for 7.30pm for a chat before the concert starts. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I mentioned in a previous newsletter about a website for mechanical music such as fairground organs, music boxes
etc. www.mechanicalmusic.com If you are stuck for ideas for something to play, then a listen to this website might give you ideas for tunes you could play, would like to play, or it might remind you of other tunes similar to those playing. There is some very nice tunes on the website and I am sure it won’t take long to find something you would like to play on the accordion. I am not saying most of us could play the majority of tunes on there but we all have to start somewhere
with a tune. Give it a listen and see what you think.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Its not long until December now, which means it’s a good time to brush up
on some Christmas tunes. December will be here before you know it, and you may be asked to provide a few tunes somewhere, its best to be prepared with a few you are comfortable with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chester Accordion Club’s meet on
the second Tuesday afternoon and the last Tuesday Evening of the month at The Groves Club, Chester Road (A5032), Whitby, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Telephone Barry Graham on 01978 760065.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liverpool Irish Festival - bringing Liverpool and Ireland closer together through arts and culture - is back once more for the 15th instalment this October. Through Liverpool's reputation as a vibrant and cultural city, the annual event focuses on celebrating the Irish contribution to Liverpool's heritage and identity, and the important part Irish
culture continues to play in our city. The Festival includes performances, participation, entertainment and education in Irish traditions, music, literature, theatre, and artm reflect Irish communities. Expect events such as the In:Visible Women, Family Day and Family Ceili; the Celtic Animation Film Festival, contributions from IndieCork, séisíuns, performances, talks, tours and more. Liverpool Irish Festival takes place between 18th - 28th October 2018 to see a full line up of events and
acts visit:
https://www.liverpoolirishfestival.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you would like to know more about the workings of your accordion and how to fix some of the problems, an accordion repair course is to be held in Teddington on either 25th & 16th October or the 1st & 2nd November. Cost will be £115 + Vat for the 2 days.
On the Thursday evening there is an optional dinner at a local Italian restaurant for those interested, where you can optionally play accordions after dinner. “The tutor is Paul Flannery who is a piano tuner by trade and over the years started repairing and tuning Melodeons & then Accordions. Repairers/tuners all have their own way of working and therefore Paul imparts his knowledge on how he approaches repairs. Previous attendees have been pleased with Paul’s explanation and advice. People can bring an instrument which
may need some repair work and in some cases the problem has been resolved during the course. For one person on our previous course it covered the course fee! We cannot guarantee to fix all problems as the time does not permit, however we can use the accordion as an example for the group and investigate the problem and explain how it can be fixed. There will be some practical work such as re-valving and waxing reed plates. Opportunity also to learn a little about
tuning.” For more information and to book contact Peter Le Geyt on 020 8977 6680 or email plg@plgmarketing.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wyre Club meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month at The North Euston Hotel on the Esplanade at Fleetwood, FY7 6BN. Further details
tel. 01253 883681.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16th - 18th November at the Henry Box School in Witney, Oxford.
Over the weekend there will be detailed Workshop classes at different levels on aspect of instrumental technique, traditional styles, repertoire, ensembles, harmony and accompaniment. The Accordion Tutors are David Oliver and Becky Price. Melodeon tutors are Simon Care, Steve Dumpleton,
Katie Howson and Emmanuel Pariselle. Concertina tutors are Iris Bishop, Adrian Brown, Simon Thoumire and Dave Townsend. On Saturday, meet up at Henry Box School, register, and start working on your chosen units. You’ll find yourself in a group of friendly
like-minded people, with an experienced tutor covering a particular aspect of squeeze-box music. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available at break times, and for lunch and an evening meal you will go out into the town for something to eat. In the evening there is a concert by the tutors, and on Sunday you do it all again, with a different group and maybe a different tutor, have a farewell gathering, and go home. We hope you will depart having learnt something new, full of ideas to work on for the
rest of the year, with new friends and the memory of having had a great time. The fee for the course is £95.00, which includes all teaching and workshop sessions, access to advance music and information, and admission to the Saturday night concert. . The course is non-residential, and an accommodation list is available on the website. Places for young people are offered at the reduced price of £50.00 They are available to anyone aged between 18-21 who is not in full-time
employment. Basic Level – Musicians who can play a few tunes, know their way around the main notes of the instrument, and have some knowledge of note-names, written music and/or chord-symbols. On accordion and melodeon, they will have begun to use the left-hand chord buttons. Intermediate Level – Musicians who can play in the usual keys of the instrument, have knowledge of where to find all the notes, a fair idea of rhythm, and can follow at a reasonable pace. They will have started
to learn to control the sounds (i.e. loudness and attack), to consider musical style, and perhaps to experiment with harmony and ornamentation. Higher Level – Musicians who can play with a degree of fluency, understand the layout of the instrument, can find notes as required, and keep a fair rhythm and pace. They will be exploring various aspects of their music such as style, phrasing, dynamics, accents, rhythms, harmony, ornamentation and technique. To see a list of Units and to book on the weekend course visit
https://www.davetownsendmusic.com/contact/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This club is on every Tuesday at The Place In The Park, 109 Liscard Road, Wallasey CH44 9AE. The night starts at 7pm. The format of this club is a playaround circle where people sit in a circle and play in order round the circle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foster and Allen are touring the UK in October/November, they will be performing at Preston Guild Hall on the 9th
November tickets cost £27 To book tickets visit https://prestonguildhall.co.uk/shows/foster-and-allen/ or Telephone 01772 804444
Other Local tour dates include: 30th Oct - The Brindley Runcorn - 0151 907 8360 10th Nov - The Edge Wigan - 01942 244460 13th Nov - Floral Pavilion Theatre New Brighton - 0151 666 0000 29th March - Blackburn Empire Theatre - 01254 685500 For a full list of their uk Tour dates visit www.fosterandallen.ie/live-dates/
|
|
|
|
|
Jimmy Shand Collection Goes On Display
|
Article from the
Dundee Evening Telegraph
Newly-restored rare musical manuscripts collected by Jimmy Shand are to go on display in Dundee. The books and sheet music were donated to the Wighton Centre at Central Library in 2013 after they were acquired at auction by
the Friends of Wighton. Following a lengthy restoration process, which led to some books having to be conserved page by page, the volumes are now ready to be enjoyed by the public.
A launch ceremony was held at the Wighton Centre which was attended by
Sir Jimmy’s son Jimmy Jr and his wife Margaret. Jimmy Jr and his family also contributed additional material to the rare collection of classical Scottish scripts. Members of the Friends of Wighton’s instrumental classes played a selection of tunes from the collection. Sheena Wellington, of the Friends of Wighton, said Sir Jimmy, had been a discerning collector of books and manuscripts, some of which are hundreds of years old. Sheena – who like Sir Jimmy is an inductee of the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of
Fame – said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have them on display and we have some real rarities. “There is a collection of 19th Century books bound into one volume that we believe could be a first edition.” Among some of the other treasures are an 18th Century collection of harpsichord songs and a book of ancient Orkney melodies from 1885. There is also is a volume of ballroom songs from 1870, of which no catalogue record exists in any library in the world – making it unique. Jimmy Jr
said his dad – who died in 2000 at the age of 92 – would be “overwhelmed” to know his collection was being shared with the city. “I’m delighted about it all – my father would have been delighted too, that it is now something the public can enjoy,” he
said. “We wish the Wighton Centre every success with the collection and hope a lot of folk come to see it.” In total, the collection comprises 23 volumes, some of which will be on public display. The rest can be viewed on request, under the supervision of a librarian. Funding for the conservation was provided through fundraising efforts and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The careful work was carried out by hand, by local professional book expert Emma Fraser. Sheena said that Emma, who runs The Book
and Paper Studio on Union Street, had done a “beautiful job”.
While the legendary accordion player is often linked with Auchtermuchty, Sir Jimmy spent many years in Dundee and lived in Lochee for 20 years. The City of Discovery had a unique part to play in his story. He was already an accomplished player of the melodeon – similar to an accordion – when he discovered the instrument that would make him famous. Sheena said: “He walked by Forbes’s music shop on the Nethergate and saw an accordion in the
window. “I believe a pal said to him to go in and have a wee go. “He started to play and the owner realised he was a bit special and gave him a job selling accordions. “The rest, as they say, is history.” https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/music-legend-sir-jimmy-shands-collection-goes-on-display-in-dundee/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forthcoming Dates
|
Our Forthcoming Nights at The Priory Club, Broadfield Drive Leyland 19th September 2018 Concert
3rd October 2018 Practice
17th October 2018 Concert
31st October 2018 Practice
7th November 2018 Practice
21st November 2018 Concert
5th December 2018 Practice
19th December 2018 Christmas
Do
2019
2nd January 2019 Practice
16th January 2019 Concert
30th January 2019 Practice
6th February 2019 Practice
20th
February 2019 Practice
6th March 2019 Practice
20th March 2019 Concert
3rd April 2019 Practice
17th April 2019 Practice
1st May 2019 Practice
15th May 2019
Concert
29th May 2019 Practice
5th June 2019 Practice
19th June 2019
Practice
3rd July 2019 Practice
17th July 2019 Concert
31st July 2019 Practice
7th August 2019
Practice
21st August 2019 Practice
4th September 2019 Practice
18th September 2019 Concert
2nd October 2019 Practice
16th October 2019 Practice
30th October 2019 Practice
6th November 2019 Practice
20th November 2019 Concert
4th December 2019 Practice
18th December 2019 Christmas Do
|
|
|
|
|
