Concertina part-playing sessions, Whitby Folk Week 2010

[Valmai Goodyear]

Spare Parts Concertina Band (that's Bryan Creer, Suzanne Higgins and me) are running sessions at Whitby Folk Week, UK, 21-27 August (http://www.whitbyfolk.co.uk) for all concertina systems in the Conservative Club bar every morning from 10.00 - 11.20 from Monday until Friday. We'll be taking two sets of the arranged tunes we've worked on to the final workshop concert from 1.30 - 4.30 on Friday in the Spa Pavilion Hall.

 

Thanks to Bryan, you'll find all the tunes on the band website at http://www.sparepartsband.co.uk/SPTunes.php as pdfs and MIDI files. The MIDIs are in two versions, one normal speed and one slow for practising. The whole selection is also there as a single Word document.

 

On Monday and Wednesday we'll work on Dick's Maggot and Mrs. Savage's Whim as a set; the tunes come from John of The Green The Cheshire Way. On Tuesday and Thursday we'll do the same for The Speaking Figure and You May If You Please, both from the William Winter collection from the Quantocks. On Friday we'll polish up both sets for performance.

 

To provide variety we'll also play an extra, easier arrangement each day but we're not aiming to get those ready for performance unless people particularly want to do them. The other tunes are Byers Maggot, Because He Was A Bonny Lad, Bobby Shafto, Father Angus McDonnell, and Lakes of Sligo.

 

Do get in touch if you can't make them work or want any help. If you want to concentrate on tunes which will definitely come up during the week, stick to Dick's Maggot/Mrs. Savage's Whim and Speaking/Figure/You May If You Please.

 

SUSSEX CONCERT WITH EXTRA CONCERTINAS

If you are feeling brave or foolhardy, we're taking part in the Sussex Concert in the Metropole Hotel Ballroom from 3.30 - 5.30 on the Wednesday. Better reasons for attending are Vic Gammon, Dan Quinn & Will Duke, Annie Winter, Bob Lewis, Matt Quinn, and Martyn Wyndham-Read & Iris Bishop with Jon Wigg. I make that a total of six concertina players, three systems and ten instruments.

[AnnC]

Thanks I'll be down the library later today to print off the dots ( no printer at home ). I can't sight read but looking at the sheet music will stop me from playing what I think I've heard rather than what the tune really is Cheers Ann

[Valmai Goodyear]

Sorry, I should have said that if you'd like a printed copy of the dots I can post them to you. Send an email with your postal address to valmaigoodyear[at]aol[dot]com and I'll post them today. This applies to anyone who has trouble printing the stuff.

 

All the best,

 

Valmai

[Valmai Goodyear]

The gallant webmaster has put a link to the concertina music from the Programme page of the Festival website. Many thanks!

 

Valmai

[Valmai Goodyear]

Proof that we're practising hard for Whitby; this was taken this afternoon.

[Valmai Goodyear]

Proof that we're practising hard for Whitby; this was taken this afternoon.

I'll try again - there should have been a photo attached.

[AnnC]

It's going to be easy to spot you now I know what a Harvey's bar towel coat looks like I'll be the one sat in sessions with a pot of tea Definitely going to get to the Monday and Wednesday part playing, might be tied up for Tues and Thurs though. Can people miss 2 days?

 

Cheers Ann

[Valmai Goodyear]

Yes, missing days is no problem and nobody's compelled to take part in the final workshop concert on the Friday afternoon if they'd rather not. We'll be doing the 3/2 hornpipes on Monday and Wednesday, with one extra easier arrangement for fun each day.

 

Looking forward to meeting you,

 

Valmai

[AnnC]

Thanks I shall have to buckle down and do some practice. Haven't done much at all for the last couple of years (and not a lot for some years before that) as my OH wasn't in the best of health.

The discipline of regular daily practising is going to be a shock to the system

Cheers Ann