Swaledale Squeeze 2005

[Samantha]

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Samantha

PS Does anyone think I should bring a French Horn, just for the fun of it??

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Yes - and play it in the band for the ceilidh on Saturday night! (If you can play it in G and by ear, probably) All sorts of strange instruments there last year!

 

Nick

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I could probably busk some sort of a bass line in D, G and a few other keys ... I don't usually travel with a car (being island based I try to avoid car ferry costs), but am doing a little vehicular tour this year, so it's opening up all sorts of possibilities in my mind ...

Samantha

[stuart estell]

I could probably busk some sort of a bass line in D, G and a few other keys ... I don't usually travel with a car (being island based I try to avoid car ferry costs), but am doing a little vehicular tour this year, so it's opening up all sorts of possibilities in my mind ...

Samantha

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And how glad we were that you did Samantha

 

I'll write a fuller appreciation of the event later, when I'm more awake... but for now, I'll just say it was great to meet Samantha, Pete and Robin, and I'm now off to bed to repay an utterly horrific sleep debt...

 

[Pete Dickey]

I could probably busk some sort of a bass line in D, G and a few other keys ... I don't usually travel with a car (being island based I try to avoid car ferry costs), but am doing a little vehicular tour this year, so it's opening up all sorts of possibilities in my mind ...

Samantha

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And how glad we were that you did Samantha

 

I'll write a fuller appreciation of the event later, when I'm more awake... but for now, I'll just say it was great to meet Samantha, Pete and Robin, and I'm now off to bed to repay an utterly horrific sleep debt...

 

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Absolutely marvellous time and amazingly little sleep but well worth it. I would echo Stuart's comments in that it was terrific to meet Samantha, Robin and himself and to listen to fabulous playing, interesting workshops, have fun joining in and enjoying the lovely surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales.

 

In case I don't get the chance to say it later, we were all knocked out by Stuart's performances on a range of instruments plus his brilliant singing. Talent like his puts most of us well into the shade, a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

 

Pete

[geoffwright]

Very tasteful (and accurate) bass part from horn section of the S.S.O. (Swaledale Symphony Orchestra) on Saturday evening. (It made us sound like Brass Monkey).

Nice to see everyone again.

Mary Macnamaras' concert on Sunday evening was superb.

[Samantha]

Am now back home myself and can add my voice to the chorus of "how wonderful it was to meet c.net names", put faces to them and make music with them.

I was a little daunted by the fact that there were going to be around 100 people at Swaledale, but hadn't really thought out that that number of squeezers meant there was bound to be a concertina band (or two, or three) - these were a great delight to listen to, as well as discovering the delights of what everyone gets up to with their concertina. Such a variety of music - the whole thing was great and very exhausting!

I enjoyed playing the French Horn in the band, too. I don't often feel overwhelmed (even by a symphony orchestra) - but I did on the Saturday night!

Samantha

[stuart estell]

Well, it's Wednesday and I still haven't recovered properly!

 

What a weekend. I decided that my main aim would be to try and overcome my resistance to playing Irish music on concertina, or indeed any instrument; I've been put off in the past by 100mph playing and seemingly incomprehensible ornamentation that my ears couldn't make sense of. And Mary MacNamara's classes were more than I could have hoped for on that score, and proved an absolute revelation; listening to her and watching her is an education in itself, and has made me come away and think a bit more carefully about things I do in my own playing regardless. But I'm very grateful for the fact that I came away from the weekend understanding how to do a bit of Irish-style ornamentation, and having learned how to muddle my way through a couple of tunes... and actually enjoyed them.

 

I also went along to John Morgan's duet classes. I'm often guilty on duet of making an enormous noise by bashing out fistfuls of chords, and John's much more subtle approach to the instrument has given me plenty to think about - particularly with regard to not spending quite so much time plumbing the lower depths of the instrument (something I also have a tendency to do).

 

There were plenty of extra-curricular highlights too - things that come to mind particularly are Pauline de Snoo's recital of some interesting pieces for solo concertina on the Saturday afternoon, David Corner's amazing performance on tenor-treble English of a march with far bigger chords in it than can be good for you... the inclusion of Samantha's "gas bass" in the Ceilidh band (and subsequent bravura solo in "Teddy Bears Picnic" which had those of us that were trying to sing it in hysterics), and of course the ever-helpful Dave Elliot fixing a reed problem that had been bothering me (thanks Dave).

 

The Saturday concert had some great moments - including Pauline's "dalcroze eurythmics" class bouncing and throwing balls about, sometimes to great comic effect , and some predictably great performances from Harry Scurfield, David Cornell, Paul Walker, and Mary Macnamara. Sadly I couldn't make it to Mary's concert in the evening.

 

I'd like to say that I wish all weekends could be like that, but I think it'd probably kill me off quite quickly. But anyway, roll on the Arran event