What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Nick Armstrong]

In response to a request, here's a thread where members can post about their own activities if desired, performances being prepared or presented, musical works composed... even, for the amateurs among us, good pieces to be learning.

I'll kick off by saying I'm continuing to enjoy (enormously) practising the first of Schumann's "Gesänge der Frühe" Op 133 http://imslp.org/wiki/File:TN-Schuma...p_133_scan.jpg

[Richard Tarleton]

Good timing! Last week a couple of fellow-amateurs and I gave a classical guitar recital in a newly-refurbished village hall in north Pembrokeshire - we were their first musical gig since they'd had their hall refurbished with lottery funds and they were keen to test their acoustics - which turned out to be fabulous. We had an audience of 40-50. I played 9 solos (2xDowland, 2xTárrega (correctly pronounced ), 1xGranados, 1xLlobet and 3 Sor studies. My colleagues played a couple of solos each and some Carulli duos. Ams has seen the programme! All went pretty well - no memory lapses or breakdowns, and I seem to have overcome the shakes and sweaty fingers that affected me when I first returned to playing in public after a long gap a few years ago. We were given a bottle of champagne each in lieu of expenses/fee

[Serial_Apologist]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]Schumann's "Gesänge der Frühe" Op 133

I thought that was by Stockhausen!

Is this thread such a good idea? Self-advertising for the non-noms de plumes?

[Nick Armstrong]

classical guitar recital... We were given a bottle of champagne each in lieu of expenses/fee

[Nick Armstrong]

Is this thread such a good idea? Self-advertising for the non-noms de plumes?

I throw myself on frenchie's mercy if it provides inappropriate platform for undue prominence... I'm sure members will focus on music interest rather than the prospect of financial advantage...

[MrGongGong]

I throw myself on frenchie's mercy if it provides inappropriate platform for undue prominence... I'm sure members will focus on music interest rather than the prospect of financial advantage...

WHAT

You want us to only advertise FREE GIGS ?



(yes , I know many of them are ..............)

[Serial_Apologist]

WHAT

You want us to only advertise FREE GIGS ?



(yes , I know many of them are ..............)

When's your next one, GG?

[Nick Armstrong]

WHAT

You want us to only advertise FREE GIGS ?



(yes , I know many of them are ..............)

I've asked ff to adjudicate as to what is permissible!

[MrGongGong]

I've asked ff to adjudicate as to what is permissible!

Is it "permissible" to be paid for creating music ?

(I'm not being entirely serious but a little disappointed that my old friend missed my Buxton Festival gig this year )

[salymap]

I wrote words for somepart songa for children, published by Thompson of Canada.

I'm not prepared to sing them, show the music here and I had £5 for a h*ll of a lot of work.

Anyway,it was years ago.

[teamsaint]

I've asked ff to adjudicate as to what is permissible!

I think we should all try to take our opportunities, and support each other....

Like the Pet Shop boys, most people only do it for the love of it..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuHIRrt5lCI

I might get something under way myself........no time like the present..........

BTW, great idea for a thread.

[french frank]

From the title I gathered it was the rather humbler small beer, amateur efforts rather than professional musicians advertising their more polished concerts etc - for which such people will have personal websites and Facebook to tout for custom. Sort of 'What we're up to'?

Like Cali I downloaded the Gesänge der Frühe and have been trying the first. Does anyone have any details of that hand exercising contraption that Schumann invented? I promise to be careful with it.

[MrGongGong]

polished concerts .

You missed my gig last night then

Great but not really "polished"

But always good to hear of interesting things going on in all genres and none !

[Richard Tarleton]

rather humbler small beer, amateur efforts

That's certainly how I took it

Like Cali I downloaded the Gesänge der Frühe and have been trying the first. Does anyone have any details of that hand exercising contraption that Schumann invented? I promise to be careful with it.

An interesting 3-page discussion of this in Alan Walker's "Great Composers" series biog of Schumann. The matter is surrounded by some mystery, apparently. Schumann is supposed to have invented a sling to keep one finger out of the way while the others were being exercised - a "finger equaliser" - and to have damaged the tendons of the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand. Schumann himself apparently never specified the injury in such detail. It appears old man Wieck may have started this story, without actually naming Schumann, to make it quite clear he (Wieck) was not to blame. Schumann's daughter even said that Wieck had tied Schumann's third finger up while the others "ran up and down the keyboard". In 1889 the Schumann scholar Niecks asked Clara (now 70) about it - she said the injury was to Schumann's right index finger, which appears to have been the case. In 1971 Eric Sams suggested the injury may never have occurred, and that the paralysis may have been down to mercury poison, mercury being prescribed as a homeopathic cure for syphilis....Schumann applied for and was given exemption from military service in Leipzig, as he could never have used his trigger finger.....

Basically - don't try it at home

[Serial_Apologist]

Does anyone have any details of that hand exercising contraption that Schumann invented? I promise to be careful with it.