Issue 82 | Autumn 2017

Registered Charity No. SC038957

NEWSLETTER

BMG FEDERATION SUMMER SCHOOL AT KNUSTON HALL JUNE 2017

2018 FEDERATION FESTIVAL, BRITISH NATIONAL FRETTED ORCHESTRA, MIDLAND BANJO FEST

FESTIVAL 2018 SYLLABUS PUBLISHED

SUMMER SCHOOL, CDS, FRETFUL FEDERATION IN BELGIUM, DA CAPO ALBA IN BAVARIA

ELIZABETHAN GUITAR, BANJO THOUGHTS, BANJO TECHNIQUE, JAZZ CHORDS

EVENTS REVIEWS ARTICLES

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CONTENTS EDITORIAL >>>>Dear members

First of all I want to say a big thank you to Anne Moller, who has been co-opted onto the Federation Committee. Anne is a member of the Moonlight Mandolin Orchestra based in Cambridge and will be an excellent addition to the Committee.

Once again, the annual BMG Federation Summer School was a huge success and I am told Chris Acquavella, who tutored at the Summer School for the first time, was a big favourite of the participants in his class. Well done to all who organise and tutor this event!

Along with this newsletter you will receive the Festival Syllabus Booklet for BMG Federation Festival weekend which takes place in Worthing in March 2018. I look forward to seeing many members at this event and I thank Nicki Lewkow in particular for her efforts in leading the organisation of the Festival.

Eddie Smith

Change of Bank – Barry Cuthbert (Treasurer)The Committee is very pleased to announce that in May the British BMG Federation changed its banking arrangements and its bankers are now Svenska Handelsbanken AB. (publ).

Handelsbanken was founded in Sweden and have been making a name for themselves in the UK for some years now. They have a business model that appeals to consumers and businesses alike. Part of the attraction is that they do not have to speak to a call centre. Matters are dealt with by a dedicated team of staff at branch level who can be contacted using direct telephone numbers and email addresses. In addition to this, the branch managers have authority to make decisions without referring everything to head office. This is banking as we used to know it, and it gets better: they do not try to sell you anything either.

The Committee is most grateful to the staff at Handelsbanken in Chelmsford Essex. In particular to Paul Gulley, Corporate Banking Manager, for proposing our application, to Mark Earlam, Branch Manager, for agreeing the terms, and to Paul Jupp, Account Managers Support, for arranging all necessary forms and ensuring that the account was opened without fuss.

Members may wish to take note of the new account details. The sort code is 40-51-62 and the account number: 44802031.

Finally, the Committee would like to welcome Paul Jupp as a new member to the British BMG Federation. Paul is a member of the Chelmsford Guitar Orchestra and we hope to see him and other members of CHEGO at one of our future events.

THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

FESTIVAL 2018 3

SUMMER SCHOOL REVIEW 4

BNFO, MBF AND DCA 7

THE ELIZABETHAN GUITAR 8

STAIRWAY TO THE STARS 9

MUSIC STAIRWAY TO THE STARS 10

MUSIC THE FLIGHT OF THE BOUNCING BEE 11

CD REVIEW AND H LAMBERT VETERANS CUP 12

TOP 5 CDS AND BANJOTHOUGHTS 13

FRETFUL FEDERATION 14

BANJO TECHNIQUE 15

JAZZ CHORDS 16

NOTICEBOARD AND DIARY 18

PresidentLouis de Bernières

Vice PresidentFrances Taylor

EditorEddie Smith01698 424032all.smiths@btinternet.com

Assistant Editor and MembershipSecretarySandra Woodruff0117 9672286sandra.woodruff@virgin.net

Newsletter DesignSharon McCall, madeinheavendesign@gmail.com

Websitewww.banjomandolinguitar.org

Like us on Facebook /BMGFederation

Follow us on Twitter @BMGfederationTwitter users, if you would like a re-tweet from the BMG Federation about your Orchestra news, or any other BMG related news, tag @BMGFederation into your tweet.

BMG Federation Festival 2nd–4th March 2018 – News Update

Included with this newsletter is your copy of the Festival Syllabus Booklet with details of all the weekend’s events and a pull-out booking form. Here is a summary.

Venue Davison High School, Selborne Rd, Worthing BN11 2JX

Accommodation A two-night deal has been agreed with the Chatsworth Hotel in Worthing – quote ‘BMG Festival 2018’ when booking; full details of this and a list of other accommodation options are in the Syllabus booklet.

Friday Evening Concert: Amsterdams Gitaar and Mandoline Duo – Marijke and Michiel Wiesenekker. They have a diverse repertoire of music with their own personal touch and inspired views.

Saturday Workshops: There are an amazing number of workshops to choose from starting at 9.30am with final ones finishing at 3.45pm. You will be able to attend a maximum of 4 workshops and still have time for lunch, refreshments and a bit of jamming in between! Book early to ensure you get places on your 1st choices by filling in the form in the Syllabus.

Saturday Free Rock & Pop Youth Workshop: This is scheduled for 1pm – 3pm. See details in the Syllabus and tick the box on the booking form to book a place.

Saturday Jamming: A jamming space will be available all day on Saturday for people to join in and play - no need to book, just turn up and join in.

Saturday Afternoon Free Concert: This will be after workshops have finished with performances by the British National Fretted Orchestra and Duo Dekacord (Elias Sibley guitar & banjo/Florence Petit cello). No booking required.

Saturday Evening Meal & Entertainment: This is at the Assembly Hall Stoke Abbott Rd, Worthing BN11 1HQ. Book your place, select meal choices and state any special dietary requirements on the booking form.

Sunday Contests: ‘Rules & Conditions’ for contests have been revised since 2016 so please read them thoroughly. There is an exciting new contest - the Alison Stephens Memorial Trophy for video performance of Alison’s works – see below for more information on this contest. A member suggested that Contest 10 for finger-style ragtime banjo solo could be extended to include plectrum and tenor; Chris Sands, sponsor of the contest, has agreed and the change is reflected in the Syllabus booklet. Closing date for contest entries is December 31st 2017.

Sunday Afternoon Free Concert: Rob Garcia and Paul McNamara, na-mara duo, will perform while adjudicators are working on results after the final orchestra contest. No booking required.

Non-participants: Apart from under 18s who have free entry, anyone not participating in workshops on Saturday will need to purchase a Festival Ticket at £10 for entry to the venue on that day. Similarly anyone not taking part in contests on Sunday will need to be in possession of a ticket. Note that only one ticket is needed for the whole weekend as it will be valid for both Saturday and Sunday. Book tickets on the form or on the door.

Booking Form: This is a pull-out form in the centre of the Syllabus. We have tried to make it as straightforward as possible but there is a lot of information on the form. Please fill it in clearly and strike through all sections that don’t apply to your booking. Don’t forget to fill in your personal details even if you aren’t filling in anything else on that side of the form. If you want to make some bookings early before deciding on contest entries for example, either make a copy of the blank form or print another form from the festival page of the BMG Federation website www.banjomandolinguitar.org

Alison Stephens Memorial Trophy Barry CuthbertThe late Alison Stephens was not only passionate about playing the mandolin, but also about its recognition as a ‘mainstream’ instrument. Probably the best example of her efforts to raise the profile of the mandolin was the CD she recorded in December 2006, Calace: Concertos No.1 and 2. Concertos written for mandolin are rarely published but this one did particularly well in the classical CD charts. Alison’s untimely demise has obviously taken the impetus out of this cause. Unfortunately the problem has been compounded by the fact that Trinity College, where she taught, have not taken on another mandolin tutor. This means there are no mandolin students there either. Consequently, the fund set up in her name to encourage mandolinists is no longer being put to its original purpose. In order to try to redress the balance a little, I suggested to the BMG Federation committee that a new contest be set up and I am pleased to report that they agreed. Entries shall be submitted in the form of a video. The contest will be judged with particular emphasis on the competitor’s ability to play ‘con espressione’ as one of her CDs is entitled. In other words, judges will be looking for interpretation of the music. There will be two prizes of £50 each. They will be awarded to a junior winner and an adult winner. Full details are in the Syllabus booklet. The list of set pieces is available by email from me at barrysbmg@btinternet.com

Amsterdams Gitaar and Mandoline Duo

3AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

FESTIVAL2018

4THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

BMG Federation Summer School Reviews

This was our 13th annual summer school, the first was at Wansfell College (now closed) in 2004. Burton Manor (now closed) was used in 2005 & 2007. There was no summer school in 2006 as Burton Manor had double-booked and the committee decided not to look for another venue. Burwell House was 2008, Urchfont Manor (now closed) 2009, Benslow Music Trust 2010, Knuston Hall 2011, 2014 & 2017, Alston Hall (now closed) 2012 & 2015, Halsway Manor 2013 & 2016.

Elias Sibley’s Classic 5-String Banjo Course by Ray Journeaux: The classic banjo world is so small that the Summer School is one of the very few opportunities we

get to meet old friends and fellow enthusiasts. Add to that the enthusiastic and brilliant teaching of Elias and a splendid weekend was guaranteed. Elias was patient and generous with his help and advice to each individual as well as the whole group. We probably all took something different from the weekend. One person picked up the idea of blocking groups of notes as chords to facilitate left hand movement. I personally liked Elias’ idea of looking for clues within the music itself to help expression and interpretation. Whatever each individual may have taken from the course, I’m sure we were all inspired and left with renewed enthusiasm and ideas.

Chris Acquavella’s Music and Grand Tours in the Mid-18th Century Course by Mike Watson: How had I missed reading the email? Chris Acquavella would be teaching at the BMG Federation summer school. Thankfully I was rescued during an internet search and on the Friday evening, I nervously hoped I had done enough preparation on Sinfonia a

due mandolini e Basso by G. B Gervasio. I needn’t have worried, Chris started on the slow movement and we soon gelled as an ensemble. The next morning, I learned that Baroque performance should have the energy of rock music and end with cheering. Our tentative playing of the first movement achieved none of that, but Chris’ motivational ability meant that by the end of the day we had cracked all three movements. Sunday morning, we put the final touches to our piece ready for the afternoon concert, and what a joy that was, to play a performance piece in concert under Chris’ guidance. Would I do it again? You bet I would!

Mike Pryor & Richard Holland’s Bluegrass Course by David Hoey: We all thoroughly enjoyed this well thought out and planned course. It was the first time I had played

bluegrass but Mike and Richard soon had us up playing and singing. I found singing and playing at the same time was very tricky as we had to harmonise at the same time, so although it looked easy to begin with it proved very difficult. We played three songs, Nine Pound Hammer, I’ll Never Love Anybody But You and Sitting Alone In The Moonlight; the singing of the latter I found the most difficult to harmonise. This was a great course delivered by two great musicians and has inspired me to play this wonderful and accessible music.

Elias Sibley’s Come & Try Classic Banjo session by Martyn Workman: Six of us turned up for this session. One or two had tried the banjo before, while others like myself

had never even picked one up. My first surprise was how heavy the things are! Elias started us off gently with some open string arpeggios and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly we all picked it up. Those of us who play the classical guitar were at an advantage here as the right hand plucking technique is very similar. We then moved on to some simple chord shapes, once again astonishing Elias by the speed at which we mastered them! Finally we looked at ‘Study No. 1’ by Emile Grimshaw, a lovely little tune which by the end of the session we were all playing through together and sounding very nice. And therein lies my second surprise – I had never realised that the banjo could be such a delightful instrument to play and listen to! Thank you Elias, and thanks must also go to the generous, (foolhardy?), people who loaned their precious instruments for us to play on; it was appreciated.

SUMMERSCHOOLREVIEW

5AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

Chris Acquavella’s Come & Try Mandolin Companion-Exercises for Good Technique by Geoff Packe: Achieving a good technique on the mandolin has always been

an elusive goal for me, so I had no hesitation in choosing to attend the session ‘exercises for good coordination and technique’ led by Chris Acquavella. He first handed out a four page extract of the book released last year ‘The Mandolin Companion for all styles and abilities’, which was a project started by the late Alison Stephens and completed by Chris. We were thoroughly drilled! Initial exercises concentrated on right hand technique. To start with we played them slowly and then repeated them at an increased tempo. The latter exercises concentrated more on the left hand, concluding with the broken chord exercise attributed to Hugo D’Alton, which uses all fingers equally and covers much of the fretboard. Chris was an excellent workshop leader: dynamic, understanding, humorous and precise in describing what was required of us. I had previously purchased the book and looked at some of the exercises, but having Chris to motivate us was inspiring, and proved that playing technical exercises does not have to be dull!

Mike Pryor & Richard Holland’s Come & Try Bluegrass by Russ Chandler: Bluegrass, perhaps more than most music

styles is a music that you really need to feel to play right. I reckon I play banjo to a reasonable standard in several styles but I’ve never been able to get my bluegrass chops sounding anything like authentic. So the come and try session was perfect for me. Us banjo pickers assembled out in the sunshine and Richard took us through some basic rolls and chord sequences. All very simple, but with enough little slides and twists to make that subtle change from just being some arpeggios to becoming real funky bluegrass rolls. It’s a form that doesn’t really lend itself to being written down or read and as such it’s a bit of a left field choice for something like the BMG Federation, but I got loads out of this simple session and I’m really glad it happened.

Joint Class Session by Jeremy Hoyland: Elias was kind and started us off gently with Sunflower Dance, a pretty banjo tune with a second part for mandolins written especially for the weekend. This passed off smoothly and gave us the confidence to launch into Mike and Richard’s crash course in being a bluegrass band, with the instruments split between boys and girls taking turns between melody and ‘percussion’. Shenandoah Breakdown was the example tune and the experiment worked well with even the most elevated of classical mandolins seeming to carry off chop chords with aplomb. Obviously the boys won? The classical section started with a bang, well a perfectly timed sneeze that delayed things for a few minutes while we picked ourselves up from rolling on the floor. Chris had selected Tosca pa Rodina for us to play, a lively traditional Russian tune that he plays with the Ger Mandolin Orchestra. After a couple of run throughs we produced a surprisingly credible attempt and the tune may even have been recognised by someone without the music in front of them. All in all a fun couple of hours. I look forward to the next one.

THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

SUMMERSCHOOLREVIEW

Sunday Afternoon Concert by Daniel Bradbury: After a very busy and educational weekend, it came down to the

concert where each class had opportunity to demonstrate some of what they had learned. Elias chose two tunes for his banjo class to perform. The first, a waltz by A.J. Weidt entitled Cupid’s Victory, presented the banjo in a more lyrical form than many may have come to expect of banjo music. Second up was the more complicated upbeat composition by Charles Skinner, Ladbroke March, which demonstrated how the two banjo parts interact in counterpoint to create a full sound that’s both melodically pleasing and rhythmically interesting. Chris had transformed his class over the weekend into a true mandolin orchestra and their performance of Gervasio’s Sinfonia a Due Mandolini e Basso (Gimo 149) really illustrated the technical ability and musical sensitivity that can be achieved – all would agree it was a real showstopper. Last up was the bluegrass group with three songs, I’ll Never Love Anybody but You, Sitting Alone in the Moonlight and Nine Pound Hammer. Mike Pryor explained the way the various instruments in the group

work together to create the unique bluegrass sound and how it is built around supporting an instrumental solo or vocal verse and chorus. The tunes were energetic and had the audience singing along and the vocal soloist in Nine Pound Hammer knocked us out!

We were given a real treat at the end of the student concert when Chris Acquavella performed his composition for solo mandolin entitled ‘2014’ – a fitting conclusion to a wonderful musical weekend! 2018 Summer School will be June 1st – 3rd at Higham Hall, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria. Tutors and Courses are:Chris Sands - 5-string Classic BanjoMauro Squillante - The Baroque concerto grosso: Avison’s orchestral arrangements of Domenico Scarlatti’s harpsichord sonatas. For mandolin, mandola, mandocello, guitar and bassNigel Gatherer – ‘Group Soup’ folk band arranging and playing using traditional music from the British Isles. For mixed instruments

What some of the students said ....

I listened to Chris’ piece for the joint class session at home and thought “No way!”. We rehearsed the last bars together to get the feel, then Chris pointed to the top and counted us in at crazy speed. Suddenly banjo, guitar, bluegrass players and classical mandolinists were

playing Tosca Pa Rodina. Wow! …………….. Thank you to the Federation for providing what, as far as I know, is the only opportunity for 5 string banjoists to learn in a group environment ……….. The mandolin group just blew me away in the concert as did the very relaxed bluegrass group ……….. This was one of the best music courses I’ve ever been on ………. I was stimulated and motivated by

the concert; everything came together for all and I wanted to stay on another day! Chris’ performance was wonderful ………… Well organised as ever ……… I felt very welcome and enjoyed my weekend greatly …….. Really great weekend in all aspects ….. I have

returned to the joys of the classroom, energised for another year by this wonderful course ……. Very well put together weekend and thoroughly enjoyable as usual. NEXT!

Photo Jasmine Tanner

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Photo by Eamonn Flanagan

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British National Fretted Orchestra (BNFO) 2nd ProjectBarbara Pommerenke-Steel

Following on from the announcement in the summer newsletter, here are more details of the two weekends in this 2nd Project:

Weekend (1) January 12th – 14th Rehearsals & Informal Concert: This will be held in East Kilbride Arts Centre, 51 Old Coach Rd, East Kilbride, Glasgow G74 4DU, starting with registration and evening meal at 6pm and finishing after the concert around 3pm.

Accommodation: We are hoping to arrange a deal with one of the local hotels in order to encourage all who wish to stay in a hotel to be able to stay in the same place. Private accommodation will also be offered to those who wish to take benefit of this.

Weekend (2) March 2nd – 3rd Rehearsal & Performance at BMG Federation Festival: Rehearsal will be Friday 2nd March 1pm – 4pm before the start of the Festival. Performance will be later on the Saturday afternoon in the Festival concert. The venue is Davison High School, Selborne Rd, Worthing BN11 2JX. Please refer to the Syllabus Booklet you received with this newsletter for full details of the Festival, including timings and accommodation options.

Cost: Around £55 which includes each player’s share of the cost of venue hire, conductor fees & expenses and sheet music for the whole project.

Those already registered who expressed an interest in this 2nd Project will receive an email later this year. Anyone else interested in taking part, please email me at pommerenke_steel@yahoo.co.uk

Da Capo Alba in Bavaria 2017Eilidh Sword

As I am writing this I am currently grounded on an aircraft at Frankfurt airport, absolutely shattered. But with good reason too! Da Capo Alba’s trip, or rather

‘tour’, to Bavaria was certainly not just a holiday. The Bavarian Mandolin & Guitar orchestra, ‘Bayerische Landeszupforchester’ (BLZO), and the orchestra from the German state of Hessen, ‘Con Favore’, kept us busy. We got to reunite with old friends and make new ones along the way, as well as potentially scaring some locals with a little busking and Scottish dancing in the town square of Groβalmerode. Both orchestras taught us a few new things too; particularly Oliver Kälberer, conductor of BLZO, who didn’t allow us to practise Calace’s Tarantella the day we were performing it, in order to retain its ‘relaxing spontaneity’, something all of us and our fingers were thankful for. Percussion can also be applied to almost any piece as we found out as well.

We got to enjoy the company of our German friends when we exchanged some songs one evening, and in return they enjoyed a taste of Ceilidh dancing. Apart from the musical side of things, no trip to Franconia (technically part of Bavaria, but originally its own state before they were united) wouldn’t be complete without some local wine tasting, or young people climbing in and out of wine casks (I’m not joking, there is video evidence). A few Da Capo members also found themselves looking for a stairlift up a large hill to the castle in Würzburg, only to discover that there was no stairlift and instead faced the dreaded stairs all the way to the top – definitely a’ lost in translation’ moment, and it had absolutely nothing to do with wine. That came later, basking in glorious sunshine, gazing over the river Main on one of the city’s beautiful bridges. The scenery of both States we visited, Hessen and Franconia, was fantastic and the hospitality more so. We cannot thank enough all those who helped organise this trip! Definitely a trip nobody will forget!

So there you have it; three orchestras, two German States and one amazing trip.

19th Midland Banjo Fest Date: Saturday 14th October 2017Venue: Hilton House Hotel, 1 Mill Lane, Hilton, Derbyshire DE65 5GP tel. 01283 732304

MBF is a gathering of all styles of Banjo Music from the amateur to professional, with enthusiasts and players meeting up, chatting, buying, selling, relaxing and enjoying good company. Doors open 12 noon and the concert, in which anyone can play, will run through the afternoon and conclude in the evening with a session/open mic for all styles and instruments. Clifford Essex Music Company Ltd will sponsor the raffle. For more details contact Keith Wilson 0113 2588243 or David Wade 07976 875619 or see www.midlandbanjofest.com

EVENTS AND

REVIEW

8THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

The Elizabethan guitarChristopher Page

It is a scene to gladden the heart of anyone who plays a plucked and fretted instrument. The time is New Year’s day in the year 1559 and the place is London. The officials of the royal Jewel House are sifting through the many gifts that have been presented to the queen, Elizabeth I, as part of the customary ceremonies for the beginning of the year. One of the gifts, offered by the noted instrument maker John Rose, is a set of three guitars – presumably a consort of different sizes – called ‘gitterns’. As the clerk writes an entry for them on the roll he makes a special note: the three instruments are currently ‘with the queen’. There is no doubt what that means; Elizabeth has reviewed the gifts presented that day and has asked for the three guitars to be brought to her. Perhaps she is playing them by the fireside.

Few today remember that the guitar was widely played in England during the time of Elizabeth I and Shakespeare. They were known in London from approximately the mid-1540s (Elizabeth’s father Henry VIII, who died in 1547, may just have lived long enough to see one). Plays, inventories of property, letters, poems and many other Elizabethan documents mention guitars and associate them with gentlemen, apprentices fleeing their masters, gallants and alehouse wastrels. That is the first surprise: the sheer diversity of the players and the vivid scenes that documents one might imagine to be dry as dust actually reveal. They tell us that in 1562, for example, prisoners taking some exercise in the Tower of London, or sitting at their table by an arrow-slit window, could hear the sound of a fellow captive playing the gittern. Several decades later, visitors to the house of Dennys Bucke, a yeoman in the Norfolk village of Great Walsingham, might catch the sound of a guitar beneath the cries of the geese that were loose in his yard. Or take the case of Edward Courtenay, First Earl of Devon. In the winter of 1553-4, when he was widely believed to be the best match for princess Elizabeth who was not yet crowned, Courtenay found himself drawn into some kind of plot against her half-sister, Queen Mary. To communicate with his allies, Courtenay hit upon a device that was unusual even by the standards of Elizabethan spies (of whom there were many): he took a guitar and marked it with a cipher known only to his principal associates.

The guitars that Courtenay and Carew knew were much smaller and lighter instruments than those of today, strung with three double courses of gut and one single course, the highest, which was usually single. In terms of intervals the tuning was the same

as the top four of a modern guitar, save that the lowest course comprised a pair of octave strings that the modern guitar lacks. (Bizarre though it may seem, the Elizabethan guitar was essentially a baritone ukulele). The best contemporary illustrations of such instruments are French. This one shows the title page of Robert Granjon and Michel Fezandat, Le Premier Livre de Chansons…ren tabulature de Guiterne (second edition of Paris, 1552). We may suspect that many of the guitars played in Elizabethan times were imported. A craftsman in England, pondering whether to divert spare capacity towards the manufacture of gitterns in the 1550s and 60s, could expect to be squeezed very hard by foreign competition, for continental workshops were already achieving impressive economies of scale. By 1559, Gaspard Tieffenbrucker could produce enough instruments to be styled ‘maître faiseur de guiternes’ in a Lyon document of that year, and other French makers were active in Lyon and Paris on a smaller but still impressive scale. The workshop of one Parisian craftsman, Claude Denis, contained 250 boards of pine ‘to make gitterns’ in 1587; there were also twenty-four gitterns, presumably finished and ready for sale, together with seven more and seven separate necks (collets), betraying systematic division of work whereby one or more workers manufactured a single component in quantity to streamline operations. The three gitterns that John Rose gave to Queen Elizabeth in 1559 were surely very fine, but no other English craftsman of the period can be associated with the production of gitterns, probably because it was impossible for native makers to match the quality of imports and to undercut their price. Foreign competition was simply too strong.

Elizabethan guitarists generally plucked the strings with the flesh of the fingertips, not their nails, and played from an adapted form of lute tablature. The English remains of such guitar music are not abundant, but they contain some fine things. There

THEELIZABETHAN

GUITAR

STAIRWAY TO THE STARS – SOME PLAYING HINTS >>>>David Price

Here are some hints for playing my banjo arrangement on the following page. As always, when starting to learn a new piece of music, look it over and note the essentials: the key, time signature and form. It is in key C, 4/4 time and is a typical thirty-two bar chorus split into four eight-bar sections or A, A, B, A form where B is the ‘middle-eight’. This means that once you have absorbed A and B, you have learnt the whole thing. (You get the rest for nothing!)

There are various ways of writing banjo music but here I have written the melody with stems up and everything else (harmony, accompaniment, chords) with stems down although sometimes, as in bar 13, it is written all melody so all stems up. The tune is a slow ballad so legato playing is best. Achieve this by hanging on to each chord or shape as long as possible and be aware of any ‘inner voices’.

In bar 2, try to make the low C at the bar end lead to the F at the beginning of bar 3 and hold the D9 in bar 5 to the end of the bar so that the E forms part of the chord. The first-time-bars (7-8) have some nice movement over the long melody note E. Give this E a good apoyando and play all the remaining notes as a flowing counterpart. Notice the harmony notes in bars 11 and 12 and bring out the Eb to D then to Db in bar 13. One way of doing all this is to tremolo the melody whilst picking out the moving voices (i.e. duo style) or play the melody stronger with the accompaniment quieter to give contrast and sound like two instruments. I know some banjo players also play four-string guitars or have tone-changers (mutes) for which this piece might be a contender. It will also sound well on nylon, finger-style banjo. Enjoy and milk the last three chords which give a typical jazz/blues finish. I hope you enjoy.

9AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

was a tutor for the guitar published in London in 1568 or 1569, An Instruction to the Gitterne, and in the last forty years or so several leaves from this book have been recovered; miraculously, the leaves all fit together and allow several pieces to be reconstructed, including an intricate fantasie. Another source offers the spirited (and probably strummed) galliard shown in the music example below, and there is more music of this kind to be had or indeed to be devised.

I hope this brief article will encourage more people to take up the art of the Elizabethan guitar. For

as Thomas Elyot wrote in The boke named the Gouernour (1532), ‘playing on instrumentes of musicke…moderately used, and without dyminucion of honour’ is not to be condemned. And with that we may all agree.

Christopher Page is Professor of Medieval Music and Literature in the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of the British Academy and Professor of Music at Gresham College, London (founded 1597). His book The Guitar in Tudor England: A Social and Musical History was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015.

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10THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

MUSIC

Stairway To the Stars Music by Matty Malneck & Frank Signorelli Arr. David Price

For Plectrum or Finger-Style Banjo

MUSICTHE FLIGHT OF THE BOUNCING BEEAndrew Forrest

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Printed with permission from Andrew ForrestAUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

11

12THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

CD REVIEW

CD Review by Audrey Todd - Bound: Jenn Butterworth and Laura-Beth SalterJBLB 2016Available from Bandcamp at www.jennandlaurabeth.bandcamp.com

This debut album, featuring Laura-Beth Salter on mandolin, Jenn Butterworth on acoustic guitar and both on vocals, is described by them as a “representation of the last eight fantastic years of playing together”. During those eight years they have evidently developed a very close musical bond, and the result is a sound which is fresh, well-balanced, rhythmic, energetic and ‘complete’. The album is an eclectic mix of folk/Americana, including songs and instrumentals penned by the artists themselves, a cover of Wings on My Heels by Boo Hewerdine, an exuberant interpretation of Bert Jansch’s, If I had a Lover and a soulful rendition of Mindy Smith’s Gospel lament Come to Jesus.

Track 2, Laura-Beth’s composition, Shine, is a joyous instrumental with a great hook and is followed by her song The Braver One, whose theme, beautifully expressed, is the courage needed to go against the tide. The vocal harmonies in the songs are lovely, with the two voices

perfectly blended – at times it is difficult to distinguish who has which vocal line. Their version of The Great Divide by Kate Wolfe is one of my ‘singalong’ favourites.

Technically and musically, the entire album is superb. Laura-Beth’s mandolin playing is extraordinary, and well-matched by Jenn on guitar. Neither musician is persistently centre-stage and so both have their chance to shine. Their empathy is evident – and even more so at their live gigs. I very much look forward to their next album together – one of the definitions of ‘Bound’ on their album cover is ‘to travel to a destination’ so I suspect this is simply the first stop on their journey.

H Lambert Veterans CupA Continuing Review of the History of BMG Federation Trophies presented to Contest Winners at Festivals

This cup was presented by Harry Lambert of Beaufort Club, Fulham who served on the BMG Federation committee 1952 – 1966. He was one of two committee members assigned in 1954 & 55 to represent members who were not attached to clubs. Harry was Vice-Chair in 1955 & 56 and was elected to the new post of Public Relations Officer in 1956 & 57.

Interestingly, Harry won this cup himself in 1957 with 13

bonus marks! One whole bonus mark was awarded for every year over 60 at that time as opposed to the one half mark now.

Contest 13 solo for players over 60 years – one half bonus mark awarded for every year over 70 (prior to 2012 it was awarded for every year over 60)

History of Winners1955 H J Sherring1956 Lucy Bland1957 Harry Lambert1958 J F Young1959 J F Young1960 J F Young1961 H J Sherring1962 J F Young1963 J F Young1964 J F Young1965 W E Dobson1966 J F Young1967 H J Sherring1968 Major R Traynor1969 P Maddison1970 H Blogg1972 H Blogg1973 R Traynor1974 S Englefield1975 S Englefield1976 S Englefield1977 N D Greenwood1978 N D Greenwood1979 N D Greenwood1980 W H Geradine1981 W H Geradine

1982 W H Geradine1983 W H Geradine1985 R Haddock/A Row1986 A Betts/R Howell1987 R J Howell1988 D J Dilley1989 G A Dando1990 L F Cownden/H V Swan1991 V R Melhuish1992 V R Melhuish1993 A Simper1994 G A Dando1995 W Mead1996 L L Pett1997 C Beeston1998 G A Dando1999 B Plesents2000 D C Wash2001 M H Torrence2002 Ian Campbell2004 J King2006 J King2008 Gethin Davies2010 Elwyn Griffiths2012 Gethin Davies2014 Edward Smith2016 Nick Gravestock

13AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

My Top 5 CDsPaul Benson

My main interest is in Classical Guitar but I hope my 5 CDs will provide something of interest to most people. In any case there is more to the Classical Guitar than Concierto de Aranjuez or the Three Cornered Hat, though you would be forgiven for thinking that was the entire repertoire if you listen to classical guitar music on the radio. All the albums referred to are available from the usual outlets, iTunes, Amazon etc. Recognising the modern trend for internet downloads rather than buying CDs, I’ve suggested some tracks to get the flavour of the individual albums.

Xuefei Yang: Si Ji I want to begin with the wonderful Xuefei Yang, who I have been fortunate to see in concert a few times, including her Wigmore Hall debut concert. Many years and albums later, my favourite CD remains Si Ji (Four Seasons). Recorded on an independent label before her move to EMI this CD introduces many Chinese and Japanese musical influences to refresh

the classical repertoire. It’s one of my most played records containing music written especially for Xuefei Yang. Listen to Yi Dance at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjHcHlIEy14

Derek Gripper: One Night on Earth: Music from the Strings of Mali Derek Gripper is a South African guitarist who, on this recording, has transcribed the kora music of Toumani Diabaté for classical guitar. Scroll down the front page of his website www.derekgripper.com to watch a video of him playing Jarabi (Passion) at Cape Town Slave Church. I have found his music very inspiring and moving and his work helps

again to extend the repertoire of the classical guitar.

Bill Frisell: Guitar in the Space Age And now for something completely different…. I found this Bill Frisell CD reported on the Spanish National Radio/Television website following his appearance at the Cordoba Guitar Festival in 2015. Bill is essentially a jazz musician and here he has great instrumental versions of some well-known tunes from the 50s and 60s. These include Pete Seeger’s Turn, Turn, Turn for example

which has a sound reminiscent of The Byrds’ version of the song. But this is not simply a retro remake, there are some very distinctive interpretations of these songs, while still managing to retain the

feel of the originals. Listen to Surfer Girl at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQpERgQpwnI&index=1&list=PL8GFmqMvrDUU5x-UtpuUE0KWVrwdY2j10

Gary Ryan: Worlds Apart Gary Ryan is an English guitarist and composer, and Assistant Head of Strings at the Royal College of Music. His recordings usually feature some of the classical guitar repertoire together with his own compositions. I’ve chosen the Worlds Apart CD because it contains his Wild West Suite. This is a very contemporary take on imagined scenes from the ‘Wild

West’ incorporating modern extended technique on the guitar. It’s fun to listen to; sheet music is also available and is accessible to intermediate classical guitarists. Fun to play and with a definite ‘Wow’ factor. Listen to Rondo Rodeo from the CD at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy3OrfOxQsE Also recommended is to take a look at Gary’s website http://garyryan.co.uk where you will find his compositions and recordings.

David Russell: Aire Latino Latin American music - now we’re in my favourite territory of guitar music, to listen to and to play. David Russell needs no introduction from me, he is renowned the world over for his outstanding musicianship. Aire Latino was a Grammy Award winner in 2005 and brings us music from the likes of Agustin Barrios, Pernambuco, Villa-Lobos and many others. David’s technique is

outstanding, one of the most accomplished guitarists I have ever had the pleasure of seeing in concert. It is difficult to pick favourites from this album but my choice of Seis por Derecho is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and get your feet tapping – listen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=7laIwcpfUPI

MY TOP 5CDS

BANJO THOUGHTS >>>>David Price

The BMG Federation summer newsletter arrived soon after lunch so I sat down with a cuppa and read the whole thing in one dollop.

My, how the mandolin has progressed in recent years, even joining forces with the elusive Lute Society! I have always loved the lute and its sonorous music. The Historic Mandolins Weekend, with all those interesting and unusual variants of the mandolin family, the visiting foreign players and the super sounding workshops really seems to have put the instrument on the map.

The Choro Festival in Paris sounds fantastic – Latin American is another of my special favourites. Not many guitar players can really pull off the Benjamin Britten piece, Nocturnal like your Sean Shibe; I remember seeing Julian Bream (it was written for him) play this at Fairfield Hall, Croydon to a mesmerised audience.

So you have an American mandolin unit and an Italian mandolin virtuoso (Carlo Aonzo) planning tours of the UK,

concerts, mandolinists broadcasting and mandolin orchestras thriving throughout the country. Such is the progress the humble instrument has made.

On the other hand, the banjo and especially the plectrum banjo has more or less disappeared not only from favour but from your pages apart from Doug Rogers’ articles on banjo technique. My annual Benslow Banjo Weekend has finally come to an end after twenty years due to lack of support – four attended the final one. My banjo pupils are minimal and the Digswell Banjo Band (now about thirty-five years old), with our most senior member Roy Beresford having recently died, has just three banjoists including me, a uke-banjoist, tuba player and percussionist/vocalist. We used to have so many play-outs offered that we had to turn many away. Now we have just one job in the book for 2017. Sad, isn’t it?

Happily, I am back on the jazz scene which is a little more healthy, playing jazz clubs all over. I make sure I can be heard and take a chorus or two every few numbers. Folks seem to enjoy the banjo in jazz. Our seven-piece band Bob Dwyer & His Bix & Pieces, contains very accomplished musicians who are a pleasure to play with.

14THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

FRETFULFEDERATION

The Fretful Federation go to BelgiumJacky Walls

We had enjoyed meeting the German mandolin orchestra, Wanderclub Edelweiss of Dudenhofen, twice before – once when we visited them, and more recently when they spent a few days with us in Brighton. Very quickly we discovered how beneficial and enjoyable it was to interact and share music with like minded people from another country. This time we were invited to join them on a 3 day visit to their twin town of Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast which proved to be an ideal location with a lovely sandy beach, bars, restaurants and shops.

Thus twenty sleepy ‘elderly musicians’ (the description given us by our driver, Dave, who said it would save a lot of hassle with the Customs!) assembled in Brighton at 4.30 am to begin the journey. Two shiny new red minibuses had been hired to take us so what could go wrong? Well we made it to and through the channel tunnel without hitch but then came to an abrupt halt as Lindsay’s bus broke down. Phone calls were made, heads were scratched, breakdown services were called until the decision was taken to get as many people as possible into the working bus and leave the others to wait for help. The lucky ones were taken for a short look around Bruges before arriving at our beachside hotel. That evening we were re-united with both our British and German friends and enjoyed a sociable evening in a local beer cellar.

The following few days brought a mixture of visits to local sights, relaxation by the beach or in the bars, and rehearsals for the Saturday evening joint concert. This was to take the format of a first half played by the Dudenhofen orchestra, followed by a performance by us before all coming together to play Song of the Spirit by Karl Jenkins. No one had much idea how many people might attend the concert as there was no admission charge but our hosts had been very busy handing out fliers in the town. It was a lovely sunny evening which I suspected might mean people would prefer to spend time outside with a

glass of wine in hand. Gradually, a few people started to drift into the large hall and it began to look as if we might have a reasonable sized audience but I don’t think anyone anticipated the sudden rush of people which meant every seat was taken and more had to be found! We were told 400 people were there.

It’s always interesting to hear other orchestras perform. The Wanderclub use round backed mandolins which give them an even, precise sound. They are very good musicians and played a balanced programme of pieces I had not heard before, clearly enjoying the experience of being conducted with clarity by Birgit. Our program contrasted well with theirs both in content, style and overall sound from our flat backed instruments. The combined orchestra produced a wonderful big sound and it was exciting to play with so many. Lindsay conducted us all in Song of the Spirit. The audience seemed to love the whole thing and demanded two encores which was a challenge as we had only prepared one – Edelweiss conducted by Birgit! We played it again and invited the audience to sing along which they certainly did. Then followed one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip – the jam session in the bar led by Uli and joined by mandolinists and guitarists from both orchestras, not forgetting Paul on bass viol. A number of the Belgian audience stayed behind to listen and our generous hosts provided us with free drinks. All in all, a wonderful evening!

So our successful exchange scheme with Dudenhofen continues. Friendships were confirmed and new musical approaches learned. There is a suggestion that we may meet up again next year in France. We made it back to Brighton and the minibus hire company eventually succumbed to Lindsay’s demand for a rebate for our inconvenience on the way. We are grateful for a sum of money left to us by David Barwell for our travelling costs.

15AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

Some Technical and Musical Aspects of the Banjo Part 4: Left Hand Technique – 8Douglas Rogers ARAM

It’s a curious fact that the LH slur in its three forms (the ‘snap’ or downward slur, the ‘hammer’ or upward slur and the ‘slide’ – both upward & downward) is described in nearly all banjo Tutors from Briggs’ 1855 Instructor to Bradbury’s 1967 Method, yet beyond initial examples only occasionally do they employ the snap and hardly ever the hammer. (One noble anomaly is Frank B. Converse’s 1872 The Banjo and How to Play it.) The slide, however, in both its slow and more rapid form (glissando & portamento respectively), is regarded much more favourably.

This partiality is found throughout banjo repertoire. It’s obvious why. Slides in their basic form are not hard to do; indeed they are so much part of moving up and down the fingerboard that they often occur spontaneously. They provide extra colour and character to the music, and their appeal is both visual and aural. Some pieces are deliberately composed to feature them. Slides can be performed in a variety of ways and I will discuss these another time.

Hammers and snaps however are not easy to do. First attempts at hammers might be feeble and ineffective, while snaps might be either weak or coarse and twangy. Both will probably be ill-timed and rushed. They are more discreet devices than the slide, and they may seem at first to add little to the music. A glance through the works of Joe Morley and Emile Grimshaw reveals virtually no hammers, while snaps usually appear only a few times per piece. (For an exception snap-wise see Morley’s fingering for the triplet-ornament section in his celebrated El Contrabandista). This unequal representation of hammers and snaps is not surprising. As Grimshaw writes in his How to Excel on the Banjo: ‘The fact that the [hammer] is much less powerful than the snap makes the former more uncommon. A hammered note that seems quite effective to a player when practising in a small room may be unheard by an audience in a concert hall; such weak-toned effects must therefore be used with considerable discretion.’

This particular difficulty with the hammer is also found amongst many players on classical guitar – an instrument that is perhaps more responsive than the banjo to the fall of the finger – but such is the example of the guitar virtuosi both ancient and modern as to its effectiveness, and such its repeated application in most of the published repertoire, supported by the ubiquitous insistence of the pedagogues, that the student who wants to succeed feels he has little choice but to practise and master it.

It is true that the overall sound of the banjo is a lot more punchy and less sustained than that of the guitar; thus on the banjo, by sheer stark contrast with an explosive plucked note, the hammer is less easily heard. But what this really means is that whereas the guitar can produce a very distinct hammer in an average ‘quaver movement’ or faster (where the initial struck note is likely to be still resounding strongly), the banjo will give the best results in ‘semi-quaver movement’ or faster – in running passages or in acciaccaturas, for example – or in quieter legato passages!

I would suggest too that present day banjo performance environment is very different from that in which the great banjoist Tarrant Bailey Jr. once had to force his tone against an ‘overpowering’ accompanying band (suffering serious injury to his RH index finger-tip), and is less hostile to a nuanced, expressive style.

The main reason given in various Methods for using snaps (if a reason is given at all) is ‘. . . to facilitate rapid execution.’ It’s never clear whether hammers are included in this commendation. If not they certainly should be! Yet this is by no means all hammers and snaps are good for. They actually increase one’s store of expressive tricks. They provide a natural and effortless accentuation – especially across the beat in repeated figuration. They vary the articulation (degree of legato and staccato). They can be useful in overcoming awkward RH fingering. Sharing sound production between the two hands in this fashion is immensely efficient and pleasurable!

Although hammers and snaps have much the same musical function (providing smooth transition from one note to next) the two are technically entirely different. Slurs on piano or clarinet, violin (mostly) or concertina, for example, are rendered on each instrument in much the same manner whether upward or downward. We banjoists, I think, would do well to emulate classical guitar enthusiasts. We need to do some consistent practice in order to develop a strong hammer (whose action is akin to a quick karate chop onto the string – let’s hear that knock on wood!), and to refine and control the snap (which is simply a crisp rest-stroke pluck with a vertical left hand fingertip – the initial impulse being down towards the fingerboard but almost instantly, yet deftly, away!).

All the Methods and all the old BMG commentators emphasise the desirability of expressive and musical playing. Anything that offers more choice in order to achieve that is perhaps no bad thing.

There’ll be more about Herman Hammer and Samantha Snap next time!

BANJOTECHNIQUE

16THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

JAZZCHORDS

Which Chords Are Needed For Traditional Jazz?David Price A.L.C.M.

As Traditional jazz is based on the music or tunes and songs from the approximate period 1900 to 1930, where a basic and straightforward set of harmonies were used, it follows that New Orleans, Classic and Dixieland jazz should use a similar set of chords. My experience is that many traditional jazz players do not have grounding in music theory so I thought I might enlighten those players a little and I’m hoping they are able to follow my written music examples enough to gain something from this article. If you have never read any written music, check out any book on the theory or reading of music, grades 1 to 5, or search for it online. Remember, reading music is a short cut to learning music and new tunes.

Here is a scale of C Major (do ra me fa so la ti do).

The basic chords in this key come from building blocks of two thirds placed on each note of the scale but using only the notes of the C scale.

Classical musicians number these chords i – vii so we jazz musicians can too. Note that chords i, iv and v (C, F and G in the key of C) are the three primary chords in every key, i.e. the basic chords used in a three-chord trick or twelve-bar blues. Note also that in the key of C: Chord i is C Major (the root or key chord) Chord ii is D minorChord iii is E minor Chord iv is F majorChord v is G majorChord vi is A minorChord vii is B dim (don’t bother with this chord)

Many simple folk, pop or jazz songs use just these chords, and singer/songwriters often start by playing these chords in various combinations to invent new chord sequences then write a tune suggested by these chords.

A little later on down the path of jazz, say Bix Beiderbecke (late 1920s) onwards through the swing jazz period, an extra layer of thirds was added to our sequence.

Note how C major has now become Cmajor7 (this is a C chord with a major 7th (B) not a flat 7th (Bb))Dminor has become Dm7Eminor has become Em7Fmajor has become Fmaj7 (this is another chord containing a major 7th not flat 7th – not a ‘Trad’ chord)Gmajor has become G7Aminor has become Am7Bdim has become B half dim or Bm7flat5. We don’t often use chord 7 in early jazz so you can disregard it.

From this we can see that the most used chords are major chords, minor chords and dominant 7th chords (the proper name for 7ths as in G7 for example) ieMajor (eg Bb, C, D)Minor (eg Bbm, Cm, Dm)7ths more correctly flat 7ths or dom 7ths (eg Bb7, C7, D7)

In the classical world a diminished chord was invented as a key changing device, link, or different way of passing from one chord or key to the next, e.g. C via Cdim to G7 or C via C#dim to G7. Therefore whenever you see a C chord followed by a G7, the harmony could be enhanced by linking them with either Cdim or C#dim. Check which one sounds best in the particular context.

Another important linking chord is the augmented chord. Look up this and the diminished shapes in your tutor book or work them out on your instrument.C augmented (C+) consists of C, E and G# (scale tones 1, 3, sharp 5)Cdim = C, Eb, F# and A (any three of these notes will sound OK)C#dim = C#, E, G, and Bb (any three of these will sound OK)C+ is commonly used to link chord i (C) to chord iv (F)

17AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

If you need a nice lick to play over an augmented chord, do as Bix did, use a whole-tone scale – here it is in C. Each note is two semitones or a whole-tone apart. You can also substitute a C+ for a C7 and play a C whole-tone scale over C7. Try it out.

Now if we take our G7 chord and add yet another third (A) to our stack we have G9, a very pretty chord which still functions as a dominant 7th chord but with an added colour tone.G9 = G, B, D, F, A (scale tones 1, 3, 5, flat 7, 9)

NB Dominant 7th chords like G7, C7, F7 etc. are known as unresolved chords and therefore have tension.Major and minor chords like G, C, Bb etc. are known as resolved chords and do not have tension.

As long as you include the third of the chord (B), the flat 7th of the chord (F) and the 9th (A), you will have a G9th chord. So we have another useful chord substitution: play a 9th instead of a 7th. Here’s our collection of chord types so far:Major (maj)Minor (min)Sevenths (7th)Ninths (9th) not essential for ‘Trad’ jazz but nice!Diminished (dim)Augmented (aug or +)

For the time being, whenever you see a minor 7th chord, play a minor chord (forget the 7th bit) although the min 7th chord is nice if you can find it (just add the flat 7 note to your min chord)

Now that’s all you need for early jazz. Of course you will want to transpose all the above to the other main jazz keys (F, Bb, Eb, Ab, G). If you are a jazz player playing a chord instrument like banjo, guitar or piano, it will be good to learn three inversions of each chord. When you have learnt these, learn inversions of the nearest 7th chord (eg C7 which is dom7th to F) because you will play these changes a million times in jazz.

For a kick-off, play a 12 bar blues sequence using all three inversions on your instrument in the key of F. With this accomplished, transpose the 12 bar and inversions into Bb, Eb, Ab, C and G. Next see if you can build in the diminished and augmented chords. When this is achieved you will be well on your way.

There are more elementary linking chords:We can travel from a C chord to an F chord (Chord i to chord iv) via the flat 7th of the first (C7).We can travel from an F chord to a C chord (Chord iv to chord i) via a minor chord of the first (Fm).

C C F =

C C7 F

F F C =

F Fm C

The next thing to do is to find chord sequences to as many jazz tunes as you can, beginning with the simplest like The Saints, Careless Love, and any blues. Borrow a chord book or find ‘Butler’s Chords’. Start at the beginning of the book and play through to the end all the time imagining you are playing in your favourite jazz band. After a few times through Butler’s you will begin to notice regularly repeated patterns. You will be primed for your release into the jazz world. First, sit in with the worst band you can find or gather a bunch of like-minded chaps around you, find yourself a soundproof room and blast away. Remember, the best way to learn to play jazz is to play it with others as often as you can.

Discounts for BMG Federation Members Astute MusicGet 10% discount on hard copies ordered through www.astute-music.com by adding the code BMG10 on the payment page.

Making Music MembershipBMG Groups get 10% discount every year (excl. insurance) and the annual fee for individual BMG Federation members is £15 which among other benefits gives access to affordable musical instrument insurance cover – see www.makingmusic.org.uk or tel. 0207 4228280

NewstringsGet 10% discount on orders over £10. View products on website www.newstrings.co.uk and telephone your order to Jim on 01565 650683 to obtain discount.

Victoria College of MusicGet 10% discount on mandolin music ordered through the post from their in-house publisher London Music Press, 52 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4LR tel. 0207 4056483. The order form asks for your BMG Federation membership number.

BANJOTECHNIQUE

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18THE BRITISH BMG FEDERATION

NOTICEBOARD

Notices for Members

BMG Groups and TeachersOur website has lists of BMG Groups and Teachers. For copies of these, or to have your details updated, contact Sandra Woodruff 0117 9672286 or email sandra.woodruff@virgin.net

Victoria College Examination Syllabus – Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar & UkuleleDownload fromwww.vcmexams.co.uk or for free hard copy tel: 0207 4056483

Youth FundGrants are available to BMG Federation Junior Members to help with fretted instrument music activities and to Adult Members for projects that benefit one or more young fretted instrumentalists under the age of 18. To obtain an application form or for further information, contact Sandra Woodruff 0117 9672286 or email sandra.woodruff@virgin.net

Aston Banjo Club Music for Banjo, Mandolin & GuitarTo obtain a list of titles with instrument parts and for copies of pieces where there are no copyright issues, contact David Wade - david@davidwwade.co.uk or 01943 876638

Banjo Music Available, Mostly Finger-StyleIf any banjo players are looking for specific pieces, please email David Wade at david@davidwwade.co.uk

Dallas Bass Banjo for LoanApproximate measurements are length 54” and vellum diameter 18.5”. Due to it being unique, insurance cover for £1,200 and a returnable deposit of £100 is required to secure the loan. Anyone interested should contact David Wade in Leeds - david@davidwwade.co.uk or 01943 876638

Easy Fundraising for Mandolin with Orchestra WorkshopsRaise funds for these BMG Federation workshops by signing in at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/mandolinorchestra prior to shopping at many online stores. A percentage of what you spend is paid to the Federation by Easy Fundraising. For more details see 2015 summer newsletter.

Grants from Music for AllMusic grants are available to help individuals buy instruments/lessons and to enable community projects create and sustain more musicians throughout the UK – see www.musicforall.org.uk

Eileen Pakenham Compositions & mp3sTo obtain a list of titles with instrument parts and for copies of Eileen’s compositions, contact Sandra Woodruff - sandra.woodruff@virgin.net or 0117 9672286.Listen to Eileen on piano and Irene Bone on mandolin playing Eileen’s compositions for mandolin & piano at www.banjomandolinguitar.org/pakenham.htm Listen to all Eileen’s mandolin compositions on Andy Boden’s Soundcloud stream at https://soundcloud.com/andabouk/sets/eileen-pakenhamListen and practise alongside the recordings Eileen made of the piano parts of her mandolin and piano duos at www.banjomandolinguitar.org/pakenham2.htm

DIARY OF EVENTS >>>>AREA PERFORMERS WHEN VENUE/TIME/CONTACT

Oxfordshire

Herts

W Sussex

W Sussex

E Sussex

Berkshire

W Midlands

Essex

London

Worcs

Leics

Berkshire

na mara Mandolin & Guitar duo

David Price with Bill Cornell JazzBandna mara Mandolin & Guitar duo

Fretful Federation at Hurst FestivalDavid Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix & PiecesMandolinquents with guest JamieDuffieldMidlands Fretted Orchestra

Duo Dekacord – Elias Sibley guitar& Florence Petit cello

David Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix & PiecesDavid Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix & PiecesDavid Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix & Pieces

Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Sep 16

Sep 17

Sep 19

Sep 26

Sep 28

Sep 29

Sep 30

Sep 30

Oct 1

Oct 5

Oct 6

Oct 7

8pm Wychwood Folk Club Tiddy Hall, Shipton Road,Ascott -u- Wychwood OX7 6AG www.na-mara.com8pm Half Moon, 31 North St, Bishops Stortford CM232LD www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzband8pm Amberley Acoustic Music Club, George & Dragon,Houghton, nr Amberley BN18 9LW www.na-mara.com7.30pm Sayers Common Church, Sayers CommonBN6 9JA www.fretful-federation.co.uk8pm 1066 Jazz Club, The Marina, St Leonards On SeaTN38 0BU www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzbandArlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare, Newbury RG14 3BQhttp://mandolin.co.uk 01635 2442461pm Ampitheatre/Music Library, Centenary Square,Broad St, Birmingham B1 2ND www.m-f-o.co.uk12.30pm Waltham Abbey Church, Abbey Gardens,Abbey Church Centre EN9 1XQ www.duodekacord.com

12.30pm The Globe In Morning Lane, Hackney E9 6NAwww.jazzbanduk.info/jazzband8pm The Swan, High St, Chaddesley Corbett, NrKidderminster DY10 4SD www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzband8pm Newbold Verdon Jazz Club, Main St, NewboldVerdon, Leicester LE9 9NP www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzbandSouth Hill Park, Ringmead, Bracknell RG12 7PAhttp://mandolin.co.uk 01344 484123

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19AUTUMN NEWSLETTER l ISSUE 82

DIARY OF EVENTS (cont) >>>>AREA PERFORMERS WHEN VENUE/TIME/CONTACT

Essex

Hampshire

Derbyshire

E Sussex

Hampshire

Glos

Devon

S Yorkshire

S Yorkshire

Surrey

Derbyshire

Powys

Tyne and Wear

Lancs

Essex

London

Cambs

Worcs

S Yorkshire

Leics

W Yorkshire

W Midlands

Bath

Devon

W Midlands

Dorset

Berkshire

Berkshire

David Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix &PiecesDavid Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix &PiecesMidland Banjo Fest All styles ofbanjo playing

Fretful Federation

Irina Kulikova for SouthamptonClassical Guitar Society

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Weekend Retreat - Simon Mayor(mandolin) & Hilary James (voice)Simon Mayor & Hilary Jamesevening concertUkulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

David Price with Bob Dwyer’s Bix &PiecesChris Thile (mandolin) and BradMehldau (piano) – Jazz FestivalUkulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Remi Harris Project (guitars &double bass)Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Midlands Fretted OrchestraChristmas CelebrationUkulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Agnew McAllister Duo

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Mandolinquents Christmas Special -a riot of music, fun and surprises

Oct 8

Oct 13

Oct 14

Oct 20

Oct 21

Nov 2

Nov 3

Nov 3 – 5

Nov 4

Nov 4

Nov 10

Nov 10

Nov 11

Nov 12

Nov 12

Nov 12

Nov 15

Nov 24

Nov 28

Nov 30

Dec 1

Dec 2

Dec 3

Dec 6

Dec 7

Dec 9

Dec 10

Dec 14

8.30pm Jazz Club, Conservative Club, 25 North St,Hornchurch RM11 1RS www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzband8pm Farnborough Jazz Club, Farrow Fields, High St,Farnborough BR6 7BA www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzbandDoors open 12 noon, concert throughout afternoon.Hilton House Hotel, Hilton, DE65 5GP 0113 2588243 or07976 875619 www.midlandbanjofest.com7.30pm Crowborough Community Centre, Pine Grove,Crowborough TN6 1FE www.fretful-federation.co.uk8pm Turner Sims Concert Hall, Salisbury Rd,Southampton SO17 1BJ 02380 595151www.scgs-guitar.org.uk

7.30pm Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham GL501QA 0844 576221 www.ukuleleorchestra.com8pm Corn Exchange, George St, Exeter EX1 1BUwww.ukuleleorchestra.comKenwood Hall Hotel, Kenwood Rd, Sheffield 01189268615 http://mandolin.co.uk8pm Kenwood Hall Hotel, Kenwood Rd, Sheffield0118 9268615 http://mandolin.co.uk7.30pm Dorking Halls, Reigate Rd, Dorking RH4 1SG01306 881717 www.ukuleleorchestra.com8pm Burton Institute, Winster DE4 2DT 01629 650090http://mandolin.co.uk7.30pm The Hafren, Llanidloes Rd, Newtown SY164HU 01686 61455 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm Playhouse, Marine Ave, Whitley Bay NE26 1LZ0844 2481588 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm Charter Theatre, Lancaster Rd, Preston PR11HT 01772 804444 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.45pm Jazz Club, Parish Hall, Old London Rd, MarksTey, Colchester CO6 1EJ www.jazzbanduk.info/jazzband7.30pm The Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS0207 6388891 www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/events7.30pm Corn Exchange, 2 Wheeler St, Cambridge CB23QB 01223 357851 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm Huntingdon Hall, 24 Chapel Walk, WorcesterWR1 3LD 01905 611427 www.worcesterlive.co.uk7.30pm City Hall, Barkers Pool, Sheffield S1 2JA0114 2789789 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm De Montfort Hall Granville Rd, Leicester LE17RU 0116 233 3111 www.ukuleleorchestra.com

7.30pm Seven Artspace 31A Harrogate Rd, ChapelAllerton, Leeds LS7 3PD 0113 2626777http://mandolin.co.uk7.30pm The Bonded Warehouse, Canal St, StourbridgeDY8 4LU www.m-f-o.co.uk3pm and 7.30pm Theatre Royal, Sawclose, Bath BA11ET 01225 448844 www.ukuleleorchestra.comMusic Club, Methodist Church Hall, High St, BidefordEX39 2AN 01237 477242 www.matthewmcallister.com8pm Symphony Hall 8 Centenary Square,BirminghamB1 2EA 0121 7803333 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Rd, Poole BH15 1UG01202 280000 www.ukuleleorchestra.com7.30pm Norden Farm Centre for Arts, Altwood Rd,Maidenhead SL6 4PF 01628 788997 http://mandolin.co.ukArlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare, Newbury RG14 3BQ01635 244246 http://mandolin.co.uk

Mandolin Retreat (& concert)Simon Mayor

Sheffield 3rd-5th November 2017Drop off the world for a weekend!

Join Simon Mayor for two daysof expert mandolin tuition,

discovery and exploration in the magical surroundings of

Kenwood Hall Hotel, Sheffield

Includes admission to the Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Saturday evening concert.

More information and booking:www.mandolin.co.uk/retreat

Enquiries: ' 0118 926 8615

www.acousticspublishing.com (shop) www.mandolin.co.uk

since 1976

BRITAIN’S FOLK & ACOUSTIC SPECIALISTS

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40thAnniversaryCatalogue

Our 80 page fullcolour catalogueis back! Call orvisit today for

your free copy.

hobad qtr vt 40th 2016_Layout 1 10/08/2016 13:45 Page 1

For SaleAntonio Monzino mandolin

With case

£400 o.n.o.

Please contact Richard on07891 696634 for more details