Tag Archives: Knox Academy

Former Pupils, Listening, Live Events, mp3s, New Ideas, Practice, Pupil Performance, Recording, Rehearsals, Technology, YouTube links

In The Frame

When does a lesson become a sound check? When many variables have to be investigated. David –  now starting S6 at Knox – is to receive the Higher Music prize next week, in addition to the Michael Godek Memorial Guitar Prize. He is also to perform the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 BWV 1007 – one of my favourite pieces.

To avoid feedback problems, in what needs to be an amplified situation, he has been kindly lent a Yamaha Frame Guitar by my friend and colleauge, Chris Day. So, David & I went to down to the school hall for his first shot of the guitar and to take note of the best guitar and amp settings.
Game as ever, David agreed to be recorded on this first shot and for me to post the recording.
To help you see some of the moves required in this piece, here is my friend Per-Olov Kindgren:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/-F1tgImEymU?rel=0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
and to let you hear the Prelude as originally intended by Bach here is Mstislav Rostropovich:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/LU_QR_FTt3E?rel=0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Concerts, Expression, Listening, Live Events, mp3s, Reporting, Technique

Knocks Academy

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Despite having been a pupil at Knox for 5 years and having taught there at least one day-per-week for 25.5 years, the first time I sat through an entire concert in the school hall was last Friday. Normally, I’m on stage or backstage with pupils or en route between the two.

So it was a real pleasure to sit, free of duties, through a Lamp of Lothian concert featuring the O Duo. The duo comprises former Knox lad, Oliver Cox and musical partner, Owen Gunnell, on percussion – yes, it’s a percussion duo.

The presentation and the patter of duo was very inviting and the playing both entertaining and virtuosic. With the boys’ blessing, I recorded the concert as an aide memoir to writing a review which the Lamp of Lothian will submit to The East Lothian Courier.

It then occurred to me that posting a couple of samples here might benefit:

  • The O Duo – encouraging people to check out the concert dates & CD on their website
  • The Lamp of Lothian – an example of one of the many concerts they put on throughout the year – entry to which is free for pupils
  • Knox Academy – perhaps an under-rated and over-looked venue – these mp3 samples were recorded on a Zoom H2 at the back of the hall

Hopefully these short samples will prove that there’s more to a percussion duo than hitting things with sticks.

Bongo Fury (composed by O Duo); Bongo Fury Alborada del Gracioso (Ravel); Alborada Courante Courante & Gigue Gigue from French Suite No. 5 in G BWV 816 (Bach); Etude in C# minor, Op. 10 No. 4; Chopin Sonata No. 90 (Soler); Soler Flight of the Bumblebee; (Rimsky-Korsakov); Flight of BB