Right, no more ramblings for now, this will be the diary of the Aberystwyth music fest, in which I am playing saxophone (alto)
The first day was Saturday, comprising of a welcome meeting, buffet and the first concrt. As far as I can tell, the idea of this whole thing is to invite good musicians to Aber. And make them play, then, since they’re not doing anything for much of the day, they might as well teaach some people while they’re at it.
I was alone for the talk because I know no one there and couldn’t think of a reason for approaching anyone. the talk was quick enough though, and mainly consisted of everyone being introdauced (the teachers and players that is, not the learners) and people saying “I haven’t got a lot to say really) then as the buffet started I met a swiss girl (19), in England for her gap-year and in wales for the course. She is a cellist and wants to do medicine, she had already met frances, a 17 year old oboe player and theresa, a 14 year old clarinetist about to do grade 8. Both are from England. They’re all very nice people, but they do know rather too much about classical music for my taste, though theresa also knows jazz which is nice, and not too much either so we’re about equal there which is also nice, thuiogh she’s more interested in clarinets and I in saxophones ,but that’s no matter. Then was the concert, wich was interesting, but nothing special. It’s not very good, but I just can’t ge excited about classical music as others seem to, my mind just wanders, but I plan to go to all the concerts as they are free and it will be good for me. The second half of the concert was good though as it was some famous string quartet playing with four other players, and the cellist of the quartet and a double-bass player who had joined kept looking at each other and laughing all the time, but never missed a note, and that was really nice, as the whole audience noticed and they all enjoyed it all the more for it.
Next mrning we were meant to be in the AAC (aber. Arts centre) foyer by 9 am to start practice at 9.15. first I met Catherine, who plays tenor, alto and soprano sax (thouhg she’s rather taken with gerry’s barritone sax now), and lives in mid-Wales somewhre. Then was caroline who’s really nice and is about 26 from what I gather and is a music teacher in Kent, as is Stewart and Paul. Paul is a little over-confident in things and when I heard he was a teacher I thought it would be games (he’s hat kind of person) but he said music. Later though he said “I also coach sports part-time” so that’s allright. There are 7 of us all together. The other two are Sorca (sorsha pronounced) who is 14, in year 10 in aberystwyth. she has been playing the sax 2 to 3 years and is on grade 5, thuogh seems better tha I am, and nicola, a buisness consultant somewhere in England and has just taken some really high exam in saxophone… on Saturday in fact. They’re all rather good players (apart from sorca, grade 8 and above standard) and while I can generally keep up, it’s experience I’m lacking so there are things I should know but don’t, but more on that later. we waited for a while, and Gerry, out tutour came and said “we’re in pen-y-bryn” (he’s irish so actually hye said “pen-ee-bryn, though now we know it’s really just pen bryn). At that point nicola and stewart had not yet arrived, and so catherine and paul went off to find them and we caroline and I stayed in the foyer in case they turned upp there, gerry went to sort out pen bryn for us. He returned soon after saying that the porter wouldn’t let him in, though the fest had booked, the porter didn’t know. We couldn’t find anyone, it being before 10am on a Sunday, so we had to wait a long tmie. Then gerry found a man in a blue t shirt (AAC uniform) and asked him. He said go to the great hall (where concerts are) but you might get thrown out, so we had to check it wasn’t booked then finally went in and started playing it was now five to ten and gerry was not pleased because he doesn’;t like to waste time, which is geat because it means he is nothing like mrs. Rowberry when teaching and conducting. We played through some pieces which were ok though nothing I adored playing (swinging shepard blues is a lovely piece bit I was stuck on alto 3 so had little nice jazzy things to play). Surprisingly, most of the others are classical players whiich means of course that they know all about styles and things, though I’m not too sure about sorca. Anyway that went OK, but after lunch we were meant to go down to the Olc College for wind-band practice. This is a long way from AAC and there are odd one-way systems in Aber, so Nicola and Carolinj were fnie because they were in a car with me, and I think that catherine and stewart were following but paul got lost (hah). Sorca gets lifts with her dad so she’s ok. First it was lunch time, and there was a lunch time talk about the psychology of performing, and that was great. Asically she said that you should think you’re good and the audience will too. I am pleased to learn this as an ex-theatre director, Jacky told me to always be a little under-confident, while drama teacher Miss Eliss said be confident and I was unsure which to believe. I’m glad it was miss Eliss that was right, and ha to jackie who’s got it stupidly wrong. Hen we had wind band, which was odd. For one thing it was back to front. In intermediate wind band which I play in in carms. If you face the front, the clarinets are on your right and flues on your left, but in this the flutes were on the right. I asked nicola about this and she said that the flutes were always on the right. I shall have to tlk to mrs. R. about this, though she is left-handed so perhaps that means something. I shall see what senior wind band is like next year too. There are a great many things I will have to say to mrs. R. in september, and it’ only the first day now.
Afyer wnid band we were supposed to have ½ an hours break, but as the wind band over ran its time, and we had several saxophones to get back to the car (sorca and I are the only ones with one sax, the rest have 2 or more. Sorca is getting a £1000 clarniet any day now, and may get a sop sax. It’s obviously a course for rich people). And we had to drive back up to AAC so by the time we got there it was time to start playing again. To explain briefly: there are several groups in the fet: main orchestra, strings and wind, who all play in the Old College on the sea-front, while the Saxes, composers and brass play in AAC, meaning that the brass and saxes have to go into the town and back evry day to get to wind band.
Our next practice was in “the chapel” a section of AAC. We had a 2 hour session there (4-6), durng which time I learned that I’d never played the sax properly. Apparently you’re meant to puit your teeth on the top of the mouthpiece, and I’, still not sure if teeth are meant to touch the reed as well. I realised how little basic things I’ve learned as most of what I do I made up. I have had no corrections before so I assumed that I was doing it right. This is mainly due to the fact that Mr. Williams started me on grade 4, though for the first week I’d played before my lesson I was playing with the mouthpiece upside-down, so he should have realised how little I knew about these things, and now I’m unsure if anything else I’m doing is wrong. It doesn’t help that mrs R. doesn’t play the sax properly. I will have words with her.
There was a concert in the evening, nothing outstanding, though I dodn’t know an oboe could play that fast.
Hopefully more tomorrow, but I ma be just too tired. It is extermely hard work and even many good players are shattered. It will be a hard week