Instrument Mimics: the birth of sampling

Musical instruments are mimicked throughout the natural worl: from the prodigious talents of songbirds, the singing sand dunes of the Sahara, or the instrumental mimicry of beatboxers and vocalists, the sounds of musical instruments have popped up in all sorts of unusual places. If, however, you aren’t interested in evolutionary reproduction, the physics of fluid… Continue reading Instrument Mimics: the birth of sampling

The Many Failures of Adolphe Sax

Motivational Self-Helpers and Ted-talking business coaches love to talk about personal failure – it lets them extol the virtues of grit and perseverance while selling you the idea that if you keep trying you too can eventually land on the idea which will make your fortunes.  This is a similar story, but with a different… Continue reading The Many Failures of Adolphe Sax

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Score Reading for the ABC

Aside from my feet appearing next to a broom on a BBC Proms broadcast title montage (I was sweeping straw for Oklahoma!) i haven’t worked much in broadcast before 2023. This yeah I worked on a load of great music as a score-reader for broadcast, streming and live screens, and had two projects broadcast by… Continue reading Score Reading for the ABC

Musical ancestry

I have written before about how most musicians have supported their composing or performing with other work, and recently I’ve been thinking about the importance of teaching in the lives of musicians. Not for myself – I’ve known since before I went to uni that I absolutely never want to teach (and have steered my… Continue reading Musical ancestry

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Let me stay in my lane

There is an increasing expectation in the arts for people to be excessively multi-skilled. This pressure has only increased in the current arts shutdown situation, but it’s been going on for the last few decades and it’s a source of frustration for many artists. There was a time (although who knows when that actually was)… Continue reading Let me stay in my lane

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The working lives of instruments

Seeing an instrument behind glass is, for me, a distressing experience. These objects are designed to be played, they’re alive: whether they are interesting is beside the point. There has been a lot of coverage in recent years of the ever-inflating market for high-end instruments. Italian violins fetching millions of pounds, historical pianos covered in… Continue reading The working lives of instruments

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London orchestras are homeless

It may come as a surprise to many, but many of the orchestras in the UK, and particularly London, are functionally homeless. Sure, the administrative staff are based in a permanent office, but the orchestra itself lives an itinerant lifestyle that belies the slick and polished performances. Visitors from other countries, such as the US,… Continue reading London orchestras are homeless