Ravensburg is a stunning town in southern Germany, almost on the borders of Switzerland and Austria, and I had the privilege of playing at the Ravensburg Rutenfest Music Festival in July 1997 with Cwmaman Band on a twin town exchange. The hospitality was out of this world – it was a joy to be there with such fantastic […]
Richard Davies A.K.A. Dickie (ex flugel – Cory) had recently announced on Face book that he was buying a fish tank. There were a few tongue in cheek comments – then I posted a few suggestions for brass band music to keep the fish occupied… Devil and the deep blue sea, Oceans, Galleons Reach, The […]
10 quick fire quiz questions to test your brass band knowledge (Answers at the foot of the page) The 1928 National Brass Band Championships was won by Black Dyke Mills playing a specially commissioned piece by Gustav Holst. Name the piece and can you also give Holsts’ country of birth. Which standard set of four […]
The Best (and Worst) Ways to Hack out the Deadwood! The best way to terminate a player is to do it in the old fashioned, polite way and be direct. Tell them why and let them go. It’s that simple and it’s the best way, so that they know why they are no longer […]
The Rode I-XY microphone is a really innovative bit of kit that can be attached to a mobile phone making it highly mobile and versatile. The sound quality is superb and is at a very reasonable price when compared to other conventional microphones. This is ideal for brass players and conductors as the set […]
When it’s time to leave your band, for whatever reason, it is not a pleasant experience. If you are a hard nosed, pig headed, don’t give a monkeys type of bander – you don’t need to read this because you won’t give a tinker’s toot anyway!!! For those of us with a conscience, shame, guilt […]
10 quick fire quiz questions to test your brass band knowledge (Answers at the foot of the page) 1216-1399 was the era in which there were five kings in an English royal dynasty (Henry 111, Edward 1,11,111 and Richard 11). Which brass band composer wrote a test piece about this dynasty and what was it […]
Who’s afraid of the big bad draw? What could be the biggest accolade in a band’s history? To get to a major final for the first time; a wonderful achievement. From the announcement of the Area or the Grand Shield, it’s one long rollercoaster of anticipation and sheer joy; the chance to get in with […]
This first appeared on 4barsrest a few years back – but it’s still relevant as these people will always exist… Players come – players go; bands go up and down the sections like yo-yos; conductors become celebrities and then disappear into obscurity; supporters moan and groan one minute and then think the brass band movement […]
Sadly, due to the affluent society we live in, there is an abundance of cars and the traditional band coach to nearly every contest is reserved for long haul only. Sadly because it gave members of the band, supporters and committee the chance to talk and interact for more than the duration of a rehearsal […]