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 […]
Andrew Jones Recorded December 2013 Andrew Jones was born in in Ponteberym near Carmarthen in West Wales. Many family members were heavily involved with the nearby Crwbin Silver Band and inevitably at the age of 8 he joined making his debut on cornet. Andrew progressed rapidly and became a founder member of the National […]
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 […]
10 quick fire questions to test your brass band knowledge (Answers at the foot of the page) 1.Name the colours in Gilbert Vinter’s Classic test piece ‘Spectrum’ – a bonus point if you get them in the order that they appear in the score. Name this virtuoso from Cork City who started to play […]
David Horsfield, owner of Kirklees Music, has had a brass band career that most of us can only dream of. By the time he was just thirteen he was second cornet in the world famous Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band and rapidly worked his way through the cornet ranks to the principle seat. In 1966 […]