It is an inevitable truth that at some point in your brass career you will have to stop playing. But when will you know when that time has come? Here are ten indicators that should give you a subtle hint… Tuning slides that move constantly While the conductor is tuning the band he is forever […]
One cold Christmas Eve in the band room the central heating has been turned off and icicles hang off the noses of every player. Eb Scrooge, the band’s conductor has insisted on a rehearsal for the forthcoming area and not a Christmas carol in sight. Bob Crochet, principal cornet, pleads on behalf of the shivering […]
Christmas comes but once a year – isn’t banding fun! Are you festive or a Grinch when carolling’s begun? The band manager joyfully announces the fund-raising schedule for December. You look at the never-ending list with dismay and begin to doubt that there are only 31 days in the last month of the year. “Death […]
With the recent Armistice Day marching events that most brass bands have some involvement with it got me thinking. ‘Old Comrades’, ‘Scipio’ or ‘Sons of the Brave’ in the comfort of the band room is one thing but marching and playing – it’s a death defying feat! A heart rate of 60 – 80 bpm […]
As the most farcical Westminster pantomime of all time continues without an end in sight what happens to us lowly brass banders in the fallout of Brexit? What if Boris ‘I’d rather die in a ditch’ Johnson clinches a deal, Jeremy Corbyn falls off his fence or the remainers get their way and celebrate with […]
Is your percussion section seeking inspiration in readiness for the 2020 Areas and beyond? Are they looking to get the best results from their rehearsals? Are they wanting to become better players for the good of your band? If the answer to all of these questions is ‘YES’, then why not book Cory Band’s very […]
Summer…so there it was…Gone! And now it’s lips to the banding grindstone. Busy, busy, busy with back to back Open and Nationals. Did you bother to give your brass instrument an MOT over the summer? Did you spend any time at all with your expensive mechanical masterpiece? Did you even look at the case? Thought […]
If you have been playing for years you will have been next to many different players in the band room. Unless of course you are ‘Billy no mates’ on timp’s. It’s similar to sharing a hotel with a ‘roomie’ but for much longer. I have sat with some right weirdos in my time and have […]
If you would like a cartoon caricature I have bitten the bullet and started to do them. Prices start at £85 for a standard full colour cartoon which is supplied in a 12″ x 10″ mount with backing board + electronic version + a square jpeg version (for a Facebook profile picture if required). […]
Goodbye-eee! Goodbye-ee! Wipe the tear baby dear from your eye-ee What players say when they leave their band is not what they are actually thinking. It’s that really awkward conversation that we dread. Leaving is usually the result of being poached by another band or sometimes because you have had enough of the banding […]
