Half eight is a bit early to be awake on a Saturday after getting into bed just after 2am. Al kindly delivered me home from the Dukes Head. I've got to be on site at the farmer's market down the road in under an hour to set up and play. I better get ready, but will write later about last night ( Read more... )

First post since October 2015. So much has gone on. Here are the main things that stick out in order of happening. I signed up for six shifts playing music for Crisis at Christmas 2015. At this time in life there is no better way for me to spend my Christmas. Though I know just playing music for the homeless is not much compared to what some of the ( Read more... )

I've been doing a lot of thinking about how I am going to run my independent autoharp beginners workshops at the Sound Lounge and about starting up a group/club for my regular students and other improvers. It's all the finer details that have to be thought out, designing it all in my head and sounding out my students and talking to Hannah at the ( Read more... )

Home from a day of watching Mike Fenton teaching autoharp to a school in Tewkesbury, where I've taught twice before but without the kids at a UKA day for adults. Mike is packing up his school autoharp work very soon and I thought it would be a good idea to see how he handles kids first hand. It was a great insight for me and by the afternoon I was ( Read more... )

So the plan for this Saturday morning was to get up, have a fry up and prepare the bike. First a cycle into the high street and hand my autoharp gig bag to the cobbler to be mended. One hole in the side caused by the webbing loop that one of the ruc sac strap clip hooks on to coming undone. It was at Clapham Junction station quite a while ago as I ( Read more... )

Not long been home after coming back from Ham. Gren and Fleur invited me round for dinner. The plan was to play some of the old Mad Sea Dog songs and talk about a way forward with a new female singer and a new name. Claudia accepted the role and is looking forward to joining us for a weekend rehearsing. We need to find out which keys are good for ( Read more... )

I got an interesting message today from Doug Curran the Scottish autoharp luthier after putting a request out on Facebook for Alan Morrison's Chord Computer. Doug said Alan's wife Irene came to see him and left a Chord Computer with him to send to me. He also mentioned that Alan's 42 string harp will be for sale in the near future and said Irene ( Read more... )

My Queen of the Night cactus opened one flower last night and two this night. It's such a special thing when it decides to flower, the scent and size of the blooms are amazing, just amazing, to anyone. The blooms can be the width of a large hand. In honour of the plant and the joy it has brought me these three years I'll name the current tune The ( Read more... )

Cliff came 70 miles from Southampton for an hour and a half lesson yesterday morning. He also wants to come back for more. I couldn't believe it, I felt a bit of pressure because of it. I've never had anyone travel that far yet. He said there is just no one in Southampton who can teach him and I'm the nearest person. I assessed where he was at in ( Read more... )

The charity music event at the Moot House was pretty dead tonight. We think it was the rugby world cup match between England and Wales. A few of my music friends and I discussed sports and talked about the pointlessness of it and how we are just not competitive. I have to respect my family though who enjoy sports. I was on at 6pm which made getting ( Read more... )