From a very young age, I’ve been playing musical instruments.
Starting out like all young children, I believe my first musical instrument was the descant recorder – that squeaky clarinet-like instrument that all parents begin to wonder why they let their children anywhere near. I still play one of these today, along with it’s larger brother, the treble recorder.
Since then, it was on to the violin. My parents must have despised me as that’s another instrument that can get on people’s nerves. Back in the days, I learnt on a 3/4 size, which I continued to learn up through high school, and even on to sixth-form college up to Grade 4 standard. I’ve since acquired a full size violin but my fingers haven’t grown much since and because of this (and the dreadful noise I make from it!!), the violin lives in the cupboard.
Alongside the violin, I took up the trombone. My older sister was part of the then, Sprowston Brass Band (now Sprowston and Hellesdon Brass Band). At the time, they were thinking of ways to expand and in doing this, they started a junior band. I was invited along to an open session to try out any of the brass band instruments. I took up the trombone because at the time, that was the only instrument I could get a note out of!
The high school I attended hosted another brass band and at the time, they were in abundance of trombones and only one euphonium. In learning the valve combinations due to my older sister playing the trumpet, I borrowed the euphonium from the cupboard and played that with the band. That was until my music teacher found out and so it was back to the trombone.
After leaving the Sprowston Brass Band, we followed our Musical Director to another band that he led (and still does to this day). We joined the Norwich City Concert Band shortly after they were formed and have been playing with them up until recently. After several niggles with the way the band is run and with certain members, I left the band at the end of September 2011. I’m now available as a solo / guest trombone player should anyone need one!!
In my previous job as a network engineer for the now closed, Norwich Community Workshop, one of the computer instructors re-introduced me into the world of handbells. I joined a group for a session during a school field trip way back in my dark and distant past who rang bells from number charts. After a quick conversation about the bells, I was invited to join Bellfolk Handbell Ringers and play with them to this day. Having been part of the team, I was introduced to the East Anglian Regional Handbell Team. Ringers from East Anglia, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire come together to form a team of ringers.
As a hobby, I play other musical instruments for fun – usually playing to the radio or music I’ve purchased. These include the guitar, the bass guitar, and probably the weirdest of all, the theremin. If you haven’t heard of a theremin, feel free to look it up for it is weird – it’s probably the only instrument in the world that is played without touching it! I’ve just recently bought a flute and am currently self-teaching myself to play it.
Recently, I have taken to composing and arranging music. Although not exactly famous at the moment, I have used these instruments to create arrangements of popular and video game music, some of which you can find using the links on the right >>>
In 2011, I aim to have at least one video on YouTube containing every instrument I play. These will be of varying standards, but will show you the range of instruments that I can get a note out of.
