THE MANDALORIAN

I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Mandolorian, I even subscribed to Disney for a while just so I could watch it. My attention was first brought to this series by a friend at my Brass Band who asked me to arrange the main theme for the band. After listening to it a few times I just couldn't see how I could voice the opening with brass, so I declined. They went ahead a bought a commercially available arrangement, only to find it was arranged for Fanfare Band not a Brass Band ~ long story short I initially agreed to transcribe it for Brass Band but as I worked through it I found myself more and more dissatisfied with what had been done ~ like the whole of the opening had been ignored ~ so I ended up arranging the whole thing from scratch myself. I am very happy with the outcome and it has been very popular with the band and audiences.

I have now published versions for both Brass Band and Concert Band they do offer a bit of challenge with some odd rhythms and unconventional harmony, but I think it is well worth making the effort to bring them into the repertoire.

The Brass Band version Here, from Music Direct for just £19:99

The Concert Band version Here, from Music Direct for just £39:99

Advent Calendar IXX

 

It's all getting pretty close now! Only six sleeps left till Christmas, one more performance, one more flight!

This evening was my penultimate performance with Croydon Brass, we were booked for an hour to play carols and Christmas tunes for a Pub in the posh rural part of the Borough. To be honest I really didn't know what to expect of the evening, but it far exceeded any of my expectations, the band played well, very together and a nicely balanced sound. There was very a good audience who joined in with enthusiasm, and I was able to strike up a rapport with them quite easily; what more could I have asked for!

I like to consider myself something of a connoisseur of a good pub, and our Host had a lot to offer, a really nice location, cosy atmosphere, an excellent menu and a choice of live beers. I was driving and had my dinner prepared for when I got home, so I couldn't indulge myself too much. Maybe another day?

The friends I'm going on holiday with both appear to be much more prepared than I am, indeed I think they have both already packed, while some of the clothes I am planning on taking are still drying! At least I have the relevant Christmas present bought and wrapped ~ I delivered the others today ~ I hope my choices are approved of, I'm certainly not going to buy anything else now. We fly out on Saturday morning, while I still have my final gig tomorrow evening, and still have to pack, find my passport etc.

I may not be very well prepared for my holiday yet, but I am as prepared as possible for tomorrow evenings performance, but am I prepared for Christmas yet? Yes I've got the presents ready, and my little "travel decorations" but am I ready for the arrival of Christ? are any of us ever ready? maybe we just have to accept him when he choices to come.

Updates

The more eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed a couple of changes to Paula's Place, I have updated the links to other Blogs on the left hand side and I have added a page!

My Music is where I am sharing my arrangements and original compositions ~ mostly for Concert Band or Brass Band, but there are also a couple of odd chamber works for various groups. These are just the ones I have published, and I will be adding to them as I publish more and more of my work. I just started typing "As I move further into my retirement" but I don't think retirement is really the correct term. "Retirement" suggest stopping work, my plan is to continue to work, just at different things in different ways, without the same economic imperative to earn money from everything I do. Arranging and composition are prime examples I don't anticipate earning much from this work, I just hope a few people will choose to play some of it.

On a more personal note I mentioned here that an old health issue had reared it's ugly head again. Back at the beginning of August I played at a band summer school, five days of intensive playing, at the end of the course my right wrist was becoming sore, on the drive home it swelled up and became very sore, enough to restrict my ability to use that hand. I was then home for a week before going away again, but for all of that week my Doctor's on line triage system was not working and they will only give emergency appointments if phoned at 8:00 a.m. Gradually my wrist seemed to improve so I stopped worrying about it, by the time I went on holiday it felt fine, but then it all blew up again. I have now done some conducting and it was fine, I have played the euphonium and it was fine, I have played trombone in the Orchestra, no problems. Last night I tried to play the tuba, big problems!

I have now been in contact with my Doctor and the best they can offer is to see their physiotherapist, but the first available appointment is not for two weeks! The trouble is that I am now convinced that this is an RSI from playing the tuba, but I don't know what to do, do I exercise it and paly a bit regularly, do I give it total rest, or do I just avoid playing the tuba? Should I use ice, or heat? The biggest worry is not knowing.

One of my take aways from this is that even though we moan that Trans people are neglected by the NHS, or how much people with Fibromyalgia or EDS are miss understood or ignored, it makes me realise that the NHS is broken and at the moment is serving nobody well. I think the main thing I will be judging our new Labour Government on over their next five years in power is going to be the state of the NHS.

Am I mad?

This is a question I have to ask myself every now and then, I was asking myself this over the weekend as I contemplated just how much money I had just spent on a new Tuba! Then on Monday evening my regular rehearsal was cancelled, so I got to play in the Christmas concert given by my friends at the All Saints Concert Band. This did indeed confirm to me that I had made the right decision, yes it was a lot of money, but the new tuba is so much easier to play, the articulation is so much cleaner, and there is definitely enough of a sound there to support a band.

After that the disappointment set in that I will only get to play it at one rehearsal in what's left of this year as everything else would be conducting or on trombone ~ don't get me wrong I love playing Bass trombone (not so much tenor!) and conducting is the most fun, the most artistically satisfying thing I do, but I would like to play with my new toy! Well I have now accepted two further Gigs, on Saturday and Sunday evenings, so I will get to play my two favourite instruments at least once more this year! Last week I thought I was a little bonkers having four performances over four days, this weekend I now have four performances over two days! Hence the question "Am I mad?!"

On Monday I sat down to write my Christmas cards, only to find that I couldn't find them! I'm sure I bought some in January but where they are I have no idea ~ since they're not in the right place the only thing I know is that they're in the wrong place. I have bought some more but I think it'll be too late for the post ~ so if you haven't had a card from me, sorry it may still arrive or I've just given up.

Now I'm off to lunch with my Daughter, always a highlight.

Note to self ~ must take more photos!

Another New Toy

The last couple of weeks autumn has been trying to get itself done, and in consequence I was spending all too much time clearing leaves up, I think these two magnolias eventually filled five of my big green sacks, at least on this job I didn't run out of day light"

This is two weeks out put from one garden, frustratingly most of those leaves are not from trees in my customer's garden, but from ones in his neighbours'. By the time I had loaded up the van and cleared up it was properly dark. At many of my customers clearing the fallen leaves is the final job of the year and I won't be going back till March to start the late winter/early spring pruning.

I am a little worried that at a couple of my gardens I hadn't finished clearing the leaves before yesterday's snow came.

Last week I was very lucky to be able to meet a good friend at Phil Parker's, London's leading Brass shop. It was good to meet up (tuba players don't often get a chance as so often there's only one of us per band/orchestra. I was particularly keen as I wanted his opinion on an instrument I was buying. To be fair not only did we agree on the instrument, he also helped me negotiate a good deal! So I am now back to three tubas!

I say I was lucky because it's that time of year when all brass players are active, somehow there is a natural affinity between brass and Christmas ~ maybe it's the influence of the Salvation Army, but it seems as though every brass band is out playing carols, and every choir, shopping centre, or Railway station would like one as well. That's great, it's nice to be wanted, but unfortunately there just don't seem to be enough of us to go around, and all too many of those choirs and venues don't want to pay!

Sunday's Office

Last week I had four performances, 1 playing, 2 conducting, and 1 stand up (I was particularly pleased with my stand up as this is only the second time I've done any, I felt a lot more relaxed and less self conscious than the first time, I now think there may well be a third time coming up) This week I've already had 2 rehearsals and a concert and it's only Monday afternoon!

Although I still have a few rehearsals I think I just have some carols to play on Saturday and a concert to conduct on Sunday. While I love all this musical activity, I'm doing most of it either on trombone or conducting, so I haven't yet been able to show off my new toy!

Tubas do not have a gender

 For any brass player this is a busy time of year, this year I seem to have overbooked myself to a ridiculous level, even by my own standards ~ this last weekend alone I have played in three performances, conducted two rehearsals and played in another two rehearsals! I won't say that this was without stress, although there is more stress in getting to the point of the performance with all the necessary players, music, stands etc. than in the actual performance itself.

There is of course also very little time for anything else, over at Cyrsti's Condo JJ has been writing about how transitioning as a trans person is selfish, it dawns on me that being an active musician can also be quite selfish ~ I certainly wouldn't have been able to have weekends like this if I was still married. I often think that I am trying to do too much, but then I reflect on all the things I do and cannot think of any one that I would be happy to stop. This monster is of my own creation! In many ways my biggest concern is that by doing so much, I may be diluting the quality of some of what I do, I may not be giving of my best because of being stretched ~ maybe a problem to be addressed in the new year, I certainly don't have time to think about it now.

But all this is beside the point, after yesterday's concert the band joined the audience for a cup of tea and a mince pie, I had a nice conversation with a lady, maybe just a little older than me. She checked that I was indeed the tuba player and observed how unusual it was to see a lady playing the tuba, or trombone (our first trombone is also female, but a good deal younger than me). This gave me the opportunity to get on to one of my hobby horses about how instruments do not have gender! There is nothing about a tuba, a trombone or indeed a double bass or a drum kit that makes them fundamentally male, yet even now the idea that they may not be ladylike or appropriate seems to persist in some areas.

WOW Greeting the marchers in Parliament Square

I was reminded about how, way back in 2018 when I was playing with WOW Brass for Processions at our first rehearsal we went round the room and were all asked to say what playing for this event meant to us. Not particularly wanting to "out" myself I recounted the story of a contemporary female friend who wanted to play the trombone, but when she told her school that, they more or less patted her on the head and said "never mind dear", what they did do was give her a clarinet and told her that if she got on OK with that then maybe she could learn the trombone later. I was by far the eldest there, and I'm sorry to admit that some of the younger members found it hard to believe me. But this was as recently as the 1970s, and is why it is so unusual to see women of my age playing the trombone or tuba.

Tell me again how unfeminine brass instruments are!
The WOW Orchestra Brass Section 2018

At the next rehearsal we had some extra players, including another trombone player about my age, she recounted how at school she had asked to learn the trombone, but had been given a clarinet and had been told to see how she got on with that. She was only able to learn the trombone properly when she joined the Women's Royal Army Corps as a musician ~ they had to retrain women to play the instruments that schools had refused to teach them.

The other side of this is the many young women who are discovering the joy of playing tubas, trombones etc. I recently played at the National Concert Band Festival at Watford, there was a youth band there with three tubas players, two of them were girls! I miss the WOW Orchestra and meeting these young women. The more women who do things that were traditionally considered male preserved then the more young women will see that these things are available and will pursue them them.

Fashions

This video is now a few months old, it's of a concert we played towards the end of lock down two in the summer of last year because of the restrictions of the time we used a reduced orchestra which in turn dictates the repertoire. In the LGSO we are very lucky to be able to put on big works. Not many amateur orchestras can put on some the big works we have played recently like the Rite of Spring or the Leningrad Symphony. I was not playing in this concert, because, well Mozart and Beethoven! I did very much enjoy being in the audience, I think it was one of our finest! Sometimes I wonder if we play the "big" works simply because we can and neglect so much great music because we are reluctant to exclude some players. Personally I really don't mind if the result is this good!

As a musician I am one of those animals known as a "Band Tart" ~ basically a reference to the fact that I'll play with anyone! At the moment I'm playing with an Orchestra and one band, regular conductor of two and guesting with another two. As well as keeping me busy this gives me a chance to keep up with different styles and trends within music. One of the joys of being a musician is that even though I have been playing for over 50 years now, there is still so much I haven't yet played. At our last orchestra concert I was actually playing in every movement of every piece ~ that's almost unheard of, indeed I can't remember the last time that happened to me! Not only was I busy but there was not one piece I had played before. On of these pieces was the Florence Price first Symphony. It is a fine piece of music and the writer was a remarkable character over coming so much simply to get her music played. This week I have come across at least two other orchestras that are working on this same piece. The same happened a few years ago with Shostakovich 7 "The Leningrad", not played for years then several performances close together.

The same thing happens with concert bands, for some reason a particular piece or composer will suddenly hit popularity and do the rounds. At the moment Goff Richard's march "Barnard Castle" is particularly popular. In Brass Bands it is often the selection of contest test pieces that will trigger a trend but I suspect that in all cases is it us "Band Tarts" who will say I played so and so with such and such a band that will put the piece in peoples minds.

It seems to be the same in blogs ~ I have just looked at a few of the Trans Blogs I follow and have noticed a number of them are talking about motivations and experience of transition, not the process, but the motivations. I suspect that we all read each others blogs and get inspired by each other. Well I think for now I will resist the temptation to write about my transition yet again ~ as my wife once observed with great enthusiasm "Not every thing is about gender!"

At the moment I choose to look to the future rather than reflect on the past ~ think about the music I want to play next, and the next great adventure in my life.

New Toy

Again, I started writing this post some time last year at some point during a lock down, and never quite got around to completing it. Since then it has been sitting in the "Drafts" box waiting for some love. As I seem to be on a bit of a roll posting wise, at least until I go back to work tomorrow, I thought maybe it's time for completion. The new bits are in italics.

Some of my friends seem to think I have developed a dangerous habit of acquiring instruments, personally I don't think I have that many, and anyway the phrase "Too many instruments" is in my books an oxymoron.

Rehearsing for a Trombone Quartet

I have had my beloved Yamaha Bass Trombone (Precious) for about 30 years now, in some ways I feel as though I should be thinking about a replacement, but it is possibly the best instrument in my collection, and a replacement would be excessively expensive ~ maybe that could be an aim for a retirement present. 

Then I have my two tubas, a vintage Besson New Standard EEb which I have customised to make it a bit quieter and easier to play. Known as Baby (short for Baby Besson) as it is a bit smaller than a contemporary EEb I love this instrument, although she is now a bit bruised there are some pieces that she's just perfect for. 

Big Shiny

Until recently my Conn CC was known as "New Toy" but since I've had her for over ten years she is now known as "Big Shiny" For the last few years this has been my prime instrument for both orchestra and concert band, she has a big sound, looks great and I find the rotary valve tubas easier on my back than upright ones. The down side is that she's not really a professional standard instrument, this shows in the quality and thickness of the brass, the outcome is that as well as a few intonation problems, she dents way to easily, and if I really give her "the beans" the sound will "crack".

That's the serious selection, then come the toys! Not really toys but the ones I really can't claim any great level of proficiency on. I have been messing about with Bass Guitars for a few years now without gaining much in the way of ability, maybe there's something in that old adage about old dogs and new tricks. Last year I got given the best birthday present! A lovely sexy black five string Ibanez electric bass. I was gradually getting better, but find it difficult to practise on my own so my progress has stalled.

Partly because I have been having so much trouble getting used to five strings, I have now acquired a black four string Ibanez as well. It is lighter, slightly shorter scale and takes lighter gauge strings ~ all this adds up to much easier to play, but not as full a sound. I have gigged on both and can see the strengths of both, so I think they are both "keepers".

Then there is the Euphonium, an old unlacquered Besson Westminster, I know how to play the Euphonium, and I do have one ~ that does not make me a euphonium player! It is not just about proficiency on the instrument, I feel it is also a state of mind. I like to hide at the back playing a supporting role, otherwise I will have my back to the audience when I'm performing. I suspect euphonium players need to be a bit more of a show off. They are great solo instruments and get all the best bits in both Brass and Wind Bands. It's great fun every now and then, but I would never neglect my Basses in favour of euphonium ~ that means my scruffy but serviceable old Besson is quite good enough for anything I'm going to do.

I always maintain I do not play Tenor Trombone, so why do I have one? Well in theory I am just looking after it for the Croydon Brass Band, It's a fairly old but very nice Yamaha Bb and F (in the Conn 88H copper bell style) It is very nice, and I do play it every now and then, usually in an orchestra where the part is more 3rd tenor than proper bass. I also have a pBone, you know, just for shits and giggles.

After this lot it just gets silly, I don't really know why I have a Cornet, a Violin, a recorder and various bits of percussion, they just seem to turn up.

Too many? no! That's why I'm a very happy bunny to have just welcomed into the family a lovely big five valve B & S CC, and can I just point out that this is no "Toy", and that it is Big and it is Clever!

Starting How I mean to continue

2022 has got to be better than 2021 surely, last year here in the UK we started with a lock down, no communal activities at all, certainly no communal music making, and I really missed it! 

We simply don't know what this year has got in stall for us, so I'm not making any resolutions I might not be able to keep, instead I am giving myself some new year "Graces", I'm going to try to be good to myself.

I know I enjoy a bit of exercise, so I will take some ~ when I can. I will devote some time to friends, I will also devote some time to myself ~ both are important.

I will carry on my work with Croydon Pride, after an hiatus of two years caused by the pandemic we will be back in July 2022, maybe not bigger and better, but still essentially Croydon, still free admission, and still fabulous.

But most of all for me, I want 2022 to be a year of music! I want to play music, I want to listen to music, I want to write music, and I want to support up and coming local talent!

To mark just how I feel about this I started 2022 as I mean to continue, on the first of January I braved the cold and public transport to travel up to London to play for the London New Year's Day Parade (well actually a non parade as it was a static event between The Mall and Pall Mall) to play with the "City of London Brass Band". This was pretty much a scratch band, I don't think I had ever even met any of the others, we had certainly never played together as a band before. There was no rehearsal just straight in and perform, admittedly to a small live audience of a few hundred, but also to a live stream of millions!

This is what I want my music making to be in 2022, fresh, brave, and exciting!

I'm playing my unique EEb tuba "Baby" a vintage Besson New Standard customised to my personal preferences.

I Did It My Way

 I started writing this post way back in January last year (2021) it feels as though not a lot has changed since then, but of course in fact we are in a much better position, a year ago we were locked in, all activities, music, sport, and socialising were all closed down, and worse we couldn't see an end. Now we have vaccines, as a population we are building immunity, we can now look forward to a world where we can live with Covid, and live life as we choose! The 2021 bit is in italics.

 Looking at the heading of this Blog I see the strap line says something about the "Experiences and Adventures" well like everyone else I certainly haven't had too many adventures recently and little in the way of new experiences either. My last few posts have been much more personal musings rather than relating adventures! 

Looking further back I see that I have related quite a lot about my work in gardens, shared a lot of information about concerts, going shopping, holidays, photo shoots, a few jokes, and even trips to the dentist! Certainly a lot has changed, with me and the World at large since I first started up Paula's Place way back in 2011 Back then I was just breaking out of the closet, and it would seem that I was quite obsessed with clothes, and shoes! In those days I was certainly self identifying as a cross dresser, it would be another few years before I fully accepted myself as a transgender woman. Along the way I have shared some of my coming out experiences, 

In all there have been over 1,700 posts (now 1751) , over 650,000 (now over 720,000) page views as I have monitored my transition, my relationships, Paula's Place has been my confidant, an outlet for self expression and of course a way of keeping in contact with friends I can't meet up with; and there we have my main reason for trying to reenergise the Blog, at this time when we simply cannot meet up with friends and family we all have to have other ways of keeping in touch. This is my way!

It has been a strange year, but at least I have actually managed a few adventures, and have certainly had a few experiences. It is both a joy and a source of amazement to me that I can still have new experiences at my age, that there is still so much music I haven't played or heard, so many places I haven't been and so many people I haven't met.

I'm still discovering new ensembles and new instruments ~ my latest project is to write for a Bass Clarinet quartet, and my latest favorite instrument I don't play is the Bass Saxophone

This is "Sexilicious Get The Gas On" by Loud Noises

This is my new favorite band, I love the way the bass sax sits at the bottom driving the whole thing, they are truly excellent, I now want to hear them play live so much I may just have to hire them myself!

We Play a concert, and then it all stops!

 2020 has been tough on everybody, but for musicians it has been very hard. For much of the year we have been unable to rehearse, and performances have just been out of the question for the vast majority of us. I'm very much one of the lucky ones, as a gardener I have been able to carry on so at least I have had some income through the year.

Over the last couple of months rehearsals had started up again and various groups were even thinking about how we could perform again. Then on Saturday the Government once again put the Nation into lock down. In all honesty I can't say whether this is necessary or not, I am no expert and don't have the time or the inclination to read all the advise, I just do as I'm told! 

So Sunday we had our last Allegra Concert Band rehearsal for a while and tonight it is the turn of Croydon Brass . It hurts a little that this will be the second time I have had to shut both the bands I conduct down; the band I play in hasn't even been able to start up at all since March!

On a more cheerful note yesterday my Orchestra did manage to record and video a few pieces played by members of the Orchestra which we are presenting as our Autumn virtual Concert. It was an interesting challenge to record while socially distancing, it was all done in smaller groups but we still managed to utilise all the sections of the Orchestra and make some interesting music. I was particularly excited to play "Water Music" by Malcolm Arnold, he writes so well for brass this was a real treat.

The first part of the concert can be found here and here 

Unless your computer speakers are a lot better than mine I suggest you use headphones! 

Advent Calendar VII ~ Am I the First?

Am I the first?

Am I the first transgender conductor of a brass band? Am I the first trans conductor of a concert band? I don't know, and maybe more to the point I don't care! Whether I'm the first or the forty first doesn't matter. I just want to do the best I can. I want to make good music, entertain people and help the members of the bands enjoy making music. I don't want to be a trail blazer, I don't want to be a celebrity because of being trans, I don't want people to come and listen to my bands because they want to see the freak! I want them to come because we make good music.

The photo shows me conducting Croydon Brass at Stanley Halls earlier this year, this afternoon we will be playing for the switching on of the Christmas lights at South Norwood. We have already played one lot of "Christmassy" music for a "Deck the Halls" event, and on Thursday will be playing our final performance of the year, again at Stanley Halls as we do a joint concert with a friend's choir.

Now I'm conducting the Allegra Concert Band as well as Croydon Brass I've been prompted that it's about  time I changed my tag line to include conductor, so today I have done just that.

Not really very Christmassy I know, ~ but the music will be, which is more than can be said for tomorrow's concert with the LGSO! tickets are still available here, or on the door tomorrow

Advent Calendar VI

There is some sort of natural affinity between brass instruments and Christmas, we always seem to be wanted for every Christmas event. This is lovely, but it also means that I tend to get spread a little thin at the moment. There are a few Christmas performances from other bands that I would love to go to, just to listen to somebody else play, but they all seem to coincide with stuff I'm already doing.

I remember my Father, a very keen sports fan, always said he'd rather be doing than watching, so could easily end up missing a football international (his main sport) in order to play golf. I'm a bit like that with music, I'd rather be playing or conducting some carols than listening to the LSO!

In the mean time I have performances on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I'll actually be playing with some members of my Brass Band for the switching of the Christmas Lights......... at South Norwood (not quite as glamorous as it sounds) and then on Sunday I'm out with my Orchestra the LGSO ~ This is going to be a fabulous concert with a wonderful orchestra, I just need to decide exactly what I'm going to wear. I won't be playing the piano but on this occasion I may take my inspiration from Betty!

Manic!

This is a busy time of year for any musician, but for brass players it does feel as though demand is particularly high. This last weekend I have had two performance and an additional rehearsal.

Saturday evening was one of the weirdest performances I have yet managed, in the same concert I managed to play Euphonium with the band, an EEb Tuba solo, told some jokes, and played "Dustbin Bass" dressed in a ball gown and donkey jacket! By way of justification perhaps I should point out that this was a concert themed around "Old Time Music Hall" and we were performing "My Old Man's a Dustman" ~ I trust the irony that I was the one who used to be a dustman was lost on the vast majority of people there!

While it may not have been the musically fulfilling concert I have played I am quite sure that everyone had a fabulous, fun filled evening ~ helped by three special arrangements I put together for them, a carrot clarinet, and some other equally weird and wonderful performances ~ all culminating with an abridged rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 with the audience providing the canon effects by bursting paper bags.

We can always rely on All Saints Concert Band providing an entertaining evening.

Sunday was a bit more sensible with Croydon Brass playing some carols and Christmas tunes at our new home at Stanley Halls ~ If everybody else enjoyed themselves as much as me then it was another very satisfactory evening.

I am now beginning to learn something of the physical strain of conducting, on Sunday morning I had my first regular rehearsal with the Allegra Concert Band as their new MD ~ before the evenings performance. By the end of the day my shoulder and right arm were feeling the strain, and I was certainly ready for a couple of pints!

If any more photos from the weekend surface I will be sharing them!