Bob Dylan, BBC Radio 2, and the 'Wrong Trousers'.

We are entering a busy phase just prior to Robin's next trip away from home.
So, we are frantically trying to get various projects sorted out, and jobs done, before it becomes difficult to communicate.

We are getting there though, and, today I have sent off the master tapes of the next CD to be released. So keep checking out the blog for more information over the next few weeks.

We have however relaxed a few times.
One of the most enjoyable hours was spent listening to Bob Dylan, on BBC Radio 2, the other evening.
His regular programme, 'Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan', has always been a delight. The last one we heard being on musical instruments.

Dylan hand picks an eclectic mix of music, and the show is interspersed with interviews and commentary.
It is such a refreshing change to have such an articulate and interesting host talking about some incredible music.
It's worth going to the site and listening to some playbacks.

I've also been quite amused to find that today, two separate people in Turkey, have found their way to this blog, by Google searching, 'The Wrong Trousers'.
Why Wallace and Gromit have suddenly become popular in Turkey I have no idea, but I hope they were satisfied by just one image of 'Wallace and Gromit', and not too disappointed to find all this talk of guitars!

Tuning Trouble, The Wrong Trousers, and MP3 Downloads.

Robin spent some time in Manta, Ecuador, on Sunday, and managed to buy a folding Panama hat, which could prove useful as he's going through the Panama Canal again today.

But yesterday he performed his second concert.
He's been having a few tuning problems on this trip.
It's something to do with the humidity and the extreme heat, especially when under the intense stage lights.
It's easy to lose objectivity when under the pressure of a live performance, so for the concert yesterday he attached a tuner to the neck of the guitar, which reacts to the vibrations, and gives visual cues to support his own judgement.
Adjustments can then quickly be made as he plays.

He was required to do so on a number of occasions, as the guitar strings struggled with the temperature, but fortunately Robin's rather good at minor, and sometimes major retuning.
He can make small adjustments as he's playing, without missing a note, and for more major alterations, he will carry these out as he introduces the next piece, so the natural flow of the concert isn't interrupted.

There was another factor which may have helped with his pre concert relaxation, and one that I've never known Robin do before.
Usually he plays constantly prior to a performance. Either running through the programme or limbering up with right and left hand exercises.
Yesterday he decided to take some time out and unwind.
Guess what he did.

He watched 'Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers'.



I was quite amused by this. It wasn't that he'd specifically downloaded a copy on his iPod, but son number one had.
It did the trick though, Robin was relaxed, and the audience loved the programme.

Here are some of the pieces he played (not necessarily in the right order):

Asturias - Isaac Albeniz

Canarios - Gaspar Sanz

Mozart Variations

Un Dia de Noviembre & Danza del Altiplano - Leo Brouwer

Tango en Skai - Roland Dyens

Romanza - Trad.

Jota - Trad.

Again, Asturias, Canarios and Romanza can be found on 'Virtuoso', and incidentally, both 'Virtuoso' and 'Eklectica' can now be bought directly as MP3 downloads from CD Baby.

This will include MP3's, JPG of the album art, and a text file of titles, album notes and links to this site.
For the technical amongst you, the MP3's are encoded at top-audiophile-quality, (200kVBR) which is higher than many stores.
Also the files will play on any MP3 player, be it iPod, cellphone, Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, Windows, Mac etc.

So now there's no excuse, you can listen to Robin's music anytime, anyplace and anywhere!