'The Waterfront' - New on Reverbnation

Today I am going to talk about a new track I have added to the player in the side bar, which is also available on our Reverbnation page.

The piece is called 'The Waterfront', and came about after a long day in the recording studio with the Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo.

The engineer asked Robin to stay behind as they had been working on a piece and wanted some electric guitar adding.

Always ready for a challenge Robin put away his classical guitar and was duly supplied with an electric one.

The resulting piece of music is strangely hypnotic, and in a very different style to the one Robin had been working on all day!
In total it is 4 minutes 36 seconds long and as the piece progresses there are a few Hill specialties in there with some nice answering phrases.

So listen and enjoy 'The Waterfront', either in the side bar player, track 4, or over on Reverbnation.

'Fiesta de Xabia' by Robin Hill - Guitar

Robin is enjoying some very pleasant weather, as he approaches Costa Rica on board Crystal Symphony, and I think he felt sorry for me back here in the frozen North of England.
So he sent me an audio file, of a piece of music he composed during a family holiday in the sun, to remind me of warmer times.
He recorded this piece just before Christmas, and wanted to share it with you as a taste of things to come, when he is home long enough to record the rest of the album!

The piece is called, 'Fiesta de Xabia'.

It was inspired by the bull running festival in Xabia which we witnessed whilst on holiday in Spain.
It's an incredible sight, the narrow streets are lined with cages, bulls are released into the street, and the men of the town literally run ahead of the bulls, diving into the protective cages at the last minute.
The piece reflects the mood of the whole town.

Ominous trills at the beginning signal the tension and excitement prior to the release of the first animal.
Then the exuberant theme announces the appearance of the first bull.
The increasing virtuosic variations depict the local young (and not so young) men who exhibit an amazing agility in avoiding the horns.
The slowing of the tempo towards the end shows the bull majestic as the final victor and the piece finshes with an ebullient restatement of the main theme.

Hope you enjoy it.

'Fiesta de Xabia' - composed and performed by Robin Hill

For now, you can hear 'Fiesta de Xabia' from the player in the sidebar.

Dowland and Dickens

We have now reached Friday and John Dowland continues to ring through the house. At least we have progressed from one or two bars to the entire piece.
I'm still at the stage of enjoying it, which is a relief, but then, I haven't actually been around much to hear it...

As far as the recording in the music room goes, it hasn't been the children that are the problem, but me.
Why is it that when you really try to do something quietly it just doesn't happen?
There I was walking past the room, or rather creeping, (I can tell the difference between practice and recording sounds coming from the room) when I dropped the 'phone and there was a dreadful clattering sound followed by silence from the music room.
The music just stopped.
The silence more deafening and menacing than any noise, so I beat a hasty retreat.
Only to find the same 'phone rang a total of three times in the next 20 minutes....

I think at this point Robin realised that he may have to revert to plan A and move the equipment back upstairs.
Phew.....

Meanwhile we have allowed ourselves some time to relax and have been thoroughly enjoying the BBC adaption of 'Oliver Twist'.
We have been so surprised to read a couple of highly critical reviews. As far as we are concerned the casting is excellent, with all the characters truly convincing.
The filming is beautifully done and one of its greatest strengths is the squalor, filth and general dinginess of Fagin's place, in contrast to the opulent radiance of Mr.Brownlow's Georgian town house.
The music also works very well, who would have thought of using an accordion and banjo, together, in a Dicken's drama?
The reason I'm mentioning it is that I feel it is easy to be critical, yet difficult to achieve such high standards, and in our opinion, the story has been vividly realised and is a welcome change to the mind numbing drivel that is usually on T.V.

We are also in the process of preparing a Christmas treat for you all, so, watch this space.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

It has been a busy and very festive week here.
As son number two has now started school, we had a nativity to attend, in which he played a very brightly shining star.
Son number one has also had a busy schedule with the school choir.
Nerves were in tatters as we waited for his junior school concert, as he was reserve soloist for 'Once in Royal David's City'.
We watched the health of the main chorister over the week, and as it became apparent that he was fit and well, son number one could relax.
It did mean we had excellent seats for the performance though, and it was a wonderful evening.

Also, the same son had been asked, with a number of other choir members, to join the senior school this year for their Christmas service, in order to supplement the descant section.
Again, this was a fantastic event, there's nothing like good choir singing beautifully to really get you in the festive mood.

The descant voices came into their own in 'Hark! The Herold Angels Sing!', in one of the most popular arrangements of this piece by Sir David Willcocks in which the descants are added in the third verse.
Originally the lyrics were written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist Church in 1739.
But initially it was sung to a different tune, and it wasn't until 100 years later that Felix Mendelssohn composed a Cantata, in 1840, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press.
The English musician William Cummings then adapted the music to fit the lyrics already written.

Strange really, as Mendelssohn had requested the music not be used for any religious events, but, as was practice at the time, his wishes were obviously ignored!
I'm very pleased they were, as it is such a moving occasion to observe all those freshly scrubbed, youthful and innocent faces, singing so enthusiastically.

Then there was the Christmas Fair, and, not to mention helping out at the infants Christmas party, in which 200 very excited, and very loud, small children awaited the arrival of one 'Father Christmas'...

Whilst all this has been going on Robin has continued with his recording. He has, however, made a change to his positioning.
He has moved from the studio, which is quite separate from the rest of the house, to try out the music room.
The sound is better, and warmer, but the concern is that this is on the ground floor of the house, opposite the front door, next to the kitchen, and not far from the lounge.
School breaks up on Tuesday, so this could make for some interesting recording...

Listen To The Music

Ivan Hewett has written an interesting article, 'Open your ears and let the magic in', which is worth reading.
The general gist is highlighting the importance of really listening to music and giving it our full attention.

The report was prompted after 'hearing' some youths 'listening' to music through their mobile 'phones, and realising just how dreadful the sound actually is.

As Hewett says, "When listening intently sounds and music take on a special glow. When mingled with the world's noise and bustle, they shrink down to just another annoying distraction that has to be filtered out if we want to hang on to our sanity." Well said.

From a musician's point of view, sound quality is all important. Such a lot of time and effort goes into creating the best possible sound from your instrument, which isn't an easy process in the recording studio, especially for the guitar.

Listening to music intently is something we are very used to in our house.
Especially at the moment.
As Robin records another track for the new CD, each piece is scrutinized and agonized over.
Has the sound been captured?
Does it have the right feel?
Are there any extraneous noises?

This is a long process which requires many, many takes of each track to get it just as Robin wants it.
I'm sure it is the same for most musicians.

People listen to music in different ways.
They may have sit down purely to listen, or, in the background whilst socialising.
For Robin, a life time of dedication to music makes it very difficult for him to join in a conversation when music is on in the background, as his ear is naturally drawn to the music.
If we play music at home it is to listen to, not to supplement an atmosphere. If we have friends round for a meal, naturally we will play music, but invariably the conversation is drawn to the piece currently playing.
Years of intense listening seem to have affected our ability to 'filter out' the sound.

But we do realise that often people want to listen in this way and that is fine.
But do take the time to sit back and 'really' listen to music. The benefits are incredible.
You will 'hear' so much more than you initially realised was there.
Apart from that, we owe it to our musicians to listen to the music in which they have invested so much time.

Liner Notes for 'Virtuoso' and Classical Star...Don't Tell Me Who Won...

In the early hours of this morning I had an idea which was prompted by some recent posts by Ben over on 'Classical Convert'.
He has recently been discussing the need for liner notes to accompany digital music, as he wants to learn more about the music he is listening to, its structure, key, harmonies etc.
You can read his two related posts here and here.

Whilst not exactly what Ben is after, I decided that over the next few weeks I shall take each track from 'Virtuoso' and discuss it in more detail.
Not just the technical aspects of the music but also any situations which arose during the recording of that particular piece.
For those interested, they can download the music, and then read all about it, as they listen.
Hopefully, for those who don't actually want to purchase the music, they will find it interesting anyway.

I will,of course, still be adding any day to day happenings in Hillhouse, so, even if you are not reading out of 'technical' interest, I hope there will still be something for you.

This will, hopefully, start tomorrow.
As for today, well I am spending most of it avoiding reading any newspapers, blogs (especially UK ones) and generally walking around with my fingers in my ears.
The reason.
'Classical Star' finals was on last night on BBC2, and, as yet, we haven't watched it.
I know there are people out there waiting for some comment about the last programme in the series, as within 15 minutes of the show ending, my statcounter told me of a number of visits, but, I'm afraid you will have to wait until tomorrow.

The reality of living with a musician is the unpredictable nature of life.
Today is a concert day, and consequently last night Robin remained in his music room, hard at work, until late.
So we didn't get to watch the programme.
We will though, and until then, I shall be avoiding anyone who may tell me who has won. (Although I suspect I already know...)

Oh, yes, the concert.
Robin has returned and had an eventful lunch time recital.
Whilst warming up, there was a knock at the dressing room door, and the caretaker asked where Robin had parked his car. A traffic warden was circling and waiting to pounce.
Luckily all that was required was an 'Artists Permit' which Robin was then issued, and after his car keys had been located, (He'd left them in the toilet and the same caretaker found them) Robin was able to continue with his warm up exercises.

The hall was full, the audience appreciative, and the music played well.
Robin had been concerned about the opening piece as he hadn't played it before.
It was one of his own compositions, 'Fiesta', which is a lively flamenco style piece.
He needn't have worried, it went very well, as did the rest of the performance.

All that and home in time for tea!

Recording: Listen and Learn

Recording of Robin's latest classical guitar CD is getting under way here and he disappears for hours at a time.
When he does venture out of the studio he is usually armed with his latest 'take'.
We then settle down and listen through a number of times.
There are so many aspects to recording, not just the technical side of things, but one of the areas that I'm most involved in is the listening.

I don't mean just listening but really scrutinising every last note.
When we listen to playbacks we are not only checking that the notes are all fine, but the sound quality, tone, flow of the piece and generally that the interpretation is the one that Robin is trying to achieve.
Fortunately, we both have very clear ideas as to the way most pieces should be performed, and luckily they are the same.
This makes the whole process of listening back a much easier one.

Robin learns so much more about a piece as he records it.

As Glenn Gould once said:

"The tape recorder is the finest teacher."

He should know, he abandoned his concert career in his early thirties to concentrate exclusively on recording until his death aged 51.

I can understand that.
A completely different frame of mind is required for recording than is needed for live performance.

Good preparation is essential.
The music has to be learnt and memorised but the learning process doesn't end there.
The more a piece is recorded, the more it is understood, and, hopefully, a close approximation of an ideal is achieved.

I was also very pleased to have positive feedback.
After listening for some time to a Barrios piece Robin commented that my input was invaluable as I could bring extra objectivity to the whole process.
One of the problems with recording is that it is very easy to become so engrossed in the minutiae that the overall picture is lost.
As I generally am out of the way for the recording part I'm able to keep that distance.

I did manage to get insulted at one point though.
Robin announced that he had emailed me an mp3 of the latest movement so that he could hear what it sounded like on my 'tinny' computer!
Well, we can't all have the latest technology can we...?

Recording will be interrupted as of tomorrow, but, only for a few days, as Robin has to prepare for a concert.
Next week, on Wednesday 14th November, Robin is performing at Dewsbury Town Hall as part of the 'Lunchtime Chamber Concerts' series.
This is a rare chance to see Robin play in the UK, so anyone interested and able to get there, doors open at 11.30, the concert starts at 12.30, and will finish at 1,30.
Contact the box office on 01484 22 32 00 for more details.

Classical Star BBC2

We have been drawn into the BBC2 television programme 'Classical Star'.
I'm not altogether surprised at the lack of coverage it has received from the blog world, many appeared to be hostile to the whole idea, prior to transmission.
I must say that we weren't intending to like the programme, but, are now keen to see the outcome.
But, it has been highlighting some interesting areas.

Last week the contestants had to play to a 'hostile' audience, made up of peers, with no knowledge or interest in classical music.
All the performers managed to win over the audience with varying degrees of success, and it was an interesting process to observe.
As one member of the audience pointed out, he 'didn't even know that classical music existed,' until his involvement in the programme.
The fact that he, and many others, may well have been exposed to a new area of music, can only be a good thing.

The judges, and Matthew Barley, have all been doing a good job. It's a very difficult task to observe, and find faults, with such young performers.
Sometimes their job is easy, and other times, a lot of thought has to go into each decision.
All the judges, Charles Hazelwood, Jason Lai, Chi-chi Nwanoku and Steve Abbott, have made very good points and brought different perspectives to their decision making process. Whether that be musical ability, content, stage presence or sheer commercial appeal.

Our interests obviously lie with Ian Watt, the 16 year old classical guitarist.
What a position he finds himself in.
He has an obvious passion for the instrument and his technical ability is excellent for one so young.
He also appears to be blossoming under the 'Academy' situation, gaining confidence with each week.

Last night the focus was on recording.
The pressure mounted for each participant as their hour in the studio got closer.
Recording requires a completely different mindset, and, is one that most of the candidates will have had little experience.
Having observed the process, at first hand, many times, I could understand the agonies they were going through.
There really are no hiding places when notes are recorded, and to try and put across the excitement of a performance, in a recording setting is a difficult one.
The guitar is also notoriously difficult to record, but, Ian appeared to get down as much as he could in the required time.

It is difficult to assess each individual when only hearing such small snippets of each performance.
But the judges will be getting a much better overview of each contestant than we are privy to, and fortunately, they seem very able to see and hear each contestant objectively.
This will always be an issue when broadcasting a weeks worth of 'living in the Academy' into just one hour.

It is also very difficult to compare different instruments.
The piano and the guitar, and to a lesser extent the violin, all require multiple note playing, whilst the saxophone and bassoon are strictly monophonic.
Factor in sound quality and the necessary 'star' quality these students will require, and there are some difficult decisions to be taken.

The classical guitar has an up hill struggle in the concert environment, as peoples' perception of the instrument is very different to, say, the violin or piano.
Fortunately, the judges were able to hear Ian's potential and he has made it through to the next round.

We shall continue to watch, and hopefully, the aims of the programme will be achieved.
It remains to be seen whether a 'star' can be found, but, at least the programme has introduced some people to the area of classical music, and also highlighted the dedication required to attain mastery of an instrument.

Classical Guitar Students at Leeds University and then to Recording

Robin now, at last, has a spell at home, which we are all very pleased about.
He has quickly settled back into family life, aided by the fact that it is half term here, so both boys are around all day, and eager for his attention.

Today, however, he had to go over to Leeds.
His students at Leeds University, have been very patient, and it is the first time he has seen them this semester.
Robin has just not been here, as he has been away so much recently, giving concerts in a variety of places.
But, the course at Leeds is a performance one, and who better to guide potential classical guitarists, than someone who is actively out there doing it.
It's one thing to read about performance, and, another thing completely, to be up there on the stage.
So often you hear of teachers who never even pick up a guitar during lessons.
It makes you wonder how on earth they put across any information.
So Robin has put his students through their paces and is now back home.

One thing Robin has been desperate to get on with, is some recording, and now, there appears to be a window of opportunity.
His time away hasn't been wasted though.
Many of the pieces he currently performs will be recorded, and, he has been working on many others.
There are also a few surprises up his sleeve which I hope to tell you about as we go along.

The timing, as always seems to be the case, isn't perfect.
Two small boys around the house all week doesn't make for the quietest of environments.
However, they are very aware of the significance of the 'red light', so hopefully, the recording sessions will go uninterrupted...

Sabicas, Savarez Strings and the Suitcase

A day of preparation and packing for another trip abroad.
However first Robin had to go and buy a new suitcase.
His old one, which he hasn't had that long, was beyond repair.
Some months ago the lock was broken by an over enthusiastic security guard, and, since then, has been held together with a Savarez guitar string.
See a previous post, 'The Many and Varied Uses of Savarez Guitar Strings...', for other applications of the many thousands of used strings we have.
But, on Robin's last trip, the handle of his case also broke, beyond repair of even the strongest guitar string, hence the need to purchase a new case.

That is now done and all I have to do is fill it with clothes.
Robin meanwhile took himself off to the recording studio to try out a new flamenco technique he's been working on.
He recorded 'Zapateado', by Sabicas, to put his new hand position through its paces.
Recording yourself, and then listening back, is an excellent aid to improving technique and interpretation.
It's also a great way of immersing yourself in your music to try and forget the prospect of yet another flight.

Clarification - The Name of the iPod Game

I was very pleased to see that ACD over on 'Sounds and Fury' had taken the time to read our blog on live music/iPods, and direct them our way.

There seems to be a certain amount of 'clarification' going on all over the place.
So now it's my turn.
I was neither agreeing nor disagreeing with ACD really.
Just putting my point across from another perspective. That of a musician.

Robin loves to hear music played live, whether he is attending a concert, or, performing it.
He also loves to hear music on whatever format that it is available.
There are times when we have to revert to cassettes/albums/DAT and even reel to reel, but you quickly adjust your hearing to cope with whatever distractions are playing alongside the music.
For long deleted pieces it's just great to be able to hear them.

I then went off at somewhat of a tangent, although not completely unrelated, to point out the differences for a musician between performing live and recording.
Basically there's a different mindset required for both these activities and both are rewarding in their own way.
I think there's probably a whole individual blog in there waiting to come out.
So I hope we are all clear now...

Meanwhile, business as usual here, or as usual as it can ever be.
Last night a private function in a Masonic Hall, tonight, another private function for the Prince's Trust.
At least life's never dull.

Harry Potter Meets J.S. Bach - Sort of...

We are all a little bleary eyed here at Hillhouse this morning.
Son number one wanted to go to our local Waterstones bookshop at midnight to collect a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'.
As we encourage reading, and wanted him to participate in the 'collective experience', in a mad moment we agreed.

Some years ago when Harry Potter exploded onto the scene, there was great excitement here when Robin was asked to play at the 'Proms in the Park', and was therefore sitting on stage when the John William's score was first performed.

Prior to this expedition I had to go out.
I left the house at 7pm, Robin was in the music room, working on a Bach minuet which is part of one of the many projects currently underway here.
Robin is in the process of recording a number of CDs, one of which is made up entirely of the music of J.S.Bach.
As Robin is frequently away from home, he has to make the most of the times that he is here.

I returned 4 1/2 hours later to find son number one desperately trying to keep his eyes open and Robin in exactly the same position - still practising.
He assured me that he had stopped to put son number two to bed, and when I checked he was in pyjamas, in bed, and asleep, so I had to believe that some adult involvement had taken place.
This was an ideal evening for Robin.
Normally by about 10 or 10.30pm I tend to storm the music room or recording studio and insist it's time to stop.
Last night he was able to pursue his perfect evening unhindered. (Especially as son number one was keeping a very low profile in case he was sent to bed for looking too tired...)

On my return Robin finally put his guitar away at 11.45pm and off they went to purchase the book.
They thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being out at that time of night, despite the presence of local drunks spilling out of the pubs, and taunting the excited shoppers as they waited for the store to open.
When they told their story on their return it reminded me of the blog Kenneth Woods did a few weeks ago about a similar experience.
I can only hope that it has put son number one off excess alcohol consumption when he is a little older and inspired him to much greater things....

Rain, Rain, Recording and More Rain

I knew it wouldn't be easy when Robin decided to record his new CD from our studio at home.
The most obvious reason is unwanted background noise.
With two small children, two dogs and a cat, the potential for extraneous noises filtering through a series of closed doors, is quite high.
But our children have grown up with this and understand that when we tell them 'Daddy is recording', they actually do respond by creeping around the house quietly.

We've turned bath time into a game.
Who can go upstairs the quietest.
Who can manage to get through an entire bath time without squealing.
That sort of thing.

Don't get me wrong though. We haven't cramped their style too much and in fact they do quite well out of it.
When the 'red light', so to speak, is not on, then mayhem ensues.
Running up and down stairs making as much noise as possible is actively encouraged.

Sing songs around the piano become a daily occurrence - usually made up by the boys themselves.

The timing couldn't be worse. Final decisions on recording equipment were made just as school broke up for the extended summer holidays....
That makes two children at home all day plus assortment of friends.
Ohh well.

But the biggest problem has been the weather.
Anyone with children will know that boys in particular are like puppies. They need regular and lengthy exercise.
Since the end of term it literally hasn't stopped raining.
A constant stream of water slides down the window pane.
We start each morning with, 'How many beats per minutes is it today?'
It's July - we want the sun....

Even the amount of rain has had to be turned into a game.
Is it:
1) Drizzle
2) Fine rain
3) Large drops but coming down vertically
4) Huge drops bouncing on the ground
5) Daddy stops recording because the microphones are picking up the rain as it lashes down on the window.

If it doesn't stop soon I think I shall have to relocate to another continent....

Rain Stops Play?

I'm afraid it will be very brief this evening.
Time seems to have run away with me.
Sports day went off very well and we only got drenched for the last half and hour......

Now Robin is back to his recording. Although I hear the sound of distant composition - so I think some idea must have forced its way into his consciousness and temporarily taken over.

Normal service, from both of us, should hopefully resume tomorrow!

Monet for Nothing....

Well here he is.
Robin all set and ready to go.
After all the trials, and tribulations of various equipment and microphones, I felt the final choices should be recorded for posterity.



If you remember, the other day, I blogged about, 'Everyone Wants To Be One - A Musician That Is...', and how Tony Blair was considering reforming his band, 'Ugly Rumours'.
As I said then, Robin has his eye on the now ex-Prime Minister's job.
From the picture, on the wall in the studio, you can see that he has indeed got the 'Houses of Parliament' in his sights....

An Eerie Quiet in Hillhouse

An eerie quiet has descended on Hillhouse.

There are three reasons for this.

1) Son number one is in school.

2) Son number two has a cold and is therefore subdued. To say he is normally 'high energy' would be an understatement. To give you an example, the other day, Robin took him in the park with our two dogs. As they went about their walk they came across the boxer, Amir Khan, training. As Khan and his running partner ran down the hill, they had to make way for son number two as he steamed past them, at twice the speed, going UP the hill, with Robin and canines in hot pursuit...

3) Robin has taken himself off to the recording studio, shut all doors on the way, and started recording in earnest.

All I can hear is the very distant, muffled, sound of the guitar, which I'm sure will not be the case on the end product, thanks to the two Neumann microphones currently being put through their paces.

Domenico Scarlatti and the Honky Tonk Piano - Revisited

Back in May, I was talking about 'mishaps' in the recording studio, one of which occured when Hill/Wiltschinsky were recording Domenico Scarlatti's sonata K141.
To read the original post, click here.

This recording took place in Rotherham, which sadly, is currently struggling under a few feet of floodwater.
On the day in question Hill/Wiltschinsky spent an entire day recording this piece. At the time, editing a piece as intricate as this was virtually impossible, so the sonata was recorded in one take. Nowadays with the advent of digital recording the editing process is much easier.

When the duo realised that they had the take they were looking for, Robin leapt up and played some honky tonk piano, to relieve the tension.
Only to find that the sound engineer had recorded Robin's piano playing over the Scarlatti.

What you can hear today is the version they recorded immediately after this incident.
So, I hope you enjoy Hill/Wiltschinsky performing 'Scarlatti's Sonata K141'.

Domenico Scarlatti and the Honky Tonk Piano....

As we have been talking about 'incidents' in the recording studio, I remembered another one, that happened a few years earlier.
Again, it was Hill/Wiltschinsky, and they were recording an album in Yorkshire. 'Music of Europe'.
On this particular day, their attention was solely on Scarlatti's sonata K141.
This is a highly intricate toccata like movement which places severe demands on the players - especially at the tempo that Hill/Wiltschinsky perform it.
The duo pride themselves on their recordings being pretty much what you will hear in concert. No editing was done in this recording, the moment is simply captured again and again, until they are satisfied.
Due to the complexity of the piece the duo spent an entire day recording and re-recording this one piece.
As day turned into evening they tried one more time to capture the sound they wanted.
As the final note disappeared into the air they knew they had achieved their objective.
Both Robin and Peter have an uncanny telepathic understanding when it comes to music.
The relief, and release of tension was incredible, and Robin leapt up, ran to the other side of the studio, and thrashed out some honky tonk, on an idle piano.
"That was great", said the sound engineer, "You'll be pleased to hear I recorded it".
"I hope you didn't do it over the Scarlatti", replied Robin, joking.
Errr, whoops, he had......
What do they do? Shout, scream, jump up and down.
No.
The duo pick their guitars up and start all over again.