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!

Have We Moved On From The Wax Cylinder?

I've been thinking about the iPod/mp3 debate that is going on around the blogosphere at the moment.
My thoughts were prompted by a post by Ben over on Classical Convert.
Initially Ben took on the mighty ACD about comments he had made on Sounds and Fury regarding iPods. The initial post is here, and this is the update.

Classical Convert's first post has since been revised with many comments that I was going to discuss today.
You can read Ben's update here.

The points I was going to make are these.
Nothing can replace the experience of hearing and seeing music performed live.
A skilled musician not only has to perform well musically, but, also has to be able to relate to and entertain his/her audience. It's all part of the experience and one that generally improves over time as the musician gains more confidence.
For me the best concerts I have seen have always been ones when the artist has obviously engaged well with the audience. It makes it a special occasion for all concerned.
Robin has always maintained that he has the best seat in the house when performing with an orchestra as a soloist.
As he sits before this mighty instrument he relishes the sound - until he remembers why he's there, and how many notes he has to play, in front of a very discerning audience...

It's very difficult to capture the concert experience in its entirety on a recording, as the visual cues are missing, along with any verbal introductions that are made.
Therefore the musician's task is to try to relay the essence and spirit of the piece by their playing alone.

If they manage to capture the energy and expression they want to portray, then this will be heard by the listener, whether it's on mp3s or wax cylinder.
Our ear adjusts to the sound we are hearing and 'allows' for technical development at the time of recording. Within 10 seconds or so we start focusing on the musical content and interpretation rather than the sound.
I'd far sooner hear an early recording of Segovia or Heifetz, complete with crackles and excessive background noise, than not hear them at all.

Whilst we may not like mp3s or their equivalent they are a symbol of our times and one we have to adjust to.
It can be seen in a very positive light though.
It has never been easier to get hold of music than it is today.
Many times Robin would have to give up large chunks of time, travel to the nearest city, Manchester, to try and find a particular recording.
Usually it would have to be ordered which would mean a second trip to collect it.
Only the very keen would bother to go to these lengths.
Now, well, a click of a button and more often than not, you have what you are looking for.
This has got to help with promoting classical music in general which can only be a good thing.

On another subject, we were very sad to hear of the death of 'Mr.Manchester', Tony Wilson.
Whilst our paths didn't cross regularly, back in the late 1970's, Tony Wilson chose one of Robin's songs, 'Celebration', to win a 'Battle of the Bands' competition.
As he gave him the prize he told Robin that the judges also wanted to give him 'Best Guitarist' award, for his performance with 'Force 10', but felt the same person couldn't get both prizes!
Tony Wilson was a huge influence on the music scene and Manchester will miss him.