'Chill 22' - Robin Hill from the new album 'Standing on Air'

Today we released a video of 'Chill 22', the first track from the new album 'Standing on Air'

The album itself, featuring all original compositions by Robin and on which he plays all the instruments, will be available in January 2012, but we thought it would be nice for you all to have a sneak preview.

This composition was inspired by Robin's newly acquired Manuel Reyes guitar which was made by the master luthier in 1963. This instrument is capable of producing not only the aggressive rasp of the Andalusian flamenco, but also a beautiful sweetness of tone when played with sensitively and expression.

As he was in a hotel at the time, the title of the track was taken from his room key and initials, 'Chill 22', his first name being Charles.

As time went on the piece evolved.

Chill 22 has a laid back jazz groove yet the incisive triplets and use of rasgueados reflect Robin's love of flamenco music. The cuica drum, rainstick and shakers are Brazilian inspired.

Alongside these latin and flamenco elements you may also discover a quote from Igor Stravinsky's, 'Rite of Spring'.
This is one of Robin's favourite classical pieces and the tongue in cheek reference opening the guitar solo pays tribute to this.

Generally the album as a whole not only reflects Robin's diverse musical tastes but also his constant extensive travelling.

The influences of many countries can be heard in each and every track and he often returns home with an indigenous instrument from some far flung land.

Chill 22 also features a Neapolitan mandolin.
Back in 2008 Robin was in Sorrento when he came across the most beautiful mandolin.
The story about how we came about purchasing it is quite amusing, and restores ones faith in humanity.
Here's 'The Mystery of the Mandolin'.
The use of the mandolin was also an opportunity for Robin to use his enviable plectrum technique acquired after many years of playing electric guitar....

You will have to wait a little longer to hear all 14 original compositions from, 'Standing on Air', but for now, sit back and enjoy 'Chill 22'.

Robin Hill and Eklectica Play 'Eternal Dance'

'Eternal Dance' was originally composed for the quartet and later expanded into a piece for guitar and orchestra. The concerto version can be heard on Robin's 'Virtuoso' album.

'Eternal Dance' has an unusual, but highly rhythmic, time signature of 5/8 with the occasional bars of 7/8.
Also, for anyone who wants to try and play it, the piece features a scordatura tuning for the guitar, with bottom E tuned down to C, and A down to G.
The piece is in the key of C minor.

The Eklectica version commences with a solo guitar which sets the rhythm for the piece, and gradually various percussion is added.
Robin uses rasgueados to reinforce the rhyhthm before Daniel Bath's vocal entry.
After the guitar has re-stated the theme, percussion, bass and piano all join in with sparing timpani adding drama at strategic points.

Eternal Dance is 5 minutes and 4 seconds long, and as the name suggests, it seems fitting to end by fading out rather than an abrupt conclusion.
Consequently Robin finishes on an improvised guitar line, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Arrival on iTunes and Eternal Dance - Robin Hill

We were very excited to find that 'Virtuoso' has now arrived on iTunes, and spent the evening looking at the stores around the world, which gave us quite a buzz!

One of the pieces we were listening to was 'Eternal Dance', by Robin, so I decided to jump to track 8 today, and tell you more about it.
'Eternal Dance' is the first movement from a suite of pieces for guitar and orchestra called, 'Eternal Dances'
I must say that it is one of my favourites as the piece captures the imagination immediately with its unusual, but highly rhythmic, time signature of 5/8 with occasional bars of 7/8.

The piece also features a scordatura tuning, with bottom E down to C, and, A down to G. The key is C minor.

Throughout the movement there is much use of percussion with the initial theme stated on solo guitar, then taken up by the orchestra.

Rasgueados are then featured, which reinforce the driving rhythms, and impel the movement forward to greet the appearance of the French horn. The horn then states a secondary theme, whilst the strings continue the rhythm, accompanying with an agitated nervous energy.

A beautiful, soaring solo violin passage then appears with guitar accompaniment and the unrelenting pulse continues.

As the piece returns to solo guitar with the main theme, it is punctuated by the orchestra, before the flourish of a cadenza from the guitar.

The orchestra then restates the theme before fading into the distance, with the final statement, once again, on solo guitar.

The whole movement lasts for 5 minutes and 59 seconds and someone once told me that they always had an image of Roman Legions on the march whenever they listened to it! It is certainly a powerful and visceral piece of music.
Go and hear for yourself , or, if you don't have Apple iTunes software installed, here, and make your own decision.

Classical Star - Revisited

Once again we found ourselves watching 'Classical Star', on BBC2, as it enters the penultimate week.

With only five students remaining, it was always going to be a challenge to reduce the number to three, for the final.
Collaboration was the focus of attention this week.
It's an essential requirement for a musician to be able to perform with other musicians.
Not only because it is nearly always necessary at some point in a musical career, but also, because it is a highly desirable stage in a musician's development to experience the synergy and joy of being a team member.

The Academy set up a blues masterclass with jazz star Julian Joseph, and it was within this setting that the students were required to learn the art of collaboration and improvisation.
All the participants entered into the spirit of the challenge with enthusiasm, some realising their limitations more than others, but it must be said that most were uncomfortable in this environment.

All the candidates have undoubtedly worked very hard to achieve their levels of skill on their chosen instruments, but, the ability to cross genres convincingly is achieved by very few.(Chick Corea, Benny Goodman and Wynton Marsalis come to mind).
Most classical musicians are ill at ease with other genres but some will learn over time to be more comfortable.

It's one thing to have the ability to play notes in the right places but another thing completely to feel the music and, of course, to improvise.

However, I'm sure they all gained a lot from the experience, which, after all, is what a masterclass is all about.

The challenge for the week was a tough one.
To perform at London's Southbank Centre, with professional string players, in front of an illustrious audience comprising agents, critics and managers from within the classical music industry.
All credit to the candidates for maintaining their 'cool', given the importance of the situation.
Many a battle worn professional would have found the scenario a difficult one.

We were disappointed with the amount of airtime the classical guitarist Ian had for viewers at home to listen and make their judgement. It seemed less than the other soloists, but, that may have just been our need to hear more.

As I said last week, Ian displays excellent technical ability, and I feel that over time this will stand him in very good stead.
Last night he played Boccherini's 'Quintet No.4 in D Major', but the amount of footage seen was so limited it was difficult to assess his performance.
The majority of the part shown consisted of rasgueados, which showed his ensemble and listening skills, rather than the areas of the piece designed to show off his guitaristic skills.

I'm not sure if the finals have already taken place, but if they haven't, the advice I would give to Ian is to work on his sound and projection.
.
The concert guitar used, will obviously play a significant part in this, as will nail quality.
That's why nails are so often mentioned in this blog!

It will be interesting to see and hear his choice of concerto for the final.
What Ian has to do, whatever he is performing, is to play with every last ounce of energy he has, and inject that into his performance.
It's no coincidence that musicians come off stage exhilarated but drained.

Whilst in the Academy this week all the students were in the enviable position of observing one of the world's greatest pianists, Lang Lang.
Now that is the sort of stage presence and gravitas which Ian needs to achieve.

Ian does seem very receptive to all the advice in the Academy so far, so, lets hope he can hold Lang Lang's performance in his mind and use it to his advantage.
That's star quality.

So Ian, use that adrenaline to give a feisty and powerful performance, and the very best of luck...

'See' the Sound Waves and Improve Your Scales

Why is it that students of any musical instrument seem to dislike the idea of practising scales?
They are often viewed as a chore, and something to 'get through', before more interesting practice can be undertaken.
But all students need to understand the benefits they will gain, by dedicating a section of their daily practice routine, to this essential task.

As Andres Segovia once said:

"The practice of scales enables one to solve a greater number of technical problems in a shorter time than the study of any other exercise."

So, on the classical guitar, and any other instrument, students really need to start viewing scales as their friend rather than their foe.

I thought it may help if you could visualize a scale:



From this example, you can see how uniform the sound waves are, equally spaced, and each note separate and distinct.

Now, if you look at the next wave form you'll immediately see the difference:




This looks very different because there is an awful lot going on!
It is the wave form for a rasgueado.
The waves are larger due to the increased volume, but, you can also see that so many notes are being recorded in the same fraction of a second, that it's hard to distinguish each individual one.

Robin is an advocate of 'silent practice', and, 'hearing' the notes in one's head a split second before playing them.
Now, you can keep these sound wave images in your mind and try to 'imagine' the regular and even form that your scales should take.
Good Luck!