Classical Guitar - Sound Waves....

For the technically minded amongst you I thought you may be interested in actually seeing the sound waves from a recording of Robin playing the classical guitar.
This photograph shows the first three notes of a well known guitar piece.
Can you tell which?



No, well, it is tricky I must admit.
I'll tell you.
It's 'Un Dia de Noviembre', by Leo Brouwer.

The second photograph, actually shows two of the same notes, later on in the piece.
As you can see, the shape of the notes are very different, with the oscillation of the second note clearly visible, as Robin plays vibrato.
The notes look longer because Robin is playing tenuto, as he adds his own interpretation to the music.




The final picture shows the end of the last note, as it fades out, with a much smaller sound wave to finish off, which is a harmonic, E. You can see that this is a very different shape to all the other notes.




It's amazing what you can find to do on a wet Saturday afternoon!

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'.

Inside a Musicians Mind....

Robin woke up at 5am with the first two lines of a poem going through his mind. He tried to ignore it, and go back to sleep, but eventually gave in to the urge and got up.
By 5.30am he was waking me to read his latest creation.
I dutifully did, but must confess, it wasn't until a more reasonable hour that I gave it my full attention.
What I like about it is that you can read it on many levels.
It could be about one persons time on earth, or, mankind in general.
Is it the work of an artist, supposedly at rest, a reaction to the terrible storms we suffered here in the UK yesterday, or the sign of a tortured mind...
You decide.

ETERNAL DANCE

I'm the rain and the wind

And the sweet summer sun,

I'm a name in the sand

I'm a figure of fun,

I'm the dance in the trees

Building up by degrees,

I'm the eye of the storm

I'm the ice in the freeze,

I'm the kestrel, the sparrow,

The swallow, the quail,

I'm a spirit of energy,

Blazing my trail,

I'm a maverick, lunatic,

Spendthrift and miser,

And, as I grow older,

I, for sure, get no wiser.

ROBIN HILL 2007

Celebrate the Arts Not Stupidity

Well, Glastonbury is over, and all the revellers will be returning home to dry out, and the locals will have peace and quiet restored.
There has been a huge amount of media attention, with easy access to T.V. and radio coverage. So if you couldn't make it there, you could still enjoy the music, from the comfort of your own home.
That's a good thing, but, why can't other forms of music get as much exposure?
For that matter, not just music, but all areas of the arts.

If people, and particularly children, were able to view and listen to ALL types of music and learn about the more wholesome aspects to life, and our cultural heritage, then maybe we wouldn't have quite so many problems today.

This area was discussed by Kenneth Woods, over on 'View from the Podium', the other day. Having left the concert hall on a Saturday night he was confronted by a typical scene in many towns and cities across the country. Young people, drunk, and disorderly.
We shouldn't be surprised. The lack of coverage on our televisions about anything positive is minimal. Yet, reality shows are on every channel, endlessly.

As Ken points out, people need to be given meaning and hope in their lives, through music, theatre, arts and literature.
I couldn't agree more.

This should be tackled on many fronts. Adults should have easy access to inspiring and enriching programmes, which is where the T.V. companies should take some responsibility.
Children are our future. If all they know is 'Big Brother', how can we expect them to appreciate the arts?

Atarah Ben Tovim recognised this problem years ago and has actively been inspiring children around the world with her television programmes and school concerts. Robin worked with her many times throughout the mid 70's and early 80's, and Atarah continues with her good work today.
We need more strong, inspiring, characters like her around.
However, I don't think we have heard the end of Kenneth Woods view on the subject.
If he has some ideas up his sleeve, to improve the lot of our younger generation, then he can count us in.

Everyone Wants To Be One - A Musician That Is...

Actors want to be one.
Ex-Presidents experiment with saxophones.
And a soon to be ex-Prime Minister wants to be an axe man...

An article in 'The Sunday Telegraph', by Tim Walker and Richard Eden, reports that our very own Prime Minister has a desire to reform his band, 'Ugly Rumours'.
Not only that, but apparently, he has been doing a lot of practice whilst running the country, as it helps him unwind.

Well, as you know, Robin is also a mean electric guitar player. I refer you to a previous blog, 'Force Ten To Be Reckoned With', if you would like to have a listen.
He did after all, play with both Deep Purple and Jethro Tull, but that's another story.

It's not of course, unprecedented that rock and jazz musicians turn to politics, Bob Geldof, Bono, Frank Zappa and Dizzy Gillespie spring to mind.

But for Mr.Tony Blair, from Wednesday, he may find himself at a loose end. I'm sure it must be something of a shock to the system when you step down as Prime Minister.
If he would like, he can always give us a call, and we'll set up a few lessons.
But now, I have to go and have a long talk with Robin......
as he has expressed a secret desire to be Prime Minister in the not too distant future....

The Power of Music

I seem to be in a 'Sir Thomas Beecham' mode at the moment. (See yesterdays blog)
I found another quote from him that really struck a chord - no pun intended.
This is it:

"The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought. Music first and last should sound well, should allure and enchant the ear.
Never mind the inner significance."
Sir Thomas Beecham

This can of course apply to any style of music. As long as the listener is enjoying it then music has fulfilled its objective.
Music is a form of expression whether that be political, religious, emotional, stirring or angst ridden, some message is being passed on.
You can listen to music on many different levels. To study and learn, to relax and unwind, to enter the mood of an occasion etc.
Whatever the reason, music, should be enjoyed.

Throughout the day we are surrounded by music as Robin practices new and old pieces. But when he's not playing, he has a need to listen to it. Our house is very rarely quiet.
Robin has very eclectic tastes, which, is an essential part of understanding music in general. The ability to understand and apply techniques used in many genres of music is a valuable one.

So, what did we listen to yesterday. Well, during the day, at one point, it was, 'Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste', by Bela Bartok. (Leonard Bernstein: New York Philharmonic). Which also happens to feature in one of our favourite films, 'The Shining'.

We were both particularly busy yesterday, so it was quite late in the evening before we met up again, and then we watched/listened to the 'Arctic Monkeys' on the highlights of 'Glastonbury Festival'.

These are very different styles of music, but, both fulfilled a need of the moment, and were both extremely well delivered performances by the artists, albeit, very different.

What that all says about our state of mind yesterday, well, I'm not really sure.

Robin's son, 'Caruso' and Sir Thomas Beecham

Wow.
What can I say, other than there has been huge global interest in the, 'Robin Hill with Russell Watson' video, both here, and over on YouTube.

When this performance was first shown back in 2001, son number one, was only 3 years old. As you can imagine, we all settled down to watch, only to have the entire performance drowned out, by an over-excited child becoming hysterical...he was very embarrassed when I reminded him of this yesterday!

However, judging by the responses I've been getting, you all seem to be enjoying it. I certainly haven't been able to get it out of my mind since posting the video yesterday.
But, as the English conductor, Thomas Beecham, once said:

"Good music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and quits the memory with difficulty."

Thomas Beecham was another local chap, coming from St.Helens, Lancashire. So with Russell Watson from Salford and Robin from Huddersfield, the north of England is certainly doing its bit to promote music.

For any newcomers to the site, of which there are many from around the world, you may like to check out David Juritz's, 'Round the World and Bach', as he could be visiting a country near you soon.
He's in Lisbon today and returns briefly to the UK for a concert in Portsmouth Cathedral on Saturday, before setting off for Africa shortly.
Judging by the photographs on his site, he is still smiling, but, I'm sure by now he is beginning to feel a little tired, so if he's playing near you, go along and show some support.

Back here, well, we have plenty more for you to see coming up, so do keep checking in.

Robin Hill with Russell Watson

We found this video footage the other day of Robin performing on BBC1, back in 2001, with Russell Watson.

This came about as Robin had been performing on 'Friday Night is Music Night' for BBC Radio 2, and Russell was on the same show. Having heard him play, Russell then contacted us, to collaborate for the performance you can see today.
This was actually the first time that Robin and Russell played together, but they went on to perform on many other occasions, in venues such as, 'The Bridgewater Hall', 'St.David's Hall' Cardiff, 'NEC - Birmingham' and 'BBC Proms in the Park'.

Robin always enjoys performing with other musicians and these concerts were no exception.

This footage is Russell singing 'Caruso', by Dalla, accompanied by Robin on guitar, and some members of the string section of the 'BBC Philharmonic'.

The voice is a powerful instrument, and unfortunately, the sound of the guitar is sometimes low in the mix, but you can still hear what is going on, and there are some fine examples of the tremelo that we were discussing the other day.

Enjoy!

The Many and Varied Uses of Savarez Guitar Strings...

After the technical blog yesterday, about the tremelo technique, I thought we would have a light hearted approach today. Don't worry though, there a plenty of exciting things coming up, including some video footage.

As you can imagine, we get through a large amount of guitar strings, in this house.
Robin uses Savarez, Corum, strings, and as I've said before, regularly changes them.
The bass strings will certainly be changed before every concert, and in between as well. The treble strings, less frequently, but they never stay on longer than a couple of weeks or so.
But what happens to them......
Where do they all go.....

Well, on the whole, you can open any drawer in our house, and a curling mass of strings spill out, and try to escape.
They are unceremoniously returned, and the drawer shut quickly, to prevent any further spillage.

They are also frequently found wound around my vacuum cleaner, with me beside it, patiently 'unwinding'...

But there is an upside.

Robin is not known for his DIY skills, (not a good hobby for someone who relies on his hands to make a living), but he does have to occasionally 'fix' items around the house.
This ALWAYS involves an old guitar string.

The most useful attempt was on our toilet.
For more than 10 years a 'G' string allowed the smooth flushing system to work by holding the ballcock to the lever. It only had to be changed once in that time, and we were quite sad when we had a new bathroom fitted, and returned to a more conventional method of plumbing.

Other uses have been, threading through the locks of a suitcase broken in transit, holding down the bonnet of a car, tying on the bumper of a car, (different cars and only temporary repairs...), attaching bird feeders around the garden and very handy for travellers, to attach to plugs in hotels when the chain has broken.

One of the most ingenious uses was to retrieve some car keys, from the ignition of our locked vechicle, with the aid of coat hangers and a sort of 'noose system'.

But one of the most satisfying, was the repair of these glasses.



Son number two likes to transmogrify into a character, he refers to as 'Mr.Snug', whilst wearing these glasses.
He was therefore devastated to find the 'nose' had fallen off. Not to worry, 'Savarez' saved the day.

Ohh, they are also excellent play things for cats. Our cat Ramsbottom spends many hours chasing them around the house before they get relocated to a drawer, toilet, car, glasses etc.
But don't forget, this is only once they have played many thousands of notes....

Neumann microphones and the Art of the Tremelo

All is going well in the recording department.
The microphone we finally settled on is a Neumann.
The reason for this, is that it is the only microphone we have tried, which is able to capture the full natural sound of the guitar without losing any quality.
A problem we had with all the other microphones we tried, was that, although the bass strings recorded well, the treble strings had a 'metallic' sound, which wasn't doing Robin's fabulous Miguel Rodriguez guitar justice.
Not so with the Neumann.
Having reported on the testing process the other day, and all 109 takes, the final test was to shut Robin in his music room, with guitar and also freshly recorded piece, then the rest of the family stood outside, listened, and tried to identify whether it was live or recorded.
The Neumann passed the test, and the children think we've gone mad....

Robin isn't one to make life easy for himself.
His first chosen piece is, 'Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios' by Agustin Barrios, which translated means, 'An Alm for the Love of God'.
This, and 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra' by Francisco Tarrega, are probably the two most famous 'tremelo' pieces which, as well as making huge demands on the right hand, are also very tricky in the left hand.

The tremelo is one of the most difficult effects and techniques to master on the guitar, as it relies on the rapidity of execution between the thumb, anular, middle and index fingers, p,a,m,i, of the right hand, for the 'classical tremelo', and for the 'flamenco tremelo', which has five notes, the fingering is, p,i,a,m,i.

It's made all the more difficult in the aforementioned examples as they constantly change from top string to inner strings for the tremelo notes while the right hand thumb provides the arpeggiated accompaniment.
The left hand , particularly in the Barrios, has many awkward stretches and hardly ever repeats itself. The tremelo is such an impressive technique that, when Robin introduces a piece in concert, involving the tremelo, he now gives a demonstration of how it works, very slowly initially, and then, at full speed.
Audiences love it.

Fortunately Robin is well prepared.
When he wrote 'The Guitar Gymnasium', (or see my links section for Amazon UK and USA), the right hand exercises were written with the intention of developing and strengthening the independence of the right hand fingers, for just this reason, alongside the Tarrega exercises, which are also in the book.

So Robin is now able to record, listen, learn, then re-record until he is satisfied.
As Glenn Gould said, "The tape recorder is the finest teacher."

Hill/Wiltschinsky - Pump It or Dump It...

Top 10 Sources has a system in which you can 'click' on a 'HOT' button, or 'NOT', depending on how you rate the blog entry.
I'm pleased to say that many of our entries have had positive results. That's reassuring, as anyone that runs a blog will realise, that a lot of time an effort goes into each entry.

It also reminded me of a rather strange experience that Hill/Wiltschinsky had a few years ago.
The duo were in America on tour, and at one point were booked to play for 'St Louis Classical Guitar Society'.
As part of the promotion they were asked to do a radio interview, which they happily agreed to.

We were all taken down to the radio station and Robin and Peter talked about their music and answered the varied questions about their time together.
The duo then performed live, 'Jota' by Peter Wiltschinsky, after which, as the adverts were playing, they were informed that the audience could call in and either 'Pump it', (turn the volume up and request another piece), or, 'Dump it', (no more music...).
They were completely unaware that this would be happening, so there was a rather tense few minutes as the people of St.Louis made their decision.

I'm pleased to say they chose, 'Pump it', so the interview continued and the duo went on to perform, 'Ritual Fire Dance', from Falla's ballet, 'El Amor Brujo', (Love the Magician).

They must have enjoyed it as the concert hall was full later that day....

From Arise 'Sir Loin' to Green Day to Cecilia Bartoli

Yesterday Robin played a private function at Hoghton Tower.
This has long been one of our favourite places to visit, as it is so beautiful, and steeped in history.
This ancient, fortified manor house, has had many distinguished guests over the years.
King James I, William III, George V and Queen Mary all visited.
It is also well documented that William Shakespeare spent a lengthy period of time there between 1580-1581, writing a short story in the process.

Rumour has it, that when James I visited, he so enjoyed the loin of beef that he was served, that he took out his sword and knighted it, "Sir Loin", thus giving us the term 'sirloin steak'.

So, Robin was able to perform in the same rooms as some rather eminent people, which always gives him a great deal of pleasure.

We haven't had our Sunday morning quiz for a while. Mainly due to Robin's commitments.
Today, whilst not the usual quiz, we did enjoy some varied music whilst relaxing with coffee.
We started with 'Green Day', 'Wake Me Up When September Ends', and then, by complete contrast, 'Cecilia Bartoli', 'Rinaldo: Aria: Lascia ch'io pianga' by Handel, from 'The Art of Cecilia Bartoli'.

Variety is, after all, the spice of life.

Sound Checks Complete and Wives of Musicians Unite...

My ears and head are aching.
For weeks now we have been testing microphones and trying out various settings.
In just the last 3 or 4 days, I have listened to 109 takes of, 'Un Dia de Noviembre' by Leo Brouwer.
It isn't the playing that I am expected to comment on, but the sound, timbre, balance, etc.
I have added sound engineer to my list of jobs....
Finally, we have settled on a microphone, and now we can focus back on the music.
It was with great joy that I listened to take 109, and enjoyed the piece and the playing, rather than scrutinising the sound.

Hopefully recording will commence next week....

As you know, I have been following the progress of David Juritz in his project, 'Around the World and Bach', as I feel it is not only an interesting concept, but also supporting a worthwhile cause.
David has added a 'round up' of the first week over on his site, which, is a good way to gain insight into what he is doing.
I was particularly pleased to see that he acknowledged the strain that this project puts on his wife Jane.
It's difficult enough when tours are organised down to the last detail, but when you are literally playing to pay your way, there is obviously more at stake.
There's no doubt that it is hard for the performer to be away from home.
Robin always finds this difficult, particularly when travelling alone, although he does of course have his guitar!
But, it is also hard for those left behind.
As David has said, 'Jane is sounding tired and trying not to show her anxiety, alongside the increased workload of updating websites and dealing with 'phone calls'.

In case Jane, or David for that matter, read this, remember, it will all be worth it.
I have blogged before on the situation that 'wives of musicians' find themselves in.
It's pretty well summed up on a post, 'Traits of a Guitar Widow', over on 'Guitarist Widow' site.
The instrument doesn't really matter, if you are married to a musician, then you'll understand.
So as Jane, fends off calls, deals with websites, looks after children, runs the home, and if it's anything like our house, receives many calls from various parts of the world - day and night - just to make contact, then remember, you are not alone....

Musicality and the Nature/Nurture Debate

It's the old nature/nurture debate.
Is musicality inherited or environmental?
Well, before we go any further, I haven't got all the answers...
However, in our not so random sample of 2 small children, there have already been some discoveries.
When son number one was a mere 8 years old, Robin was playing chords on the piano, and explaining major and minor to him.
In a moment of madness, Robin then said that if he could identify 10 chords correctly, in a row, then he would buy him a playstation game.
Robin felt sure his money was safe.

Not the case.
The tension mounted to unbelievable levels as son number one rattled through the answers, getting them all correct.
By the time we were on number 9, son number one could barely remain seated, and was almost passing out with excitement.
He got the 10th one right, and Robin's pocket, was considerably poorer.
But it wasn't all about the game.
Both son and parents were shocked at the speed that he had picked up the concept, and, to this day, continues to identify major and minor accurately.

But, is this just a skill that he learnt, albeit very quickly, or have some musical genes been passed down through Robin?
I suspect there's an element of both at play here.
The exposure our children have to all forms of music is probably much higher than most.
Even before birth they both got very excited at the sound of the piano. Whether the sound waves of the piano transverse the uterus more happily than those of the guitar, I wouldn't know.
But it's interesting.

Both boys have an excellent sense of rhythm and a substantial knowledge about music and composers.
The reason I have been thinking about this today, is that son number one came running out of school yesterday, brandishing a piece of paper and beaming from ear to ear.
The project in his music class had been to find out, and write up, all about a composer.
He chose Robin Hill, his dad....
I must say he did an excellent job, and visited this site three times, gathering information!
He was also very proud when all his school friends decided to 'Google' 'Robin Hill Guitar' and found that there are in fact many references to him.

Whether he, or son number two, will go on to be involved in music, remains to be seen.
It can be hard being the son of a musician, so much more is expected of you at the school concert, than the other children.
We, therefore, haven't forced the issue in any way.
We do however have some excellent footage of him conducting at a very young age, maybe 3 years old, and his timing is impeccable.
So, watch this space.....

Anagrams and Album Titles....

So, Sir Paul McCartney has done another 'secret' concert in New York.
This time in the 700 capacity Highline Ballroom.
It must be quite refreshing for him to perform in such a relatively intimate venue. Anything after the first 3 or 4 thousand tends to just turn into a distant blur of swaying humanity.
The show was dedicated to John, George, and his late wife, Linda, and the more aware Beatles fans have already discovered that the title of the new album, 'Memory Almost Full', is an anagram of, 'For My Soulmate LLM'. (Linda Louise McCartney)

That's either an incredible coincidence, or, a fantastic piece of marketing, that would have had the McCartney camp delighted, I'm sure. It certainly captures the zeitgeist of the 21st century.

Either way, it got me thinking.
As you know, Robin will be recording a new CD shortly.
We will be needing a title.
R O B I N H I L L - not an easy one to apply the anagram technique.
We could try adding the names of our children, but they have plenty of unusual letters. What can you do with F,V,O,X and a few more.....

Or, maybe Robin has some cryptic message he wants you all to try and untangle, you'll just have to wait and see.

Mind you, it has been a while since the duo have released any new material.
Now, Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo - there has to be something in that lot.
I'll get the Scrabble out and start practicing....

'Top 10 Sources - Classical Guitar'

Update: 2010

Sadly all the 'Top 10 Sources' links have been taken over.
I have removed the link from my links section and can only apologise for any inconvenience.
However, I decided to leave the original post in place, and here it is:

If you recall, a few days ago, I was able to announce that 'Life of a musician' had been included in the 'Top 10 Sources - Guitar' section.
This, we were delighted about.
Things have moved on since then.
The very nice people over at 'Top 10 Sources', contacted me again to suggest having a purely classical guitar section.
This, we thought to be an excellent idea, as we were being swallowed up by all the other genres of guitar playing.
So, yesterday, I was delighted to find, that true to their word, 'Top Ten Sources', now has a classical guitar section.

I have added a direct link in my links section, and, for those of you interested in classical guitar, it will be worth watching as the site develops.
There's already some posts about an interesting site, 'Classical Guitar Video Archive', so if you are trying to find some old footage, it may be a good place to look.
I'll update you all from time to time as to how it's going.

Meanwhile, David Juritz was in Vienna yesterday, and again today, before setting off for Venice. I must say I'm rather envious. If you are going to go busking, what better place to be than Venice....

From, Fish - Brain Food for Musicians, to Oscar Peterson, to Elgar

We had an interesting discussion last night.
Robin declared that prior to each concert on board the QM2, he had the desire/need to eat fish, salmon for breakfast, and whatever was available for lunch.
Now, it has long been known that fish is 'brain food', and this, Robin felt, was the root of his need.
One could think that it was maybe caused by a return to the basic hunter/gatherer instinct, he was after all mid-Atlantic, and therefore, presumably, surrounded by many thousands of our scaly friends.
But I think not.
His body was telling him that his brain needed a little extra on the days of his concerts.
During the talk, I went down the path of, 'well, you have a good, balanced diet, and the majority of the need must be in your fingers and their agility.'
No.
Robin is adamant, and I'm sure he's right, that when performing, the hands are acting in a well rehearsed, mechanical way, with both motor and neural memory involved.
But what makes a performance special, is the mind. It's here that the interpretation takes place, the fingers are merely following orders.

To quote Glenn Gould:
"One plays the piano with one's mind not one's fingers."

Robin's theory seemed to serve him well, after all, he delivered two hugely successful guitar concerts.
Naturally, I now get the feeling, that I will be required to add exciting, lovingly prepared fish dishes, to the agenda, as a pre concert ritual.
I'd better go and acquaint myself with the local fishmonger.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, 'Oscar Peterson Misses His Own Tribute'. Simon Houpt reported on a sell out concert in the main auditorium of Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately the jazz legend wasn't well enough to make the journey.
However, a large photograph of him at the piano and smiling broadly, was placed on the stage.
His wife, Kelly, and daughter, Celine, were both in attendance, and were touched by the whole evening.
I'm sure they will return home and tell him how much the public appreciate his contribution to music.

Also, there has been a lot of talk in the UK about Elgar and his 150th anniversary, with many saying that celebrations of Elgar's works, may not necessarily be found abroad.
I was therefore pleased to see this report in the 'Chicago Tribune', 'Elgar At 150. Anybody Care?' by Alan G.Artner.
Artner feels that after 40 years of listening to Elgar's music, that people should care.
Well done.

Robin Hill is Home - and a New Merchandising Idea?

Robin is home and hasn't yet succumbed to jet lag. Quite the opposite in fact. He has already taken son number two for a game of football and is now out on a country walk. I suspect the joy of feeling ground beneath his feet is overriding the need to sleep - for the moment. (I'm quite shocked he hasn't, as yet, played his guitar).

I was asked the other day how large the theatre on board the QM2 is, and, was unable to say. So, I looked on the Cunard website, and the Royal Court Theatre is multi-tiered and seats 1,105 guests.
It's amazing that a venue that size is floating about at sea.
It did however get me thinking.
Robin manged to fill the venue for both his concerts. That's over 2000 people watching him perform in one week. Admittedly, some will have been to both concerts, as the programmes were completely different.

So to merchandising.

I read an article in 'The Wall Street Journal', 'The New Record Labels', by Ethan Smith.
Basically, there's a clothing label, 'Lyric Jeans' that specialise in jeans with lyrics to famous songs written down the legs. "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" for example.

We could branch out, and form, 'Dots on Denim', swirling round your legs could be the score for 'Tre Esercizi', or 'Canzone', both Robin Hill originals. You'd have to have very long legs though, there are a lot of notes involved in both these pieces.
2000 people in a week, all need to wear clothes, and would like a memento of the occasion....you do the maths, or math, for my US readers.

Also,
David Juritz has posted some photos of him playing in London on the day of departure. We know he was in Paris yesterday, and today, he's in Zurich. So he must have made enough to get himself that far...