Holidays

The end of the weeks lessons are over and the holidays are now upon Perth and its time to head back home for some rest. Again the week has continued as per usual with Wednesday and Thursdays lessons and lectures further educating me in my chosen career path.
I have already seen improvements in my Jazz playing having a stronger feeling of confidence when it comes to approaching the style. Its always great when a development in technique is noticeable in my playing as it shows me that I am progressing as a player, helping me to keep the commitment and passion needed to become a session player. I just wish I could say the same about my trombone and fiddle playing but I assume its all about perseverance.
This week was the Dundee folk festival and so I thought it could be rather interesting to go and see a show or two. In conclusion we ended up going to see a double billed show at the Dundee Rep which consisted of a pair from Orkney playing traditional tunes with their fiddle and mandolin and a solo folk singer. Both acts were absolutely fantastic and the intimate atmosphere and venue really added to the show, however it was the Orkney pair “saltfishforty” that really made the night and inspired me in my fiddle playing with there perfect blend of traditional, blues and jazz pieces. It is little things like this that really helps to spur me on and clearly show me why I am studying music.
In session skills this week Gavin separated us into our bands to start our Motown sessions. It was great to play with new musicians that I was un-familiar with as I approached the situation in a more professional manner and managed to stay a lot more focused. The song we were given was ”What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” and the score itself was easy enough to follow however there are a lot of areas that needed improvement on such as playing for the song, dynamic variation and solid time keeping. I’m hoping that with these weekly sessions I will soon see improvement in such essential abilities as communicating, chart reading and probably my main flaw- playing under pressure, but we will just have to see what the next few weeks bring.