#recorder playing

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Dude, Mr. Garrison has no chill.

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Maggots & More, Acocks Green, Birmingham.

Maggots and More is a folk dance group that gathers at Acocks Green Methodist Church Hall, Birmingham. It was formed and is run by Frances Richardson, a very knowledgeable dancer and experienced caller from the West Midlands.

I first went along to the club 18 months ago and found it instantly likeable in a number of ways. The group meets every third Sunday afternoon of the month, for me a quiet and suitable time in the week to be pleasantly engaged with folk activity! The hall space, although modest in scale is proportioned to accommodate the numbers of the group nicely. Its location is not far away, its facilities are good and the acoustics of the room complement both recorded and live music. The warm welcome and friendliness of the group had also left a good impression upon me.  

I was therefore encouraged to contact Frances to see if she would be willing to have a solo recorder player providing the music for part of a Sunday afternoon programme. I explained to her that I was seeking opportunities to play solo or as a duo, so that I could develop my technical abilities and all-round communication skills and confidence as a musician, for dancing.

Consequently I have had the opportunity to play on a number of occasions since. Here I am playing at our January session, which, encouragingly, had a healthy number of dancers in attendance. Taking the helm in Frances’s absence was Barbara Kinsman, an equally well known, extremely knowledgeable Playford dancer and caller whom I had the privilege to collaborate with in helping her prepare her dance programme for that afternoon.

Barbara chose an interesting set of tunes: Dull Sir John, Early One Morning, Monica’s Delight, Neat Mr John, Hillingdon Heath, The Round and Mr Ganiford’s Delight, as well as a few impromptu choices! Much of the music could be found in the two volumes ‘Barnes collections of English Country Dance tunes’. The material was a pleasure to practice, a joyful mix of both familiar and new tunes. On the day, clear and direct communication exchanged between caller and musician. Just how we like it! I loved the experience and I look forward to hopefully playing again..

I took my own mic and speaker along with me to create an emphasised effect. This enhanced the voice of the recorder just enough, with the room’s own acoustics blending favourably with the amplified sound.

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"Chocobo's Theme" from FF series [Recorder Playing] By Rexage000rod.

Same musician who did the recorder version of "Sis Puella Magica." I strongly urge you guys to go to his youtube and listen to his other works too. *flails*