Tag: String Workshop
Quantum Penguin Blog – September Update
Well these last few months have been a roller-coaster of a ride! I have completed my first year of my music degree at Falmouth University, played at Parklive in Falmouth with Lunacci (AKA Chris Baker) and Emilio Ayto, had two of my pieces played on BBC Shropshire Introducing, gone to the Shrewsbury Folk Festival (which I have been going to since it was the Bridgnorth Folk Festival, about 15 years ago!) and then had a very unexpected interview on BBC Shropshire Introducing at the festival!
It has been a real jumble of experiences and has given me more confidence in my music – when I uploaded my first track on Introducing, which was Nohambo Iphengwini, I really didn’t expect it to be played since it is just very different to the kind of music that is usually played.
To have that played gave me confidence to submit a second track, Synergy. I again wasn’t expecting it to be played but was overjoyed to have Synergy played as well. Both Nohambo and Synergy represent different sides of my music; with Nohambo I can imagine it on a soundtrack to a film set in a desert or nature documentary exploring the animal kingdom of a rainforest while with Synergy this represented the side of me that likes to experiment with Synths and effects. Both of these are almost a world apart from my Folk music background but I think that breaking out of a particular genre is incredibly important as a musician.
Genres tend to have rules which tell you what you can and can’t have in your music. Pop tends to stick to what is “in” at the time and unfortunately often creates music that sounds almost identical – certainly at this moment you would not expect a full blown set of Folk tunes played on the Fiddle. Likewise you would have a very good chance of being lynched if you played Synths, used heavy effects or sang in a Pop music accent at more traditional Folk clubs and festivals. However, I think that some of the best music is created when the genres are mixed. Take Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran, if someone had told you a week before that song came out that a Pop song with an Irish Folk Fiddle and band in would make the charts you just wouldn’t have been able to imagine it – now almost everyone I’ve met has loved that song and it has been in the top position of many of the Pop charts.
Phil Beer from the Folk band Show of Hands is another example as he uses many different effects on his Fiddle to achieve an amazing sound. The Afro Celt Sound System combine Bagpipes, Synths, samples, African Drums and Electric Guitar to create a powerful experience. In 1986 when Paul Simon collaborated with African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo they created such incredible music by combining Singer-Songwriter with African vocals and proved that music really doesn’t have to be limited. I feel 
that making music this way brings the best out of you and that is how I want my approach to be.
Lately I have been doing some research (on Bing) about compression in music, which is the practice of making all the parts of your music the same volume. The reason behind this is because producers and labels believe that it makes the piece louder and research has concluded that loudness sells more. The problem is that when you make a recording louder than the volume it was recorded at the quality is degraded. You also lose any quiet-to-loud build up or Timbre in your piece because the volume is the same throughout. It is called “The Loudness War” and I really recommend you do some research on it because it is really interesting and in my view it creates poor music because you’re trading quality for quantity.
Looking forward, I am doing a free gig on the 21st of September at Jacobs Ladder in Falmouth, Cornwall along with Emilio Ayto and Lunacci. We are each doing our own 15 minute sets and then Emilio and I are playing with Lunacci in his set. It’s going to be a really fun evening and I will be premiering a new song! It is very relaxed and in a pub so you can come in and out as you want. If you can make it then pop over and say hi!
I will also be starting my second year at University, which is really exciting. There are several modules that I am really looking forward to including Film music, which is definitely an area I want to experiment in and Timbre, which will give me a load of skills in combining different sounds and instruments.
I have to say I am very lucky to have such inspiring tutors and course mates and I have learnt so much already, not just from my tutors but also from my fellow music students. I am really excited to find out new ways to make music this year.
Matt
Artist’s Spotlight – Becky Woolley
I am a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Shropshire. Born in Shrewsbury, I grew up just outside the market town of Bridgnorth in Shropshire. I play Violin, Flute, Viola and Mandolin but am also in the process of making a dulcimer and am looking forward to the time when I’ve finally finished and can start to play it!
Our household was full of music growing up and my parents instilled in me both a love of music and an eclectic taste – from The Beatles to Steeleye Span and from Joan Armatrading to Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
I love experimenting with different genres and styles and relish the freedom music gives you to create something unique to you. Although I love listening to and playing almost any type of music, it is folk and bluegrass which are the genres most close to my heart.
I started to learn the recorder and violin at school but it was the combined teaching and inspiration of the Violinist Brian Careless and Flautist Ceris Williams that really ignited my passion for playing music.
Ceris Williams taught me how to play the flute from the age of 14 and gave me a good grounding in music theory as well as teaching me how to play swing classics and classical pieces.
Brian Careless had already been in the very successful Midland folk band Fiddler’s Green and taught me from the age of 16 and my brother Matthew from the age of 12, starting with the violin, then the mandolin and then the viola.
We didn’t want to follow the usual route of doing grades so instead of using these as a measuring stick for progress, Brian used performances. He suggested that the family form a band. Mum had played guitar and sung previously at folk clubs and Dad learned to play the Cajon drum; Matthew, Brian and I would play violins.
Our very first performance was at a local petting farm where Matthew and I were so nervous about performing we played behind a curtain. However by scheduling performances at regular interludes and making each one different – a challenge of a duet, a barn dance or a solo piece, our confidence grew quickly. We decided to call the band “String Workshop” and the formation of this band really accelerated everything musically for me.
Being able to play with my brother on the same instrument had a huge impact on my learning, as well as meaning that experimenting with harmonies and styles was easy and made a big impression on my development. At 18 I gained my Silver Art Award using performance and music.
As well as teaching me to play, Brian Careless also showed me how to start writing music, this knowledge was something that completely revolutionised my musical journey and opened a door to one of the most rewarding pastimes. Being able to write the music you want to play was hugely rewarding and freeing and had a huge impact on me. I now try to write as much music as I can, mostly using a mandolin.
Inspirations for song-writing come mostly from growing up surrounded by fields, hedgerows and hills and the beautiful landscapes in Shropshire. However they can also come from more unusual sources with homemade food, travelling and working late also featuring as inspirations.
String Workshop celebrated their 10th Birthday in 2016 with the band playing at National Trust properties, for country fayres and barn dances as well as for pubs and private functions over the years. Each year we are also lucky enough to have a recital of our home-written music at a venue in Bridgnorth.
Future wise I am in the process of writing my first book of music, recording an album with String Workshop and learning how to play the guitar (as well as trying to finish that dulcimer!)
(Becky Woolley is a musician from Shropshire and happens to be my sister! You can read her blog Cre8ty here: https://cre8ty.wordpress.com/ )
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