Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows play LSMA Town Hall concert

Always love the big mirror in the understage dressing room

Good news is that Bella has come back to Sparrows; bad news is that Millie S and Chloe are in Derby and Manchester respectively. Good news is that Millie C is not working on Tuesday, and Ashley's bike is back on the road; bad news is that Bella, Claudia and Millie C can't do the rehearsal, and then bad news on the day is that Ashley's mum has to go into hospital.

Good news is that the New Sparrows are shaping up nicely; bad news is that we have two weeks' notice of this gig; also we have to squash up on two little risers back right of the main stage. Lol. Good news is that Oulton Primary [Head of Music - our very own Wanda Thorpe!] is directly behind us! Even more lol.

restringing the bass

We play Walking in the Air and Rolling in the Deep as our featured tunes, and have a stab at the joint Saviour's Day, Nice tune, but a bit tricky what with the structure and the occasional shorter bar.

We were me, Bex, Natalie, Alice, Millie C, Owen, Isha, Lucy, Annie, Ella, Kirsten and Claudia. [Plus Wanda played at the rehearsal]

Because we recently lost our rehearsal room, and have spent autumn term 2016 living out of my Little Blue Transit, we have gone for single pans rather than double seconds and triple cellos etc. So we fit [just] on the Town Hall riser shelves. However, I spot a destringed double bass pan. This requires urgent surgery at the rehearsal!

The worst casualty of the multiple-drum single instrument is poor old Lucy on the bass. When she moved from Steel Rising to Sparrows she agreed to take up bass, and. of course got the big six bass set. Not always having the Big White ArtForms van, she already has had to adjust to tenor bass, but what with having no permanent home, now we are on the double/triples! [Thankfully Mrs T agreed to stand by and help find any missing notes!]

Good news is that they are recording the concert; bad news is they are recording the concert. One melody player [Millie C has already confessed!] forgot that the first section of Walking in the Air has a nine-bar phrase, and they/she played ADDCCA one bar too early every time, so that it sounded like a deliberate little echo. Sweet.

Fyi, here's a couple of pics of our two new single seconds: The chromed one cost £90 more [and looks beautiful!], but the notes show up better on the painted one. If you own your own [and only play your own] you don't need to label the notes, but it's not a crime if you do. Just makes it harder for someone else to try and play it! Note that the single second is a near circle of fifths. [That is A flat where the light has caught the painted pan].

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows is run by Leeds ArtForms, taught by myself and Bex; the LSMA Town Hall concert is also run by Leeds ArtForms, with teachers from around Leeds schools.