Practice and Recording Sessions

Over the past month we've been finalising elements of the composition and lyrics. Last week we held practice sessions with the Keel Line Singers (below), a male voice choir based at the Old Fire Station - before recording them on Sunday. This was followed by a rehearsal with Cosmos, a choir formed of members of Sunderland City Council (who we're set to record with on Monday). This week has also encompassed sessions at Jordan's studio, with Eryn on violin, Rebecca Young aka This Little Bird on vocals, and Eve Simpson also on vocals. Lots more recording sessions still to come next week.

Hurdy Gurdy

After a spell of Marty and Jordan both touring alongside composing, we were in the studio again today to record with Paul Martin on Hurdy Gurdy.

Paul is known more as a piper, but has been playing hurdy gurdy for a number of years. It's an amazing instrument, and one I'd seen listed in references about local music during the 1700s. Paul's gurdy was a 'Wren', a very functional, small, but loud instrument given its size. It's played by turning a handle at one end, which operates a wheel that rubs up against strings - a little like a violin. Constant drones can sound in tandem with melodies played by pressing keys, which cause a wedge to push against strings to change their pitch. The instrument can sound quite medieval and folk'y, but also has a harder edge to it that pushes towards genres of metal music. In all, the hurdy gurdy is definitely should be heard and seen played live if you get the chance.

Handbell Recording

A rare peal of Benjamin Annable's composition of Plain Bob Triples on handbells.

On Sunday I met up with four regional bell ringers (Chris, Jennie, Neville and Anne) at Blank Recording Studios in Newcastle to record Benjamin Annable's composition. Chris (President of Durham & Newcastle Diocesan Association of Church Bellringers) conducted the ringers and arranged the composition into a quarter peal - essentially exactly as described, the first quarter of the full composition adapted to end on 'rounds'. After adjusting the set up for the ringers and allowing them to settle in, the quarter peal was rung and recorded on a light set of bells in the key of F. This lasted approximately 46 minutes and now provides the spine to the new composition and additional recordings of instruments and voices. We then recorded the quarter peal again, but on a heavier set of bells (in key of G), and a section on another heavy set (in a slightly out of tune F, but potentially useful!).

Chris explained that there are very few logged peals of Annable's Plain Bob Triples on handbells, so the occasion has been submitted to BellBoard (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1226613) a UK peal log.