View Full Version : Official National Finals Thread - The Championship Section
brassneck
24.10.2006, 23:10
Well, the 2006 final is now days away and I wonder who is going to tickle the fancies of the adjudicators? Will there be a surprise result this year or is Dyke going to get the double as current favourites? Bring your comments here ...
starperformer
25.10.2006, 14:46
i think it will be a two horse race this year. on this piece i just can't see past aveley&newham and staines.
I think it going to very open. I'll be going along to spectate (our band gets free tickets as someone works for a company who owns a box) and to the Regent hall concert after. Any tMP'ers I should look out for?
Please move if this is off topic.
iggmeister
26.10.2006, 11:24
Heard that Dyke might have a guest flugel player on the day and not who it was originally intended to be!
Other than that, not heard too much juicy gossip.
I think the piece will suit the more 'traditional' audience member. In our practices so far a few of our past members who have come to listen and adjudicate (!) have really enjoyed the piece with comments such as "That's what you call a real piece of music not like that <insert name of piece> that you played a few years ago - this one has got some tunes in it...".
Igg
davidquinlan
26.10.2006, 12:16
i think it will be a two horse race this year. on this piece i just can't see past aveley&newham and staines.
That's the spirit, support the local talent!! :)
Heard that Dyke might have a guest flugel player on the day and not who it was originally intended to be!
..yep a Norwegian. Along with YBS's Belgian. Anymore for anymore?
Presumably both to play for their respective "home" bands (Eikanger and Willebroek) at the European against Dyke and possibly YBS.
Wouldnt happen in Champions League football would it?
john r
Wouldnt happen in Champions League football would it?
Apart from specialist positions such as goalkeepers, if there is no cover available. Are these players not in specialist positions? ;)
Looking forward to Sat
..yep a Norwegian. Along with YBS's Belgian. Anymore for anymore?
Presumably both to play for their respective "home" bands (Eikanger and Willebroek) at the European against Dyke and possibly YBS. Will Kristien be playing flugel with YBS??? It's possible, but I'd be surprised ( I haven't seen her in two weeks, but she didn't mention anything about it then). 4BarsRest has Leon Renilson as YBS flugel... Or were you talking about Bert Van Thienen on Soprano?
Wouldnt happen in Champions League football would it? Luckily enough, we're talking about music here, not sports... ;)
trumpetmike
26.10.2006, 17:21
Wouldnt happen in Champions League football would it?
But if someone wasn't doing their job in football, they could be substituted halfway through a match - now that could be very interesting - a spare band on the subs bench to replace players when they split something:clap:
Will Kristien be playing flugel with YBS??? It's possible, but I'd be surprised ( I haven't seen her in two weeks, but she didn't mention anything about it then). 4BarsRest has Leon Renilson as YBS flugel... Or were you talking about Bert Van Thienen on Soprano?
Luckily enough, we're talking about music here, not sports... ;)
yes I'm talking about Bert van Thienen - I am in favour of a Europe - wide registry to put a stop to this
I believe my Champions League analogy to be perfectly valid - we're talking about 2 great competitions - not recitals - and contests need strict rules
JR
Apart from specialist positions such as goalkeepers, if there is no cover available. Are these players not in specialist positions? ;)
Looking forward to Sat
So, let's imagine Frank Lampard gets injured or has "prior commitments" this week - does this mean Mourinho is allowed to draft in Ronaldinho as cover? oh, and afterwards Ronaldinho will be able to play for Barca as normal.....er no.
jr
brassneck
27.10.2006, 08:07
Supersubs or not, I have a funny feeling that a band that shows real flair may beat the others to the winning post ... maybe David King and YBS this year?
Anyone know if there are going to be study scores available?
Darth_Tuba
27.10.2006, 08:48
So, let's imagine Frank Lampard gets injured or has "prior commitments" this week - does this mean Mourinho is allowed to draft in Ronaldinho as cover? oh, and afterwards Ronaldinho will be able to play for Barca as normal.....er no.
jr
Your analogy isn't really valid. A football team has a squad which allows them cover for every position on the field and also, if push comes to shove, people can play in other positions. Bands aren't in that position and like it or not real life gets in the way of our hobby sometimes. We're talking about an amateur contest in which the prize money is less than one day of Frank Lampard's wages! I'd be more concerned with the fact that their aren't enough quality players around and audiences keep dropping for contests than making more rules.
davidquinlan
27.10.2006, 08:56
I'd be more concerned with the fact that their aren't enough quality players around and audiences keep dropping for contests than making more rules.
I wouldn't say that there aren't enough quality players around, maybe they are just not interested in playing in brass bands.
andywooler
27.10.2006, 09:02
Any tMP'ers I should look out for?
Just most of us! I'll be there - my coy also have a box which I managed to get a seat in
ian perks
27.10.2006, 09:05
Phillip McCann playing Rep at Grimethorpe :
I wonder whats gone on at Grimethorpe as a new solo horn player as well???
Liz Courts
27.10.2006, 09:39
C'mon the Cornish!! :biggrin:
Best of luck to Camborne and Mount Charles - do us proud! :biggrin: :biggrin:
Straightmute
27.10.2006, 10:25
Any tMP'ers I should look out for?
I'll be there - 4th man down for Reg Vardy - but I do a very good impression of an international megastar super-dep.
Hope to see some friendly faces at the mews or the Goat.
Cheers
David
Your analogy isn't really valid. A football team has a squad which allows them cover for every position on the field and also, if push comes to shove, people can play in other positions. Bands aren't in that position and like it or not real life gets in the way of our hobby sometimes. .
..yes but the analogy is valid - Why should bands have in their "squad" players from other top quality bands just because they're from continental europe? - I mean you don't have any of Fairey's or Foden's finest on Leyland's books do you?
JR
yorkie19
27.10.2006, 10:47
Phillip McCann playing Rep at Grimethorpe :
I wonder whats gone on at Grimethorpe as a new solo horn player as well???
I believe Phil Randall is playing for them.
starperformer
27.10.2006, 11:05
..yes but the analogy is valid - Why should bands have in their "squad" players from other top quality bands just because they're from continental europe? - I mean you don't have any of Fairey's or Foden's finest on Leyland's books do you?
JR
you are right but the problem will always remain tiny and restricted to the top few bands because of the travel costs and hassle. bringing in foreigners for a few rehearsals plus gig is something of a last resort.
to be honest it is probably a necessary evil because closing this loophole would open other cans of worms. these bands have limited options for filling seats when someone can't do a contest, and if they can't get a foreigner, the next steps are hire a pro ringer from the orchestral world, or poach from a band that didn't qualify.
as i'm sure you know, there are plenty of players who do the nationals every year, regardless of their area result, but i'd rather see a showcase of talent from elsewhere showing what the belgians can do (for example) than a merry-go-round of transfers, or legion of trumpeters who couldn't care less.
as for the football analogy - be careful what you wish for.
davidquinlan
27.10.2006, 11:29
..yep a Norwegian. Along with YBS's Belgian. Anymore for anymore?
I believe Aveley have a star second cornet player from Ireland...
... I'll get my coat...
VenusTromster
27.10.2006, 11:36
Phillip McCann playing Rep at Grimethorpe :
I wonder whats gone on at Grimethorpe as a new solo horn player as well???
If your talking about Billy, he is in France and it had been booked for a long time before he even knew that he was playing with them at the Open.
yorkie19
27.10.2006, 11:44
I believe Aveley have a star second cornet player from Ireland...
... I'll get my coat...
Shocking!
PeterBale
28.10.2006, 02:14
Anyone know if there are going to be study scores available?
I picked up a study score at Regent Hall today: A4 size, with two score pages on each, if you see what I mean. It seems a little small to me and not as sharp a reproduction as it could be, and I think I'd find it tiring to follow all day, but it's only £5, so I suppose we can't really complain!
Bass Man
28.10.2006, 08:02
Good luck to all but especially to the Guys and Gals at Reg Vardy and Fishburn!
Come on the North!!!!!
satchmo shaz
28.10.2006, 08:45
Good luck to all bands today, especially Newstead!!
you were great on LTTB last night!:clap:
brassneck
28.10.2006, 10:10
The Draw:-
Contest commences: 10.00am
1. Newstead Welfare (Duncan Beckley)
2. Jaguar (Coventry) (Dave Lea)
3. Staines (Ian McElligott)
4. YBS Band (Professor David King)
5. Burry Port Town (Michael Thorne)
6. Fairey Band (Simon Stonehouse)
7. Buy As You View (Dr. Robert Childs)
8. Black Dyke (Dr. Nicholas Childs)
9. Aveley and Newham (Nigel Taken)
10. Reg Vardy (Ray Farr)
11. Rothwell Temperance (David Roberts)
12. Scottish Co-op (Alan Ramsay)
13. Parc & Dare (Peter Parkes)
14. Camborne Town (Frank Renton)
15. Fodens Richardson (Gary Cutt)
16. Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal (Allan Withington)
17. Mount Charles (Nigel Weeks)
18. Fishburn (Richard Evans)
19. Kirkintilloch (Steve Bastable)
20. Leyland (Russell Gray)
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=4310
brassneck
28.10.2006, 10:30
Good luck to all bands today, especially Newstead!!
you were great on LTTB last night!:clap:
4BR :oops:
Newstead -
A bit of an underwhelming start. Not one to feature.
Jaguar -
Dissappointing performance. Lacked style and rhythmic accuracy. Another one that will struggle.
Staines -
Had it's moments but too sloppy in too many places. Qulaity suffered towards the end and another tail-ender for us.
YBS -
Class act. Minor blemish (rep.) may cost by the end of the day but such a stylish performance even with the risks!
Burry Port Town -
decent effort with good points outwighing the minus ones. A midfielder.
Fairey -
The poor opening will cost but overall this was a high class account.
N.B., you can follow 4BR's comments and summaries at the link in previous post ;)
Ipswich trom
28.10.2006, 12:40
Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8
Time: 12.00
Opening:
Superbly crafted opening is as dark and brooding as you could get. Solo cornet plays sop line and this is noticable. [Why?]
Interesting, as the man says "why would they do this?" Having seen the debate about switching parts recently it begs the question of what switching of parts is legitimate? If it is moved to another instrument entirely then surely that is wrong and should be punished somehow but if kept on same instrument but a different part then no one would really know anyway. Is Sop and Bb cornet considerd the same?
brassneck
28.10.2006, 12:43
Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8
Time: 12.00
Opening:
Superbly crafted opening is as dark and brooding as you could get. Solo cornet plays sop line and this is noticable. [Why?]
Interesting, as the man says "why would they do this?" Having seen the debate about switching parts recently it begs the question of what switching of parts is legitimate? If it is moved to another instrument entirely then surely that is wrong and should be punished somehow but if kept on same instrument but a different part then no one would really know anyway. Is Sop and Bb cornet considerd the same?
- what's even more worrying is that it is a huge gamble considering they have Peter Roberts on sop. :eek: (... anything we don't know about?)
Ipswich trom
28.10.2006, 13:04
- what's even more worrying is that it is a huge gamble considering they have Peter Roberts on sop. :eek: (... anything we don't know about?)
presumably Dr Childs believes that the solo line in that section would sound better on Bb Cornet. It goes down to a low a at pianissimo if i am not mistaken. I still think rescoring is wrong imho! :frown:
toby hobson
28.10.2006, 13:28
Your analogy isn't really valid. A football team has a squad which allows them cover for every position on the field and also, if push comes to shove, people can play in other positions. Bands aren't in that position and like it or not real life gets in the way of our hobby sometimes. We're talking about an amateur contest in which the prize money is less than one day of Frank Lampard's wages! I'd be more concerned with the fact that their aren't enough quality players around and audiences keep dropping for contests than making more rules.
very well said that man!!!
Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8
Time: 12.00
Opening:
Superbly crafted opening is as dark and brooding as you could get. Solo cornet plays sop line and this is noticable. [Why?]
Interesting, as the man says "why would they do this?" Having seen the debate about switching parts recently it begs the question of what switching of parts is legitimate? If it is moved to another instrument entirely then surely that is wrong and should be punished somehow but if kept on same instrument but a different part then no one would really know anyway. Is Sop and Bb cornet considerd the same?well that (like it always has done in banding) will depend on the band which is doing it, seeing that Black Dyke Bill is in the box no doubt the change of part will be a gamble that payed off, if it was say Grimethorpe that did the same thing it would be hammered!!! Much like when Black Dyke in the 80's and Fairy's in the 90's blatantly peddled there way through every test piece and it was deemed wonderful, other bands did it and it was a disgrace. Its a weird and wonderful facet of our hobby that we just have to except!!!
Ipswich trom
28.10.2006, 13:56
Just had a call from our conductor (Robin Norman of de Haske) who is there today and has spoken to a well known composer that frequents this forum who said having listened to the first 9 bands that there hasn't been a decent performance yet! :eek:
Andy_Euph
28.10.2006, 14:04
Just had a call from our conductor (Robin Norman of de Haske) who is there today and has spoken to a well known composer that frequents this forum who said having listened to the first 9 bands that there hasn't been a decent performance yet! :eek:
:clap: Nice to hear of a different view other than, "BAYV and Dyke are great, everyone else is ****"
- what's even more worrying is that it is a huge gamble considering they have Peter Roberts on sop. :eek: (... anything we don't know about?)
Pete Roberts should have been a guest soloist last week with Old Silkstone at Sheffield City Hall but he pulled out at the last minute as he had something wrong his mouth/teeth/gums or something. Perhaps he hasn't fully recovered yet.
brassneck
28.10.2006, 14:12
Pete Roberts should have been a guest soloist last week with Old Silkstone at Sheffield City Hall but he pulled out at the last minute as he had something wrong his mouth/teeth/gums or something. Perhaps he hasn't fully recovered yet.
- hope it's not too serious! If it's dental related, he may have to take time out to rebuild (maybe radically too) either with/without the physical work done on his chops! Seems so sudden though!
back_row_babe
28.10.2006, 16:13
Good luck to Newstead..... waiting for the results now :O
*bites nails in suspense* xxx
- hope it's not too serious! If it's dental related, he may have to take time out to rebuild (maybe radically too) either with/without the physical work done on his chops! Seems so sudden though!
Pete as recently had bridging work done to his front teeth.
brassneck
28.10.2006, 17:28
The results are ...
... delayed (again) :rolleyes:
KMJ Recordings
28.10.2006, 17:37
Is this the point where the contest controllers are staring in disbelief at what's on the paper in front of them thinking "Oh, No!!!" and wondering what to do?
:bounce
andywooler
28.10.2006, 17:47
Could they be deliberating over the Best Instrumentalist award going to a certain sop player? ;)
Bridge work or not, he was playing a fair amount of the part with seemingly little trouble.
brassneck
28.10.2006, 17:52
Results:
1. Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal, Allan Withington, 16, 196
2. Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8, 194
3. YBS Band, Professor David King, 4, 193
4. Buy As You View, Dr. Robert Childs, 7, 192
5. Fodens Richardson, Gary Cutt, 15, 191
6. Leyland, Russell Gray, 20, 190
super_sop
28.10.2006, 17:54
1st Grimethorpe
2nd Black dyle
3rd ybs
4th bayv
5th Fodens
6thLeyland
Best soloist sop ybs
**** almost got there 1st!! just cant type very fast!!!
brassneck
28.10.2006, 17:57
1st Grimethorpe
2nd Black dyle
3rd ybs
4th bayv
5th Fodens
6thLeyland
Best soloist sop ybs
**** almost got there 1st!! just cant type very fast!!!
- copy/paste helps a bit ... ;)
a little more detail:-
Best instrumentalist: Bert Van Thienen, Soprano, YBS
super_sop
28.10.2006, 17:59
- copy/paste helps a bit ... ;)
a little more detail:-
Best instrumentalist: Bert Van Thienen, Soprano, YBS
lol. mine were coming in live from the hall though!:tongue:
brassneck
28.10.2006, 18:03
lol. mine were coming in live from the hall though!:tongue:
heheheheh! Great result for Grimey though! :clap:
super_sop
28.10.2006, 18:12
interesting to see that Black Dyke came second, especially if the sop part was moved allegedly allegedly allegedly( is that enough allegedly's??!!!!)
brassneck
28.10.2006, 18:13
Full Results:
1. Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal, Allan Withington, 16, 196
2. Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8, 194
3. YBS Band, Professor David King, 4, 193
4. Buy As You View, Dr. Robert Childs, 7, 192
5. Fodens Richardson, Gary Cutt, 15, 191
6. Leyland, Russell Gray, 20, 190
7. Fairey Band, Simon Stonehouse, 6, 189
8. Kirkintilloch, Steve Bastable, 19, 188
9. Mount Charles, Nigel Weeks, 17, 187
10. Scottish Co-op, Alan Ramsay, 12, 186
11. Staines, Ian McElligott, 3, 185
12. Fishburn, Richard Evans, 18, 184
13. Camborne Town, Frank Renton, 14, 183
14. Rothwell Temperance, David Roberts, 11, 182
15. Jaguar (Coventry), Dave Lea, 2, 180
16. Reg Vardy , Ray Farr, 10, 177
17. Newstead Welfare, Duncan Beckley, 1, 175
18. Aveley and Newham, Nigel Taken, 9, 173
19. Parc & Dare, Peter Parkes, 13,171
20. Burry Port Town, Michael Thorne, 5, 170
Best instrumentalist: Bert Van Thienen, Soprano, YBS
- thanks to 4BR http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=4311
Congratulations to Grimethorpe of course...
But special congratulations to Bert for getting the best instrumentalist prize! I've been on stage with him a couple of times, and he's just amazing! ;)
ed_the_euph
28.10.2006, 18:48
Having just returned home, I have to say.. I thoroughly enjoyed todays competition.. The results were spot on.. and the choice of testpiece was great.. I'l be whistling Judges for weeks! Nice to have a piece thats easy enough on the ear to keep the audience there till the end! The concert was very entertaining too.. some great arrangements from the various members of the bands.. esp. Pete Dentons Tribute to the boss, and the Frog Horn players compositions and arrangements, which were delightfully clever!
Well done to all concerned.. well run comp, well played bands and well enjoyed!!
Ed March (Egham Trom)
davidquinlan
28.10.2006, 21:15
we wuz robbed.....
:(
well dont t'winners and t'prizewinners...
(sorry been down th'mews all avo....)
brassychick
28.10.2006, 21:18
how true.... on both counts.....
good day though.. lots of fun!!
madandcrazytromboneguy
28.10.2006, 21:18
do we know the results of the predictionometer thingy?
i got the top 3, just in the wrong order so im guessin that puts me fairly high in the list
Well having spoken to a number of listeners and players, the general consensus seems to be it was a great days banding that was good on the ear and a fair result. Despite the protestations of some wanna be big name composers. One in particular who seems to have become relatively famous by moaning about much loved works instead of increasing his dubious output. Well it would seem an arranger from a bye gone era could teach him a trick or two!!! An arranger who i should imagine quietly got on with his work being careful not to look daft belittling great names from the past, simply letting his legacy of music do the talking. Fantastic to see things eventually coming to fruition at Grimethorpe, they have been the best sounding and most entertaining band around for a number of years with a bass section that blows the rest away. Hopefully with a great conductor now starting to do wonderful things, the worrying and inexplicable strangle hold on banding can now be relaxed. Well done to all concerned, a great and much needed result. :clap:
brassneck
28.10.2006, 21:44
do we know the results of the predictionometer thingy?
i got the top 3, just in the wrong order so im guessin that puts me fairly high in the list
- once the results have been placed in the programme, we will have the scores shown as soon as we can!
Band Lads Army
28.10.2006, 22:08
Disappointed with the piece and the contest in general. I thought Grimethorpe and Bayv should have been the top two. Where was the "test" in the test piece , it was easy when you compare it to what they had to play at the regionals. Having said that though , no-one one nailed it. Soprano's in general didn't have a good day. Black Dyke "soprano" and end man was awesome. I don't know what was up with Roberts, but he must have lost his nerves or something , because he played the bits he did play well , but was sat there doing very little while RM rattled it all out in the little ditty tuned virtually everyone crabbed a couple at least in. The percussion I think we would have all had a go. It was written 40 years ago , how can it be used as a test piece when banding has moved on so much!. Should have gone to the Rink tonight instead for some proper music. More music like Journey to the centre of the earth and Vienna Nights please!
Have to agree one of the most ''flattest'' days contesting for a while, fair enough result but the day has lacked much of the usual excitement for me. Music from 40 years ago I guess the main reason. Yes sure took a few scalps but bands like those on show today deserved a better challenge after all we are trying to find the National Champion.
Still enjoyed some of the performances from some unusual suspects, Staines and Cambourne in particualar.
Not quite sure how Rothwell managed to come so low down, we sat up the top for them and the co op and Rothwell sounded very clean from up there.
KMJ Recordings
28.10.2006, 23:25
Music from 40 years ago I guess the main reason. Yes sure took a few scalps but bands like those on show today deserved a better challenge after all we are trying to find the National Champion.
Sorrry, I must be feeling old, but you really are going to have to explain that one to me ;)
OK, the arrangement was old - and not, er, necessarily the best example of its kind - but I'm led to believe by my man on the ground (unfortunately i couldn't make it myself this year due to work commitments) that that the piece certainly was capable of 'sorting' the bands....
This kind of question was raised following the use of Rienzi..what exactly do you mean by "better" challenge? I played in that Area competition and it highlighted some shorcomings!. Reading the 4BR assessments from todaly's performances (their potential subjectivity not withstanding) the piece certainly didn't prove the pushover that was predicted by many..
It takes a lot of playing that arrangement. The bands 'on show' were obviously sorted by the arrangement - why do you think that something more 'modern' would be any more discerning?
Congratulations to Grimey btw :D
ian perks
29.10.2006, 00:14
Ok then having heard ALL THE BANDS TODAY as i always do when i go to a major contest.
It was a good test for the bands with all the bands in general making a decent -First Class showing of the piece.
For me it was a close call between Grimethorpe &BAYV for 1st place.
Two real outstanding performances i just give it to Grimethorpe.
A few performances lacked that extra bit of something in it all the notes were there but that extra ingredients when it came out of the oven did not get served up.
A few sop players were not at their best today and i think it cost bands a few points here and there.
Allegro Assai: passage some real scrappy playing in many horn sections notes just got flung in anyhow at times.
However my first six were as follows:
1 Grimethorpe
2 Buy AS You View
3Leyland
4 Black Dyke
5YBS
6Fairey
5 out of 6 is not bad going.
A brilliant day out in general really enjoyed it .
If anyone wants to see what i thought of the full result in MY opinion please private message me and i will send it.
jingleram
29.10.2006, 00:33
Woooo I got the top 6 but not necessarily in the right order!
Mine was:
1- Grimethorpe
2-BAYV
3-Dyke
4-YBS
5-Fodens
6-Leyland
A good day out, I loved it! Enjoyed the piece. Re:Pete Roberts...I was furious that he didn't play the solos, but later found out that he had issues with his teeth, so it was a mutual agreement.
Anyhow, we went to the YBS concert afterwards, and it ws fantastic! Top marks to the band for their effort, the concert was amazing! Special highlights being Sheona's solo 'Piper O' Dundee', Stuart's solo, 'Lark in the Clear Air', and 'Windows of the World'.
All in all a great day out!
steve ruck
29.10.2006, 06:48
My top 6 were
1. BAYV
2. Grimethorpe
3. Dyke
4. Foden's
5. YBS
6. Rothwell
Lauradoll
29.10.2006, 08:23
Disappointed with the piece and the contest in general. . Where was the "test" in the test piece , it was easy when you compare it to what they had to play at the regionals. Having said that though , no-one one nailed it. It was written 40 years ago , how can it be used as a test piece when banding has moved on so much!
There must have been 20 "perfect" performances of the piece then since it was no test? Oh, you say "no-one nailed it". So there is the test. Just because it's not full of semiquavers and time changes, doesn't mean it's not testing.
Well done to Bert winning the solo prize- woo hoo!!
The piece is harder to play correctly than it looks, players with all top 5 bands said yesterday. Anyone who says its easy is just jumping on the moaning bandwagon.
Well done to Grimey, i myself had Corys then Dyke in 2nd & 3rd. Cory can feel hard done by, awesome sop playing from Michelle and a great deep sound.
Anyway, off to the London Eye.
Si
interesting to see that Black Dyke came second, especially if the sop part was moved allegedly allegedly allegedly( is that enough allegedly's??!!!!)
Nothing allegedly about it the solo cornet played it. Well done Grimey and all the top six.
Excellent! :clap:
Top 3 places to Yorkshire Bands. Eee By Gum! :biggrin:
Spanky Rear
29.10.2006, 09:53
I greatly enjoyed 18 out of the 20 performances and the way the different challenges of the piece were handled. I gained the impression that some Bands placed emphasis on technique rather more than on the likely requirements of a piece composed in 1826[?].
One thing did stand out for me.This was the clarity of the technique of Messrs Parkes,Renton and McElligott [all ex Forces] and Mr Bastable.Their conducting appeared to me to be clear,concise,and helpful.
Spanky
toby hobson
29.10.2006, 10:18
Well done to everyone at Grimey its been a long time coming, how many's that for Dean now 6!!!!!!!! wow
I was listening to a old recording of Carnival Romain the other day, maybe its about time that got a showing since proper test pieces with tunes seem to be coming back into vogue!! There's going to be a few bands going for it at the Yorkshire area next year, should be interesting!!
Well I had Dyke in first place, but hey what do I know, there was quite a time gap between them and Grimey. I too thought Rothwell should have been placed higher. Stains also played well. The fact that there were more people in the Albert hall could have been with the choice of piece, I was quite happy to listen to 20 performances. I Went to the evening concert, another great performance from the band and Burt, although a bit on the loud side for such a small hall. Please can someone tell Andrea Crossely to smile a bit more, she didn't look as if she was enjoying herself at all.
Put the day into perspective when we were talking to two guys on the bus to the Regents hall who had come over from Stuttgart, they have no local Brass bands to play with :( . Having a local band is something we take for granted.
Sorrry, I must be feeling old, but you really are going to have to explain that one to me ;)
OK, the arrangement was old - and not, er, necessarily the best example of its kind - but I'm led to believe by my man on the ground (unfortunately i couldn't make it myself this year due to work commitments) that that the piece certainly was capable of 'sorting' the bands....
This kind of question was raised following the use of Rienzi..what exactly do you mean by "better" challenge? I played in that Area competition and it highlighted some shorcomings!. Reading the 4BR assessments from todaly's performances (their potential subjectivity not withstanding) the piece certainly didn't prove the pushover that was predicted by many..
It takes a lot of playing that arrangement. The bands 'on show' were obviously sorted by the arrangement - why do you think that something more 'modern' would be any more discerning?
Congratulations to Grimey btw :D
Having been to all the recent major championships over the last few yesterday certainly was very flat in comparison. they say the hall was fuller than usual.....not sure about that but the music itself to me whilst certainly listenable and as I alluded to took a few scalps and pretty much found the right result didn't in my humble view generate anything like the excitement amongst the listening audience that we have seen here and elsewhere in recent occasions.
The likes of St magnus (Glasgow 2004)
Eden (RAH 2005)
to name but two had the audiences in the edge of their seats and discussing the merits of the music all day long.
This for me was really lacking yesterday.
andywooler
29.10.2006, 10:50
One thing did stand out for me.This was the clarity of the technique of Messrs Parkes,Renton and McElligott [all ex Forces] and Mr Bastable.Their conducting appeared to me to be clear,concise,and helpful.
Whilst not in the prizes, the first 3 (I missed the last one!) plus Richard Evans gave readings of the work that I enjoyed the most during the day.
One other thing that I noticed was how many bands struggled to play simple time in this piece - so often it came out as 6/8.
As a former sop player myself, I particularly enjoyed the sops of YBS and BAYV.
A question: Many conductors were ralling near to then end - (just before fig. 30 ish?) - was this something that simply didn't make it into the study score?
jingleram
29.10.2006, 12:56
A question: Many conductors were ralling near to then end - (just before fig. 30 ish?) - was this something that simply didn't make it into the study score?
Yes I noticed that as well, I think that was artistic license, because lots didn't rall at all. I thought the best use of the rall was YBS...simply glorious control from them!
matti_raz
29.10.2006, 13:28
Good to see YBS bouncing back upwards again.... 2007 a big year for them maybe???
Wasn't there so I won't add my two pence worth other than saying well done Grimey and wish I was there......
Anyone know of a CD plan??
ian perks
29.10.2006, 15:53
Good to see YBS bouncing back upwards again.... 2007 a big year for them maybe???
Wasn't there so I won't add my two pence worth other than saying well done Grimey and wish I was there......
Anyone know of a CD plan??
I hope so a s Grimethorpes performance is worth listening to a number of times:clap:
Phil Green
29.10.2006, 16:33
Congratulations to Deano and the rest of the guys at Grimey. I had you and Cory in first and second, a couple of points ahead of Dyke.
Best sounding winning bass section since, ooh, 1999 in my opinion! :-)
swisscornet
29.10.2006, 17:44
hi folks,
congratulations to grimethorpe. I absolutely agree with the results.
But can anyone tell me why so many b-flat basses always have to play pedals (I hope thats the right word in english) at the beginning of the piece?
I personally like it at a concert but at a contest it should be played how it's written.
Cheers
P.S. Congrats to Bert for taking the Soloist award! He is a great guy and a great player.
VenusTromster
29.10.2006, 18:40
Well Done Grimey!!:clap:
brassneck
29.10.2006, 20:51
The piece is harder to play correctly than it looks, players with all top 5 bands said yesterday. Anyone who says its easy is just jumping on the moaning bandwagon.
Well done to Grimey, i myself had Corys then Dyke in 2nd & 3rd. Cory can feel hard done by, awesome sop playing from Michelle and a great deep sound.
Anyway, off to the London Eye.
Si
Allan Withington got it right when he mentioned that ...
The piece ensured we had to master the basics of good brass band playing, and that is what made it a very difficult test piece.
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=4325
I was listening to a old recording of Carnival Romain the other day, maybe its about time that got a showing since proper test pieces with tunes seem to be coming back into vogue!!
Toby, That was our testpiece yesterday in Belfast. (2nd euph is a great seat for that one!)
KMJ Recordings
29.10.2006, 21:48
Toby, That was our testpiece yesterday in Belfast. (2nd euph is a great seat for that one!)
The hardest bit of the euph part isn't the tune - it's the lines of quavers....depending on what speed you decide to play it at ;)
Band Lads Army
29.10.2006, 22:20
One thing did stand out for me.This was the clarity of the technique of Messrs Parkes,Renton and McElligott [all ex Forces] and Mr Bastable.Their conducting appeared to me to be clear,concise,and helpful.
Spanky
McElligott ? The one that got lost and threw his score over and gave up. Also the one who got lost in Vienna Nights.
Parkes was good , but he didn't managed to get any dynamics out of his band.
PowerRanger
29.10.2006, 22:29
McElligott ? The one that got lost and threw his score over and gave up. Also the one who got lost in Vienna Nights.
OUCH! :oops:
jingleram
30.10.2006, 00:26
From Nick Chi;ds on Pete Roberts...
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=4323
A question: Many conductors were ralling near to then end - (just before fig. 30 ish?) - was this something that simply didn't make it into the study score?
Two words - 'musical interpretation' - are perhaps appropriate?? But of course, no room for that in a band contest nowadays is there?! :-)
chris turner
30.10.2006, 11:49
Congrats to all at Grimethorpe and especially to Alan for his fifth win.
From all at BAYV
Well done to all at Grimey!
Fantastic result. Shame that the lure of the beer in the Mews forced me to miss your performance.
I was a bit surprised that YBS featured so highly but I wasn't in the box.
Well done to all of the bands. See you there next year, hopefully!
tubaturk
30.10.2006, 13:39
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
jingleram
30.10.2006, 13:48
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
Talk about any youngsters in the band! Enjoyment of band and players from taking part. Positive comments from adjuicators and audience members. :D
tinytimp
30.10.2006, 13:50
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
Hehe good luck with that Gar!
I know this will sound like sour grapes, but I don't think our performance quite warranted the result we got! OK yes there were a few slips here and there but nobody got away scot-free, and there were certainly not that many!
How about something like "the band are proud of an admirable and commended performance, however a difficult draw meant disappointment come the announcment of the results."
Worth a try...
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
You could say you played well and were drawn 5th.
Makes it sound like you came equal 5th - they are not to know you were the 5th on stage :wink:
jingleram
30.10.2006, 13:53
You could say you played well and were drawn 5th.
Makes it sound like you came equal 5th - they are not to know you were the 5th on stage :wink:
Lol brilliant!
tubaturk
30.10.2006, 14:15
You could say you played well and were drawn 5th.
Makes it sound like you came equal 5th - they are not to know you were the 5th on stage :wink:
Superb.
"drawn 5th, just in front of banding giants Faireys, Buy as you View and Black Dyke who were 6th, 7th and 8th respectively."
That'll do!
Spanky Rear
30.10.2006, 15:30
I wouldn't try to deceive anyone about the result.Why not put a positive piece in the newspapers?Something on the lines of :-
Disappointment at the [factual] result, and this after weeks of rehearsing in order to give the best possible performance.
The locality should be proud that their local Band [drawn from x number of people locally] was able, for the second time in 3 years,to represent them at the highest possible level, contesting on an equal footing with world famous Bands,who in many cases can select their representatives from the best available players worldwide.
To quote[?misquote]General McArthur 'We shall be back'.
Spanky
iggmeister
30.10.2006, 15:34
Superb.
"drawn 5th, just in front of banding giants Faireys, Buy as you View and Black Dyke who were 6th, 7th and 8th respectively."
That'll do!
...and dont forget to congratulate Newstead Welfare on their fine win on debut!
I heard 7 of the first 8 bands (missed Burry Port - sorry) and enjoyed the variation in interpretation. I particularly enjoyed YBS's performance but for the rall near the end. They seemed to be playing within themselves unlike Dyke and BAYV who gave the full monty when needed and it made for an interesting change of sound.
It was noticeable that many people stayed in for all the bands which was great for the competing bands as all the bands I heard got a good response from the audience. Theres nothing worse than getting to the end and hearing more rustling for Werthers Original than applause.
Congrats to Grimey on their win.
Igg
[quote=persins]Well done to all at Grimey!
I was a bit surprised that YBS featured so highly but I wasn't in the box.
Why were you surprised? I've always believed that bands who are able to cope with the technical demands of the piece with consummate ease, and deliver precision music making which is a joy to listen to should, in my humble opinion, feature very highly in the prizes. This, I believe, is what all the top 3 bands did.
what surprises me however is the reaction to BAYV's fourth placing. I cannot doubt the abilities of the band and their capacity to deliver a thrilling performance, however, when quality and precision is sacrificed for loud, harsh over-blowing (all the things we were told not to do when we learned to play) then points should rightly be deducted.
I didnt hear any over blowing in BAYV's performance, just a larger range between their pp's & ff's which in turn did make it more exciting. The platform for any great performance is from the bottom end & everything sat on top. Grimethorpe had a great deep sound too. YBS did play well & showed some style but i did notice a slight top heavy sound with some minor tuning issues that detracted for me.
My result would have been
1. Grimethorpe
2. BAYV
3. Dyke
4. YBS
5. Fairey
6. Fodens
My result would have been
1. Grimethorpe
2. BAYV
3. Dyke
4. YBS
5. Fairey
6. Fodens
That's largely how I had it, with Dyke second and BAYV third. I also had Grimey to win, and was very impressed with their overall sound and style.
...and dont forget to congratulate Newstead Welfare on their fine win on debut!
It was noticeable that many people stayed in for all the bands which was great for the competing bands as all the bands I heard got a good response from the audience. Theres nothing worse than getting to the end and hearing more rustling for Werthers Original than applause.
Really enjoyed the experience, draw number one gave us plenty of time to enjoy the atmosphere on stage, and also meant that I didn't even have time to think about delving into my Imodium stash that is usually my only nourishment on contest days ;)
Having heard previous stories of "lesser" bands playing to audiences more suited to Burton town hall in March, I have to agree with the above comments. Every band I saw got a great reception, and the organisation for getting bands on and off must also have played a part in keeping the interest up in the audience - not even enough time to nip out to the toilet between performances!
Anyhow, I enjoyed myself (according to 4barsrest at least, although I'm not certain if that's a good comment or not), off for a long holiday now...
andywooler
31.10.2006, 10:54
I didnt hear any over blowing in BAYV's performance, just a larger range between their pp's & ff's which in turn did make it more exciting.
I would have to agree with that.
One comment that many did suffer with in terms of overblowing (and this may be purely an acoustic thing based on where I was sitting) was overuse of that weapon of mass destruction aka The Bass Trombone. ;)
Some serious edge to the sound from many of you that was for me inappropriate. (just my opinion though - at least you were there whilst I wasn't!)
Superb.
"drawn 5th, just in front of banding giants Faireys, Buy as you View and Black Dyke who were 6th, 7th and 8th respectively."
That'll do!
Wonder if that will work for my lot finishing 18th!!
Wonder if that will work for my lot finishing 18th!!
Only if you weren't drawn 19th or 20th;)
I didnt hear any over blowing in BAYV's performance
Neither did I !!! - lots of superb dynamic contrast with a hell of a sop perf. to boot. Thats why out of the bands I heard .... I had
1. BAYV
2. Dyke
3. YBS
4. Fairey
Gutted I missed the Grimey perf.
Mike
ian perks
31.10.2006, 16:58
I didnt hear any over blowing in BAYV's performance, just a larger range between their pp's & ff's which in turn did make it more exciting. The platform for any great performance is from the bottom end & everything sat on top.
I have to agree here B.A.Y .V'S performance was a real class act.
Bob Childs got the band to play with real conviction from start to finish&it would take a very good performance for me to beat them.
Taking nothing away from the B.A.Y.V performance at all:
Grimethorpe just had all the right ingredients in the right order when the cake came out of the oven and were worth that extra point clear:clap: .
Why were you surprised?
I was surprised because I didn't expect their performance to be enough to come third in the contest. I'm not suggesting that they didn't deserve it but didn't think that they brought it to life as much as some of the other performances I heard.
I didn't expect Burry Port to be placed 20th either!
I'm not saying that the adjudicators got it wrong but just that I was surprised by the outcome!
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
You could always say that you clearly won the singing contest in the Goat on Saturday evening!!!
No doubt about that!!!
Cantonian
02.11.2006, 13:36
Parkes was good , but he didn't managed to get any dynamics out of his band.
I agree, Major Parkes was very good, both on the day and in the lead up to the contest.
The Championship section has become like the Football premiership in that some bands have money to pay expenses, ship in players from Europe and/or the Southern hemisphere and generally attract some of the best players.
We, like several other bands 'competing' have no sponsorship so raise our own funds and cut our cloth according to our means. We had quite a few inexperienced members (my only previous test pieces being at the area and Ebbw Vale). We had to be realistic and target 'mid-table' as a good result. Major Parkes was realistic all week. He said that we could not out-blow the big bands so had to make another approach.
We would play the dynamics concentrating on the quiet parts of the piece with graduated controlled dynamics as it was after all a transcription of an orchestral piece. For example at figure 12 the violins would be playing so a fortissimo tremelo would not have to be blown off the copy.
The tempo was important as Major Parkes predicted the fast and loud approach of many bands. The Allegro assai has a tempo of 136 minims.
The whole piece is written in 4/4 or 2/2 so the importance to all sections was stressed that we did not play compound rhythms. Listening to each other, a simple concept, would help in tuning.
Unfortunately with a draw of 13, the styles were already given to the adjudicators before we came on.
The opening is pianissimo and with the bands I heard before and after us, the Solo Horn played at least mezzo piano in the interests of safety. Baritone and Cornet are only at piano and most were mf. I would stick my neck out and say that we were the only band to play the correct dynamics at the beginning!
I heard some super exciting performances which rightly placed bands above us but in several areas the bands played in compound rhythm, many above tempo and most above dynamics.
In our performance, there were nerves shown in some split notes and a few tuning issues and also we did not have a vast dynamic range. However I feel that adjudication should deal with fundamentals such as dynamics, tempo, rhythm and tuning and not knock a band for being too quiet at pianissimo.
I must stress that these are only my views and on a positive note, I really enjoyed my first taste of the Nationals, hearing (and seeing) some outstanding bands and players. I must also express my gratitude to Major Peter Parkes for his hard work, encouragement and obvious disappointment for the band. I and the rest of the band learnt a lot from him!
TheMusicMan
02.11.2006, 14:19
Update: This weekend I will post the results of the fun tMP Prediction Competition. Apologies for the delay in getting these results up and on display for you all... I am in the USA at present on business and literally choc-a-bloc, but will be back home on the weekend when I can get this all sorted for you.
John Brooks
02.11.2006, 18:05
Anyone know of a CD plan??
Carl, any comment? Perhaps highlights from the two Regent Hall concerts plus the winning performance?
BottyBurp
07.11.2006, 22:25
As publicity officer of the last-placed Burry Port Band, I'm trying to come up with some positive spin for the local newspaper, having announced last week that we were hoping to improve on our previous result of 18th in 2003!
Ideas anyone - would it be so wrong to lie?
You could truthfully say you were 1st.
(from bottom, in very small print) :biggrin:
Chris Thomas
08.11.2006, 18:10
All adjudications are now available from Kapitol's website:
http://www.kapitol.co.uk
Chris.
iggmeister
08.11.2006, 19:36
All adjudications are now available from Kapitol's website:
http://www.kapitol.co.uk
Chris.
... and interesting reading they are too!
Igg
brassneck
08.11.2006, 20:23
... and interesting reading they are too!
Igg
- great that Kapitol are making them public as such!
... and interesting reading they are too!
Igg
....as it appears that none of Messrs Whitham, Read and Relton can tell the difference between an Eb soprano cornet and a Bb cornet !!!
Mike
Update: This weekend I will post the results of the fun tMP Prediction Competition. Apologies for the delay in getting these results up and on display for you all... I am in the USA at present on business and literally choc-a-bloc, but will be back home on the weekend when I can get this all sorted for you.
I dont seem to have seen them yet .any news?
RobertJohn
23.01.2007, 12:04
Did anything happen with this?
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