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I am so lucky

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away? — no, but it was quite a while back…before Uni, before A Level…before even GCSE’s. I aced a test (cant even call it an exam) in music. The music department invited me to an ‘obscure instruments tryout’ (at this point, I’d never even picked up an instrument, and had no intention of ever doing). I ended up taking the double bass because it was impossible to commute with, and also because I didnt think I’d do well at wind instruments.

So I chose the bass, learnt it for a few months, and then chose to take Music GCSE. I then got invited to a youth orchestra, and tried out there for a few months before finally joining. Which not only got me a whole host of friends, it got both my brothers into Music (and the orchestra) too:

The first one tried out the percussion section just after I joined proper, and he’s still playing both bass and drums now, 7 years later.

Since I was also getting bass lessons there before the rehersals, which were cool in and of themselves (the teacher was a dude! and the other students were awesome and awe inspiring), my youngest brother chose to take up the French horn (another ‘understaffed’ instrument), and got lessons at the same time as me. He shot through the ranks, and is seriously talented, playing the horn in adult productions and teaching himself the clarinet. He’s going to South Africa next year with his school’s music department.

My first love was from the orchestra, the most perfect young trumpetist, she made me go crazy for a time. Still would if she’d wanted to keep my friendship.

And then came university, the wonders of student life….I didnt pick up my bass in first year, in fact stowed it at the orchestra’s ‘lair’. I ended up wanting to branch out my social status in second year though, and so joined the music society and associated orchestras. I quickly found that some of my (mathematical) classmates were also musicians….and swiftly gained an ‘appreciation’ for one of them…and ruined any chance of ever getting to know her.

After this though comes the successes. I’m currently friends with a few girls from around and about and have successfully contained my appreciation as to remain contemporaries. Lets hope it continues.

This last part contains those that I’ve never really known, but am glad to have known. Thats right. The citizens of the internet: I’m extraordinarily lucky to have found and befriended those upon the internet that I have done. I only regret being foolish and childish, and losing touch with those that matter most to me.

And the internet itself has provided a vast (but still limited) array of musical produce to consume, my ears are literally bursting from the however much music I’ve streamed over last.fm and my other media sources.

To finalize, music is amazing, and I’m extraordinarily glad I ever got to experience it properly from both ends of the spectrum and am even gladder that my participation continues.

Uni-eed to here this!

So, I went back to uni last week, (after like 4 months or something) and last year, after enrolling, I got an email saying I hadn’t enrolled on the right Computing modules. I do Computer Science and Maths, so there is two sets of modules to enrol on. I thought this strange considering that I just accepted the default set of modules, assuming that they would all be present and selected. It turns out I missed off two. Another problem was that I seemed to be over subscribed (I had too many modules), and this is where it gets interesting.

On the Friday before term started (a week and a day ago) I went and saw both the Maths and the Computing department administrators, The maths dept. said I was on all the right courses, and the Comp dept. said they would sign me up to the two missing modules once they had access to the system (it was down for maintenance..). So I though everything was fine, I constructed my timetables accordingly, and went to lectures and had a generally fun time.

I also signed up to the music society and its orchestra, and the computing society :D. I attended the first practice of the orchestra on Wednesday, in a slot usually taken by a Computing practical but which doesn’t start untill week 3, in two weeks time. This will mean I wont be able to practice with the orchestra at all…which is shit :(. They have the freshers concert tomorrow, where all the music groups go and show what they do, I believe it is mainly for the people that havent played in an ensemble before, but I cant wait :D. I also have an audition on Monday, which I have no idea how its going to go down…having no piece to play, and probably not being able to play anything anyway. I can only play whilst ‘behind’ an orchestra >.> but it will be a good time to bring up what the heck I will be able to do… it will be a pity if I cant do it because of a lab session :(

Then, yesterday, I had an interview with my academic tutor (I think thats her title), in the maths department, and she looked at my course listing, and found that I was on completely the wrong set of courses, AND I was over subscribed by 3 modules. So I dropped Probability and Statistics (YAY!!!!) and also Complex Analysis and took up the module I was missing and the following module. So now I hope I am sorted. :D

Well that’s about it. Bye for now

The Youth Orchestra concert

So, went to my old YO’s end of year concert a while back. Before hand me and my dad went and got a drink. He actually went into a pub and asked for a cup of tea… I know, crazy aint he :D. Then after we left (twas quite loud in the Brewery’s garden, a dance festival or something, far too many weirdly clad school girls running round like they have just been fed a large number of blue smarties. So, yeah. After that we went and read out books (me; Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton and my dad; the new Anthony Bevor book) on a bench. Whilst I was reading, a couple of old orchestra buddies appear, taking a casual stroll, so I went and chatted to them for a while. Then they left to get changed, so I read again, hehe. Anyway, TO THE CONCERT!!!.

First half wasnt that good: Canzon XVII by Gabrielli was pretty good but had a really clichéd ending. The Arvo Part piece was a tad thin, though that might have been the effect. The Anton Webern pieces just sounded like he was trying to hard, though I probably wasnt listening well enough. It seems the orchestra liked it though, so I guess it grows on you. And the final piece of the first half: Variants on a Shaker Melody, was far too long, playing that melody into the ground, theres some far better bits of Appalachian Springs too :(.

Then the break came, and I was sat on my own through most of it (my dad was a steward so was doing shiz). I found my old buddies just as the second half was about to start, so :(. BUT I did meet up with a dude-trumpeter by the name of Simon. He was quite a dude, until a certain miss A, who I was devoted to, fell out with him. So now, even though they have mended their bridges, I still feel negative towards him :(. But I digress, we grouped together and sat near the front, had some quick lols and then the second half started rolling.

And my, how it rolled. Started with a brassy piece by Purcell (as its his birth anniversary) which was enjoyable. Then, THEN!, it started rolling a-proper. Matt Bell (one of the dudes I met up with before the concert), the lead cellist, had composed a piece for the orchestra and it was AWESOME!!!! Oh it were perfection :). Superb. Then came some crazy Aufbruch by Detlev Glanert, which was a bit odd, but still rather good. And they finished off with the Invernal Dnase, Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird. What an awesome second half that was.

Then came the afterparty. No, I am serious…they had an afterparty, and it was moderately fun. I caught up with a bunch of awesome musicians who I am proud to call my friend. Alas, it came to an end, my bro wanted to escape (being an antisocial teenage git) and my dad probably wanted to go home. As it happened, miss A was also leaving at the same time (coincidence ;) w00t). So, she and I both waved good bye, and she hugged everyone. I spontaneously picky-uppy-spinny-roundy hugged her, and it was successful, apart from the exit, which would have been ever so slightly more awesome if I had sunk to one knee and produced a bouquet of flowers. Cause I am like that :D.

Man, it was a wonderful evening :D

A concert

Well, tonight I went to the Mary Wakefield Concert. It didnt go too well (or I wouldnt be here right now…), here is a couple of pointers:

• I was meant to go see a guy about a job. My dad had talked to him about it, and had said he would be there. I was quite nervous as I didnt know the guy (appart from the fact he gave us a lift home from a concert, one in which I didnt want to leave as it was my last and I wanted to stay and party XD). He didnt turn up, so I had pretty much gone to the concert for nothing.
• The music “my” orchestra played was pretty good, especially Into the Storm (I think), which I remember playing from a previous concert. Its an excelent piece.
• My heart… She was there. I thought I was over her, finally, after like not talking with her since before chrismas. But ohhhno, she came out of nowhere and made my heart flutter all over again *GRRRR* and you know what? I despise myself for being so easily swayed. On the way there I was all ‘yeah,….yeah!…YEAH!!!….meh’ but now I wonder if I still have feelings towards her. I hope not, I dont know her anymore, and she doesnt know me either.
• WOAH!!! *jaw drops to floor*. Naw, tad OTT, but yeah, quite attractive young female percussionist (that moved to my old school just as I left). She hias nice legs, just wondering whether to tell her, or to forget all about it. I feel like a perver just thinking about it :(.
• Damn the judges were biased towards the singer, she was CRAP, and so was the cellist and the piece on the violin, but the horn-player was a dude, he blew it good and proper XD. and the flautist was quite good. she said umm quite a bit tho
• Remind me never EVER to allow my parents/companions to convince me / be conviced to stay and watch a youth singing workshop again, EVER. Damn it was AWEFULL.

Thats about it from me for tonight, gona go to bed, what a waste of an evening. Ive been told that I am going out agian tomorrow to watch a musical, cant remember which though. Damn father buying tickets for me when I said I didnt want to go.

Outing

wooo, day out yesterday was awesome, went into town with some friends, spent a few hours looking for poker chips, to no avail, even Argos was out….

then went to a BBC Phil concert, first half was awesome, the concherto of the second wasnt so good, but the soloist was awesome as he did an on the spot encour, which was nice of him. The first half also included an unscheduled piece which sounded great and made me a fan of one of the composers. a Czech of the 20th century. was an awe imspiring peice.

this morning isnt so great, wondering whether my friends servers are alright after some unidentified outage has left most of my stuff out of reach. he hasnt come back from the party that preceeded the outing that we had tho… wondering where he is