The King’s Head Hotel Louth

The intention was to give some of my guitar and bass students a first ‘crack’ at performing, in front of a ‘tame/invited’ audience, as performing skills have to learned as much as the mastery of the instrument. All were nervous as kittens, but with my presence and support, and much encouragement from every one, performed to the best of their ability at present. Pauline Horner, having switched from guitar to bass, demonstrated bass accompaniment to Albatross and Summertime, then played melody, Careless Love and Danny Boy as solos. She intends to take her Grade One Bass in the Autumn. Jason Harris, a Queen fanatic, gamely fought his way through Somebody to Love, including a creditable stab at the solo (fiercely difficult) hindered by my attempts to sing, and thankfully rescued by a young lady’s lusty rendition of the choruses. Well Done Jason… made it! Stuart Parker gave interpretations of Messin’ with the kid (Rory Gallagher), Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (Danny Kirwan/Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac), Etude in E minor(Tarrega) and a surprise of the Theme from the Mr Men TV show! Eclectic and quirky. All material was the individual’s choice… the syllabus I teach is all about applied skills in music, so the piece or song is merely the vehicle for demonstrating such skill or knowledge. After all, all the music you heard this week used only the same 12 different notes, and even then they have all been used before.
The evening rounded off with a storming and energetic set by Trip to the Roses, mostly self-penned songs. Ben Williams, TTTR guitarist, is one of my students, and has recently achieved a much deserved Distinction at Grade One Guitar. Superb. He is working towards a similar result for his Grade Two in the Autumn.
Overcoming nerves about performing is abig step in musical development, and taught all performers a great deal, as well as demonstrating that performing once you have got even a rudimentary skill on your instrument is rewarding in many ways. Several enquired as to when the ‘next one’ was… so I shall have to set something up in the Autumn. Perhaps those who decided against performing this time may reconsider. There are whisperings afoot of a regular ‘open mic/novices jam nite’ at the Kings! Commendable… as the point of the evening was to give novices a chance to perform and network.
To that end, I have set up a MySpace group, http://groups.myspace.com/jampal
where novice musicians of ANY INSTRUMENT can join up and make contact…. whilst still in its infancy, a couple of guys have made first contact and are starting to collaborate musically. You still have to be proactive and take the first steps.. join, then contact another musician!
Finally… Guitaroke??? A term I coined many years ago, whilst doing solo performances to midi’d backings with guitar synthesiser. A bit like karaoke for guitar. For many years, the music teaching industry has been using music-minus-one cassettes/tapes/CDs etc to allow examination candidates to prepare for exam. I have made a habit of providing my students with BTs (backing tracks) for the lonliest thing in the world is a student practising a piece solo… Many solo singers and performers use pre-recorded backings for professional work… even the greatest do for stage shows… Sadly, time meant that I couldn’t demonstrate beyond an opening number. Maybe next time.
Well done the performers, well done TTR, a big thank you to John (Baldingbloke/Soundman) Maguire for his tireless energy this week, well done those who gave the performers encouragement and support, and thank you to the Kings Head Landlord and Landlady for hosting the week.. after all, it was a great way of showing what music goes on in Louth, from beginners upwards. Chris The Hat Gardner

Hats off to The Hat ! Anyone who performs on a regular basis knows how difficult it can be to stand up there so well done to all the performers. What we need is jam nights back in Louth.
Sylv and Steve

hiys im looking to start guitar lessons and i live in louth i came across chris gardners name on a list of tutors just looking how to get into contact with him thankyou

Hi Carl… just back from holiday, if you require guitar lessons, give me a ring on 07944 723282 and we;ll set up some lessons. @Carl-James Walshe