BEATHA – by Tina Jordan Rees

šŸ“· Photo by Elly Lucas Beatha Meaning ‘life’ in Irish/Scottish Gaelic I’m Tina – musician, composer, piano teacher, and Membership & Development Officer for the Traditional Music Forum. Each month I ask musicians and those involved in the Scottish traditional music scene to write blogs to feature on the TMF website, in the newsletter and … Continued

Read

AISLING – by Nicky Kirk (Eabhal)

šŸ“· Photo by Elly Lucas We made our first album together as Eabhal over a lengthy self-funded period beginning at the end of 2017, eventually landing with a finished project in time to release at the start of 2019. The music on ā€˜This is how the Ladies Dance’ is a collection of some of our … Continued

Read

Essential Tremor: A Musician’s Perspective – by Valerie Bryan

I was in my second year at the Royal Manchester College of Music, in a Master Class with top British flautist William Bennett. I held my flute up to play – and my hands and head shook so much that I couldn’t actually keep the instrument to my lips. ā€œWibbā€, as he was known, and … Continued

Read

Dementia Friendly Sea Shanties on Shetland – by Jan Brown

Bergen July 2019, the historic Bryggen quay is lined with Tall Ships from every nation and I am singing along to the amazing Storm Weather Shanty Choir. I’m in Norway on a mission to Tell Tales on Ten Tall Ships and moored 3 deep and dwarfed by the other ships there is a Fifie, a … Continued

Read

A Man and His Dog Through the Four Seasons – by Ally Forsyth

šŸ“· Photo above by Jonathan Bismark Digital Artist Myself and the dog are out stomping the pavements and parks every morning at 8am. I’m a creature of habit, and he’s a creature of sniffing every dog and lamppost we pass. Whether it’s raining, snowing, sunny, or Storm Arwen, we’ll be trudging our way through Rouken Glen with … Continued

Read

BREATHING SPACE – by Barry Reid

šŸ“· Photo by Dougie Cunningham (Leading Lines Photography) Well, I’m sure we can all say that it’s been a bit of a journey over the past couple of years. My experience of this journey began when I moved away from Glasgow, back to the Highlands and to the area of Ross-shire, fairly close to where … Continued

Read

BEING AN AUTISTIC FIDDLE PLAYER – by David Nicholson

šŸ“· Photo by Tom Oakes As an autistic fiddle player and musician it is a real pleasure to be able to write a blog to mark World Autism Awareness Week 2022. Music, like my family’s smallholding and my passion for the countryside, has been a part of my life for as long as I can … Continued

Read

PILGRIM SOULS – by Megan Henderson

šŸ“· Photo by Elly Lucas Making an album is a daunting process, no doubt about it! There is so much to think about; finance, studios, creating the music, the list goes on. It can be overwhelming and I imagine these feelings lead to people being put off, for a long time I certainly was. In … Continued

Read

A YEAR ON WATER STREET – by Tom Oakes

šŸ“· Photos by Archie Macfarlane 11/03/20 – Ross Couper and I boarded a flight to Switzerland for a tour with our sound engineer Pete Ord and a huge amount of high end PA and recording equipment. The plan was to record the tour and make a live album. We knew about Covid 19 and that … Continued

Read

Music and the Environment – an antidote to Schizophonia – by Simon Bradley

In August 2021 the father of acoustic ecology and avant-guard composer R. Murray Schafer finally left the stage after a distinguished career. A pamphlet he published in 1973 entitled ā€˜The Music of the Environment’ called for a re-flourishing of the ear as a primary tool in navigation and a move to reconnect unique and particular … Continued

Read
« Newer blogsOlder blogs »