Recorder Club on Tour

The people on Ijmuiden beach did not know what to make of it. I’m not sure I knew what to make of it. But we had to start somewhere and had to start by playing something we all knew. So as we readied ourselves to cycle across Europe, we began the real challenge; playing our recorders.

London’s Burning

We’d played ‘London’s Burning’ the week before in the school recorder club so at least everyone knew it. So we played it, down on Ijmuiden beach. Well at least some of us did. The others, more sensibly perhaps, went off to play in the sand.

Harmony is an aspiration

On this musically inspired journey it seemed appropriate we should do some music making of our own. We know we’re not the world’s most harmonious family, far from it, but do believe that if you commit to and work at something together you can achieve things that at first may seem impossible. So aside from the cycling we’ve challenged ourselves  to make a few sweet musical harmonies together as a family recorder ensemble  And if you’ve just listened to ‘London’s Burning’ you’ll have some idea of the challenge ahead.

The Blue Danube challenge

Now cycling down the Danube there’s only really one tune to start with. And luckily we have an arrangement of it for four recorders in our panniers. And plentiful practice time in amazing riverside locations. I’m not sure if Strauss would approve or whether our performance will impress the Viennese Conservatoire, but it’ll be fun trying to see if we can learn and play four parts and be a harmonious family at least for a verse or two of the Blue Danube Waltz.