The Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra has a few weeks to go before the concert we were preparing for last term (Thorpe Acre Church on Saturday 22nd June) but the pieces are ready enough for now so we’re doing some weeks of playing through the pad to give the conductor some ideas on what she might want to include in other concerts and what new pieces might be worth adding in.

One of the scores we looked at last night was Barn Dance and Cowboy Hymn by Philip Sparke, an English composer who has produced a lot of music for concert and brass bands. He has a bit of reputation for pushing the boundaries a bit and this piece was no exception. It kicks off at 138bpm (fairly fast) and, in the first line on the bass part, alternates multiple times between 2/4, 3/8 and 3/4 time signatures. That is not easy to count or even follow the conducting on!

Generally, I’m finding that my reading is up to a decent standard now but pieces like this (which probably is going back to lurk at the bottom of the pad) at least serve the purpose of reminding me not to get complacent.