(Continuing the story...)

...where music seemed to me to be a very exotic subject. It wasn't one of the main subjects in my Primary School, and I'm not even sure that it was taught at all until Mr. Brown arrived in my second year (Year One, after Reception), but when I was fortunate enough to have a music lesson it was to me a real treat.

I think my first introduction to actually playing a musical instrument was when I went for my piano lessons with Mrs. Phipps at the age of six. Through her I was even introduced to an accordion group, and applied my knowledge of the piano to this crazy new instrument. I'm not sure I'd even encountered an accordion before joining this group, and I remember us going on to play our accordions for some festival or other nearby. I don't think it was a competition - just a day of festivities and music. Nothing for me to be festive about (as a lot of things don't seem to be), since all this music and this instrument was completely new to me; but it was fun to play and to bring enjoyment to people.

While all this was going on, I'd already passed the age of seven and begun guitar lessons with Mr. Thompson (pictured, on left, after Mr. Brown's retirement concert). I remember we would have lessons in groups of maybe three or four - something I wasn't accustomed to, after my solitary lessons on the piano - and I found it was as much fun to play in a group, as it was to learn to play the instrument. An interesting way, in fact, to learn, I think, because we each could listen to the others and learn from their as well as our own mistakes. And it was different from the accordion group, because in these guitar lessons the goal was to learn the instrument, whereas with the accordion group the goal seemed to me to be to practice playing pieces for performance - something of a difference of approach, you will no doubt acknowledge.

Then, towards the end of my time at St. Peter's, the guy who had played the Bass Guitar in the school orchestra, Jonathan Wrigley, who was a year above me, left (or was due to leave), and a new bassist was needed. Finding myself the chosen candidate, I wilfully took up the challenge, and needed only a lesson or two with Mr. Thompson, applying my guitar playing skills to the bass, to find myself taking to it like a duck to water, and wholly in the orchestra in my new position; even having to play a little solo for the first assembly, so the school could hear the instrument.

Soon, a group of us in school decided we'd get together and play some music, so I'd find myself (on a Sunday afternoon, if I'm not mistaken) at Michael Hudson's house, with Joe Drury and Luke O'Neill, and we'd play such things as 'Smoke on the Water', the 'James Bond Theme Tune' and the 'Mission Impossible Theme Tune' - which Mike told us was in 5/4. Learning all the time, you see! I'd be on bass, and we'd have a mottly collection of keyboards and drumpads, and another guitar, and Mike on his junior-sized drum kit. During one of these rehearsals, Mike got me seated behind his kit, and taught me the rudimentary 4/4 rhythm (the one commonly heard on Michael Jackson's hit single 'Billie Jean'), and found myself enjoying this just as much as the other instruments.

I'm not sure that we had anywhere in mind to play, and were just happy to be playing and enjoying making music. The current sum total of the instruments I can play (to varying degrees) are documented here, but there have been many memorable events at which I've played, which I'll hope to document in the coming articles.

(Next part of the story...)