Rosie goes international

After various schemes to do things differently we ended up back at our regular spot in New Road by the entrance of Oxford Castle for 11 days of the Christmas Fair. It seems our music can be heard for some distance up the street and was attracting potential visitors from as far as Bonn Square and Westgate. I checked this out and you can hear us that far away as long as there are no buses around. All in all an uneventful few days though charity takings were well down on last year.

One event of note. We’re used to tourists taking pictures and video clips but one afternoon I became aware of a young man holding a phone out. It has happened before and we’ve been heard by various friends and relations over the phone but this one seemed to be taking longer than usual. At the end of the roll we got the request, “Could you play that again? ” We did ending with “We wish you a merry Christmas”. At the end we got a generous donation (compared to most this year) and the explanation. He was playing it over the phone to a friend in a café in Bulgaria, who happened to be a local radio producer. First time round the friend had simply put it on speaker so everyone in the café could hear it. Second time round he’d recorded it so he could play it back on his programme later that day. I don't know how good the quality would be at the other end but I guess that makes us international radio performers. Would this be a first?



Happy new year to you all.

Christmas

Just to say that we'll be with Oxford Castle, weekdays only for the next two weeks. Not sure yet whether it will be our normal pitch by the entrance in New Road on on their stand in Bonn Square, but they're only about 100 yards apart and if you get to one and we are at the other you should be able to hear us - traffic noise permitting.

Beauty 4 Brokenness

We've added a new page called  Beauty for Brokenness

This is the main charity we support and although they are supposed to have a web page of their own I've never managed to get it open so until they get that sorted I'm going to post their newsletters here. At the moment it's text only as I can't find a way of getting their pictures to display but I'll keep working on it, it can't be that difficult.

Minor problem but business almost as usual

Nothing to say for a while as things have been quiet on the organ front. We're gearing up for Christmas, checking lights and decorations and so on. Thanks to all those friends who are helping to keep us on the road for a while, often at expense to themselves. They say that's what friends are for but they have gone over and above any calls of duty this time.

Our weekend at the food festival has paid for a couple of new rolls - no titles here as these things can be misrepresented by those with twisted minds - but they're two rolls I've wanted for some time.  I'm still hoping to produce my own rolls at some time and now that Mel Wright will punch them from my files I guess I've no real excuse not to try something out over the winter. The arrangements all sound OK on the computer but the proof of the pudding as they say... 

My kitchen is currently a disaster area as I'm trying to build a bike trailer in the middle of it. Not a trailer for a bike, a trailer for the bike to pull with Rosie on it. Parking in Oxford has become so impossible now, either banned altogether, severely restricted by residents parking zones or just prohibitively expensive that I'm looking into other ways of moving Rosie around the town for local events. It could make the town centre a possibility and keep Headington on the map. Once outside the ring road the problem disappears.

Oxford Castle Food and Wine Fayre

A busy weekend with lots of people about and I suspect a big successs for the castle. Apart from a couple of showers which enforced short coffee breaks the weather was kind and the charity tins benefitted accordingly.
Thanks to my "monkey". Really he was with his own stall from "Swainswick Farm" but spent as much time with us as he did on his own. Took to organ grinding like a natural and I felt confident to leave him in charge while I took coffee beaks and so on. I didn't even get his name but if he's reading this he can have a job with Rosie any time. 

We got several enquiries for future events and I've updated the "engagements" page so no more here.

Look out for us on the streets in and around Oxford and in Woodstock on the 26th of November outside the museum.

Seriously cool

Seriously cool and "Lush"

I had wondered about accepting an invitation to a local rock festival albeit one billed as small and family friendly but it was actually an enjoyable day. The site was restricted to 500 people and by my judgement wasn't quite full but the atmosphere was good. We were right next to the children's tent where plenty of painting, faces and pictures, was going on and a bouncy castle next to that. To our right the main stage, a couple of smaller stages opposite, a bar, catering and book stall around the edge of a site no more than about 100 yards square.

How were we going to compete amongst this I wondered. Easily answered, we didn't. The principle is that each stage makes enough noise that the sound from all the others is drowned out when you are next to it and although we couldn't compete on volume we worked the same way - except that with main stage going you couldn't hear yourself speak by the organ. In practice we played when someone asked, which was quite often, and between acts you could just about hear us if you got close enough. Mary Poppins was the favoured roll.

It was an interesting experience trying to explain the workings in sign language, and a lot of people were interested. The sort of questions asked suggested serious interest not just politeness and were beyond me when it came to modern midi operated organs. Mostly they knew more than I did about how that worked but they favoured paper rolls and card books as more traditional, aesthetically more satisfactory and pleasing to use, and "just more organic". There were quieter spots between the main acts when Rosie was just audible to those stood round to listen and we got a lot of compliments. We were announced from main stage as part of the event as "something well worth a look and listen" and "seriously cool". Several of them thanked us for coming and said they had been considering trying to build one but didn't know where to start. Lots of info re BOGA and John Smith were taken plus info on where and how to punch rolls or to get them made. One idea is to have a small organ on the back of a tricycle playing ragtime that can be pedalled round the sites. I've seen this done by Will Kelders sons so I know it can be done. Another was looking for something bigger, more café organ style though I'm not sure about heavy rock played on it. He wrote his own songs and knew enough about midi files, midiboek and so on though that I reckon he might just manage it. How about a DeCap type organ playing heavy rock at Banbury in a year or so?

All in all an interesting day. Far more interest than you get from a day on the streets, and serious interest, but would we do it again? Well I'd already accepted when were invited for the same day to a village fete that had been rearranged at short notice after a wash out earlier in the year. One of our regulars. I think next year we'll be back at the fete.

Suddenly lots to do

After a quiet spell when all our bookings seemed to coincide with the wet days and got cancelled we've four coming up in the next two weeks. Saturday in Banbury and Sunday at the Arcane Festival, Eynsham. Two weeks later it's Oxford castle again for a weekend at the food festival. Lots to do and so little time.

Last Sunday saw us in Witney. A pleasant afternoon till the trolley wheel went down a pot hole in the pavement and trolley, organ and me ended up in a heap. Lots of help but no witnesses! Anyway they got us back on our feet and a quick inspection suggetsed no serious problems. Back at home it was a different matter. Rosie's casing was protected by the covers (an old sleeping bag well wrapped round her, and the trolley took the battering from the fall. What has suffered is the tuning. Every single pipe way out and it sounded like a cat/bagpipe fight. Four hours so far and we sound like an organ again but it will still need another go to get a sound anywhere near what it should be - and I haven't even started on the celeste yet. I feel a compensation claim coming on and the county council are proving very hard to pin down, but the work has to be done now. It can't wait for them to send an inspector, and even if they do will he be able to tell if the organ is in tune or not. Most people can't.

All quiet on the Oxford front.

Nothing much to say really but thought it a good idea  at least to say we're still around. After all that good weather we managed to get our only two bookings for the early summer cancelled by the following deluge. One might be rearranged and both are rebooked for next year but it leaves this year a bit quiet so far. I guess it's back to the streets but with all the resident and other parking restrictions introduced recently it's difficult to find anywhere to go that doesn't cost an arm and a leg for parking.

I did enquire about putting Rosie on the bus but the polite version of the reply was that just because it will fit doesn't mean we'll let you. I'm currently considering whether a trailer for the bike is practical but suspect there would be too much bumping about.

Anyway, enough of now. See you about.

Royal Wedding Weekend and May Day

 



After all the activity tuning I was slightly aggrieved to have a minor accident lifting Rosie back onto her stand. To put it bluntly I tripped and we both hit the ground. Rosie’s fall was slightly cushioned by falling on top of me and I’ve got the bruises to prove it. No damage but needless to say the tuning was affected and I had to do it all again on Royal Wedding Day morning for the street party the next day. A quick job this time as only a couple of pipes had gone out. 

Dressed for the occasion



Saturday we were at Anne’s home as guests of her and John ( her new husband ) for a small party for neighbours, friends and family. A very enjoyable and restful afternoon but I forgot the camera so have no pictures of my own. I’ve been promised copies of other peoples so we’ll see if anything turns up to add later. I’m hoping there’s one with the cows in the neighbouring field all gathered at the fence listening.





    



May Day, Sunday May 1st saw us at Oxford Castle with friends from BOGA. Five organs in all and a good day was had but with rather less public than had been expected in spite of ideal weather. Maybe they were all too exhausted from being up at the crack of sparrows’ for the celebrations on Magdalene Bridge where the college choir sing in the dawn from the top of the tower. Any self respecting student will have been up all night in preparation and would be well lubricated by dawn so maybe they all just collapsed into bed leaving the town free for the tourists.



I did remember the camera this time so there's a few pics.

I'm just about spitting feathers again. Another session at the library almost up and blogspot doing everything it can to avoid putting the pictures into any sort of layout the makes sense, below is the best I can manage in the time I have.

  

Dennis and his first class
home built organ

John Hunt and Annie







Anne and passers bye dancing the the street

 

Jamie from Marston proving that the
kids can do it just as well as the adults

Hon memsec (John Webb) with Annie
 and Christina (castle management)

 


John Stevens from Hook Norton

Info board from John Stevens organ





Tuning

Well, I finally got round to tuning. It took quite a while to sort it out but when I sussed how to do it it was straightforward enough. The back rank of violins are fixed length and not tuneable but the meter showed that they are sufficiently in tune with themselves not to warrant major surgery. First time I checked they were perfectly at A440. I guess it was luck that I picked the right day next day with a change in the weather, they were flat.

Never mind, just put the meter away and do it by ear. A few years working in piano restoration helped. So, tune the front rank of stopped flutes to the violins. Easy - once I’d freed the stoppers so that they would actually slide. They need to be tight enough not to move with the normal travellings of the organ but not so tight they need more than a good grip with the fingers. Most were OK but a few were so tight it took a vice and “mole” grips (with rubber pads to avoid marking the wood). Refit the pipes that had to come out for “easing” push them back with a wipe of Vaseline to seal. One or two were a bit slack but a slip of newspaper between the leather and wood was enough to make a considerable difference.

Ready to tune. Surprisingly it was much easier to hear the “beat” on an organ pipe than it was on a piano so it didn’t take long. Just move the stopper till the “beat” stops. If in doubt I deliberately eased the stopper out till it was definitely flat then back in till the “beat” stops. That’s 22 pipes in tune, 11 violins and 11 flutes. Now the celeste. I think it’s more common to tune the celeste slightly sharp but on Rosie it was hard to tell whether it was sharp or flat. Some were one, some the other they were so far out so I went for sharper. Tune the celeste to the flutes them deliberately sharpen it a bit till there’s a noticeable “beat” that sounds pleasant to the ear. Count the “beats” and tune the other celeste pipes to the same speed of “beat”. That’s 33 pipes done, just the11 melody/ bass pipes to go.

I don’t have a tuning roll but on Rosie’s pressure box system a strip of masking take over the holes on the tracker bar seals all but the holes you want to sound one note at a time. The lower pipes don’t have a violin to tune them to so had the be tuned to the octave (or two ) above. Just uncover two holes at a time to sound the already tuned flute to the lower tone. The “beat" is just as obvious. For the two bass note with two pipes each (one an octave lower to give depth to the bass) cover the mouth of the deeper pipe, tune to higher one to the octave higher then uncover the lower one and tune the two bass pipes to each other.

Job done and sounding a lot better thought I think the celeste is less than perfect. Might try tuning the a few beats lower to see if it gives a more mellow tone. Good enough for the weekend though.

Oxford Castle May 1st update

Not a lot to add as the event is going ahead as planned except a 1000 start rather than 0900.

As all the owners there are BOGA  members
(British Organ Grinders' Assoc.  http://www.melright.com/boga/) we'll have a few pictures of other events we've run or attended and other info re the association dotted round the organs.

We spent a couple of hours at the castle a few days ago on a photoshoot - publicity for the day along with other characters who will be playing a part. Not sure when it will appear but I expect a spread in the local press in the week or so preceeding the event. I've pinched a copy of one of the picture (left) but hope there may be more. BOGA official phtographers wuill be present on the day anyway.
Hope to see some of you on the 1st.

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Oxford Castle organ festival Sunday May !st

We haven't been out recently but now the weather's beginning to look a bit better it's time to hit the streets again. The next definite event is at Oxford Castle when five or six organs will on site for the day, approx 0900 to 1500. I've a good idea who's coming so can say with confidence there'll be some of the best small organ in the country present, including some home build. Don't be afraid to talk to us and ask questions.It's Royal wedding / bank holiday weekend and we expect it to be busy.

Better book an evening to tune Rosie properly. Christmas left her sounding a bit rough in spite of proper tuning before hand and "tweeking" almost every evening.

Warming up for the season - possible event in Oxford

Nothing much to report since Christmas but Rosie has been getting a little attention, oiling round the various bits that need it, polish to the brass and woodwork and a tuning. That still needs a bit more attention but it will be right before we go out again. At Christmas the tuning was going out so quickly that in the end I didn't bother with more than a quick tweak each evening. No one seemed to notice, or they were just too polite to mention it,  but I could hear the pipes going out during the first few minutes of every day.

Nothing is definite yet but we were so well received at Christmas that the Castle have been asking about other dates and more organs. We're looking at Sunday May 1st as a possible with about half a dozen organs around the site. John West has been talking to them and making arangements. If it goes ahead there'll be something in BOGA - newsletter, web site or both soon. Organ owners interested can wait and see or give one of us a call.

Look forward to meeting some of you on the streets as soon as the weather gets a bit better.