Gedling School And Beyond - A Musical Journey


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  • 3 weeks later...

Used to work with Trevor Ford of the Mysteries - he wanted to change his name to Wayne!  Very impressed with his ability on the guitar at such a young age. 

 

My  favourite group would have to be the Carlwoods - but I would have to say that.  Only saw them a couple of times but they were doing the working men's clubs around Notts and Leics.

 

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Just heard about another Gedling school musician .Different genre though .

My brother does the occasional Monday night jazz gig at The Bell .

With him in the band is a Ron Spence (plays bass) who was in my year at Gedling and also Westdale Lane juniors.

I remember the name but not much else and dont think he's in any of those  school photos .

 

Apparently his day job is a piano tuner .

http://www.ronspencepianotuning.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

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18 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

Ron Spence is/was a piano tuner and a had a piano shop at Hucknall. He used to play bass in the Bob Hudson Trio which used to have a regular Sunday night gig at the Green Dragon at Oxton. The late Gyll Ball sang with them.

I indirectly know Bob Hudson , again via my brother . I put Bob Hudsons  Robin Hood suite on youtube a few years ago .

This is the one I like the most a track called Major Oak which features my bro on trombone . Recorded live at The Bonnington Theatre in Arnold in 2000 and has pictures of the band at the time .

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks to CT who has repaired all my image links, thought I might carry on with this thread which stared at Gedling School.  Sadly, the buildings are now derelict and due for demolition as the picture below shows.

 

GCSM-01a.jpg

 

The music room which was on the ground floor and now boarded up was our form room in 1964/65, FDWilson being our form teacher.  Those of us who decided to take CSE music were told we would have to be able to play an instrument and as I was able to play 'chopsticks' I figured the piano would be ideal for me.  FDW had other ideas and so I ended up with the dreaded recorder.  On examination day we were all waiting outside a first floor classroom and FDW asked who wanted to be first to demonstrate our instrumental skills.  Somehow, everybody else took a step backwards and so in I went to face the examiner.  I was so nervous that from beginning to end I managed to add vibrato - still managed to pass the exam though.  Happy days. 

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I took GCE O level music at Manning. It must have been the smallest group of any O level subject...there were 4 of us!

 

Grade 5 theory Royal Academy of Music examination was a prerequisite. If you hadn't passed that, you couldn't sit the O level course. Playing one instrument to a reasonable standard was also a prerequisite. I already played the piano but was then required to learn a second instrument. I had violin lessons with a visiting strings teacher but I couldn't take to it, much as I love the instrument. The voice was classed as a second instrument and since I sing reasonably well, that had to suffice.

 

I remember going to Mundella to sit my grade 8 theory exam whilst doing the 2 year O level course.

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52 minutes ago, Paradiddle said:

On examination day we were all waiting outside a first floor classroom and FDW asked who wanted to be first to demonstrate our instrumental skills.  

I took the same CSE music exam but have forgotten playing any instrument .

It would have been the recorder too though (or triangle ! ). 

I do remember getting the beat of the excerpt of classical music wrong in the exam .

I thought it was 3/4 instead of 4/4 ( could have been other way round). This meant when putting bar marks in or whatever you had to do on the score , the notes didn't fit in . 

Mr. Wilson to give him his due must have seen what I'd done wrong and was giving me worried looks , though I didn't cotton on and didn't change it .

Hence I got a grade 2 instead of a 1 . 

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David, remember taking the main music exam which was in the library on the upper floor.  Not sure why Mr Wilson was allowed to be present but like you I needed a bit of help with some of the answers and whilst certain pieces of music were being played he did his best to give us some clues without actually saying anything, dancing a waltz springs to mind.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I take it you enjoyed your school dinners then den?

 

The bell at Gedling wasn't very musical, I think they just blipped the fire alarm unlike at primary school (Plains Road) where we had a proper handbell - not sure who had the honour of ringing it though?

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  • 9 months later...

Like it or not I'm going to carry on with this tale. who knows, it may ring a few bells!!

 

Into the big wide world then in 1965, armed with a qualification in music no less - time to jump onto the musical bandwagon, alas, no demand for a recorder virtuoso, time to change tack.

 

FirstGig.jpg

 

Decided to spend my life savings (£30) on a drumset, there was going to be no peace in our house!  Along with some friends from Gedling school, The Audenboguls were formed.  Unfortunately none of us could play any instruments but at least I managed to apply the 'letraset'!     After many hours of playing along to 'The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt', I figured I was ready for the road.  Answered an advert in the evening paper and ended up auditioning for 'Just 4 With Cindy'.  Not old enough to drive and so having no transport, they came round to collect myself and the drums in a small escort van.  As Cindy and another member of the band were busy in the back, under a blanket, the drums had to be strapped onto the roof and so off we went to the March Hare (12th March 1966) and I played my first 'gig' for which I received the princely sum of ten shillings -  did that make me a semi-professional musician?

 

The tale may well continue!

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  • 1 year later...

I remember John Landon when he was in The Incrowd and I think his Dad was their manager. Quite embarrassing I have, in my 60 year old Autograph Book, a red and white bit of tape which I’ve written next to it that it’s off The Incrowd’s van.  He’s a Faceboook friend btw, but I’ve not seen him for many years.

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