Euphonium Lessons

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I took adult lessons on the euphonium at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax. This is my 4-valve Yamaha YEP-321. My studies were based on the Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method.

One of the short excercises I was assigned in my first few lessons was entitled "Erie Canal Capers", an American Work Song. After performing this piece for my teacher, I mentioned how much I liked the melody. He told me it was a song played by many school bands and I should check it out online. I did.

I discovered that the song, known by several different names, was based on the mule-powered barges that transported goods between upstate New York boomtowns during the period 1825 to 1880. The song was recorded in 1912 and credited to composer Thomas S. Allen. Furthermore, I found a version online by Bruce Springsteen in The Seeger Sessions (2006). The title is simply "Erie Canal" and I perform this song as a guitar/voice solo.

My first guitar was a used acoustic that my parents bought for my birthday in 1967. I don't remember the make, however, I have kept one of my earliest guitars, a German-made Framus with serial number 007026 (see picture). This guitar is still playable and has a deep rich sound. I played guitar through my high school years (1969-73) at beach parties, school shows, and in a teenage band of friends. Our band even got paid $25 to play at a birthday party - since the group had four members, that was $6.25 each!

My current guitar is a Taylor Custom 414ce made in California. The shape of the neck and easy action make this an ideal match for my hands which have developed osteoarthritis in the joints since 2006. This guitar has seen lots of work over the years from Freeman's Little New York in Lower Sackville to the Hants County Exhibition in Windsor. The strings I use are Elixir Lights 12-53 for a great sound and long life. Most of my songs are performed with large, flexible triangle flat pics but I use finger style for a few songs. This year I bought a capo for the first time since the late 60s. Playing without a capo for over 55 years allowed me to develop strong fingers for barre chords, and the ability to play songs in any key. My playing style includes a lot of damping with both hands, and using pick rotation for staccato with the pick's points, and legato with the edges. To facilitate rotation and to prevent dropping my pick, I make a hole in the centre of the pick with a one-hole punch. It is rare that I drop a pick while playing.