| Glyn discovered the organ during this period - thanks to a Joseph Seal record presented to his Dad following a school dramatic production. He became enthralled by the instrument, taking lessons at the local church, although he never learned to play theatre organ and becoming something of a thorn in the side of the very tolerant manager of the local music shop who he used to pester incessantly for brochures, price lists, posters and anything else to fee his hobby needs. On leaving school, he joined the staff and within four years was managing the music shop. Shop work doesn't often pay well and, to supplement his wages and to pay for a car, he taught the organ and played in a variety of venues during the evening. Like many young players, Glyn was struggling to get his name noticed on the organ club circuit and, in the mid/late 1970's, he began to play outside Sheffield for the first time. In 1980, Yamaha (then Kemble Organ Sales Ltd) offered Glyn a job as demonstrator. They were launching a new organ called the D85. Nobody knew it at that time, but that range of instruments was to put Yamaha at the head of the league, ahead of former big bames, such as Hammond, Lowrey, Wurlitzer, etc. Glyn says that the following fifteen years were some of the most exciting he could have wished for. His personal dream had become true and he has played on the best (and most expensive) instruments available, travelled the world and worked with some wonderful musicians and made many, many friends. Now
... a message from Glyn ...
Well,
I thought it was about time I brought you up to date with
events in the life of Glyn Madden (that’s me by the way…)
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The
Performer:
It’s hard to believe that it is
now almost ten years since I left Yamaha UK. Perhaps
it’s all the more difficult because I continued to
play concerts on their behalf for the first five.
Today I sit on the sidelines of the organ/keyboard
world as my job involves far more writing about
playing than actually doing it. Of course, I am often
asked if I miss the concert circuit and, whilst there
are aspects of the life that I do occasionally yearn
for, on the whole I am enjoying the freedom to live a
“normal” life-style.
I still enjoy to play... and I guess I always will,
but now I play the music that I want to play and
mostly for my own enjoyment. Oddly, I haven’t played
an organ since before Christmas 2001 and nearly always
choose the piano. Perhaps it’s the immediacy of the
piano that appeals to me. You don’t need to set it
up... |
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Glyn
with Robert Webster (Head of Yamaha
Keyboard division). The plaque, presented on
14th July 2001, is dedicated to “Mr.
Yamaha” - Glyn Madden |
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For
the future I look forward to playing whilst ever
people still want to listen to my kind of music -
perhaps appearing at one or two of the festivals - but
I shan’t be doing it on a regular basis and I no
longer have a ‘concert programme’ to offer. |
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The
Recording Artist:
I haven’t made any recordings
for a long time - although there is one ‘in the
pipe-line’ at the moment which may (or may not) be
released at some future date. You see, I’m having a
bit of an identity crisis...
I’ll try to explain. I have become known as an
‘orchestral’ organ player. As a recording artist
this is fine when you are regularly performing because
people will see one man producing the effect of an
entire orchestra - think “Wow!” - and buy a CD as
a souvenir of the concert. It’s different, however,
if you’re not performing. Why would a buyer choose a
CD of an organist sounding like an orchestra when, for
the same price, they could buy a CD of the real
orchestra?
I think back to when I
was a kid, and I fell in love with the organ sound. I
bought loads of organ records (remember them?) to
listen to that sound over and over again. It was an
organ recording producing a sound you couldn’t hear
anywhere else. It had an identity of its own. I had
records of organ played solo, with orchestra, with
band, with combo... but always featuring the organ as
the solo instrument, always keeping that identity. |
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Grosvenor
Studios: Glyn
- with John Taylor (Owner of Grosvenor
Studios, Birmingham) and Chris Taylor during a
recording session featuring Yamaha HX / HS
organs in April 1988 |
|
The same goes for
piano. If you buy a CD of piano music you know what to expect.
So ... I’m returning to my roots by creating a recording
that features organ and piano as the main instruments -
because they have an identity. The wonderful technology of
today’s modern keyboards has not been cast aside, however,
and I use all the breathtaking instrumental sounds and effects
to provide a backwash against which to highlight the organ (or
piano) lead instrument. Perhaps the CD will appear - one day -
and if it does I hope you like it, but there’s no great
rush.
Sadly it seems that programmes such as the Organist Entertains
no longer want to entertain any electronic organs in the
format so without going back on the road to promote it myself
I doubt that many people will even hear of it.
The
Editor:
In October 2002 Yamaha Club celebrated
its seventh birthday. That also seems incredible to me...
where does the time go..?! My wife Cathy and I originally
started the club with a view to me spending more time at home
- a vision which came true sooner than we had planned! The
Yamaha Club set out to offer help and advice to owners of
Yamaha keyboards, organs and Clavinova digital pianos - but
has since grown into much, much more.
Our
magazine is issued to members every two months and we’re
proud to boast that we’ve never yet been late, despite all
the problems that have beset us during the past couple of years. In
April 2002 we took over Yamaha’s “Software Direct” phone
line - adding an impressive range of Yamaha software and
accessories to our own extensive catalogue. We try to review
the accessory items we stock - so that enthusiasts can read
about the strengths and/or weaknesses of any particular
product - covering such items as carry cases, keyboard
stands, headphones - in fact all the things that Yamaha owners
need. Yamaha UK themselves have been very supportive of the
club and have helped by advertising us to new owners and, as
the membership has grown, so have the benefits we’ve been
able to offer.
Each
year we have our own ‘festival’ type event at Warner’s
beautiful Alvaston Hall in Cheshire. This is open to non-club
members although members are offered the chance to book their
places first. The action packed weekend is full of workshops,
seminars, concerts etc. and has become more popular with each
passing year.
Our
website http://www.yamaha-club.co.uk
offers members a ‘Virtual Stage’ on which they can
showcase their own performances - and download the
performances of other like-minded enthusiasts. MIDI backing
tracks are also often provided for the music we publish in the
magazine and these, together with a teachers’ register, and
software browser, not to mention many other services, adds
another dimension to club membership. Club members may also
join an email contact group where they can exchange news,
views, advice etc.
You’ll appreciate that this keeps Cathy and I very busy on a
day-to-day basis so there’s not a lot of time left for
playing - but I enjoy working out the arrangements, backing
tracks and articles for the magazine to help home enthusiasts
make good use of the instruments’ features and, hopefully,
enjoy the hobby more.
Where
am I playing...
As I said earlier, I don’t do much in public
these days - mostly local charity events where I can keep my
hand in whilst enjoying playing in a less ‘critical’
atmosphere. I’ve only got a couple of events to report at
the moment (which is quite enough for this year) but I’ll
try to remember to let you know as others come through.
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The Yamaha Club
Weekend 2004
at Alvaston Hall - Cheshire
29th October - 1st November 2004
Come and join the party...
Tuition...
Find out more about your instrument by joining
one of our tuition groups where top teachers and
performers show you how to get the very best from your
playing with tips on how to use your keyboard to the
full - and how to improve your performance musically.
Why not bring your own keyboard (with headphones) to
practise what you’ve learnt.
Concerts...
We can talk about it... but can we do it? Sit
back and listen to some of the UK’s best Yamaha artistes
in concert. We’ve already lined up
Ryan Edwards,
Tony Back,
Tony
Stace, Glyn Madden, James
Sargeant, Howard Beaumont,
Richard Bower, Steve Marsden and Janet Dowsett.
Relax... you’re on holiday
Alvaston Hall is a great place to ‘get away from it all’
and relax in beautiful surroundings. For guests
who don’t play, or who want to give the tuition sessions
a miss, Alvaston Hall hosts a variety of non-musical
leisure pursuits including a modern leisure centre with
swimming pool, exercise room, sauna, steam room and
plunge pool. Snooker, bowls, French boules, croquet,
billiards and darts are also on offer, as are card and
pub games. In addition there’s a putting green and, for
a small extra charge, you can also enjoy Alvaston's
9-hole golf course. For those wanting to pamper
themselves still further, there’s a beauty salon
offering aromatherapy, massage, facials and solarium.
Nearby historic Chester provides an interesting
destination with many attractions and, of course, great
shopping!
Technical classes...
Steve Marsden’s always on hand to host one of his
friendly groups to learn about connecting your keyboard
/ organ / Clavinova to a computer and various MIDI and
audio recording applications... Home recording is one of
the fastest growing aspects of our hobby and Steve can
show you the very best way to begin.
Please contact
Sceptre Promotions for more information ...
01780 782093
97 Elton Road, Stibbington, Peterborough, PE8 6JX
Accommodation ranges from £208 per person |
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