Deembe Music

Category: Music

  • Mrs Sunderland Workshop 2026

    Mrs Sunderland Workshop 2026

    2020 Performance
    The Armed Man Workshop

    After not taking part in a Mrs Sunderland Choral Workshop since that living on the edge of a global pandamic event in 2020 it feels good to be registered to take part in the 2026 event.

    The theme next February is songs from Film and Stage so I’m expecting some well known music that we can really enjoy singing.


    Taking part in that first adult workshop in 2016 was such a brilliant experience.

    I would for sure have taken part in the repeat of The Armed Man workshop, even without the thrilling laser light show but I was still shielding my vulnerable mother-in-law at that point and so not singing.

    It will be great to re-unite with singers from other choirs that I used to sing with.

  • A Celebration of Northern Soul

    A Celebration of Northern Soul

    Keep The Faith event poster.

    Soul Choir returned to rehearsals this week with the anticipation of another landmark event at The Holmfirth PictureDrome approaching in October.

    Our last gig there, in December 2024, was truly memorable and this special Celebration of Northern Soul looks set to repeat that experience. There is even a Northern Soul dance lesson before we do our set.

    The songs shortlisted of course include anthems like Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You’, MVP’s ‘Turning My Heartbeat Up’ and Frankie Valli’s ‘The Night. Some songs are still to be revealed by Dan but the inclusion of The Isley Brothers ‘This Old Heart of Mine’ was well received – we really enjoyed learning that one!

  • A Go To Guitar Song?

    A Go To Guitar Song?

    Recently both James Kuhnel and Andrew Beal at Kirklees Guitar School have both posed a question along the lines of ‘what is your go to song on guitar’ if asked to play?

    I realised that I don’t really have one. I have tended to learn a song for a performance (or recording) and then moved on to another, quite quickly forgetting how to play the former. This even applies to my own original songs!

    Another factor is that with changing keys to match my Bass vocal I often use the guitar Capo. So is this go to song with Capo that I happen to be carrying!

    Assuming that it is I would likely choose one of the songs that I have performed at Open Mic night or gathering. So this is now a to-do, commit to relearning and regularly practice one or more of these songs.

    Time of Your Life – Greenday

    Sometime Around Midnight – The Airborne Toxic Event (TATE)

    Streets of London – Ralph McTell

    Read All About It – Emeli Sandé

  • KGS Practice Challenge

    KGS Practice Challenge

    Week 1

    James Kuhnel of Kirklees Guitar School runs an Online Student Guitar Group on Facebook. He set the group the challenge of practicing each day in August. For Week 1 the challenge included note picking and rhythm exercices, with the latter being mainly about timing.

    I took James’ suggestion of playing the C, Em, Am, D chord progression on two guitars, using the Exercise 2.1 & 2.2 chord positions. I recorded my playing the open chord progression on one track and then played along to that to capture the second guitar using bar chords on another track.  I went further and added Bass guitar playing root notes on a third track. A fourth track captured a EZDrummer3 used as the metronome at 70 bpm.

    By recording those tracks in the Cockos Reaper DAW I was able to visually inspect my performance, aligning the beats on the waveforms to bar position and I noted that I have a distinct tendency to be just a fraction in front of the beat. Something to work on as part of my practice sessions.

    Week 2

    The practice challenge for week 2 followed a similar pattern with three picking exercises to perform at 60 bpm and three chord exercises at 70 bpm.

  • Don’t Fret, Learn more

    Don’t Fret, Learn more

    James Kuhnel
    The Deembe Standard Guitar Finish!

    My new learning adventure is now starting, with my first ever 1-2-1 guitar lesson scheduled for mid-August with Kirklees Guitar School in Denby Dale. 

    I did participate in some group classes when I first started learning way back in the 1970s with a nylon strung acoustic guitar and then later with Musica Adult Guitar Group in 2017/18 using my PRS electric.

    It was good to visit the Guitar School today, meet with owner / tutor James Kuhnel and have a look around the facility.

    There does feel to be quite some serendipity in this turn of events with an overlap of interests between me as the student and the tutors areas of experience.  


    I feel that this is going to be fun and rewarding learning experience.

    On my visit James posed a question along the lines of asking what is my go to song on guitar, say if someone asked me to play? I realised that I don’t really have one. I did play him a bit of Ben King’s Stand By Me but not sure I would say that’s my go to song, just one I could remember and that didn’t need a Capo!

  • Guitar’s In Focus

    Guitar’s In Focus

    Two weeks have elapsed since the memorable Sing Pop ‘On The Mic’ event. It felt sad to be moving on from such a good experience but now it’s time to make plans for the next adventures.

    This autumn / winter I intend to revisit my original songs, with some instrumental updates, but mainly it’s about getting the vocals recorded in Cockos Reaper and the music notation complete in Musescore.

    As a getting back up to speed exercise I’m recording my favourite song from the Sing Pop performances, The Night, a Soul Choir favourite too. To that end I’m currently learning the guitar and bass guitar parts end exploring keyboard and EZ Drummer tracks.

    I’m also exploring a new guitar learning experience as an aside to my autumn / winter projects.

  • The Blind Pig Gig

    The Blind Pig Gig

    Rona, Gill and Laura provide backing vocals for I’m a Believer

    Returning to The Blind Pig for our second showcase event felt less daunting than for the December gig.

    This time I sang lead on The Monkees version of ‘I’m a Believer’, solo on the Zutons original version of ‘Valerie’ and lent backing vocals to Rona’s highly amusing, and incredibly cheesy, version of the Mike Flowers Pops version of ‘Wonderwall’.

    Another terrific afternoon with admirable performances drawn from an eclectic collection of popular music. Once we four had performed our songs we were able to enjoy the year 2 group’s performances.

    I feel sad that for me it’s now over but I am really pleased to have had this unexpected return to a live mic.

    I can heartily recommend the Sing Pop workshops experience.

  • ‘Valerie’ – Zutons original V Amy Winehouse Cover?

    ‘Valerie’ – Zutons original V Amy Winehouse Cover?

    Having chosen to sing ‘Valerie’, from the function band choice list, at the second Sing Pop gig I had to then make a further choice between singing a cover of the Zuton’s original or the Amy Winehouse cover.

    Although I very much like what Any and Mark Ronson did with the song, giving it that Motown like beat, I still prefer and chose to sing the Zuton’s original.

    Maybe my choice was influenced by a watching / listening to a male singer vs a female singer. Perhaps it was the tempo? I suspect though it was the earnest feel of the original contrasted with the vocal gymnastics of Amy’s version.

    [yop_poll id=”2″]

  • Sing Pop – Final Rehearsals

    Sing Pop – Final Rehearsals

    On Monday evening this adventure took the Sing Pop Students to the Creative Dance Centre in Brighouse.

    We rehearsed our backing vocals along with the basic choreography in the dance studio in front of the mirrors. You need a sense of humour for this challenge!



    On Thursday evening we returned to Heath URC in Halifax for the last time for the Sing Pop final rehearsal. Laura had delivered her lessons in the Lounge and in the Community Hall of this large church building. With just three of the six students at the final rehearsal in the large hall it seemed odd but we soon filled it with sound!

    Traveling back to the Heath area this past year has felt quite strange. So close to where my choral singing adventure with CSI:Halifax got started and lasted over 7 years, a short distance down Free School Lane at the Heath Campus.

    It has been a fun and challenging experience, learning new skills / techniques and refreshing others learnt earlier with Olivia Hyde. I would readily continue with Sing Pop were it not for the travelling from Holmfirth and wanting to pursue other musical activities.

    This Autumn Laura is taking the Sing Pop tuition to The Lookout in Sowerby Bridge. I’m sure it will be a brilliant experience for both new and continuing students.

    https://www.lmorrellmusic.co.uk/workshop

  • showcase Preparations

    showcase Preparations

    With the Soul Choir events now concluded till Autumn I can now turn full attention to the forthcoming Sing Pop showcase appearance on Sunday 20th July. 

    We are returning to excellent music venue, The Blind Pig at Sowerby Bridge, that hosted our first Sing Pop showcase back in December 2024.


    In the coming week we have two more rehearsals, one paying attention to backing vocals and basic choreography and then a final sing through / troubleshooting.  For the backing vocals choreography we’re going to use a mirrored room at the Creative Dance Centre’s studios in Brighouse.

    I think that lots-of-laughs are guaranteed!

    Looking forward to this challenge and then using some of the vocal skills gained to help me complete recording some of my original songs over winter 2025.

  • Ripon Set Cancelled

    Ripon Set Cancelled

    Sadly we didn’t get to perform our set at The Ripon Theatre Festival due to a vehicle breakdown impacting our choral leader.

    All was not lost though as there were some good performances by Yorkshire Voices, The Rock Choir and Ripon Youth Theatre to enjoy. My wife and I also took the opportunity to explore Ripon, take a look at Cathedral’s interior and then take a picnic lunch in the park.

    Those members that performed at The Honley Show had performed the set comprising:

    1. Son of a Preacher Man

    2. Stop in the Name of Love

    3. You to Me Are Everything

    4. Is This Love?

    5. Be My Baby

    6. The Night

    7. Tainted Love

    Today’s event brought the season to a close for me but I’m already excited upon hearing news of planned Autumn events!

  • Two Rehearsals and a Festival

    Two Rehearsals and a Festival

    Preparation for next month’s Sing Pop ‘On The Mic’ at The Blind Pig, Sowerby Bridge continue at Heath URC this week, sandwiched between a Soul Choir Rehearsal and then a Soul Choir Performance as part of the Ripon Theatre Festival  https://www.ripontheatrefestival.org/event/soul-choir/



  • Pop Choir

    Pop Choir

    Today I travel back to Halifax to sing with Laura Morrell, but not for a Sing Pop session.

    Laura is currently is studying for an MA in Vocal Pedagogy. She is also reparing to launch a new Pop Choir in Halifax this Autumn. So today’s event joined up her twin objectives and provided me with yet another little adventure. Laura was testing some teaching approaches, teaching us, using a special arrangement of James Bay’s ‘Hold Back The River in three parts (SAB),

  • Jet Guitar setup Revisited

    The new Jet Guitar plays very well but the tuning wasn’t as stable as I initially felt.  I felt I was getting slippage on the top two strings and noted that the tuner post windings were very short indeed compared to my PRS.   So I decided to change the strings from the included 9 gauge to my normal Elixr XL 10 gauge, lubricate the nut and saddle and to use my normal winding regime at the the tuners.


    Having changed the strings to this slightly heavier gauge I noted that the floating tremolo bridge was lifted at the end quite dramatically so I also adjusted the tremolo spring tension to return it to the original position.

    After checking the action and neck relief I concluded nothing further was needed for now so I went through several iterations of string stretching and tuning adjustment. I seem to have a much more stable guitar with a more familiar feel and will now let things settle down before checking again.

  • Out of order Revisited

    One of my musical aims for Autumn / Winter 2025 is to finally do a full recording including vocals of my original song ‘Out Of Order‘.

    The song was written in 2017, inspired by my late sister Michelle’s battle with cancer, performed live twice (poorly), once as a duo and once solo.

    To-date I have only recorded the instrumental version. So today I re-visited the guitar introduction, that I now plan to vary slightly, as I start to prepare for re-recording later in the year.

    Since 2017 I have continued developing as a guitarist. I recently bought my Jet JS400 which comes with a tremolo arm, a new experience for me. Some kind advice on usage came from Kirklees Guitar School‘s James and George after sharing my video of the intro with them. James also suggested looking at the use of Vibrato, especially for phrase end notes, so I shall investigate that too.

  • Sing Pop – Backing Vocals

    Sing Pop – Backing Vocals

    At Sing Pop work continues on preparing for our July showcase event. We will each be singing covers of four songs, two as lead and two providing backing vocals:

    1. Our own solo choice from the ‘functions band’ list ~ for me the original version of Valerie by the The Zutons;


    2. A requested song from fellow students ~ for me that’s I’m a Believer as performed by The Monkees but written be Neil Diamond. For this song I’m joined by my lovely backing singers to form, for one performance only, Deembe and The Chimpettes!😁 ;


    3. Backing vocals 1 ~ Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton, a soul classic that is also features in The Soul Choir repertoire;


    4. Backing vocals 2 ~ The already overblown and funny cover of Wonderwall by Mike Flowers Pops given added Sing Pop attitude to boost the stereotype beyond a cliché!


    I won’t reveal the other students song choices other than the above two, where I’m contributing to the backing.

    We’re now rehearsing these and other songs both as lead and backing singers. With the backing singer role comes the challenge of learning some basic movements … awkward!

    If standing at the mic alone doesn’t deliver enough of an out-of-comfort zone adrenaline kick then doing it with choreographed synchronised moves will deliver an overdose!  Think Gladys Night and The Pips or Diana Ross and The Supremes!

  • Guitar Setup

    Guitar Setup

    Having plugged the new Jet JS400  guitar into the amp I noticed the string buzz which led me down the rabbit hole of truss rod adjustment to increase the neck relief.   Having watched a couple of videos I set about trying to achieve a 2mm gap at the 7th fret of the 6th string (low E) by adjusting the rod with a Capo on the first fret and holding down at the 17th  (the body) fret and inserting a feeler gauge over the fret.  After a coupe of small adjustments the gap was set and when retuned the buzz had gone.


    With this success in place I turned my attention to the PRS SE 245 where I needed to decrease the neck relief a little to bring it in line with PRS recommendations.

    Perhaps I shall venture into action / intonation checking & adjustment soon too!

  • Light Music…

    Light Music…

    PRS SE 245
    Peavey Raptor I

    Jet JS-400

    When I started learning guitar I never imagined that one day the key criteria for a new instrument would be its weight. Well that time has arrived. In order to keep playing and learning I need to be able to overcome the effects of aging. My neck, back and hands all struggle at times with the weight of my PRS SE 245. It’s a great guitar, I love playing it but it is really heavy, like most Les Paul related styles.

    I have relied upon on old Peavey Raptor to provide a lighter alternative. My son left that budget, paint splatted, guitar behind when he moved out. When the nut failed over the 6th string I took that string off and re-tuned the guitar to Open G and used it to learn some Keith Richard’s (Rolling Stones) and Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge) progressions. Sadly this further failed with first fret fretboard delamintion and wasn’t worth repairing.

    So I have purchased a new guitar, with weight and low cost being as high on my list of requirements as the instruments look and souuds. I chose a Jet JS-400 model to regain that ‘strat’ like experience on a budget. This has turned out to be a brilliant choice, Jet guitars are an absolute bargain!

  • Sing Pop – On The Mic

    Sing Pop – On The Mic

    Sing Pop Student Showcase


    The arrival of the flyer for our second performance makes the event feel even closer and us thinking that much remains to be worked upon.

    I’m now feeling that another few weeks will make the lyrics feel secure and hopefully most of the performance notes will have been addressed for my two songs.

    There are also two songs to familiarise with that I’m providing backing vocals for. Candi Staton’s ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ is quite well known as this is another Soul Choir song. The Mike Flowers Pops version of the Oasis song ‘Wonderwall’ less so. These songs come with the added challenge of including some (basic) choreography for the backing vocalists.

    Looking forward to returning to The Blind Pig, a smashing little music bar that made us amateurs feel very welcome last December.

  • Learning Lyrics

    The Drifter

    Learning lyrics is always something that I find challenging. What seems to work for me is approaching the learning in varied ways; singing along alone jsut doesn’t work for me. Currently I am learning four songs and for each I am adopting a learning by doing (active learning) approach that includes;

    • listening and writing out by hand – then look up lyrics online and correct;
    • singing whilst playing along on guitar;
    • sing along to varied YouTube performances including covers;
    • breaking into chunks whilst singing along to backing tracks paying attention to dynamics, vowels and note length
    • transcribing / transposing (if applicable) when changing key to match my Bass register. Then paying attention to pitch.

    Currently applying this approach to Ray Pollard’s ‘The Drifter’, a new Soul Choir song but also one that I noted when learning ‘The Night’ sung by Darrel Smith at the Northern Soul Proms performance at the Royal Alber Hall

  • HCS Voices Workshop

    HCS Voices Workshop

    Free Singing Workshop


    HCS Voices are hosting a singing workshop in June. Although I no longer sing with HCS Voices I had some great times and good experiences whilst singing with them. The workshops were especially good experiences with expert vocal coaching.

    https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hcs-voices

    HCS Voices say …

    Discover the joy of singing at our free workshop! 🎶

    HCS Voices, supported by the Stada Community Catalyst Fund, invites you to an exciting singing workshop. Whether you’re an experienced singer or just love to hum along in the shower, this event is for anyone aged 18 and over across Kirklees—especially for those who might feel isolated or excluded.

    Why Join Us?

    Experience the uplifting power of singing together.

    Improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

    Find encouragement to join a local choir.

    No need to read music or have prior singing experience

    🎤 What’s in Store?

    Led by our inspiring music director, Laura Bailie, and supported by expert professional vocal coaching, you’ll experience the joy of singing alongside members of HCS Voices. Together, we’ll create an uplifting musical experience.

    🗓️Event Details:

    Date: Sunday, 8 June

    Time: 2pm to 5pm

    Venue:

    Moldgreen URC

    Old Wakefield Rd,

    Moldgreen,

    Huddersfield,

    West Yorkshire

    HD5 8AA

    🌟 Free to Attend! Pre-registration is required at: ticketsource.co.uk/hcs-voices

    Come and join us to celebrate the joy of music and the power of community. Together, let’s raise our voices and create something extraordinary! 🎵

    Supported by the Stada Community Catalyst Fund.

  • Ripon Theatre Festival

    Ripon Theatre Festival

    Ripon Cathederal

    Soul Choir on Tour!

    After the first concert of 2025 at Marsden Cuckoo Festival the Soul Choir are set to sing at Honley Show in June and then take the Soul vibes to North Yorkshire in July with an appearance at Ripon Theatre Festival.

    I’m really looking forward to singing outdoors again, it has been quite some time.

    Soul Choir