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Whit Friday is a March contest around 20 odd different villages in the Saddelworth/Tameside area of Northern England, and attracts over 100 diferent brass bands of varying standards over 6 hours, all dashing around villages on coaches.

It's an incredible experience, to either play or spectate, but can be a bit sore on the back!

Here's a picture of us marching early in the evening in our vintage uniform, playing a 1970'3 Imperial 3 valve BBb. The other BBb player used an identical one, and we managed to win "Best Basses" at one of the contests on Friday.
And here's a video of us doing the "contest" bit at Delph later in the night. I'm the rotund one!! We start at 1:02, but the whole video (over an hour) gives a feel of the event and varying standards!

https://youtu.be/fpaRcbPDOc8?t=1h2m47s

Andy, that was great. You guys are a HELLUVA bass section. Thank you so much for posting it.Ed

Andy, What march were you playing? I recognise it, but can't remember its name.

How did you find using only 3 valve bass? Did you miss the 4th valve?

Band sounds great and you look a well groomed lot! Mind you with those vintage uniforms I think you should also be wearing hats

EdFirth wrote:Andy, that was great. You guys are a HELLUVA bass section. Thank you so much for posting it.Ed

+1 Bravo. Thank You.

Neptune wrote:Andy, What march were you playing? I recognise it, but can't remember its name.

How did you find using only 3 valve bass? Did you miss the 4th valve?

Band sounds great and you look a well groomed lot! Mind you with those vintage uniforms I think you should also be wearing hats

George Allan's The Wizard

This was really enjoyable, Andy. I wish there was a traditional brass band near where I live.

Also really enjoyed Brighouse playing Knights Templar march at Whit Friday a few years ago... became my favorite march instantly.

Neptune wrote:How did you find using only 3 valve bass? Did you miss the 4th valve?

The comp loops make the 3-valve versions, whether B&H or Besson, the best in-tune tubas ever made, even if the occasional tuba has the occasional stuffy note here or there. Being outdoors with a smaller ensemble, the bass lines are not written where Beezlebub dwells, because lines that low don't blend or carry as well outdoors. So the BBb 3-valve comp versions, which I used to own one (and know where it is if I ever want to borrow it back), are the best tubas for these kinds of concerts.

As mentioned, a couple of stuffy notes, but fine for outdoors, easier on the back and not as important when the dents appear carrying it on and off the bus in haste!

Great stuff. I love British marches. Much more fun than oompah parts. Great work Andy.

Andy, that's great stuff! You guys sound great. Good balance and tight. Thanks for sharing.

Oh my aching back though, ouch.

Well done Andy! I do love that march, even though I'm not at all familiar with it until now...I've always been a fan of Knight Templar, but I like this one even better.

I take back every mean thing I've said about batty Englishman and their goofy Eb Silver instruments.

bloke wrote:

Three Valves wrote:I take back every mean thing I've said about batty Englishman and their goofy Eb Silver instruments.

...not to mention the bad teeth and 24AW mpc's...

b.s. aside,

Astonishingly great playing...and that's not something that can be thrown together in a few rehearsals (or a few months). That type of playing is built on generations of tradition...a tradition of perfection.

Ta Joe, strangely 3 of the section were using 24AW's.... no comment on the teeth!!

To be fair, there aren't many bands these days that can do a march with that poise, even on Whit Friday there's a lot of rushing and bad time from some less experienced outfits. But, aim high and all that...

We did an hour's rehearsal on the march. Only decided 2 days before to do that one. But as you say, it's not the particular piece, or notes, that make it work.... it's the collective previous experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDtftJ5RMmg

Here's another video of the (less impressive) marching skills, but also a different venues contest performance. 2"12' is the good stuff.

Really an awesome performance. Thank you for posting this. It got me looking at a number of Whit Friday performances. One question, it looked like some bands played the same march year after year. Is that common place?

Again thank you for a wonderful post.

Hi All, this year's Whit Friday just passed. It was my last gig with Brighouse and Rastrick, time for a move! Anyway, here's a pic of the bass section and a video. This year the band were Overall Saddleworth Champions, and we played Ravenswood by W.Rimmer. This video is the last one of the night, in the rain at midnight.

https://goo.gl/photos/a2GHC5PmqhFQj1B8A

https://youtu.be/xeuoRm4zUCo?t=11s