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gigs - functions - weddings - session work - tuition - composition |
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BIOGRAPHY My Dad started teaching me piano when I was four, and would give me lessons every morning before school for the first few years. Later I went to a piano tutor, and by the time I was ten had passed piano grades one to six. Then I took a well-deserved break from exams, during which I developed an interest in modern and jazz music – something I’d been unaware of until then. To be frank, I'd become so saturated with formal piano practice, that I'd told my Dad that I wanted to give up entirely. Instead of arguing with me, he used some child psychology, and went out and bought a book of Richard Clayderman piano pieces for me, and told me just to relax and enjoy myself after all my hard work! I found these pieces beautifully melodic, without being hard to play. They were a real tonic, and renewed my enthusiasm for the piano. Thank you, Dad and Richard! During my early teenage years I was spending hours at the piano every day, playing the latest pop tunes from music books. During that time I gained a lot of knowledge about chords and progressions. Although classical training and technique are extremely important, to understand music in depth one needs to study chords, and learn how to improvise and construct melodies around them. Chords and progressions are not covered by the Associated Board practical exam material, so sometimes now, when I’m teaching, I’ll also cover chords and inversions, as well as pieces and scales. After leaving school at sixteen, I spent the next two years at sixth-form college, studying for 3 A-levels (Music, Music Technology and Performing Arts,) and during this period I also passed grades seven and eight piano with distinction. That was a hard-working couple of years! It wasn’t until the age of fifteen or sixteen that I developed an interest in singing – something I’d never even thought about before. My Dad had often suggested that I try it, but I was always too shy. One evening, however, I happened to catch a glimpse of Mariah Carey belting out a song at a televised concert, and I was completely mesmerised. At the time I had a Tina Arena tape, and I recorded myself on a little cassette player, mimicking some of the lines from her songs. I was both surprised and pleased with the result! My voice was very weak, but it was in tune and had a pleasant tone. I bought a ‘Teach Yourself to Sing’ book, and started doing singing exercises to strengthen my voice. Later I attended voice lessons, to improve my singing technique. At the age of 18 after having left sixth-form college with an A and two B grades, the next logical step seemed to be higher education. I auditioned for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music. These colleges are heavily weighted toward classical study. (They have produced some of the world’s finest classical performers.) I was offered a place at Trinity College, which I attended for a year. My technical ability at the piano certainly improved, but by this stage in my life my interests had moved away from classical piano and lay elsewhere in the world of pop, modern, jazz and singing. I lacked interest in the classical aspects of the college course, whose workload was extremely demanding, and I therefore left Trinity College after one year. I pursued my voice training, played in a rock band, and wrote some songs. I really just spent the next few years developing my skills as a musician and singer, while holding down some very mundane, unmusical jobs to keep the pennies rolling in. At the age of 23 I met a group of friends who were musicians and singers, and did gigs for a living, and I remember thinking: ‘What a fantastic job!’ — To do what you love, and earn a living from it. I did the odd gig with them to gain experience and confidence, and then went out and bought my own little PA system, started promoting myself with advertisements and demo tapes, and I am now gigging between 3 and 5 nights a week, and teaching piano 2 days a week. As for what’s around the corner — Who knows? |
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Also playing (but check first!) at: The
Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly, London 020 7493 8181 |
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Dee Hunter © all
rights reserved |
