'Tips from the Top' - Interview with James McLeod

After a short break 'Tips from the Top' returns with a bang, chatting to Besson Artist and Principal Euphonium of The Leyland Band, James McLeod. 

1.      When did you start to play the Euphonium?

I started on baritone when I was 7 at Hetton Lyons Primary School in the North East, I played baritone and percussion for the Houghton Area Youth Band and Houghton Brass then moved to euphonium when I was 12.

2.      What has been your most interesting/unusual concert performance?

I'm sure everyone says they have lots of these to pick from!  I think Leyland's concert at the Innsbrucker Promenadenkonzerte Festival in 2015 was a surreal event.

We flew to Germany, took a bus to Austria, had one of our Bb Bass players rushed to A&E, played a 2 hour concert with no interval to 3000 people in the pouring rain, got on the bus back to the airport, via A&E, and we were back at the bandroom about 26 hours after we had set off.

We have another concert there this year on 28th July but this time we have a hotel for the night, it's free admission so if anyone of the readers happen to find themselves in Innsbruck on 28th July, come along!

3.      What skills/personal attributes are most important to being a successful Euphonium Player? What advice would you offer to aspiring Euphonium/Baritone players?

I think that the upsurge in euphonium players worldwide studying at conservatoire, more festivals like ITEC and IET Festival has meant that there is a whole new repertoire of solos for euphonium that stretch the boundaries of what has come before.

Certainly for British players though, or those who wish to come and study in the UK, there seems to be a number who aren't interested in playing in bands, or who are so focused on playing solos that they'd rather play solo euphonium for a 4th section band than play 2nd euphonium in a Championship band.

Playing 2nd euphonium to David Childs helped me immeasurably - and when I made the move to solo euphonium I felt much more competent for doing that than I ever would have moving from the 1st section band that I played with before.

Sitting in a good band, or surrounding yourself with good playing on any instrument will only help you become a better player.

4.      What are your favourite Euphonium Solo’s?

I've got loads!  I commissioned a very talented composer, Andrew Stevenson, to write 'Metropolis' after our trip to the Far East and Dubai with Desford in 2015.  I recorded it on 'Leyland in Concert V. 2' last year and I think it's a brilliant solo.  There's lots of technical stuff to do but the slow tune in the middle section is beautiful - it's a shame it hasn't reached the 'mainstream' yet.

There's an old solo called 'Shylock' by Thomas Lear from the 1920's.  Morgan Griffiths recorded it on a Fairey's CD 'Virtuosi' (which is a brilliant CD) and it's absolutely brilliant.  If you have an old band library it's well worth digging out.

There are some more contemporary ones too - Paul McGhee's 'Analyse and Interpret' is wonderful - if you are a euphonium student or teacher and you don't know it is a very difficult but atmospheric unaccompanied solo.  David Thornton recorded it on his award-winning 'Parallel Realities' CD - another really good CD!

5.      Tell me about your personal practice schedule/routine?

I like to make sure that I cover a bit of everything every week - tone, range, sound, articulation, technique, sightreading.  I tend to try and utilise the pieces that I have to play to work on each area culminating with me trying to put it all together.

I've always preferred practising pieces rather than studies, but the Arban is still my go-to practice book if I need some more focused practice on an individual area.  No matter what element of playing you want to work on, there are exercises in there that will help you.

I've started helping a lot more young players through the incredible Red Admiral Music Academy, which is led by former Principal Trombone of YBS, Brighouse and Leyland and current Elland Silver band conductor Daniel Brooks along with a host of amazing tutors.

I've noticed some of the habits that I suffered from as a beginner and I have two big pointers to do with practice, which I'm going to use this blog to air publicly!

1.  If you're practising a solo with band, or a band piece, and the dynamic is fortissimo, then play the fortissimo in practice that you're going to in band, the same for quiet playing.  Many people shrink their dynamic range when practicing, and that just isn't effective practice.

I understand that people may take away dynamics to focus on rhythm, pitch, articulation etc, but when the dynamics go back in they should be as you will perform them.  It helps build your dynamic range too, and gets you used to playing at the extremes of your dynamics.

2.  An old adage I know, but as true now as it was when you first heard it by someone much older and wiser than I - don't practice something until you get it right, practice it until you don't get it wrong.

6.      Who would you say is the one Euphonium player who has influenced you the most? Why?

The two euphonium players who influenced me the most are David Thornton and David Childs.  I watched dozens of Black Dyke concerts when I was a kid and David Thornton was on Principal Euphonium then.  I thought his presence in band was incredible, always balanced, never overpowering but you could always hear him.  It is a shame he isn't playing full time anymore but I'm sure he will be a fantastic conductor.

David Childs playing the UFO concerto at ITEC 2012 is still the most impressive concerto performance I've ever seen, but knowing his preparation, his work ethic, his dedication to music and musicality and not just technical accuracy is why I have admired his playing for nearly 20 years.

7.   What advice would you give to a musician recently graduated from college?

I think with there being so few opportunities for people to play the euphonium it has to be a choice that is made upon graduating. If you are going to pursue music as your profession, through playing, teaching or in an administrative role or even if you, like I do, continue to use music as a hobby.

I loved my time at college and was a huge fan of playing in small chamber ensembles, in many ways I wished the Euphony Quartet had stayed together after we left the RWCMD, I think we could have made more headway as a professional ensemble.

8.      You have written a number of Euphonium Quartets and have boosted quartet repitoire. What inspired you to do this. 

When we formed the Euphony Quartet in 2010 with Steve Kane (Cory Band) Frances Wilson (Flowers, Band of the Prince of Wales' Division) and Ben Wright (Black Dyke) there was a readymade ensemble for me to start composing and arranging for.

My first piece 'Earthrise' became our main concert opener and I wrote about 5 other quartets after that, Fairey's Principal Euphonium Jim Fieldhouse recorded it multitracking himself on the Fairey's CD 'Nefarious' which was exciting for me.

My piece 'Chasing Destiny' was recently recorded by the Rutgers University Euphonium Studio and also the 'Brass Compass' Euphonium Quartet based at the RNCM.

9.     You have had great successes as a Euphonium soloist both on the concert platform and the solo competition stage, can you tell me about a few of your highlights and tell me a little about how you prepare for these competitions?

I've always been able to memorise music quite quickly so I always would do that when I was younger for solo competitions, even if I used the music on the day.

I think if you can play it from memory then you can concentrate on playing musically rather than relying on actually reading the notes.

A couple of highlights again, the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist competition was great for me, performing with Rothwell in the semi-Finals as then Black Dyke in the final.

I played the Peter Graham Euphonium Concerto 'In League with Extraordinary Gentlemen' with the RWCMD Brass Band in 2013 and that was amazing.

I think my favourite performance was playing 'Phoenix Song' by David Harrington with Chamber Orchestra at the Sinfonia Newydd Festival in 2011.  David is a very dear friend of mine and he wrote Phoenix Song for me in 2010 and re-scored it for Chamber Orchestra especially for the concert.  It's a brilliant piece.

10.      What are your future plans and ambitions?

I'm very focused on band playing now so winning another British Open or the Nationals is the goal.

I enjoy conducting and I've been doing comments for Brass Band World and 4BarsRest in the past year and enjoy doing those - I'd like to carry on contributing in those areas too.

Thank you James for taking the time to chat with me and The Young Brass Musician Blog today, it has been fascinating to see you perform on stage with The Cory Band and more recently with The Leyland Band and to read your comments following contest performances on 4BarsRest, best of luck and hope to see you very soon.