Derek Sanders
Derek has played a variety of instruments throughout his life. He has been heavily involved with a number of musical groups both professionally and as an amateur, most recently in arranging music for members of a community band. He has a number of arrangements and compositions in the Share your music section of the Notation Software Users Forum. Derek's musical foundation began at a very early age. Here is Derek in his own words. "I suppose that if I have to decide that part in my life where I first developed my great love of music then I must say it was whilst in my mother's womb. She loved music dearly and she played the piano and sang as often as she could. My Dad had a very nice baritone voice and he played violin so between them I was constantly exposed to music. "Uncle" Fred played a
beautiful violin, he was a professional in an orchestra. Uncle Harold also played lead trumpet in a theatre orchestra and later on became a professor of trumpet at a university in Exeter..England. Aunt Alice was a music teacher, she played the piano and had a gorgeous contralto voice, she also was a professional. Friends and family, we were loaded with those who could sing and play, no wonder I grew up loving music. I think the year was 1935, it was the silver jubilee of King George the 5th. A young lady (Mabel Barrow) was looking after me while Mum went shopping. It was raining very hard, no chance of going out, we had exhausted all the games we had, Mabel suggested that she teach me how to play a song on the piano, she was a beautiful pianist and played entirely by ear. Before Mum got home I could play "Little Sir Echo" a popular song of the day. I asked her not to tell anyone. The next time she looked after me she taught me "The Mountains of Mourne", a well known Irish song. Unfortunately Mabel told Mum and after hearing me she decided I needed lessons, I absolutely refused to go so I was left to develop my playing by ear style entirely on my own. I did this by listening, watching and asking questions. It stood me in good stead for many years. The war came along in 1939 and with the blackout teenagers were mostly restricted to youth clubs which had been started especially because there was nowhere else for us to go. The youth club I attended was the"Keyham Youth Centre" it had a billiards table, two dart boards, a bar which sold tea and buns and a stage with an old piano on it. It was around this time that I went nuts on boogie-woogie. My mother hated it, all the girls in the club loved it. I found out quite quickly that when I played I was surrounded by no boys, but plenty of girls - it got me lots of dates. I also found out that I could get free beer by playing at a local pub. The landlord turned a blind eye to the fact that I was under age, as long as the piano was tinkling out sing songs his business was doing well. One night a friend of my dad's who was a policeman caught me in an inebriated condition. He informed my dad who had a strong interview with me over which I will draw a veil.......I didn't play in another pub until I was in the army. When that day came early in 1945 I said my goodbyes and headed out for another stage in life." Return to the User Stories Homepage