Swimming in Acoustics

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 Telemann Fantasia

Last weekend I brodied out to Park Lawn and Lakeshore to offer a friend some swimming instruction at his condo pool. We would have met at one of city outdoor pools if it weren’t for the current city-wide strike. Everyone’s calling it a garbage strike, but the reality is that youth and family programmes have also been suspended indefinitely, causing widespread inconvenience and disruption…it seems criminal, for example, that in July city pools sit drained and forlornly empty, teenager lifeguards thrown out of work. Don’t get me started!

I decided to tote along my flute and recording gear in case I wanted to check out more pool acoustics, and I’m so glad that I did. The contrapuntal style of Telemann’s 12 Fantasias – a staple of the flute repertoire – are wonderfully suited for the lively acoustic that a pool space has to offer.

My friend, Jerry, is in training for an Iron Man competition out in Penticton, B.C. later in August, and I enjoyed translating my flute-teaching skills into a swim session where I helped him refine his stroke technique and discuss strategies for his upcoming open water swim. His three hour tour* of a glacial-fed lake will be just the first segment of his swim/bike/run that will feature cycling over two mountain passes and conclude with the equivalent of a full marathon. All for a good cause, and better him than me I’d say!

Having had the pool to ourselves we were just wrapping up and I was ready to sound the acoustics when a father along with his young son arrived on the scene…with this fantastic motorized boat. Like the last time I recorded in a swimming pool, I loved how the sounds of the water splashing in the background mingled with the sound of my flute-playing.

Speaking of British Columbia, in today’s National Post there was an incredible story about a young boy from Calgary who rode his toy truck into the Peace River and floated away! And Jerry, great work, and I know you can do it – looking forward to our next session!

     *How can I resist a reference to the iconic Gilligan’s Island…anyone out there remember black and white TV?