Alan Gruner Musical Services

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Alan Gruner... What am I up to ? Take a look and listen .....
Where am I now? Mainly passing the musical message to the next generation!
Still writing though, as you will hear after working with Key Stage 1 children in schools for some years I have produced a CD of songs called "Icky and Wicky" for the teeny youth market.
Still writing/arranging musicals and music for schools, small orchestras and rock bands.
Still playing bass in a jazz rock band...
Still playing piano for musichall and forties nights. All that and the stuff from my history that I feel some of you out there may be curious enough to want to have a peek at... Here it is for what it's worth, the complete picture... Dip in and if you want... you can even buy into it!

Composer

TV Game Show themes and incidental music that have been broadcasted or piloted
Samples can be listened to on the Musician & Band page music player
A CD of my Game Show music is available for sale on this site - just go to the CD page for details

Knock Knock!	1989	BBC children's game show
Headline Hunters	1990	Cymru2 (Wales)
Match Game	1991	Germany/Scottish TV
Der Preis ist Heis (The Price is Right)	1991	Dutch & German TV
Tic Tac Toe	1991	German TV
Let's Make a Deal	1991	Central TV
Family Feuds	1992	Greek TV
Familien Duell	1992	German TV
Newly-Wed Game	1992	German TV
Play Your Cards Right	1992	Portugal and Greece
Wheels of Fortune / Cardsharks	1993	Portugal and Greece
Dating Game	1993	Greece
Blockbuster	1993	Turkey
Who's Bluffing Who	1993	BBC
Supermarket Sweep	1994	ITV (incidental music)
Lyricboard	1994	Pilot
Personals	1995	ITV Pilot
Cooking Channel (incidental music)	1995	US based
Natalie's Holiday Promotion	1996	Independent

Gruner the Tutor

Tutorial Services (just when you thought it was safe to learn something)

I have wide knowledge and experience teaching various instruments including:

Piano / keyboard
I use my own technique and approach mostly, as I am self taught but do utilise Associated Board Grades up to Grade 5 and am keen on Jazz Sylllabus up to Grade 5.
Always remember playing piano is not just about grades!

Bass Guitar
I teach Bass Guitar to all grades

Guitar
My main day job. I teach basic classical technique up to Grade 5 but often find students more interested in picking, blues, chords and folk styles. Some stay on course but most are on a journey to......

Electric Guitar.... kerchhhanggg
Wide knowledge of styles and songs and utilise the Rockschool syllabus in all grades if required.

Rockbands Facilitator - a post I created myself!
Presently doing Rockband workshops in three schools for years 6 - 8. Lessons range from 30 - 60 minutes with regular performances.

Personal tutorial lessons are 18 pounds per half hour - use the Contact page for enquiries

Musicals

I have often dabbled in the wonderful world of musicals as a musician, writer, performer and MD.
I spent a year at the Young Vic in the 80's and co-wrote several projects with Peter Gruner including "Sweeny Todd" (before Sondheim).
As I got into teaching I wrote and adapted more musicals for schools.

Tubular Tales	A busker and a comedian meet in a subway. Written and performed with Peter Gruner.	30 mins	1982
The Lorax	Dr. Seuss story adapted as a musical.	30 mins	1995
Bash Street Kids	Musical based on Beano characters.	70 mins	1996
Animal Farm	Composed songs for adaptation.	70 mins	1998
Little Fir Tree	Children's story adapted for Christmas.	30 mins	2001
Dick Whittington	Musical version for Junior School.	75 mins	2002
The Boy who Forgot Christmas... and other things...	Infant school production. Original story and music.	30 mins	2003
Brats	Unpublished scripted musical about a boy making it big in the TV world and sinking as a teenager.	60 mins	2005
The Innkeeper	Based on a book by Nicholas Allen about an Innkeeper who can't get to sleep when all the nativity guests arrive...	30 mins	2008
Humph	The story of a monosyllabic camel who only says "Humph" and comes to life when a certain baby boy is born in Bethlehem.	30 mins	2009

Songwriter

You Crazy Fool / Out of my Head	Anchor Records	1978
You Can Do Cowritten and recorded with Lee Kosmin	EMI	1979
Stay with me Tonight Co-written and recorded with Alex Ferguson	Red Records	1980
Favourite Positions / Do Whatever you Do	Logo Records	1981
Dearest Charles	Embarrassed Records	1981
Getting So Exciting Recorded by Lee Kosmin	EMI	1981
Getting So Exciting Recorded by Bonnie Tyler on the album 'Faster than the Speed of Light	CBS	1983
Brother / I Wish I Could Be Different Two songs that appeared on an ITV sitcom and album 'Roll over Beethoven'	Towerbell Records	1985
RECORDGRAMS These were personalised songs I sang and composed based on clients' events such as birthdays etc. I produced celebrity Recordgrams for Dave (Kid) Jensen, Ken Livingstone and Terry Wogan that were all broadcast on local radio.	ARV Recording	1985/6
During this period I wrote with many writers but mainly Bob Andrews (Brinsley Schwartz/The Rumour) before he moved to the States. Then came Game Show music - see the Composer section of this site.	Various	1986/8
Funny Old Game - MC Gruner - song on compilation album.	Rainman Records	1995

Icky & Wicky and Other Songs / Game Show Music CD

Icky and Wicky is a new CD of original children's songs for ages 2 to 7
Perfect for Key Stage 1 in schools
"My children won't stop playing it" Sonia - School Teacher

You can buy it now for five pounds plus £1.00 p&p via PayPal
You don't need a PayPal account, just click the Buy Now button and you can use a debit/credit card
Icky & Wicky

Also available: compilation of my game show music on CD for ten pounds plus £1.00 p&p
Game Show Music

Mark Unwin - Minstrel of Walthamstow...

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I was born on the Sussex Downs
Nurtured in the Ashdown forest
Moved to Salisbury Plain a mile from Stonehenge.
Used to walk across the fields and scramble over the menhirs. My first whispers of inspiration

Went to boarding school in England.
Corporal punishment? Even the senior boys were granted canes. If you got the cane you either loathed it or became a devotee! I became a devotee of caning the people who caned me.

Music- “ Let there be drums “

During break time a coeval and I would mouth percussive salivated versions of the Sandy Nelson hit until a monitor strutted in with the cane.

Father refused to sign my grant form for Westminster Tech . Broke, I escaped to Dorset to explore my first love, poetry…I became a floor singer in all the local pubs.

Returned to London and started to write songs especially through the pervasive influence of Alan Gruner

Herein lies evidence of that collaboration from early danes to modern strains
I gabble in the hinterland of rock and roll and fear no parking meters!
Alan has supplied this trading post to broadcast my wares…

As well as this anthology of songs I am working on a song cycle about Weymouth and my home town, Walthamstow.

Let me take you down…cos I’m going too

For £8 you will soon be able to order an anthology of 12 Mark Unwin songs right here on this site. In the meantime have a listen to the jukebox on the Musician and Band page where you find several samples of my work…

Please contact Alan Gruner using the form below


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