Music was always an important part of my life, both as a listener and as a person actively playing music instruments. My interest was and still is very broad regarding music styles and interpreters. The same ist true for the instruments played by myself. The consequence: I never was really good at any one.
 

It started in early primary school when I took lessons in C flute for many years. But then, at a performance, I heard a solo cellist. The sound of this instrument touched and fascinated me so much that I started to play the violoncello and joined the classical orchestra of my school. I also played the guitar and some banjo, accompanying songs in youth groups and camps. At that time we sang a lot (and very loudly): old student songs, chansons, folk, spirituals etc. Lessons in accordeon and later in electronic orgue and piano opened up the world of folk music, swing and dance music. In my own teaching of religious education in schools and with my confirmands, I used Orff instruments and made my students improvise over Psalms and create biblically inspired sound worlds. Two harmonicas and often also my good old Höfner guitar regularly accompanied me for romantic evenings on canoe trips and on journeys to other continents.
 

My discovery of the Norwegian YMCA Ten Sing movement, its introduction in Switzerland and later the support of its development all over Europe brought me in contact with contemporary rock and pop music and the related youth cultures. Today, I firmly work in our church for the promotion and development of a broad range of popular and traditional music in worship and other church activities. I carry responsibilities for the Popular Church Music Department, the Evangelical Church Music School and the Music Academy St. Gallen. Our church offers today the only state certified professional music education for popular church music in Switzerland.

For the significance of music for myself you may also read my speech: "Musik verbindet Menschen von Seele zu Seele" ("Music connects people from soul to soul") and my text "Musik berührt die Menschen in ihrem Herzen" ("Music touches people in their hearts").

 

I looked for a saxophone teacher, started to play the tenor sax, soon after also the baritone, and added excursions to other sax types, especially the soprano. Today, I play for my own enjoyment and with friends almost everything from Evergreens and Standards via Gospel, Blues, Swing and Be-Bop to Elton John, Robbie Williams and Rainhard Fendrich. A for me new and exciting field was and remains free improvisation, with which I'm still struggling heavily.

 

As always with me, with this new theme a whole new world opened up for me. In musical terms the World of the famous jazz giants, their styles and recordings, today on CD easily accessible in fine sound quality. Then the richness of jazz and contemporary harmony. But also the exciting history of the saxophone as an instrument - and the fascination of awesome vintage horns. I for example own a gold plated Martin Handcraft baritone saxophone (deep Bb), born 1925, and a Conn C-Melody from the twenties. - A great musical world!

 

A live encounter with Sean Moyses and his virtuosic playing on a 4-string Plectrum Banjo reminded me some time ago of the banjo playing attempts in my youth. I started to study the fascinating history of the banjo: From its origins in West Africa and its travel with the slaves to the USA, over the reduction of the 5-string banjo of the 19th century to the 4-string rhythm banjo, played with a plectrum, in the early New Orleans Jazz and in the Dixieland music, the 5-stringers in the American Old Time Music (Frailing, Clawhammer styles), the development of the three-finger Scruggs-style in the developing Bluegrass music of the late 40s, the banjo use in the folk revival of the 60s (Pete Seeger), up to modern interpreters like Béla Fleck or the Kruger Brothers (grown up in Switzerland), who very creatively make use of the banjo in all kinds of musical contexts and styles.
 

As always, only listening and reading was not enough for me. That's the reason why I, besides playing on several guitar types, also returned to the banjo - among them a Deering Tenbrooks with a Jens Krüger tonering made by Rüetschi in Switzerland. Occupying myself with American Old Time Music, I also came in contact with George Orthey, a great pioneer of the diatonic Autoharp, a genuine and very special American instrument.