‘Terrific’: Jon Lord’s music lectures in Scotland

Jon Lord spent Thursday (Feb 24) with students at the University of the West of Scotland, in Ayr.

In the morning, he gave a Hammond organ class to 18 of the University’s keyboard students where he spoke about the history of the instrument, his own ways of getting the most out of the instrument and how the organ works.

In the afternoon, he gave a lecture in front of around 200 music students, broadcast students, media students and a few members of the public and staff. This touched on different parts of his career and his approach to the music industry and how he entered the world of being in bands and his early influences.

Ross McEwen is an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland, and he kindly sent us this report:

“Jon Lord’s lecture today at the University was terrific. He is a very natural speaker and with as much experience, knowledge of the industry, success and stories as he has, it made for a very pro-active and memorable experience for all.

In the afternoon lecture, Lord spoke in great detail about improvisation and the meaning of musicianship, which was truly inspiring coming from a man with such a history with improv and live performance. My overall feeling of the day was extremely positive, having someone like Jon visit us has been a huge boost to the students and the programme.

With Jon’s career spanning over 40 years and continuing through several significant changes in the music industry, he has a great insight into the world which our students are entering. Jon is a very approachable person, and easy to get on with which broke down all barriers between Jon and the students and enabled a great two-way communication.

We at the University are delighted with Jon’s lecture, and very grateful for his time and the great presentation he gave,” writes Ross McEwen.

Watch also: STV’s reports from Jon Lord’s lectures in Scotland.