Music lover and folk artist Duncan Whitehurst has been in the music industry for a number of decades now.
He spent much of the 90s enjoying a lot of success with his band The Rain Kings and now plays in his family band Lucky 12.
Duncan performs with an acoustic guitar, while his wife Rebecca plays the violin with their son Harry on the drums and friend Jack Deere-Jones on double bass.
The group has enjoyed a lot of success in the UK folk scene in recent years, but only came about after Duncan took an extended absence from music.
The reason for this was his Parkinson’s diagnosis ten years ago, which left him wondering how he was going to continue to play.
“I experience the erratic nature and the unpredictability of Parkinson’s,” Duncan told NR Times. “If the medications are working then I’m great, you wouldn’t even know I have Parkinson’s.
“But when its effects wear off I stiffen right up and I can’t do very much. I can’t walk very well and I certainly can’t play guitar or do anything fine motor related, I just shut down.
“I used to be able to predict when it would happen, but now it seems to be almost at any moment which makes it quite hard to plan your day around it.
“Parkinson’s often dictates what I can and can’t do but at least there are some golden moments in the day where I can still do quite a lot.”
However after a lot of experimenting, some practice and a few consultations with clinicians Duncan was able to pick up the guitar again and continue to do what he loves.
“I’ve had to learn different scales and play in different tunings,” he said. “But because of this I’ve actually found that I’m playing quite well and I can do things that I couldn’t do before.
“I don’t really know what’s going on, but I’ve spoken about the fact that perhaps my brain could be rewiring itself and it has found other ways of doing the things I want it to.
“It’s a bit of a mystery. I’m not saying I am cured, far from it as there are times still where I cant play, but using things like open tunings has really helped a lot.
Not only did Parkinson’s change Duncan’s attitudes to music, but it also altered his outlook on life.
“I’ve started just accepting it for what it is,” he said. “Rather than bashing away at things I can’t do, such as complicated strumming patterns and timing interchanges for example, I just kept it simple.
“I’m now just playing within my range. It’s frustrating to try and play like I used to, but now I’m just looking at what I can actually do now.
“It’s also just a fact of lowering your expectations slightly and working within your limits.”
After Duncan and Rebecca’s success with The Rain Kings, the pair moved into teaching where they could continue their love for music in the town of Tenby in South Wales.
Since his diagnosis however he has had to move away from this but he does have a lot to thank the Parkinson’s UK charity for.
One of the biggest reasons Duncan left teaching was because he was having issues speaking, but through the organisation he was able to access a speech therapy trial which has helped him continue to communicate properly.
Alongside this he has received a lot of support and advice from the group which spurred him to think of ideas of how he could return the favour.
Last month was the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis and to honour the work of Parkinson’s UK, Duncan and Rebecca set themselves a challenge of playing a different tune every day.
‘A Song a Day for Parkinson’s UK’ has raised well over £4,000 now, with the pair broadcasting a mix of original and cover folk songs on Lucky 12’s Facebook page.
“We thought we should do something to raise money for the charity,” Duncan said. “They have helped me over the years and we are both musicians so we thought a musical challenge to have a new song each day would be good.
“Their help with the speech trial was great, I got my speaking voice back and a hidden bonus was actually that it strengthened my singing voice as well.
“Finding a good take was getting increasingly harder because my voice was wavering often, but after this trial I was spot on and I can hold the notes really consistently.
“That has particularly helped me with the singing, hence this challenge which I’m using to say thank you for the opportunity to be on the trial.”
“We’ve been very surprised as originally we set the target at £500, but having raised as much as we have now we weren’t expecting that kind of enthusiasm at all.”
With The Lucky 12 looking to release another album they could also be taking the fundraiser further, with Duncan saying the band could even add to it if they surpass £5,000.
To find out more about the group and to donate, click here.
