PTMs in the news: "passion players" in the UK

PTMs in the news: “passion players” in the UK

I will not denigrate Full-Time Musicians (FTMs) by saying that they play without feeling; I also won’t denigrate Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) by saying that “what we lack in ability we make up with enthusiasm”. Each idea can true or false at an individual level only. But – and you knew there had to be a “but”! – there is something to be said for the feelings that are stirred in someone for whom playing music is an obsession rather than a profession.

This article in the Guardian covers it very nicely. Here’s a small taste:

“Some friends and I started a Sunday evening chamber group – sometimes it’s a quartet, sometimes a piano quintet, sometimes a sextet. Some of the time we sound pretty ropey. But once in a while, something amazing happens: the endless complexity of those threads of Brahms, Schumann or Schubert come together and our individual lines become one. It’s almost embarrassing to use the word, in our cynical times, that best describes this feeling: joy.”

I can barely begin to describe how well this hits home, and I suspect you feel the same way. At various times, I have played in the following configurations:

Small, mixed-instrument ensemble
Unaccompanied solo
Piano-accompanied solo
Small band
Full orchestra
Dixieland jazz combo
Brass choir

While I have my preferences (which can change based upon the instrument I’m playing and my mood at the time!), all are richly rewarding and provide me with the deep satisfaction that playing good music provides. How can you play and not be touched by it?!?

If you have a story you’d like to share, please post a comment (below) or drop us a line; we’d love to hear about it! In the meantime, take some “artistic license” and play your music like the addiction it is. What can they do? Fire you? :-)

All the best,
Mark