As we prepare to celebrate the passing of one year and the arrival of another, I hope everyone in the PartTimeMusician (PTM) family can take a moment to reflect, anticipate, and smile at what we hope the future brings our way.
The past year brought challenges for all of us – you…you…you…and me as well. But somehow, we made it through. And the year ahead brings with it much promise. There will be time for scales and studies, exercises and etudes, practices and performances once the new year begins! For now, though, we here at PTM wish you a fun-filled, safe New Year’s Eve with this slightly-geeky ode to Star Wars and orchestral musicians. :-D
May your light sabers stay sharp and your pitches stay true,
Mark
Each year during the holiday season, most of us tend to reflect a bit on the year and count our blessings. This has always seemed to me to be a good thing, as it takes our focus off of the difficulties of the past 12 months and redirects our attention to those things, large or small, that have been the treasures that shone through.
It’s been a challenging year for many of us, but I’m thankful for so much…including a wonderful Part-Time Musician (PTM) family with which to share triumphs, setbacks, musical challenges, accomplishments – in short, all of the things that make life, well, life. :-)
When I was growing up, every major holiday throughout the year had a Peanuts(TM) special that played on TV the week before. I admired and respected Charles Schulz, and I still do – few people have given so much to the human race, and few people’s legacies will last as long as his. To his family, thank you; we miss him.
Below is one of my favorite “Peanuts moments”, where Linus answers Charlie Brown’s plea asking what Christmas is all about. I know I’m an old softie, but it never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
Wishing you all peace and goodwill, and may you and yours have a very merry Christmas.
Someone passed along a nugget recently and it has been bouncing around in my head ever since. Hopefully it will do the same for (to?) you.
Our friends at 48 Days posted a quote from noted theologian A.W. Tozer that dealt primarily with a person’s vocation, but applies equally well to our avocation, our passion, of music:
“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it.” A.W. Tozer
So…why do you do it?
Whether overtly or covertly, whether we realize or admit it or not, we’re all spiritual creatures…and music touches us at our very deepest level. Most of us play music of various types, and most play both sacred and secular music, depending upon the occasion.
Regardless of what you may play, take a moment to think about it. Why do you do it? Coming to an understanding of the ‘why’ may help you reach a deeper understanding of yourself and take your music to a whole new level.
When we needed a sturdy, portable music stand a few years ago, we bought a Hercules…folding music stand, that is. I’m a big fan of Manhassets when space is no issue (and we own several!), but when it just has to fold, Hercules is our stand of choice.
Another Hercules in the Family!
We needed another folding music stand recently when our family had to head in different directions to cover two gigs at once, and I didn’t even think twice before buying another Hercules BS100B. I wrote about the first one in this linked article, and it continues to serve us well. Many stands lose their ability to stay positioned correctly with age – if they ever were able to do so in the first place – but the little Herc does so without complaint. Bad stands can ruin a gig, while good stands do their job so well they may as well be invisible. That’s the BS100B.
One piece of advice: the EZ Glide locking mechanism takes a bit of getting used to, as initially it seems to be either too “sticky” or too loose. Just like my car’s AC, though, eventually I got it adjusted to “just right”…and I’ve pretty much ignored it ever since.
If you’re looking for an excellent folding music stand, check it out. Many places carry them, including Amazon, Musician’s Friend, and our advertising friends at Guitar Center (please see ad in right column). I hope it works for you as well as they have for us!
What do you do when life drops a plateful of challenges in front of you? What if the music – or at least the music-making – must stop for a bit? Well…you adapt. :-)
As mentioned in our last post, there are numerous things you can do to get your music fix, even if you can’t directly feed your playing addiction. We’ve been making our way through a few techno-medical challenges in the PartTimeMusician (PTM) command center, and while they’ve certainly made things a bit more interesting around here, we’re making our way back to a more normal (whatever that is!) balance of music-listening and music-making as we go along. We’re also beginning to put the technical hurdles in the rear-view mirror, and by this time next week, they should be nothing but a humorous footnote in the logs. Well, that’s the plan, anyway. :-D
For those who have contributed to the backlog of material that is crying out to be shared with our greater PTM family, thank you! And thank you all for your patience, kind thoughts, prayers, and common love of making music. As often as it’s said, it’s true: it’s all good!
Holidays & Special Occasions, Strings | Mark December 31, 2011 | 
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