I ran across an article about musicians’ manners and had to pass it along, both for its good (anti-)advice and the humor behind it.
Our friends at Horn Matters (HM) posted a great article entitled How to Annoy and Alienate Colleagues in 11 Easy Steps. I’ve been reading Bruce Hembd’s wisdom since he ran the HornDog Blog several years ago. Bruce and his co-conspirator at HM, John Ericson, know that of which they speak…and while this article, like many on HM, are written with the full-time professional as their focus, much of this material applies in whole (or large part) to us as PTMs.
Yes, the linked article is funny…but it’s painfully so in some ways. I can attest that the same type of antics exist in the trumpet section of a community orchestra, a jazz ensemble, or an informal seisun at an Irish pub. Read it and enjoy it, by all means! But as they say, “Don’t let this happen to you!” :-)
Be a good musician, be a good team player, and you’ll have a great time and get some great gigs. If you see yourself in any of these “11 steps”, mend your ways before it’s too late! You’ll have more fun, more opportunities, and more friends if you do.
I was chatting with a friend of mine recently and he passed along some advice so simple, yet so profound, that I felt it just had to be shared. With all of the excellent advice out there for the current or aspiring Part-Time Musician (PTM) – and I’d like to think we’ve passed along a good deal of it! – it just doesn’t get much better than this.
It’s Never Too Late to Start
However old you are now, whether 8 or 88, you’re at the perfect age to start playing an instrument. If you don’t already play the instrument you’d like to play, for Heaven’s sake, START NOW! What is holding you back…really? Fear of committing to…doing something you’ve always wanted to do? Fear of…not being very good until you’ve progressed a bit? The cost of…investing in your personal growth and fulfillment? Short of physical inability (five year old + double bass = bad idea), there is no good reason for putting it off. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START PLAYING THE INSTRUMENT YOU LOVE!
Something is Better Than Nothing
We’ve written previously about “micro-sessions” for practicing (click here to see article), but to cut straight to the chase, any quality time is better than no quality time…even if it’s just a few minutes each day. You won’t get to Carnegie Hall on five minutes a day, but you could learn a few tunes over the course of a few months, work on tuning and intonation, throw in a few embellishments, and amaze just about everyone you know – including yourself – with your progress in less than a year’s time. Yes, you’ll improve faster with more time and thought invested; but begin with whatever you can and adjust as appropriate. SOMETHING REALLY IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!
These same principles apply to anything in life (fitness, learning a language, reading, etc.), but they hold special importance for us as PTMs. Remember these keys and apply them, and someday, you just might amaze yourself with what you can do.
Growing up, I didn’t listen to classical music. I suspect that there may have been a classical radio station on the dial – or at least one that sometimes programmed classical music – but that isn’t where my thinking lay at the time. In hindsight, I missed out on a musical treasure trove. Ah, the tragedies of youth. :-)
I wasn’t alone, of course. This article in the Kansas City Star summarizes a similar epiphany encountered by (former) pop music critic Eric Silbin. Once he heard the Bach Cello Suites, he was hooked. In his words:
“It was like being hit by musical lightning. I was really struck by the intensity and beauty of this music, which was so different from anything I had heard before”
Mr. Silbin hit the nail on the head. When I ambled into classical music, I was amazed at the depth it contained compared to my daily diet of pop, band music, and contemporary compositions and arrangements. It was the real deal, and even though I was unfamiliar with classical music as a whole, I could immediately appreciate its beauty and complexity – at least at a basic level.
There are still classical pieces I don’t like and times I listen to other music; after all, good music spans all types…and so does bad. :-) But like Mr. Silbin, Bach and his fellow composers enchant me. Especially Bach, and especially Pablo Casals’ recordings of those aforementioned cello suites. If you haven’t heard them, click this link to check them out:
Keep in mind this is one man, on one instrument, recorded around 70 years ago. Personally, this is one of my all-time favorite CDs.
Whatever you play, keep playing! But don’t be afraid to branch out in your listening and playing. There’s treasure out there, folks! Don’t leave it undiscovered.
This is an extremely funny video that points out, far better than a case study ever could, how classical music serves as the underpinning for much of the music we know – regardless of genre!
Mr. Rob Paravonian covers a lot of ground in this video, beginning with the grudge cellists everywhere hold for Pachelbel’s Canon in D (for good reason) and quickly moving into a barrage of music of all stripes that can trace lineage to said Canon. Embedded in the humor is a nugget of truth that is difficult to ignore.
The topic comes up quite frequently: how helpful is classical training in music if you want to play <fill in the blank>? Well…pretty helpful, actually. Whatever your age or music-making interests, an investment in classical training can pay huge dividends.
It’s no secret that music in movies can not only make a movie, but can inspire us as musicians to reach deeper, practice harder, and play better long after we walk out of the theater. I have a long list of movie scores that inspire me personally, and I’ll bet you do, too. Tron: Legacy is the latest, and here’s why.
French duo Daft Punk composed the soundtrack, and while the original Tron soundtrack from 1982 tried hard to be “techno-pop”, this one seamlessly incorporates the “tech sound” with an 85-piece orchestra. The result is gorgeous, feeling right in the movie, in the videogame (yes, we now own it as well), and in passive-listening-mode at home and in the car. They just nailed it.
Here’s what may be the sweetest part: right now, it’s only $4.99 for the entire MP3 album! To browse, take a test listen, or to buy, click the link below. (Warning: amazing music follows!)
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. More movie music reviews to follow. Remember, good music and inspiration are where you find them!
Band, Brass, Ensemble, Gigs, Humor, Orchestra | Mark March 23, 2011 | 
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More movie music reviews to follow. Remember, good music and inspiration are where you find them!
