In honor of the flautists among us, we bring you today’s joke. Oh yes…we did. :-D
Q: How many flute players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but she’ll never stop twisting it in and out to get it just right.
Whatever you play, may you play it to its fullest.
All the best,
Mark
Tags: flautist, flute, joke, light bulb, twist
Joke of the Day, Woodwinds | Mark December 28, 2009 | 
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While there are many jokes related to chickens and their road-crossing habits, this one has special appeal to (most) instrumentalists. Enjoy!
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get away from the bassoon recital.
Apologies to the bassoonists among us, but really now, you had gotten off way too easily for far too long! 
Keep playing,
Mark
Tags: bassoon, chicken, joke, recital, road
Joke of the Day, Woodwinds | Mark November 16, 2009 |
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Please welcome our newest advertiser, Making Music Magazine! If you haven’t already, you can check out their ad in the right column of this (and every!) page here at PartTimeMusician.com. It looks like this:
Making Music Magazine is a print publication that caters to people who play music as an avocation, not as a vocation. Many of us PTMs fall into that category, and for those who do, MMM is an excellent (additional!) resource.
Our goal here at PartTimeMusician.com is to provide quality information to those who “work a day job to support their playing addiction”, and this extends to our advertisers. Our bar is high on your behalf, and we feel MMM fits right in.
Please let us know how we’re doing! After all, this is your site, too. 
All the best,
Mark
Tags: Making Music Magazine, new advertiser
Bass Guitar, Brass, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Strings, Woodwinds | Mark September 16, 2009 |
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Whether you’re learning a new instrument or returning to an old one, you want more than anything to play music. Scales and etudes are necessary and helpful things, but they weren’t what inspired you, spur-of-the-moment or after years of vacillating, to pick up that instrument. No, it was the music you heard – the music you decided you were going to play.
So how did you get to this point? Night after night of scales, etudes, technique drills, exercises. You can see improvement, and that’s good…but it just aren’t as fulfilling as you might have hoped. What now?
Enter play-along music. Many brands exist from various publishers (Music Minus One, for example), but they all provide a book with the “lead sheet” for you to play along with an accompaniment CD. Accompanists range from piano or synth to full orchestra, and books of play-along music are available for wide-ranging musical genres and ability levels. For anywhere from $10 to $30, you can have a group of great musicians back you up while you play your favorite pieces – all in the comfort of your own home!
When I returned to the trumpet a few years back after a couple of decades away from it, I bought a Dixieland jazz play-along book and CD combo to encourage myself. Although my primary playing has always been in “legit” band and orchestral environments, Al Hirt and Herb Alpert first inspired me to play the trumpet so many years ago, and the light-hearted fun of Dixieland jazz and Mariachi music still calls to me. Play-along books have given me opportunities to play various types of music when an actual group is nowhere to be found.
You can find play-along books/CDs online and (hopefully) at your local music store, but SheetMusicPlus has a selection that’s hard to beat. If you do decide to order your music, be sure to follow the “smart PTM” advice for buying music mail-order to get what you want quickly!
For those times when a string ensemble, jazz group, or orchestra is nowhere to be found (or if you’re just not ready for that yet!), play-along music fills the gap beautifully. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Keep playing,
Mark
Our recent article about flying with a musical instrument drew a lot of responses and some great added advice from our ever-resourceful readers. While the initial list was limited to seven tips in order to focus solely upon the key points, here are a few more things that are good to know when preparing for a flight.
If your instrument requires liquids or semi-liquids to operate, those items must be in a clear plastic bag…just like your shampoo and toothpaste. Having your valve oil, slide or cork grease, and slide lubricants in a clear plastic bag makes life easier for those screening baggage and helps make the process go more smoothly for everyone.
Airport security personnel are trained to be suspicious, and that is a good thing. They may ask you to demonstrate that your instrument really is an instrument and that you really are a musician. To avoid uncomfortable moments, have something in mind that you can play “on command” to demonstrate that all really is as it seems.
Whatever you play doesn’t have to be fancy, and you shouldn’t get nervous about it. Look at it as a chance to show off that fun little piece you secretly delight in playing at the end of your practice sessions. No one expects you to be a Perlman, Marsalis, or Van Halen; just have fun with it! And once the applause dies down, put it quietly back into the case. No encores. 
Another option for flying with your instrument is to avoid it entirely. In some cases, it makes sense to send your gear ahead via private carrier. If you absolutely must have your valuable cello or guitar with you at your destination, this provides a way to skip all worries of your baby being “bumped” to the cargo hold. Compared to the cost of buying a ticket for your larger instrument, it can also be a cost-effective alternative. (NOTE: Pack properly and purchase insurance if you choose this option…just in case.)
Most planes have a small storage closet, specifically for bulkier items, located just behind the cockpit. A kind attendant often will offer to stow your instrument there if room is still available, but don’t be afraid to ask if no one thinks to volunteer it. This is the best of both worlds: your instrument is in the cabin, but it’s safely stored out of your way for the duration of the flight.
The word is that the pilot has final say on what stays in the cabin and what goes. If a flight attendant insists that the instrument for which you bought a seat must now be moved to the cargo hold – and just won’t have it any other way – politely ask to speak with the Captain. No one wants to delay a flight, and pilots often are more accommodating than well-meaning, but often passenger-stressed, attendants. Give the attendant a break and plead your case with the final (flight) authority prior to taking any further steps.
If the pilot says your instrument must move to cargo, there may yet be hope. More than one reader reported that they were allowed to remove their instrument from its bulky case and send the case to the cargo hold sans instrument. Wrapping their instrument in a T-shirt, jacket, or cloth bag and placing it under their seat resolved the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. (NOTE: This only works for smaller instruments, and only then if pilot/attendants agree that the carry-on/instrument doesn’t have to fit completely under the seat.)
All of the initial Top 7 Tips and these “other things” assume the worst because it pays to be prepared. In all likelihood, however, you will have a smooth and pleasant, incident-free flight…especially if you are prepared. Do your homework, and be ready with polite responses and maybe even a short selection – but don’t stress over it. The earlier advice still holds: plan well, pack well, and play well.
Have a comment? Please leave one below, or email us! We’d love to hear from you.
Keep playing (and flying!),
Mark
A tip of the hat goes to the following PTM readers who provided many of the above points: Jeff Helgesen, Ellis Workman, Dr. James Klages, Denny Schreffler, Ann Frederking, and Virginia “Ginger” Lawrence. Thanks to all!
