I just returned to town from a several-day business trip, and the absence from home, family, and instruments made me think about the many things in life that take us away from our playing obsessions…whether for short time or long. How do we as Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) cope?
Trips like this are a rarity for me, thankfully. Many twelve-hour days in a row, punctuated with a couple of all-nighter work sessions, tend to take their toll! Enough so that I intentionally did not pack a trumpet mouthpiece, finger exerciser (for guitar/bass), or anything else to help me “stay on the instrument” sans instrument. I knew this would be an intense trip, and I wanted to keep a sharp focus. Now that I’m back, there is some ground to make up musically, of course…but so what? It isn’t the end of the world. :-)
Within a few days, I’ll be “back”…and where rough spots remain, I’ll enjoy the effort it will take to polish them. This is one thing that really came home to me during this trip: no matter what life throws at us, no matter what detours come our way, we should enjoy the journey. Life is meant to be lived, not to be stressed. Music is a key part of that enjoyment, and while we should all strive to improve each day, it should be an enjoyable effort, not a burden.
May you all find peace in your playing,
Mark
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Everyone knows that listening to loud music can damage your hearing, and much has been made in recent years of the potential harm that can come from playing music (in bands, orchestras, etc.) too loudly. But did you know that being a musician can be good for your hearing?
According to numerous studies – as published in this article – learning to play an instrument well helps develop a person’s ability to hear better. Specifically, while it doesn’t change the body’s mechanical ability to hear, it helps the brain distinguish between the numerous, ever-present sounds to miss less and really hear more. These findings apply whether the subject’s ability to hear is excellent or greatly impaired.
If you needed another reason to take up an instrument or continue to learn and grow with one, look no further. Playing music keeps you mentally sharp and, in the process, helps you hear more of life.
What are you waiting for? I’m off to practice. 
Keep playing,
Mark
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The following quote helps to answer the age-old question, “Why do we play?” No one really says it better than Satchmo:
“Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.”
Louis Armstrong, jazz great
We play because music is inside of us, begging to be let out. The funny thing is that the more you let out, the more seems to be there. Don’t try to understand it; just go with it. 
For more information on the great Louis Armstrong, this article is an excellent starting point.
Keep playing,
Mark
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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
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Tags: along, enjoy, music, Music Minus One, play, playing
Bass Guitar, Brass, General, Guitar, Learning, Piano, Strings, Woodwinds | Mark July 23, 2009 | 
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