Part Time Musician . com

Trumpet Hero! Why Should Guitarists Have All the Fun?

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:06:27 +0000

Courtney Sexton posted his answer to Guitar Hero in this article showing how he hacked together a Sony PS2 controller and a roached-out cornet to create TRUMPET HERO (video included)! It's not for the faint of heart - if you get woozy from seeing real instruments (even sad ones) destroyed, please save yourself! - but it's an interesting project.

Presidential Part-Time Musicians: Violinists

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:24:20 +0000

Every now and then we discover a famous Part-Time Musician (PTM) and it's always fun to share it. This time, our discussion takes us to the White House!

How Improvisation Skills Can Improve Your Life

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:24:24 +0000

There has been much discussion recently about cell phone interruptions during performances. Many lament that this is a sign of the times, indicative of societal decline, or something warranting fines and/or physical violence (as in the recent NY Philharmonic performance). While it is indeed sad when a magnificent performance is affected by a thoughtless interruption of any kind, cell phones ringers are really no more disturbing than coughing patrons, unhappy children, or people snoring nearby. There are right ways - and wrong ways - of dealing with them.

Cello Wars: A Fun Farewall to the Year!

Mark — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:15 +0000

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.

On Earth Peace, Goodwill Toward Men

Mark — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:46:12 +0000

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.

How to Make a Bongo Cajon

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:58:32 +0000

I ran across this great article from our friends at Instructables explaining how to make your own bongo cajon. If you're a percussionist, especially one who plays la musica latina, you may already be familiar with the concept...but for non-percussionists, a bongo cajon is a cajon ("large box" in Spanish) that produces pitches like a bongo: high and low. This allows the percussionist to play bongo patterns on the cajon. It's a rather clever instrument and looks like it would be relatively straightforward and fun to make.

Quote of the Day: Henry Van Dyke

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:17:00 +0000

Friend and fellow trumpeter John Kool shared this quote with me recently and I just had to pass it along. Applications abound, both in your daily work, family life, and your musical endeavors.

High Note Humor

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:11:45 +0000

Greetings fellow musical pilgrims! This humorous gem was passed to me by good friend and PTM contributor Steve Hamrick. Those of you who play trumpet (or perhaps sit in front of the trumpet section) will probably appreciate this most. :-)

Why do you do it?

Mark — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:24:47 +0000

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

Another Hercules in the House

Mark — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:02:48 +0000

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.