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No, I am no longer a "professional" musician. What I do now, I do because I love to play music. That being said, this time of year can get a little overwhelming for even for us that don't make a living playing. I was just looking through what I will play publicly between now and Chirstmas day - over 40 pieces of music.

Stryk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 04, 2024 12:21 pm No, I am no longer a "professional" musician. What I do now, I do because I love to play music. That being said, this time of year can get a little overwhelming for even for us that don't make a living playing. I was just looking through what I will play publicly between now and Chirstmas day - over 40 pieces of music.

The amateur world - during the holiday season - is just as stressed/stretched as is the paid world.

With my weird cobbled-together living, I'm working out repair/supplies pickups/deliveries which overlap (time-wise and geographically) with rehearsal locations.

They're all wanting a bunch of concert woodwinds patched back up (from last spring) in time for early 2025 use...and (sure) that clarinets, saxes, and - even - bass clarinets which were dragged around outdoors this fall...

bloke "Some repair-guys seem to be just a bit snooty, and claim, 'I don't do school instruments'...me...?? hey...They pay, just like everyone else...and their checks never bounce."

Oddly enough my local shop is trying to only do school instruments now. I am their longest continues customer of over forty years, and now I have to send my repairs to other shops. They don't have the time to non school horns. But as the techs that I liked have left for greener pastures not to far away, it not that bad. One has my house on his list of stops for his driver as she picks up school horns. And it not the shop but the Tech who you trust your instruments to.

Luck me, CCC

I'm fortunate the the bane of a repair tech our local shop had died or I would be doing a lot of driving to have someone else more reliable work on my horns. Our local shop now has somebody half-decent working in it. All I have to worry about is trying to study for my geetar lessons on top of practicing for all of my upcoming Christmas gigs which will also include me having to learn vocal parts for a church gig.

I think I would be ok as a tuba player for Christmas music. Back when I was making a living as a violinist, I grew to just hate the Messiah. It didn't help that I had played it numerous times with high school groups that were incapable of playing it in tune or beautifully. And since it has no tuba, I'm safe anyway. Also happy to not be doing the horn part on Sleigh Ride. I wonder why playing Ooms is so much more pleasant than playing Pahs.
What is planned is a euphonium/Hagen duet on my front porch on Christmas Eve -- the little red and green carol books, euph treble clef on 1st part, tuba on bass -- that combo is mellow and can be lovely. I see people from the brass band discussing their Christmas gigs and am still glad I'm not doing that.

There are a couple of expanded versions of the Messiah as well as a couple of rock and roll versions which feature tubas. They are annoying, but I'm perfectly willing to be annoyed in exchange for money. That's what repairing instruments is all about, after all.