I used to be a band geek back in high school. No, I never said the phrase "this one time, at band camp..." I did play music though, a lot. By the time I was a senior in high school, I played the flute in the concert band, the wind ensemble, and the orchestra. I played in the pit orchestra for a local Gilbert and Sullivan summer stock troop. I played in the local youth symphony, though I never got past the "junior varsity" orchestra. I took music lessons from various teachers from the age of about 8 to about 20. I even performed the Chaminade Concerto for Flute with the university orchestra during my senior year as an undergrad.
I was reminded of all this the other day when I got my flute out of the closet and played it for the first time in three or four years. I was pleased to see that my tone still had some pleasant qualities. My finger dexterity is largely gone though. Plus, my flute needs an badly overhaul -- one of the pads cracked, taking out the ability to a few notes. I need to find a repair shop to do the work, since I have not taken it to be repaired since leaving the land of my birth. (Anyone have any ideas on how to find a good repairperson for a near-professional quality solid silver bore open hole flute?)
I was talking with a saxophone player recently while he was working his day job as the music/media expert at an Apple store. He asked me what it was like being a boy playing flute back in the day. I said it was kind of lonely since all the other flautists were girls... who looked at me in a rather brotherly way. He said that the flute is a cool instrument for boys to play now. I wonder why... has something changed to enhance its cachet? And do these boy flute players have to put up with an endless stream of "flute" double entendres as I did at times?
*sigh* I should play again. It's something that used to be a big part of my life. I miss it.
said drgeek
on 2006-09-21 at 5:27 p.m.
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The Wayback Machine - To Infinity And Beyond
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