13 reasons you should be friends with a musician
3 January 2018, 15:58
Musicians: they’re spontaneous, fun and can be used as a walking record player. Here are all the reasons you should make friends with a muso.
1. They make ‘Happy Birthday’ 150 per cent better at your birthday parties
Being sung to can be toe-curlingly embarrassing. But your new musician friend is guaranteed to jazz up your birthday serenade with a strum-heavy accompaniment and lots of super-understated harmonies.
2. They can play beautiful music at your wedding.
Pachelbel’s Canon? The Blue Danube? The theme tune to Love Actually? Whatever you fancy on your big day, your mate will be there for you with their instrument and buckets of wedding repertoire on tap, plus a subtle plug or ten for their upcoming concert.
3. You’ll get a whole new friendship group
One word: BANDMATES. Work, hobbies and a social life can be tough to juggle. But with your new muso pal, you’ll have a brand-new group of friends who turn up to your garage every Thursday to practise and steal your beers.
4. When life gets overwhelming, they can play nice relaxing music for you
Sure, life is stressful. But it’s 80 per cent less traumatic when your mate starts practising Debussy and Chopin in the next room.
5. They make you realise money doesn’t matter
Who needs $$$ when you’re surrounded by the beauty of music? Your poor, struggling muso pal will help you remember what’s really important in life.
6. You’ll get to go to loads of great gigs
Queuing online for Joshua Bell tickets is, let’s face it, a total bore. Get yourself a musician friend, and go to all their cheap concerts in weird falling-down pubs.
7. You’ll develop a great taste in music
Worried that your taste in music is lacking in refinement and variety? Befriend a musician, and borrow all their old records.
8. You’ll get a fun new side project
Getting bored of your old job? Find a musician friend, and you’ll get an awesome new job as their manager and social media editor.
9. You’ll learn to judge talent show entrants with real music knowledge
That singer on The X Factor? “Pfft! People only like her because she uses a vibrato wide enough to scare Bach out of his grave,” you’ll learn to say.
10. You’ll always have a driving buddy
No one likes driving alone – and a musician needs transport. Offer to take them to all their gigs ever, and you’ll never be without your Kenickie.
11. They’ll teach you the language of music
Found a muso who doesn’t speak your language? No matter! Music is a universal language, and befriending that Italian violist will help you understand that music equals communication, and words are largely unimportant.
12. You’ll have endless surprising adventures
Musicians are highly unpredictable creatures – one minute, they’ll be able to come to your mum’s 60th birthday party, the next, they’ll be jetting off to Croatia to give a strings masterclass. If you love to be surprised, find yourself a muso friend.
13. You’ll do loads of mid-week drinking
Bored of the usual Friday and Saturday night pub trips? Befriend that trombone player you always see at the supermarket, and get ready to indulge in a serious post-concert Monday night drinking sesh.
