![\"classical](\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/07\/classical-music-slang.jpg\")
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Like any vocation, those working in the field of classical music love to use their fair share of rather colourful slang terms. Some are nearly universal, while others are hardly known at all. For those working in the trenches, let us know some of the ones you’ve heard in the comment section.<\/p>\n
Axe:<\/strong>\u00a0An endearing term for a musician\u2019s instrument. \u201cDon\u2019t forget to bring your\u00a0axe<\/em>\u00a0tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Barihunk:<\/strong>\u00a0A handsome baritone with exaggerated masculine features. Especially, but not exclusively, one who removes his shirt for the sake of opera. The closer they look like Fabio, the better. \u201cOMG!\u00a0Barihunk<\/em>\u00a0alert!\u201d<\/p>\n Bi-sectional:<\/strong>\u00a0Someone who plays more than one instrument. \u201cNo worries \u2014<\/span> I\u2019m\u00a0Bi-sectional<\/em>\u2026 two for the price of one.\u201d<\/p>\n Bones:<\/strong>\u00a0Trombones. \u201cNever look at the\u00a0bones<\/em>. You\u2019ll only encourage them.\u201d<\/p>\n To Clam:<\/strong>\u00a0Miss a note. \u201cDarn it! I keep\u00a0clamming<\/em>\u00a0that last 32nd note.\u201d<\/p>\n Classive Aggressive:<\/strong>\u00a0Delicate\/soft classical music played at a high volume, or someone who speaks indignantly about non-classical music.<\/p>\n Colognetanger:<\/strong>\u00a0A man or woman who wears an obnoxious amount of perfume at a classical music concert. \u201cThere\u2019s a\u00a0Colognetanger<\/em>\u00a0in the parterre box. It won\u2019t take you long to find them.\u201d<\/p>\n Driftwood:<\/strong>\u00a0A nasty term for concert patrons who walk incredibly slowly, especially around aisles and doorways, effectively blocking the flow of traffic making their way to their seats.<\/p>\n To Elgar:<\/strong>\u00a0To get drunk and start playing piano at a party. \u201cThe party never really starts until someone\u00a0Elgars<\/em>\u00a0the piano.\u201d<\/p>\n Football:<\/strong>\u00a0A whole note. \u201cI can\u2019t wait for my big entrance at the\u00a0football<\/em>\u00a0on measure 133.\u201d<\/p>\n Gelb:<\/strong>\u00a0After Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera. A\u00a0history and classical music buff, who also paints and dabbles in cartography; a genuine Renaissance (wo)man who is so well-mannered\u00a0that they apologise excessively. \u201cThat guy is a real\u00a0Gelb<\/em>, in more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n Gravy Gig:<\/strong>\u00a0A performance that requires little preparation or effort.<\/p>\n Hairpin:<\/strong>\u00a0Crescendo\/decrescendo mark. \u201cRemember to\u00a0hairpin<\/em>\u00a0the opening of each phrase.\u201d<\/p>\n Head-bobbers:<\/strong>\u00a0Audience members who fall asleep during concerts. \u201cHey John, check out the\u00a0head-bobber<\/em>\u00a0in the front row.\u201d<\/p>\n Hummer:<\/strong>\u00a0A musician lacking classical training. \u201cI hate to say this, but she\u2019s a bit of a\u00a0hummer<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Idiot Check:<\/strong>\u00a0The act of going back into the venue after everything is loaded out and packed up to ensure nothing was forgotten. Should be performed by two different people.<\/p>\n Maestrobate:<\/strong>\u00a0The act of pretending to conduct an orchestra while classical music plays, often in a grandiose and exaggerated fashion.<\/p>\n Monster:<\/strong>\u00a0A really, really good musician.<\/p>\n Mozart Boobs:<\/strong>\u00a0In the Opera World, terminology referring to breasts which fit neatly into a corset, therefore looking good on the Opera Stage.<\/p>\n Nickelbach:<\/strong>\u00a0The name for an amateur ensemble that only performs the most well-known, least adventurous repertoire.<\/p>\n Octaviate:<\/strong>\u00a0A term used when playing a musical instrument, normally the trumpet, when a player goes into the extreme upper register.<\/p>\n Opera Water\/Symphony Water:<\/strong>\u00a0Water obtained from the lobby drinking fountain during intermission at an opera house or concert hall.<\/p>\n Orch Dork:<\/strong>\u00a0A person who loves playing an instrument in an orchestra (usually a school or youth orchestra). They often have a very strong opinion about their conductor.<\/p>\n Orchestra Shock:<\/strong>\u00a0The moment when someone hears a full orchestra for the first time, and has their mind blown.<\/p>\n Paino:<\/strong>\u00a0The instrument of a disgruntled pianist. “I don’t like practising\u00a0paino<\/em>, it’s so hard to play!”<\/p>\n Pianoob:<\/strong>\u00a0Someone who had just started playing the piano. Every known pianist in the world started out as a pianoob.<\/p>\n Pianowned:<\/strong>\u00a0Often used when someone playing the piano mucks up the piece due to the unwanted involvement of a third person.<\/p>\n Pipes:<\/strong>\u00a0A singer\u2019s voice. Only used when they are very good.<\/p>\n Practice Mark:<\/strong>\u00a0The marks left\u00a0on your fingers, lips, or neck from practicing your instrument for long hours.<\/p>\n Prima Donna:<\/strong>\u00a0A musician, typically a singer, who acts entitled.<\/p>\n Purple Hairs:<\/strong>\u00a0A derogatory term used to describe older folks at classical music concerts.<\/p>\n To Rach:<\/strong>\u00a0To play in an intense and impressive\u00a0manner.<\/p>\n Stringy Paddle:<\/strong>\u00a0Musical Toronto\u2019s favourite term for a violin.<\/p>\n Subway Effect:<\/strong>\u00a0The act of ignoring a public performance unless they are on a concert stage.<\/p>\n Vamp:<\/strong>\u00a0To kill time speaking to the crowd while the musicians prepare.<\/p>\n Vertical:<\/strong>\u00a0A weekly gig that happens on the same day.<\/p>\n Violin Hickey, aka Violin Chin:<\/strong>\u00a0A\u00a0mark on violinists\/violists located under the jaw. It is formed from the chinrest rubbing on the neck and looks like a little hickey.<\/p>\n To Woodshed:<\/strong>\u00a0To practice.<\/p>\n The Zone:<\/strong>\u00a0The place where time stands still, and the music is felt most deeply. This is the most cherished conscious state sought after by musicians and listeners alike.<\/p>\n Want more updates on Toronto-centric classical music news and reviews before anyone else finds out? Follow us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>\u00a0for all the latest.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thanks to Ludwig Van, you’ll have lots of talking points the next time you mingle with the classical music crowd, young and old! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":62345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6439,12],"tags":[805,9663],"yst_prominent_words":[11281,6767,6715,7202,13302,9224,11646,11575,6616,11079,13303,6886,6613,7141,7517,13299,13301,10395,7249,12533],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/07\/classical-music-slang.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-c1X","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46249"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46249"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62348,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46249\/revisions\/62348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46249"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=46249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n