Home » Mr. Pratt's Corner
December 17, 2009
Dear musicians,
Sax players face a couple of unique challenges on cruise ships such as having to double on flute and clarinet, packing their instruments so that they make it to the ship safely and more. Rob Pratt, a friend, client and saxophone player was nice enough to record a conversation with me about these challenges. Rob had great insights to share about his experiences, insights that might even be of benefit to those that aren’t even looking to be a part of the orchestra.
Enjoy.
February 7, 2009
There’re certain things a player obviously needs to know when playing music aboard a cruise ship. For showband musicians, sight-reading ability is a given. For saxophone players, so is minimal ability on doubles — clarinet and flute. When I first committed to join a ship, many veterans gave me pointers about how to do the gig. But there were several important things they never told me. more info
November 21, 2008
Note: Robert Pratt joined the Cunard Queen Victoria on Nov. 17 and will occasionally post notes from his experiences onboard. He currently plays the alto chair in the Queen’s Room Orchestra, and he also blogs at his personal website, wordandsound.com.
Once all the paperwork has been submitted and I’ve packed to join a new ship, my worries turn toward my cabin mate. All cruise ship musicians share a room, though longtimers who have done many contracts sometimes get a bonus single room. That’s a rare exception to the rule and only applies to the largest ships. more info
