When a musician is woodshedding a passage of music, they’re trying to master that part by repeatedly practicing it in private, as if having retreated to do so in a woodshed, away from others who might be bothered by it. This is part of a...
Ian in Jacksonville, Florida, wonders about why musicians use the word clam to mean “a mistake” or “an egregious musical error,” as in There are a lot of clams in there or We need to practice where the clams are regarding a...
parasiting n.— «Terrorists are hacking websites and posting training manuals in inner directories where people may not notice them (this practice is called “parasiting”).» —“Terrorism on the Internet: another Border to...
soaking n.— «A painful out: In base ball’s earliest years, a player could throw a runner out by hitting him with the ball in a practice called soaking. Soaking was outlawed by 1867.» —“A lesson in baseball’s beginnings” by...
two-a-day n.— «I agree with most of what you say above, except I do think the 6:30 am practices are a good idea. It is time to send a wake up call to the team, and if that means two a days, so be it. I see it as the coaching staff saying...