I just happened across this over at “The Session”. Anybody out there mastered this trick yet?
GERMAN POLICE NAB MOTORIST PLAYING FLUTE
Thursday, September 11, 2003 Posted: 1:23 AM EDT (0523 GMT)
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) – German police caught a man playing the flute with both hands as he sped through traffic at 130 kph (80 mph) on a busy highway, police said on Wednesday.
“He was leaning back in the seat and steering the car with his knees and feet,” said Johann Bohnert, a spokesman for police in the town of Traunstein near the Austrian border.
“He looked like he’d had practice.”
He now faces a fine of 50 euros ($56).
The 52-year-old from Salzburg in Austria, birthplace of Mozart, the composer whose works include the opera “The Magic Flute,” told police he was not actually blowing the instrument.
“He said he was just practicing fingerings,” said Bohnert.
Kinda like, he did it but he didn’t inhale!!
it would be easier , i imagine , in a continental left hand drive , supposing you are right handed .
here in Ireland , it’s not so easy , as the flute will knock against the window.
in a commercial vehicle ,eg. Transit 1 ton , or better again Hino 3 ton flatbed , it’s usually handy enough , as there is more room on the flute end side and the steering wheel is more level , giving you better knee control . (i’m sure that guy used his feet for the accelerator pedal only .)
leaning back will only cause loss of visibility to the side rear view mirrors .
however , the volume level of the diesel engine does cause one to need to look for more sound on the flute , resulting in a larger intake of air and if the heater is on full blow , the consequences are the air you put into the flute may lack the usual humidity required for that sweeter sound .
turn off the blowers , and use only left knee for steering , right foot for gas pedal and keep in 3rd gear for better engine braking .
players of Gemeinhardt , etc . Boehm System flutes , may need to use rubber ferrule on the flute end , to protect against damage from aforementioned window banging .
under no circumstances should players of these Boehm System metal , especially nickel plated , use blue tooth phone , as the metal will cause interference to reception .
Happy Motoring …
I play while driving all the time but I have an old Honda Civic that is easy to drive with one’s knees and, besides, I am on country roads where there is hardly a car goes by.
Thanks for the help. I’ve decided that it’s probably safe to play while driving, as long as I avoid crans, and other things that might impair my reflexes.
Next challenge: picking up the cell phone call without dropping the pulse or spilling my coffee. (Easy if it wasn’t for the darned traffic lights. What’s that about )???
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