Archive for the ‘Music Humor & Verse’ Category
Sunday, October 20th, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A woman was roasting a ham…*
or
A man was a terrible ham…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Limerick Ham
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A chef who is rather a ham
Got a band to allow him to jam.
The guy is all thumbs
When he beats on his drums,
But their regular man’s on the lam.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Band Limerick, Chef Humor, Competition Limerick, Drums Humor, Food Humor, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Music Limerick, Poetry & Prompts, Writing Prompts
Posted in Contests, Food & Drink Humor, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 89 Comments »
Saturday, September 7th, 2013
Limerick Discord
By Madeleine Begun Kane
If your scale is “C major” then fa
Equals F (the fourth note) and not la.
But those la’s turn to F’s
When the key by your clef’s
“A flat major.” Confused? La-di-da.
Tags: Music Limerick, Musical Verse
Posted in Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems | Comments Off on Limerick Discord
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
My Two Cents About The Voice
By Madeleine Begun Kane
On the Voice my fav entrants are out.
It’s Sasha and Amber I’d tout.
Danielle doesn’t phrase,
Yet they keep heaping praise.
I just hope it’s Michelle in a rout.
Tags: Amber Carrington, Colton Swon, Danielle Bradbery, Michelle Chamuel, Music Competition, Music Contest, Music Limerick, Music Verse, Phrasing, Reality Shows, Sasha Allen, Singing Humor, Swon Brothers, The Voice, TV Humor, Vocalists, Zach Swon
Posted in Contests, Limericks, Media Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems, Music Reviews, Television (TV) Humor | 3 Comments »
Thursday, April 25th, 2013
One month ago, The Washington Post Style Invitational challenged us to create “fictoids — totally bogus trivia — about music and the music world.” Having worked as an oboist for many years, I couldn’t possibly resist such a contest. So I’m posting all my entries, one of which earned an Honorable Mention.
I’m curious as to which of mine is your favorite. And of course feel free to make up your own musical trivia in my comment section, and to guess which of my musical fictoids won that Honorable Mention. (I reveal my winning fictoid at the end of this post — upside down to make it harder to cheat. :)
Here are my entries:
- Greedy J.S. Bach descendants tried to patent his Two and Three-Part Inventions.
- Antonio Vivaldi once sued himself for plagiarism … and won.
- Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” (from his Symphony No. 9) was originally entitled “Oy, Oy, Oy.”
- The world premiere of Verdi’s “Aida” ended in tragedy when the lead soprano accidentally crushed an elephant to death.
- Female harp players are so loathsome, that shrewish women are now referred to as harpies.
- For several years during George W. Bush’s presidency, the Dallas Symphony’s concert programs id’ed its brass section as trumpets, trombones, tubas, and Texas shorthorns.
- Composers George Frideric Handel, Georg Philipp Telemann, Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach were all so impoverished, they died of starvation. Hence, the name “Baroque composers.”
- Famed French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal never appeared on stage without a chilled glass of champagne. That’s why flautists are now known as flutists.
- Ludwig van Beethoven didn’t actually go deaf; he just pretended to be deaf because his wife and mother-in-law were so annoying.
- In a 1980 New York Philharmonic April Fools’ Day performance of Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp, flutist Julius Baker and harpist Ursula Holliger played each other’s instruments. The New York Times proclaimed theirs the best ever performance of the work.
- The Eastman School of Music was known as the Polaroid School of Music, until Kodak’s George Eastman won it in poker game.
And my Honorable Mention-winning entry is:
˙ɥʇɐǝp oʇ ʇuɐɥdǝןǝ uɐ pǝɥsnɹɔ ʎןןɐʇuǝpıɔɔɐ ouɐɹdos pɐǝן ǝɥʇ uǝɥʍ ʎpǝƃɐɹʇ uı pǝpuǝ ”ɐpıɐ“ s’ıpɹǝʌ ɟo ǝɹǝıɯǝɹd pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ
Tags: Antonio Vivaldi, Baroque, Bogus Trivia, Classical Music Humor, Dallas Symphony Humor, Dallas Texas, Eastman School Of Music, Flautist Humor, Flute Humor, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Eastman, George Frideric Handel, Harp Humor, J.S. Bach, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Julius Baker, Kodak Humor, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Music Review, Musical Fictoids, New York Philharmonic, New York Times Humor, Opera Humor, Plagiarism, Polaroid Humor, Ursula Holliger, Verdi's Aida, Washington Post
Posted in Contests, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Personal, Trivia Humor | 5 Comments »
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
Karaoke isn’t my thing because my singing voice is lousy. (Alas, there’s no connection between being able to play the oboe and having a dulcet singing voice.)
But since it’s National Karaoke Week (celebrated each year during the 4th week of April) I couldn’t resist posting this silly limerick:
Limerick Ode To Karaoke
By Madeleine Begun Kane
There are people whose singing is croaky.
Some are pitchy — too high or too low-key.
But no matter your voice,
Almost all can rejoice
In this musical fun: Karaoke.
Tags: April Holidays, Karaoke Humor, Music Limerick, Odd Holidays, Singing Humor, Singing Voice, Voice Humor
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Holiday Humor, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Odd Holidays | 5 Comments »
Monday, April 8th, 2013
Please relax Cher fans — Cher is still alive:
Legions of Twitter users were fooled into thinking the pop singer had passed after people began posting about late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher under the hashtag #nowthatcherisdead.
Hashtag Madness (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
“Nowthatcherisdead” — hashtag blur
Has created one hell of a stir:
Dear fans of Ms. Cher,
Who’ve read “news” you can’t bear:
Cher’s alive. Thatcher’s dead. As you were!
Tags: Cher, Margaret Thatcher, nowthatcherisdead, Social Marketing, Twitter Humor
Posted in Celebrity Humor, Entertainment Humor, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Public Figures, Social Media Humor, Stupidity Humor, Travel Humor | 11 Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2013
Many people were offended by Seth MacFarlane’s “Saw Your Boobs” at last night’s Oscars. But, at the risk of damaging my feminist cred, I’m not one of them.
Of course, I do understand the negative reaction. However, the song didn’t bother me because I viewed it as parody, rather than misogyny.
But what did bother me at the Oscars was everybody pretending that the Les Misérables cast can sing.
Limerick Ode To Miserable Singing
By Madeleine Begun Kane
There are folks who appear up in arms:
For the “boob song,” they sound the alarms.
But to me, here’s what riled:
Dreadful singing gone wild
In Les Miz — kindly call les gendarmes.
Tags: Award Shows, Bad Singing, Bare Breasts, Boobs, Breasts Humor, Cops & Police, Entertainment Limerick, Feminism, Film Limerick, Les Miserables, Movie & Play Humor, Oscars, Saw Your Boobs, Seth MacFarlane, Singing Humor, TV Humor
Posted in Actors & Actresses, Celebrity Humor, Entertainment Humor, Limericks, Media Humor, Movie & Play Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Music Reviews, Oscars Humor, Physical Appearance, Public Figures, Television (TV) Humor | 12 Comments »
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And since it’s Super Bowl Sunday, I’m offering you an alternative: In addition to your regular challenge, you may write a limerick related to the Super Bowl, using any first line. Next week I’ll present an extra award — one for the best Super Bowl limerick.
And now, getting back to your regular Limerick-Off challenge: I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A man who’d been recently canned…*
or
A gal who’d been recently canned…*
or
A man who’d been served something canned…*
or
A gal who’d been served something canned…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Canned Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A pianist, quite recently canned,
Was promoting his newly-formed band.
But his bucks now are fewer:
He bribed a reviewer
Who wrote for one K, “This band’s grand!”
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Band Humor, Bribe, Competition Limerick, Football Humor, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Money Verse, Music Humor & Verse, Pianists, Poetry & Prompts, Promotion Verse, Reviewer Humor, Sports Humor, Super Bowl Sunday, Writing Prompts
Posted in Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Money & Finance Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest, Sports Humor | 109 Comments »
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Curmudgeonly Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A curmudgeon was in a foul mood —
Even worse than his usual tude.
So his concert review
Read in bold letters, “BOO!”
He was paid by the word … so not shrewd.
UPDATE: January 29 is Curmudgeons Day.
Tags: Behavior Humor, Curmudgeons, Curmudgeons Day, January Holidays, Music Humor & Verse, Odd Holidays, Reviews, Writing & Publishing Humor
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Music Reviews, Odd Holidays, Writing & Publishing Humor | 4 Comments »
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A man who was rather urbane…*
or
A gal who was rather urbane…*
*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)
Here’s my limerick:
Urbane Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A man who was rather urbane
Mocked pop culture as trite and inane.
He did it in song —
Twas a hit before long.
His disdainful refrain now makes rain.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Competition Limerick, Limerick Challenge, Limerick Contest, Music Limerick, Poetry & Prompts, Pop Culture, Rain Making Humor, Song Writing, Sophistication Humor, Urbanity, Writing Prompts
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Competition, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 72 Comments »
Saturday, November 3rd, 2012
A Sax Tale
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A blowhard musician named Rand
Played sax (not too well) in a band.
He’d blow solos, yet boast.
Now he’s finally toast—
The leader, at last, took a stand.
UPDATE: November 6 is Saxophone Day, in honor of inventor Adolphe Sax’s birthday in 1814.
Tags: Adolphe Sax, Bandleaders Humor, Blowhards Humor, Boasting, Conductor Limerick, Inventions Poem, Inventors, Music Humor & Verse, Music Limerick, November Holidays, Sax Humor, Saxophone Limerick
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Inventions Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Odd Holidays | 9 Comments »
Monday, October 15th, 2012
I swear that this limerick is based on an actual news item: Artist makes music with bird droppings in Liverpool.
Mucked Up Music (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Just what is a person to do
When creative ideas are few?
If your muse flew the coop,
Here’s an int’resting scoop:
Compose music by using bird poo.
Tags: Animals Poetry, Artists, Bird Droppings, Bird Humor, Bird Poo, Composers, Creativity, Inspiration, Music Humor & Verse
Posted in Animal & Pet Humor, Creativity Verse, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems | 11 Comments »
Sunday, September 16th, 2012
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow was trying his hand …*
or
A woman was trying her hand …*
*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)
Here’s my limerick:
Trying Your Hand At Limericks
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A baker was trying his hand
At launching a rock and roll band.
He played the guitar,
And he hoped to go far.
But alas all his gig dates were panned.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Guitar, Limerick Contest, Music Limerick, Poetry & Prompts, Rock & Roll, Writing Prompts
Posted in Contests, Food & Drink Humor, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest | 84 Comments »
Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
Three Word Wednesday asks us to use Beat, Pressure, and Substance in a poem. In substance, I’ve beaten them into submission, pressuring those words to fit into this limerick:
Dear Conductor (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Dear conductor, you think you’re elite,
But in substance, you’re always off beat.
You pressure musicians
With harsh admonitions.
To follow your stick’s no mean feat.
Tags: Conductor Limerick, Conductors Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Poetry Prompt, Three Word Wednesday
Posted in Music Humor & Verse | 12 Comments »
Thursday, July 26th, 2012
This is my second attempt at macaronic verse — a poem that mixes two languages in a humorous manner. While Latin is often the second language, this macaronic limerick uses musical terms:
Macaronic Music
By Madeleine Begun Kane
If you fiddle around while I speak,
Then I’ll trumpet your lousy technique.
If you flaut me, beware!
Your bass secret will air —
Broken G string and all, horny freak!
(Poets United prompts us to writing something about sound.)
Tags: Macaronic Verse, Music Humor & Verse, Music Limerick, Poetry Forms
Posted in Light Verse, Limericks, Macaronic Verse, Music Humor & Verse, Music Poems, Poetry Forms | 14 Comments »
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
To this day, Last Dance is one of my favorite songs to dance to. RIP Donna Summer!
Limerick Ode To Donna Summer
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Alas we have lost Donna Summer
And her beautiful voice. What a bummer!
She was Hot Stuff, the Queen
Of a musical scene,
Who’s Last Danced to her own disco drummer.
Tags: Bad Girls, Celebrities, Disco, Disco Dance, Donna Summer, Hot Stuff, Last Dance, Limerick Obit, Music Limerick, Musical Verse, Obit, She Worked Hard For The Money
Posted in Limerick Obituary, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse | 9 Comments »
Saturday, May 5th, 2012
What’s even more fun than writing limericks? Writing acrostic limericks:
The Buglers (Acrostic Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Bells up in the air, buglers blare,
Raising rackets most ears can not bear,
And amazing, but true,
Stopping right on their cue.
So their vision, at least, is still there.
(Posted at the DVerse music prompt.)
Tags: Acrostic Poems, Brass Players, Bugles Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Music Limerick, Noise Humor, Noise Poem
Posted in Acrostic Limericks, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse, Noise Humor | 16 Comments »
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
In its latest Thursday Think Tank, Poets United prompts our muses with the word “strings.” It struck a chord with me, inspiring this limerick tale of an unstrung cellist:
Last-String Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
“That conductor has strung me along,”
Said a cellist. “He’s doing me wrong.
He promised first chair,
But instead I’m nowhere:
Stuck in back, the last stand, near the gong.”
(Related Limericks: Musical Chairs; Musical Faux Pas; and Musical Discord.)
Tags: Cellists Limerick, Cello Humor, Conductor Limerick, Dishonesty, Lies, Music Humor & Verse, Orchestra Musicians, Poets United, String Players, Symphony Verse, Thursday Think Tank
Posted in Honesty Humor, Limericks, Music Humor & Verse | 11 Comments »
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner plus the Honorable Mentions.)
How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, and cleverness. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, you can find some helpful resources listed here.)
I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow who had a degree…*
or
A woman who had a degree…*
*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)
Here’s my limerick:
Limerick Degree
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A fellow who had a degree
In law, yes, the dreaded JD,
Found the market dried up,
So he sang for his sup
On a ship after going to sea.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!
Tags: Education & School Humor, JD Humor, Job Market Humor, Lawyer Limerick, Limerick Contest, Music Limerick, Poetry & Prompts, Sea Limerick, Ships, Singing Humor, Travel Humor, Unemployment Humor, Writing Prompts
Posted in Contests, Education & School Humor, Legal & Lawyer Humor, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Money & Finance Humor, Music Humor & Verse, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest, Travel Humor | 68 Comments »
