How I attended the Tonight Show on standby

I wanted to share my experience about getting into the Tonight Show with standby tickets, because even though I read descriptions of the process online before I went to NYC, I continued to be nervous about how exactly it was going to work until I went through it myself. It really helps me if I can visualize the process, so I took photos of my experience to illustrate, so hopefully it will help others out that want to get to the show. 

NOTE: This was my specific experience on July 28, 2026, and there is no guarantee that the process will remain the same forever. Obviously, you should check the latest information on the NBC website before you go, including VERY IMPORTANTLY whether there is indeed an episode being taped that day.  Also, it should further be noted that if you plan early enough, you can actually reserve free tickets in advance on the website for the date you will be able to attend. I planned my trip on fairly short notice, so there were none available at that time.

NBC Studios

NBC Studios entrance on 6th Ave, between 49th and 50th Streets

-Enter NBC Studios through the entrance on 6th Avenue, between 49th and 50th streets.  The awning above the door says "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."

The Shop at NBC Studios, line started to the left of the doors

-Directly inside of the front doors of NBC studios is the gift shop (pictured above).  Unlike, the picture, the doors are closed until 8AM, but a line for stand-by cards will almost certainly have formed by 8AM.  On the day I went, I arrived at 7AM and was the 13th person in line.  By the time 8AM rolled around, there were maybe 20-25 in line.

-Before the gift shop opened, a lady came and gave instructions. We had to stand (not sit) while waiting, remain single file at all times, no holding a space in line for others, no getting stand-by cards for anyone that is not there, no cutting at all (even if your family or friends show up later). They were pretty strict about these expectations, so be sure to listen and follow instructions.

-At 8AM they opened the gift shop and we walked to the counter single-file. You are required to show an ID such as driver's license or passport to prove that you are 16 or older (they say they will also accept a photo of your license, but to be safe, you should probably bring a physical one in case they ever change this policy). If you do not have these, a school ID is accepted if it shows the full birthdate, or if you have additional documentation proving your birthday. You are only allowed to attend a taping once every six months (whether reserved or standby) and they check your name in the system to make sure.  Stand-by cards are available from 8AM-3PM at the shop or until they run out.   NOTE: Receiving a stand-by card is NOT a guarantee that you will get in. It depends entirely on how many people with reserved seats don't show up, which you will not know until about 4PM, so be aware that you are spending your time just for a chance to see the show. 

The numbered stand-by card

-At the counter, you receive a stand-by card numbered in the order you were in line.  You must bring this and your ID card with you to the taping. They will not allow you to just show a picture of your voucher.  If you return but don't have a voucher, they will NOT give you a replacement with the number you had previously, but may give you a new voucher at the very end of the line if any are left. 

-As printed on the voucher, you are required to return to the shop at 3:15PM (but check yours, in case they ever change the call time).

The line in the shop after 3:15 (don't worry you will keep your numbered place in line from the morning)

-At 3:15, we brought our stand-by cards and IDs and lined up along the left half of the store (in any order), and when the line backed up to the entrance, they left space for the entrance (so shoppers could get in and out), and then continued the line along the right side of the shop. 

Front of the line, where they check your stand-by card number and your ID

-Eventually the line moves forward, and you must prevent your stand-by card and ID again. They check you with the list they made previously, and then line you up in the order of the numbers on the stand-by cards.  They also give you a blue wrist band to indicate you've been screened.  At this time, you may put your ID away, but keep your voucher on hand at all times.  For my taping, there were more than 90 with standby vouchers, and 45 were able to get into the show. This apparently varies widely. I heard several people ask questions of the staff, such as, do we have any chance of getting in, how many people usually get in, etc.  The answers they gave were always something like, sometimes it's a little, sometimes it's a lot, we don't know yet what today's numbers are. They seem to be trained to stay vague, and probably don't really know what the numbers are anyway, so I would suggest refraining from asking and just let them do their jobs. 

The blue wrist band you wear to indicate that your stand-by card and ID have been checked

-The 45 that got in were given yellow tickets and white wrist bands. We were told to wear the white wrist band and to keep both the blue stand-by card and yellow ticket until they are later collected. We walked upstairs to security screening. You are not allowed to bring any weapons into the studio, including pocket knives or mace, but you could leave them with security. You are not allowed to bring large bags or backpacks. Any purses, contents of pockets, and metal belts had to go through X-ray and you walk through a scanner.

Those fortunate enough to get in receive a yellow ticket and a white wristband

-After that, we went up the elevator and waited in the Peacock Lounge until seating began. I would suggest using the restroom at this time, because you are not allowed to leave at all during the taping of the episode. (If you do, you aren't allowed back in)

The Peacock Lounge, where you wait to enter the studio

-When they were ready to seat, they called out the ticket letters or numbers one at a time to form the line to enter Studio 6B.  Listen carefully, because there were white tickets and yellow tickets. The reserved tickets had a single letter, double letter, or a number on the BACK of the ticket.  Standby tickets (which are seated last) had yellow tickets with "SB" on the back, but the number on the FRONT.  When your number is called, you get in line with BOTH your stand-by card and your ticket. 

-When we got to the doors, we deposited our tickets and vouchers into the box and then were seated by the ushers. They reminded us as we entered the studio that cellphones must remain entirely off, and we would be removed if we even took one out during the show.

-It's a little tedious and slightly confusing with the stand-by card, two different wrist bands, and a ticket, but if you pay attention and follow instructions, you'll be just fine.  The best thing you can do to improve your chances is, of course, to arrive early. Good luck!

Finale Tutorial - Guitar TAB basics

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Here are some tips on doing basic guitar TAB on Finale.  I show how you can take a melody and copy and paste it to the TAB staff and Finale automatically creates a TAB for you.  I also show how you can alter the default lowest fret that Finale will allow in the TAB.  I also show how you can switch to generating TAB in drop-D tuning.  I will cover more advanced TAB concerns in a future video. Comment below if you have any questions.

Finale Tutorial - Things you can do with the Explode Music tool

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"Explode Music" is one of the most useful tools in Finale.  It can save you a ton of time provided you know how to use it!  In this video, I'll show you how to take chords written on staff and automatically separate them in to various staves, breaking them into a different number of parts, and even specifying which clefs the new staves will use.  Remember to subscribe to be notified of future Finale tutorial videos.

Part 1

Part 2

Finale tutorial - quickly building tall chords with the simple entry palette and top row numbers

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In this video, I show some Finale basics on v.25 for Windows.  Using the simple entry palette and the top row of numbers on the computer keyboard, I really quickly enter some tall piano chords.  Using these shortcuts is far faster than clicking the notes individually.  Please comment with any questions or suggestions, and subscribe to be notified when new videos become available.

Finale tutorial - arranging "Mary Had a Little Lamb" for piano

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In this video, I show some Finale basics on v.25 for Windows.  Using the document setup wizard, I create a piano arrangement of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."  I talk about note entry, expressions tool, fitting measures into systems, and lyric tool, in particular.  Please comment with any questions or suggestions, and subscribe to be notified when new videos become available.

Memorizing Piano Music

Memorizing music is a tricky thing.  Even when we think we know a piece well, our memory can suddenly slip.  By bolstering our memory of a piece using several different methods, we can be much more confident and secure in our memorization of music.

Music Theory and Memory

Some students love music theory and others don't.  However, a good understanding of the structure and patterns used in a piece of music are a tremendous aid in memorizing a piece.  This works through a process known as chunking.

Chunking is a process we use to store information in our short-term memory.  Our short-term memory is generally able to store up to seven chunks at one time.  For example, take the following string of letters and numbers ABC1776XYZ3792.  There are 14 characters in this string, but the short term memory is only capable of remembering up seven chunks, so we will need to divided this into larger chunks of letters and numbers in order to hold it in our short-term memory, like this:

Chunk 1: ABC

Chunk 2: 1776 (If you are American, this is easy to remember, as it is the year we declared independence)

Chunk 3: XYZ

Chunk 4: 37

Chunk 5: 92

If you chunk the string of characters into these five chunks, it is much easier to remember! Can you close your eyes and recite it from memory?

Now, we need to relate this concept of chunking to music.  Take the first four measures of the right hand in Clementi's Sonantina in C Major.  There are 23 notes; how few chunks can you make out of this?

There are multiple ways to chunk this, but I've shown one example below.  The first measure and second measures are C major arpeggios.  The third measure contains a descending C major tetrachord and a lower-neighbor figure.  The fourth measure contains a descending G major pentachord.  If you recognize these patterns, it is easy to take these 23 notes and think of them in terms of five chunks.

So, chunking can be very helpful in improving memory from phrase to phrase, but a music theory understanding of overall form is also very important for memory of a full piece.  When I was a young piano student learning Clementi's Sonatina in C, I would sometimes make the mistake of reiterating material from the Exposition during the Recapitulation (including the modulation to V).  After I understood that Sonata form Expositions modulate V, whereas the Recapitulations typically remain in the tonic key, I no longer made that sort of memory error.

Muscle Memory and the Problems it Can Cause

Many, many young piano students rely almost entirely on muscle memory when preparing a tune for a recital or competition.  This can be a major problem because any sort of distraction can cause a memory disruption from which it is very difficult to recover during a memorized performance.  Muscle memory involves the memorization of the muscle movements required to perform a task.  After a while, the task can be performed with little or no conscious effort.  I know that when I get to a certain point of playing something by memory, I find myself thinking more about what I'm going to eat for lunch, or making plans for the weekend, or just about anything else that has nothing to do with the piece I'm playing!  This lack of focus is fraught with peril, and we must make sure to practice keeping our brain actively engaged when playing pieces, even when we think we know them backward and forward.

Here are several things you can do, to keep your brain actively engaged in the piece, by disallowing muscle memory from being the only form of memory being actively used:

• Practice the piece at a different tempo using a metronome.  If a piece is at a 120 tempo, try playing it at 60.  You might be surprised at how difficult this is to do, if you have been relying too heavily on muscle memory.
• Play the entire piece with staccato notes.  Altering the touch will force your brain to focus on each individual note.
• Use shadow practice, meaning that you move your fingers across the piano as usual without fully pressing down the keys.
• Practice the piece beginning at many different starting points.  Younger players especially tend to want to start over from the beginning when they make a mistake.  This is because they are relying mostly on muscle memory to get them through, with little understanding of the notes or the patterns found in the piece.  Try beginning in awkward spots in the middle of phrases.  It's more difficult to do, but it will increase your brain's engagement in the piece.

Auralizing, Visualing, and Mental Practice

Different students have different learning styles, such as aural, visual, and kinesthetic learning, but of course, musical performance includes all three components to some extent.  Muscle memory largely appeals to kinesthetic learners, but even if you are a kinesthetic learner, you need to bolster your memory with aural and visual memory.

Aural learning is, of course, important for musicians, as music involves the production of sound.  However, often when we are playing, we concentrate so much on the muscle movements and the sheet music, that we aren't actively listening, other than identifying wrong notes or mistakes.  Try to record your performance of a piece and listen back to it.  From a performance perspective, you might hear things that you want to improve, but having a good aural concept of a piece is important for memorization.  Without the sheet music, try to play the entire piece back in your head.  If you have trouble doing this, you probably lack a good aural understanding of the piece.  If this is the case, try listening to the piece in your head while looking at the score.

Visual learning is also very important.  There are two different important visual learning components for pianists - visualizing the score and visualizing the keyboard.  If you have a good visual memory of the score, you can probably remember what page you are on and what part of the page you are on as you play.  Whereas very few people can visualize entire pages of music, it's helpful for memory to be able to visualize the overall form of the piece on the sheet music, and certain patterns, such as chords and scales.

Finally, I want to talk about mental practice.  For me, this has proven to be one of the most effective methods for bolstering my memory of a piece.  Unfortunately, it is a very difficult thing to demonstrate to students.  Mental practice involves visualizing the keyboard in your head.  This is more difficult for some students than for others, but it is a very important tool for learning music.  If you can visualize the keyboard in your head, try visualizing your hands on the keyboard and play the piece visually in your head.  This can be done with our without the score.  Again, this eliminates the reliance on muscle memory and forces the brain to be actively engaged in thinking through the notes and the motions required to play the piece.

Conclusion

As previously stated, most young students rely almost entirely on muscle memory to perform memorized pieces.  Through a more thorough understanding of music theory, using various methods to disallow muscle memory from being the primary form of memory engaged, and from bolstering memory through mental practice, students can greatly improve their ability to memorize music.

Musical arrangements of The Star-Spangled Banner to download

The American flag, also known as "The Star-Spangled Banner"!

"The Star-Spangled Banner," by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith is the national anthem of the United States of America.

To purchase and download PDF sheet music of these "The Star-Spangled Banner" arrangements and print instantly, just click on the appropriate link below.  If you would like it rearranged for another instrument, just ask and I'll be glad to do so!

Keyboards/Percussion

"The Star-Spangled Banner" for intermediate piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for easy piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for very easy piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for xylophone/marimba with piano

Handbell Choir

"The Star-Spangled Banner" for 2-octave handbell choir
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for 3-octave handbell choir

Voice

"The Star-Spangled Banner" vocal with chords lead sheets in every key

Woodwinds

"The Star-Spangled Banner" for flute with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for oboe with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for Bb clarinet with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for bassoon with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for alto sax with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for tenor sax with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for bari sax with piano

Brass

"The Star-Spangled Banner" for trumpet with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for trombone with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for French horn with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for tuba with piano

Strings

"The Star-Spangled Banner" for violin with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for viola with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for cello with piano
"The Star-Spangled Banner" for string bass with piano

To see all of available sheet music titles, click here visit my Sheet Music Plus page.