Is it possible to sense humor in instrumental music, void of lyrics or other extramusical elements? How can we discern between earnest and satirical compositions? By correlating musical examples with major theories in the philosophy of humor and our response to humorous gestures across art forms, I form a theory for the presence of humor in purely musical events. From Baroque polytonal music to the sounds of the subcontrabassoon in my native Oklahoma, there is a rich repertoire of humorous pieces at which we can all have a laugh.