"eck! he's no jascha heifetz"

theabsurdman

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Anybody else get this?

I attended a family gathering at the weekend and plunked out a few tunes on a borrowed uke (wrong size for me) with every fluff on my part being met with general ridicule, "don't give up your day job" .. "you'll starve if you ever have to busk for a living" etc. etc. cue much hilarity.

Slightly dispiriting when you are trying to pick up a new skill.

I must point out that I'm a relative beginner and make no claims for virtuosity whatsoever.
 
Family members are suppose to take shots at you.............that's how they show their love. At least on Modern Family they do.
 
Try not to be discouraged. I know it's hurtful, but we've all been through it. Even experienced players can feel nervous when playing in public, and that kind of edginess makes us more sensitive to such remarks. One problem for beginners is the fact that "music" today means CDs and broadcast programs to most people. And, obviously, what they are hearing all day long, every day, are professional musicians who do play like Heifetz. You can be sure that most of those who took jabs at you (1) were doing so in a good natured way, and (2) have no appreciation of how difficult learning an instrument can be. You should excuse their ignorance. You've reminded me of a story. One day as a student of the French Horn, I was standing in a friend's back yard overlooking a canyon. I had my Horn, and was belting out Wagner's Valkyrie theme as loud as I could over the canyon, when the gate opened and in walked my friend's mother, Sue Vidor. She had been married to Heifetz in her younger days, before marrying King Vidor. She had a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face as she approached me and said "Thank you for the grand entrance music!" Of course, if you know the operas as she did, the implications of her remark are not all that favorable. But she was being charming and funny as always. So, even as your playing improves beyond casual reproach, you will find times when you may wonder how well it's being received.
 
The ones who want to talk you down would never have the guts to get up in front of people and do what you did. What you are doing is wonderful. Keep going.
 
You say "much hilarity" ensued. Did you have fun?
 
I guess if you were playing fiddle in front of them they'd have said "Oy! You're no James Hill!"
 
One of my favorite sayings is "illegitimi non carborundum" -"Vinegar Joe Stilwell". This applies here. Family dynamics are a train wreck at the best of times. There are 6 members in my immediate family. Three of us are crazy. Clinically insane if you prefer. Its acase of bad genes. Runs in the family. Except Nobody knew this until I was ~50 years old. Talk about dysfunctional, Oy Ve! The only things my pop and I can do together is talk finance and play music. This is my dad's version of 3/4 time XXXxX XXXxX, -he calls it 2/3 . This is my Dads's version of a march XXXxX, XXXxX. Well we can play music together, with a little bit of forbearance on my part. Otherwise its Kvetch, Kvetch, Kvetch. They weren't even impressed when I got a paying gig at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

They are your family. Love them even if you can't stand them. When you hear the wise cracks realize they have to rely on the "Wit" for validation. You are a Musician. You don't need validation, (well your not gonna get it from your family anyway).

George, thats a marvelous anecdote. Jascha, doesn't he busk in the Subways?... No that was Itzhak Perlman. He was just down the way from Jimmie Galway.
 
They are your family. Love them even if you can't stand them. When you hear the wise cracks realize they have to rely on the "Wit" for validation. You are a Musician. You don't need validation, (well your not gonna get it from your family anyway).

Yeah, this says it best, I think. It sounds like you could have pulled off Beethoven's 9th flawlessly and you still would have received some snark. I think you have to shrug it off and realize you're playing music because you love it, and not to impress your family. Love of music will pay you back thousands-fold, regardless of whether you achieve mastery or just enjoy screwing around.
 
Hey! thanks all for the encouragement and the Heifetz anecdote (7 degrees of separation eh?)

I did manage one win that night - as my cousin was wibbling on about his favourite band, I was able to pitch in with "Pinball Wizard" from memory!

I'll keep practising.
 
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I am reminded by this discussion that my older brother was an extremely accomplished clarinet player, and later saxophone. He won awards for his playing, was a featured soloist in community orchestras, and eventually achieved a measure of success playing sax with some very well-established stage acts. He was, by any measure, an extremely skilled and talented musician.

I bring this up because, growing up, we gave him nothing but grief. As you might expect, achieving his level of talent required a lot of practice-- and a clarinet constantly practiced in a standard middle-class home-- well, there's no place to go to escape it. Many of my childhood memories have a soundtrack of clarinet scales being practiced in the background, as he played that thing non-stop. I can't tell you how many times we begged him to stop playing "that damned horn" (yes, I know a clarinet isn't a horn, but we didn't care).

That's family for ya :)
 
.... I was able to pitch in with "Pinball Wizard" from memory!

Well, there you go! I was never much good at playing from memory, and these days I'm lucky just to remember my first position chords. So, even as a beginner, you can count yourself as being way ahead of the curve. Frankly, I'm looking forward to Google Glass, thinking that I can hide my music charts and chord diagrams in there! Good show! Keep practicing and play in front of others as often as possible.
 
Frankly, I'm looking forward to Google Glass, thinking that I can hide my music charts and chord diagrams in there! .

Dude you've just blown my mind. That's genius.
 
Even experienced players can feel nervous when playing in public,

When Joshua Bell "busked" in the Washington Metro he admitted to being nervous and "stressing" before he started. "What if they don't like me? What if they resent my presence?"
This from a player who can make $1000 a minute.

In case there are still people who haven't seen the Pulitzer winning article, check out "Pearls Before Breakfast" on the Washington Post website. Well worth the time it takes to read it.
 
Hey! thanks all for the encouragement and the Heifetz anecdote (7 degrees of separation eh?)

I did manage one win that night - as my cousin was wibbling on about his favourite band, I was able to pitch in with "Pinball Wizard" from memory!

I'll keep practising.
Just what is the meaning of wibbling?
 
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