Continuing in curmudgeon mode, in which I have been wallowing luxuriously for a few days …
I’m talking here about clips that people put up of their playing. And, no matter how good or bad they are, they almost always put some comment up, either spoken just before they play, or a comment attached to the clip, along the lines of “This was done in a rush, in one take, I’ve got a cold, having a ‘bad tone day’, I don’t really know this tune, etc etc”. Nobody ever says “I’m complete sh*te, so don’t even bother to listen to this”. Frankly, it would be much better if people just said “Look, I’ve done my best here”. I mean, if it isn’t their best, why are they foisting it on me? It’s presumptuous, arrogant and rude of them.
You can’t fool me with that Emperor. I mean, the cut’s OK but the cloth leaves something to be desired …
The thing is, I guess you’re saying something like “people who live in glass houses etc”. But you will find that there are hardly any clips of me posted anywhere. There are a few that other people have posted, but almost none that I have posted myself, except a couple when I was starting out on flute and asking for help. Which, I think, is different. I don’t tend to post clips precisely because I don’t want to irritate others the way they irritate me.
You’ll find none posted of my playing, which is good, because then I won’t have to make excuses about how poorly I play
Seriously, though, I do think that many people are looking for feedback, but there is a certain amount of self-consciousness that goes along with that. Posting clips of yourself playing is a major venture out of self inflicted comfort zones for many. While it annoys you to hear them make excuses, for most of the people who are posting their clips, it was more than likely excessively difficult putting that clip “out there”.
Oh no…feel free to revel in your curmudgeonry. Tending toward the same myself, on a regular basis these days (in lieu of massive amounts of snow and cold), I wouldn’t dream of trying to diminish it. Just look at my post as musings…and then feel free to dismiss
Yes, what Izzy said. It is hard to put it out there. Although I do it all the time, (but not musicianship…there, I cannot even pretend to be able to present something worthwhile.)
I agree with you though, that it’s probably a better approach to say, “yep…this is my sh*te, fwiw,” rather than try to demur that you’re having an off day. Because, if that were true, why not wait for an on day?
… except that I don’t care how hard it is to “put it out there”. If it’s that hard, just save yourself the bother of doing it - and me of being expected to lsiten to it - and … um … don’t.
Ah…I hadn’t thought of other endeavours. I have submitted bits of my writing to various periodicals, only to get the dreaded “thanks, but no thanks” in reply. That’s hard for me to do (both the submitting and the reply, lol), and I must admit I’m always tempted to try to make my own excuses for why my submission is not fantabulous. In a way, I suppose you’re setting yourself up when you do that, because the person listening/reading have already subconsciously decided that your submission is shite, because you’re already told them it is.
Yeah, yeah…just be lucky I didn’t put my caveat out there:
“Please be advised that anything I write might be substandard due to one, or more, of the following reasons:
lack of sleep
lack of coffee
too much sleep
too much coffee
too much noise
too much quiet
too cold
too hot
too hungry
too full
or whatever other excuse strikes my fancy at this particular time”
I am regularly busted for not paying attention. They’re not quite correct. I may not have listened to what was said but I listened to how it was said. And no matter what the excuses people may give in these clips, how they’re saying it, says they’re still a bit unsure and vulnerable and be kind to them.
I wish some people didn’t feel a need to show us their vulnerability but they do, so what you going to do. On the other hand, the people who puff up their abilities and then crash and burn are just as bothersome. It’s the people who are having fun and can even laugh at themselves that I enjoy.
I’m being lambasted over on another thread at the moment for “taking swipes at Americans”. To redress the balance a bit, may I say that you guys have really made me smile here and that one thing I love about Americans is this gentle, wry humour you guys have?
You’ve obviously not seen me at my best. Ask Denny. He knows.
