Re: Re: [Harp-L] re Death of Live Music

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In reading this, I found myself, at times, reacting as both the cynic, and
the romantic. Well written, I was incredibly saddened by the piece, and was
brought to tears at several points over the gradual disappearance of
appreciation for beauty seen in modern society. What kind of wacky world are
we living in, seriously? On the other hand, I found that the practical side
of this is the lesson that any picture, frameless and improperly placed, can
warrant, even foster ignorance of its value. I thought, "Now he knows what
many good, talented musicians experience on a daily basis."

Another thought, what kind of elitist blame is it to expect those who are
struggling to provide a decent life for themselves and their significant
others in today's world to risk, perhaps, losing their jobs over a moment of
personal satisfaction? Many people live so close to the edge, time-wise,
that they have not budgeted the time necessary to stop and "smell the
flowers" on the way to work. The performance by Bell would have been
unexpected, and simply too costly to "attend". Give these people a break.

Now Joshua Bell has had the good fortune to have engineered a good living
out of his God-given talent. Many others haven't had this type of good
fortune. Being surrounded by supportive types,,e.g.,,interested parents,
teachers, etc.,,is a start. Agents, managers, and other interested
professionals are a part of the package, creating a framework for the
accumulation of both appreciation, and secondarily, wealth.

The question for a lot of musicians is,,"If I am the only one appreciating
the music I choose to play, is it worth it?" If so, maybe someone else will,
passing by, pause for a moment, take notice, and, who knows, throw in a buck
or two. To some extent, popular success is about having a sales instinct.
You've got to know when others notice, and WHAT others notice, whether
positively or negatively. A purely "artistic type" may not care, on the
other hand. For those, there's always the possibility of creating a "niche"
audience, a "cult" following. However much we care about who likes our music
determines what we play, to a large extent. With "classical" music this
isn't so much the case, as the term "classic", or "classical" assumes
time-tested favorites, distilled by the approval of many over years of
listening. One may say that "classical" musicians are taking less of a risk
in choice of material, however great the risk of performing the piece badly
is increased.

For me, personally, I have such a deep appreciation for good music, I have
no concern WHO is performing it, I'd be more than willing to simply be a
"D.J." spinning vinyls of the greats. But then, I'm not out trying to make a
living off music.

My son, nineteen and a lover of music as myself, played classical guitar
yesterday, sitting in front of the nearby department store with his case
open to the public. He made three dollars, and was happy. He offered to give
it to me for a Starbuck's. I love that guy.


Bob
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Garry Hodgson" <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Joe and Cass Leone" <leone@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [Harp-L] re Death of Live Music


> Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Gee Garry, I love you as a person because I have enjoyed your super
> > brain over the years, and I'm so sure you're correct, but I thought
> > it sucked. Maybe I was reading it (about 4 times) with a railroad tie
> > on my shoulder?
>
> it's like music.  it moves you or it doesn't.  no big deal.
>
> ----
> Garry Hodgson, Senior Software Geek, AT&T CSO
>
> nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something.
> do something.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.4.0/761 - Release Date: 4/14/2007
9:36 PM
>
>