[Harp-L] The Wonderful Internet

[Robert Bonfiglio <bon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

So I get this email from one of my high school class mates through  
facebook; you have to see this, you just have to!!!

So I look and it's some guy playing harmonica at a religious meeting  
at Carnegie Hall - although if you look at the title one would think  
he was the actual virtuoso soloist booked into Carnegie.  The  
announcer jokes with him about how the harmonica is a toy and then he  
plays a little Bach on a diatonic.

The playing is horrible, but the crowd loves it and the celebration of  
mediocrity goes on and on; and on to the Internet for everyone to  
see.  And all of us are supposed to sit on hands and accept that the  
player is trying the best that he can and that everyone has the right  
to be an artist - in our case a harmonica soloist.

I am sorry folks, but I have watched hundreds of internet performances  
and in the classical area, my area of expertise, most of it sucks.  It  
does suck a little bit, the playing is really not good.  And even  
though the playing isn't that good and everyone keeps patting everyone  
else on the back!   Most of the good performances are from times  
before the Internet or by players who were established before the  
internet.

I think its time to start speaking out - (I would like to say it's my  
old age and I have gotten intolerant to change), and I would say that  
if the performance was WOW that was different but amazing.  But I am  
finding the Internet has become an advertising tool for everyone and  
therefore the mediocre have flooded the playing field.

Is this just me?  Am I alone here?

Harmonically yours,

Robert Bonfiglio
http://www.robertbonfiglio.com