hais1273
Well-known member
Several years ago I posted a message about being spoken down to and generally being treated like a halfwit by a couple of band "mates". The support here was really very good.
Following on from my initial expression of frustration there has been a good deal of bad feeling, I came close to selling my instruments and giving up, but why the *&^%$ should I?
Like all of these situations it's quite silly really, clash of personality really, but I'm not prepared to back down and it seems my principle antagonist isn't going to either. Oh well, you can't get on everybody can you and frankly why should I put up with being treated like an idiot? How many times do you have to ask or tell someone not to moan on and on about the same thing, especially when the do the self same thing when it suits them.
In the intervening years there has been a good deal of water under the bridge ,the world we live in has changed somewhat. As a relative novice my playing and musical confidence has improved enormously, mostly thanks to the lockdowns when like many other people I had enormous amounts of time to sit around playing the accordion.
Anyway, a few weeks ago we made one of our now rare visits the local French bal. It was strikingly obvious at how few people there were. The house band were playing and yes my antagonist was still playing, oh well, such is life. As the evening wore on the house band became increasingly more ragged and boring, the tempo gradually diminished, any sense of coherence slid away, and any small feeling of energy evaporated. By the end of their seemingly endless set, the tunes were just about undanceable. I don't want to be negative and I try to be charitable but in all honesty they were awful. Well, at least I thought they were.
It was much at an event last year and at New Year, but this time it was worse.
After playing together in one line up or another for at least 20 years, probably longer and rehearsing for a couple of hours most weeks of the year one would have thought they would be better.
I'm passionate about French and Breton dance and the music it inspires and it saddens enormously me to see and hear the music played with so little care. I'm wondering just how critical I should be? Tactful and constructive, or just plain old honest.
My brain says tactful and constructive but as being reasonable doesn't seem to work but I'm drifting toward plain old honest.
And if anybody thinks, I'm getting above myself, I'd just say, I'm no great shakes as an accordionist, my playing is straightforward and unfussy, I'm prone to nerves and self doubt, I'd just as soon play "second box" and play rhythm and backup, I'm not keen on complicated tunes with too many notes either!
Any thoughts?
Following on from my initial expression of frustration there has been a good deal of bad feeling, I came close to selling my instruments and giving up, but why the *&^%$ should I?
Like all of these situations it's quite silly really, clash of personality really, but I'm not prepared to back down and it seems my principle antagonist isn't going to either. Oh well, you can't get on everybody can you and frankly why should I put up with being treated like an idiot? How many times do you have to ask or tell someone not to moan on and on about the same thing, especially when the do the self same thing when it suits them.
In the intervening years there has been a good deal of water under the bridge ,the world we live in has changed somewhat. As a relative novice my playing and musical confidence has improved enormously, mostly thanks to the lockdowns when like many other people I had enormous amounts of time to sit around playing the accordion.
Anyway, a few weeks ago we made one of our now rare visits the local French bal. It was strikingly obvious at how few people there were. The house band were playing and yes my antagonist was still playing, oh well, such is life. As the evening wore on the house band became increasingly more ragged and boring, the tempo gradually diminished, any sense of coherence slid away, and any small feeling of energy evaporated. By the end of their seemingly endless set, the tunes were just about undanceable. I don't want to be negative and I try to be charitable but in all honesty they were awful. Well, at least I thought they were.
It was much at an event last year and at New Year, but this time it was worse.
After playing together in one line up or another for at least 20 years, probably longer and rehearsing for a couple of hours most weeks of the year one would have thought they would be better.
I'm passionate about French and Breton dance and the music it inspires and it saddens enormously me to see and hear the music played with so little care. I'm wondering just how critical I should be? Tactful and constructive, or just plain old honest.
My brain says tactful and constructive but as being reasonable doesn't seem to work but I'm drifting toward plain old honest.
And if anybody thinks, I'm getting above myself, I'd just say, I'm no great shakes as an accordionist, my playing is straightforward and unfussy, I'm prone to nerves and self doubt, I'd just as soon play "second box" and play rhythm and backup, I'm not keen on complicated tunes with too many notes either!
Any thoughts?
