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What's the most off the wall comment/question to a pro or headliner of the event you have heard?


For example:

Quite awhile ago I went to a camp where there was this excellent Euphonium player telling us about his struggles and how difficult it was to get where he was at. He also casually mentioned that his wife was also a full time musician.

A person immediately after this raised there hand and asked:

"Don't you think you're life would have been easier had you have married a wealthier woman?"

I swear it was not me!!

opposite:
Roger Bobo recently made a rare USA appearance within striking distance of me, but - sadly - though I signed up to sit in the audience and listen - I was just too sick to go.
A friend of mine - and neither of us are youngsters – went (audited), and later called me and told me about some of the things he had to those who played for him.
Nothing was anything that no one has ever pointed out before, but some of the things that Mr. Bobo pointed out were stage presence things - about which younger (some older) tuba players just don’t seem to be aware - things that distract from their performance. I think it was very good for those young people to hear those things, and to become more self-aware.
Another thing that happened was that one particular person played remarkably well, and Mr. Bobo (ego under control, and to the point that he doesn’t feel that he needs to criticize someone just because they expect him to make some comments) reportedly just said something like, “That’s some fine playing. Congratulations.”

The “I must say something” condition exists in many other places where a “expert” has been called in to help, consult, and/or provide insight.

Most of the better ones don’t say much if things are fine. Sometimes they might ask how someone got to the place they are at out of curiosity. It’s often the people suffering from imposter syndrome, whether they are experts or not, that feel compelled to say something. That is, they aren’t earning their pay if they don’t have a comment or criticism for everything. Someone of Mr. Bobo’s status understands this. I remember Arnold Jacobs being quite similar in a master class with his efficiency of comments. Also note: the less a person says, then the more opportunity there is for these students to learn by playing for each other.

Speaking of the CSO…

When I was a wee lad in undergrad, Mr. J. Lawrie Bloom, a fine clarinetist and especially on bass clarinet, was engaged for a master class at my college. Myself and a few other brass players showed up just to hear his comments and perspectives on being a professional musician. Well, yours truly asked him what it’s like to sit in front of Bud Herseth. I think that was a question he had not heard before or at least not often. He thought about it for a moment and said something along the lines of how it was the precision and musicianship of which Mr. Herseth and the rest of the brass section could execute on soft passages that set them apart from other orchestras he’d played with. Sure, they were fantastic at those loud climaxes that we all know and love, but the ability to convey music when playing legato and pianissimo was unparalleled, in his experience.

I was glad I asked that question.

Three Valves wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:00 pm I swear it was not me!!

Yeah, yeah... a likely story.

cthuba wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:20 pm "Don't you think you're life would have been easier had you have married a wealthier woman?"

The guest lecturer in one of my architectural courses was a master builder with math & physics masters degrees, his AIA, and a contractor's license. At one point he wryly mentioned that he could afford to be a practicing architect because his wife was a veterinarian.

Some of us can't help it if we attract successful women. Don't hate!!

Three Valves wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 12:26 pm Some of us can't help it if we attract successful women. Don't hate!!

Amen! How else would I be able to support this tuba habit of mine?

A guest artist came our university and his wife was his accompanist. One of our tuba players made a joke about how his wife was far less helpful (she plays oboe).