Non musicians who buy instruments

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:24 pm

Well, my grand piano finally sold, albeit for substantially less than what I wanted. I had a lot of people call me and a few people come out and look, but the people who finally bought it don't really play the piano at all. They brought a relative who did. The reason they bought it was not to take lessons and learn, but to have something nice to put in a big room in their house. I must say I was a little taken aback, but after all they did pay for it. I really wish I could have sold it to the band director couple who came by the week before, but I don't think they could afford it. Kinda figures, right.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:48 pm

During the Christmas season, I played for a fundraiser in someone's McMansion. I sat next to a very beautiful (and looked to be nearly new) harp. I asked our hosts who was the harpist in the household. No one--they thought it looked pretty as a decoration near the fireplace. Yes, they also had a grand piano that no one played.

I held my tongue and resisted telling them that next to a fireplace was probably the worst place they could put a harp...for their purposes, what did it matter?

Naptown Tuba · Post by **Naptown Tuba** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:54 pm

Marty,
You wouldn't believe all the folks that want a grand only to display it in their front bay window. And then they call us to tune it once every 10 years when Aunt Bessie comes for Christmas and they wonder why we can't get it up to A440 in one tuning???!! Afew years ago, I tuned a Bosendorfer 9' in a customer's home. When I asked "who plays?" I was told "no one.... we just have it for occasional parties". (At $65,000. that's quite the party toy!)

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:09 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:I asked our hosts who was the harpist in the household.

Maybe it was the Hamburglar...

You could have asked them where the bow was, and then feigned exasperation when they couldn't answer you, "Why everyone has an oxbow!!!"

Alex F · Post by **Alex F** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:52 pm

If you look at the piano forum, www.pianoworld.com, you will encounter heated discussions about folks looking for PSO's, piano-shaped objects.

Most music students can ill afford a Steinway Model B or one of the new Mason & Hamlin model BB pianos. Many of the buyers are looking for an "art piece."

Tubas are much cheaper, at least. And they are shiny, after all.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:00 pm

Did he just say "an old highly decorative Thai/Burmese bong"?

Oh, never mind.

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 4:49 pm

Naptown Tuba wrote:And then they call us to tune it once every 10 years when Aunt Bessie comes for Christmas and they wonder why we can't get it up to A440 in one tuning???!! Afew years ago, I tuned a Bosendorfer 9' in a customer's home. When I asked "who plays?" I was told "no one.... we just have it for occasional parties".

Money is money. The people who have it improve the volume for companies that would fold otherwise, and then those who really play well enough to warrant a Bosendorfer or Fazioli wouldn't have anything to dream about. At least the occasional player who attends one of their parties isn't expected to produce music on some furniture-grade baby grand.

But I will not play for the technician who comes to tune my old (ca. 1887) Hazelton Brothers parlor grand. That doesn't mean that I never play the piano, it just means that I do it for my own entertainment, not for the technician's. I can tell if he did a good job by how it sounds when he plays it.

When nobody is at home, however, either I or my wife will play for our own amusement and be glad that we didn't have to measure up to some standard before being allowed to own a good piano.

Come to think of it, I can't really justify the great tubas that I own, either. But my owning them doesn't keep better players from owning great tubas.

Rick "reminded that it's time for a tuning" Denney

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:08 pm

Rick Denney wrote: When nobody is at home, however, either I or my wife will play for our own amusement and be glad that we didn't have to measure up to some standard before being allowed to own a good piano.

Come to think of it, I can't really justify the great tubas that I own, either. But my owning them doesn't keep better players from owning great tubas.

Rick "reminded that it's time for a tuning" Denney

BUT, you do play the the piano somewhat, and you actually play the tuba in public

As much as I don't think highly of non musicians owning relatively expensive instruments, if we all took the approach that "someone better than us" should own it, a half dozen people in the world would own all the tubas. And the Yorks would be laid to rest besides Meistro Jacobs.

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:16 pm

the elephant wrote:Lots of working players that use so-so equipment and a lot of non-working ones that have the very best. Life is twisted like that.

That goes for many fields. When I was a computer professional I had a barebones PC at home that served the purpose of testing (and breaking) operating systems and dialing in for remote access, while most of my clients had the latest wunderbox for playing Solitaire. When I got married, I had a little bit of high end audio and keyboard equipment that I had to sell; it was just a hobby and a side thing that didn't generate much income. I was surprised to find that many of the guys in Nashville who bought my stuff were gigging and touring fulltime on far lessor equipment. I am sure Rick can probably tell you stories of guys riding $4000 bikes whose guts are hitting the pedals. No to mention the people who can't drive who own $80,000 sports cars.

the elephant wrote:Life is twisted like that.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:30 pm

Rick Denney wrote:Come to think of it, I can't really justify the great tubas that I own, either

Ã l'effet contraire, though I've never heard your playing, I can surely say that if your tubas have contributed to what you are able to discuss with those of us that are less knowledgable, then they're not great enough!

LoyalTubist · Post by **LoyalTubist** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:05 pm

My complaint, on eBay, is with the nonmusicians who sell instruments and don't know what they have. Many times you see an instrument listed as a tuba and it's really an alto sax--and vice versa. Some of the sellers, no matter how gently you try to admonish them, do not react well when they are asked to know what they are selling before they sell it. Even after a horn goes up for sale and it isn't sold, they still don't understand why no one will buy it.

I wish they had feedback for items that DON'T get sold!

LoyalTubist · Post by **LoyalTubist** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:28 pm

windshieldbug wrote:Did he just say "an old highly decorative Thai/Burmese gong"?

I spent enough time in Indonesia, if these were Indonesian instruments (Balinese and Javanese), and I could see their pictures, I could tell you their proper names.

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:09 pm

MartyNeilan wrote:I am sure Rick can probably tell you stories of guys riding $4000 bikes whose guts are hitting the pedals.

Yeah. I'm one of them.

Rick "who thinks everyone, though, is an expert driver--just ask them" Denney

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:27 pm

Rick Denney wrote:who thinks everyone, though, is an expert driver--just ask them

I got paid to teach people racecar driving- just do as I say, don't do as I do...

Alex F · Post by **Alex F** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:43 pm

windshieldbug wrote:Did he just say "an old highly decorative Thai/Burmese bong"?

I wouldn't gamelan on that.

LoyalTubist · Post by **LoyalTubist** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:51 pm

People do get their Southeast Asian nationalities mixed up, don't they?

Gamelan come from Indonesia. If I remember correctly, the word is of Javanese origin, though it is also used to describe the Balinese type, too.

(My ex-wife is a Chinese woman originally from Central Java, who spoke fluent Javanese as a child.--Use it or lose it... She lost it.)

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:59 pm

Alex F wrote:I wouldn't gamelan on that.

What? Don't like Indonesian food?

prototypedenNIS · Post by **prototypedenNIS** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:48 am

how many people do you know who have a guitar and can't play it... I can barely play mine...

LoyalTubist · Post by **LoyalTubist** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:12 am

windshieldbug wrote: What? Don't like Indonesian food?

I do miss the sate babi, rendang, gado-gado and nasi goreng.

Incidentally, the picture used for my signature is at a Chinese cemetery in Parakan, Central Java--about halfway between Semarang and Yogyakarta. My ex-wife's ancestors are buried there.

corbasse · Post by **corbasse** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:11 am

LoyalTubist wrote: I do miss the sate babi, rendang, gado-gado and nasi goreng.

You can always move to Holland

On topic: I don't mind as much that people buy expensive instruments and don't play them than if they buy them and then use them for some well-meant but awful crafts project

I've seen plenty of potentially good natural horns where they threw away all the weird, useless extra bits of metal, stuck some flowers in the bell and nailed them to the wall.