Elephant's really spoke to me because I get the same way about my playing if I haven't experienced something really positive for a while. The best compliments I've had were when I wasn't present and I'm told that my colleagues were talking about me and never really expected me to know about it. Here is one of my most positive compliments:
A few years ago I got called to play in one of Canada's more major orchestras with a mere 2.5 hours' notice. My friend, mentor and former instructor (all the same guy - not 3 calls
) called and woke me up."Hey Al, you wanna play the Miraculous Mandarin today?"
I actually had never spent any time on that particular excerpt and, in fact, had never heard it. I knew it was Bartok so I figured it was probably challenging.
"Is it hard?" I asked.
"It's Bartok...yeah." he said, confirming my suspicions.
This is when I started thinking... If I say no, the chances of my getting called by this orchestra diminishes in the future. If I say yes and screw it up royally, I'll definitely not get called again.
"Sure," I said before I could talk myself out of it, "When are rehearsals?"
"Dress is at 10:30 this morning."
I looked at the clock and realized I had two hours to get my horn, tails and self onto the subway and get downtown.
LONG STORY SHORT....
I sight-read the rehearsal, spent a few hours woodshedding at the hall after the dress and then played the concert.
Weeks later, a colleague of mine and I were trying to get a large brass ensemble together for a one-time concert that wasn't going to be paying all that well. My colleague approached the new hotshot horn player that just recently one a job with that orchestra and after some hmmming and haaahing asked, "Who's playing tuba for the group?" After my colleague replied, the hornist said, "I know that name. Did he come play the Bartok with us last month?" After hearing the answer, he replied, "I'm in."
I'm very thankful to have had some similar compliments recently from players that I normally don't play with - including some Jazz musicians. Elephant is so right! When you're struggling with $$$ and you're having trouble justifying all of the sacrifices that are involved in promoting yourself as a musician (and especially a tubist), one can get very weighed down with doubt. When somebody, especially somebody you respect as a musician (although all compliments are more than welcome, takes the time to positively comment on your playing it makes a difference more profound than people may realize.
Thanks for reading this far if you have!
