"What kind of music do you play?" and other pet peeves

[Carl Robin]

Simple question, simple answer: Irish. Is what I say. Could also say, live music, or, my own style, or, this and that, or, depends where I am. No point in going on and on about styles if they are satisfied with a quick, or vague answer. I don't mind having a real conversation with a stranger. That will usually start with some small talk. Feeling a little tired, or even annoyed at an endless procession of unrewarding small talk, though, is perfectly understandable. This is why musicians often disappear after playing.

[Jess L.]

... What about other pet peeves?

<!-- Caution, whining starts here -->
<whining>

Today I tried to find mandolin reviews on YouTube. Several different brands.

What I found instead, was plenty of official companies' reviews featuring people talking too much and inept attempts at chord thrashing. Why? Why? Why? Who actually plays a mandolin like that? Like, nobody?

Some of these videos featured no single-note stuff at all, no melody playing, not even hitting a bass note and then a chord strum like even a 5-year-old child guitar player would do, nope, apparently these videos' producers couldn't be bothered to find anyone capable of plucking one note at a time?? Unimaginable. How do these companies expect to sell instruments that way?

Such "reviews" are completely useless for showing what kind of tone the instrument has for styles that, y'know, people actually *play* on mandolin.

Yeah I know, there are tons of variables that would affect tone even *if* they'd been playing some sort of recognized mandolin style, rather than strumming the darn thing like a ukulele or whatever.

But still IMO it would make more sense to have actual, y'know, mandolin players do reviews... is that such a wild idea?

</whining>

[Mark Gunter]

You and your crazy ideas

Radical.

[Eric Platt]

Let's see - right now it could be considered Scandinavian, with some emphasis on Finnish music, and American old-time stringband. (Need to say that around here in Minnesota because old-time could also mean German polka band music.)

As to not having actual musicians playing company mandolins - probably are afraid if they had one, someone would start spouting off that it's not the way "X" played mandolin. And the pick selection is wrong, etc., etc.

[Bertram Henze]

I have learned recently that one's pet peeves are an indicator for one's own open vulnerabilities that need to be healed and closed. And that is the action which is actually possible, unlike changing all those other people's wrongbeing. It's like having your own P.O.O.P. (Pacific Ocean of Popcorn).

[varmonter]

I usually tell people "Anything from James Taylor to Led Zepplin" I then get that
"Oh ...I know who they are" look and we're done.

[mbruno]

I just say "pretty much everything - bluegrass, jazz, rock, jam stuff, classical etc. Basically, anything I feel like playing." or similar.

I also have a sticker on my case that says "It's Not A Ukulele". Whenever someone asks if it is a uke or says "nice uke", I often just point to that.

[JeffD]

Recently, chatting with a non musician after a jam, I gave a list of genres I like, "old time, traditional Irish and Scottish and French Canadian fiddle tunes, ... ... and bluegrass."

I think the only thing heard was the last, because the very next question was, "Bluegrass? Don't you need a banjo for that?"

[OlDanTucker]

I asked one of the guys in Leftover Salmon what kind of music they played. I remember the answer: "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass". I guess I wasn't the first one to ask...

[catmandu2]

I asked one of the guys in Leftover Salmon what kind of music they played. I remember the answer: "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass". I guess I wasn't the first one to ask...

Yes I like that term. In homage to LS, I named a past trad scand trio Leftover Lutefisk - which also was descriptive of the music we played (we were old, and, well... )

[fatt-dad]

stuff by dead people.

f-d

[bratsche]

I play baroque, and don't bother to fix it.

(I've had pets that peeved me, but I never had a pet peeve. What sort of critter is it?)

bratsche

[John Lloyd]

Retro-progressive Caribbean Gothic surf punk alt-country doomgrass. Or something like that, if I feel like trying to make their eyes cross.

Otherwise it's more like "whatever there's a chance of my getting away with. Got anything in mind?"

[Louise NM]

RaisedByBadgers: Retro-progressive Caribbean Gothic surf punk alt-country doomgrass. Or something like that, if I feel like trying to make their eyes cross.

There are actually plenty of bands that describe themselves like this. Part of my job includes writing up nightlife listings, and I spent a lot of time trolling Facebook pages and websites for at least vague descriptions of music groups. "Music to rob banks by" was one of my favorites.

[Bertram Henze]

I have made peace with people who confront an Irish session with requests for music from LOTR or GOT. Mentally, I treat them like pets, actually: drop them off at some parking lot and drive away...

[Jess L.]

You and your crazy ideas

Radical.

Lol!

[Jess L.]

... As to not having actual musicians playing company mandolins - probably are afraid if they had one, someone would start spouting off that it's not the way "X" played mandolin. And the pick selection is wrong, etc., etc.

Ah. Good points. I hadn't thought of that.

And if a video featured a really excellent talented mandolin player, a customer could (theoretically, hope this hasn't ever actually happened) complain that "Well that mandolin you sold me doesn't sound like that when *I* play it, I think your video was false advertising..."

[David Lewis]

whatever you'll pay me to play.

[MikeZito]

My worst nightmare was when I was once asked a similar question on a television show, many years ago.

Since I play only original music during shows, my usual response is 'Mike Zito music' - but that often, unintentionally, comes off as either flippant, dismissive or even arrogant, so I had to dance around the question. The truth is that I don't have the chops to play 'Rock and Roll' (and all of its derivatives), I have only a passing knowledge of Country and Bluegrass, and have no serious knowledge at all about Jazz, Classical, Zydeco, Venezuelan Fishing Songs or any other kind of music at all - so, what is left?

I play 'Mike Zito music'.

[Bertram Henze]

Simple question, simple answer...

"Excuse me, can you tell me what time it is?" "Yes."

The underyling problem with this is how to divine if the person in question (pun intended) is really wanting a simple answer or trying to start a conversation. If your guess is wrong either way, you get pressed upon you the blame for being either a jerk or a talker despite being totally innocent. Maybe it is best to just grin (the kind of grin that gets you locked up in certain places) and keep on playing.

[NursingDaBlues]

"Music that sounds good on the mandolin (or guitar or banjo or harmonica or ukulele or ...)."

I guess my biggest irritant is with folks who kind of sneer at whatever instrument I'm playing and start an incessant dialogue about the unique, one-of-a-kind, better-than-anything-that-anyone's-ever-played, custom-spec'd instrument he/she owns that even [insert name of well-known person] played it and says so.

"Thank you. Hope you have a good day."

[OldSausage]

I'm less than excited when people tell me long dull stories about "famous" people they have played with that I've never heard of.

[NursingDaBlues]

Okay. One more irritant.

People who ask me for suggestions/guidance/help with an instrument/song/whatever and then argue with my suggestion/guidance/help.

[Bertram Henze]

People who ask me for suggestions/guidance/help with an instrument/song/whatever and then argue with my suggestion/guidance/help.

That's easy: "I see you know what you don't want. Now all you've got to do is find out what you want."
Caveat: you won't make any friends with this.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I don't mind at all. It's a great ice-breaker. I say, "All kinds of stuff!" Then sometimes I list a few styles I like - folk, blues, pre-Beatles rock and country, roots American, R&B.

Then I ask them what kind of music they like. At that point the conversation is up and running and I don't have to put much work into it.