Posted by AW on November 01, 2002 at 17:47:49:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Again String vs.Tuba Post.Analyse posted by Volker on November 01, 2002 at 16:43:34:
I agree entirely. Fashions determine what people listen to, and a small number of commercial interests can and do promote certain fashions quite effectively.
I was struck by Patrick Sheridan's remarks during a seminar. He describes himself not as a musician, but as an entertainer. He then proceded to tell us about how he promotes himself as a tuba soloist/entertainer. For some performances he had audiences larger than some pop stars (15,000 versus 10,000). It can be done!
It seems that success has more to do with promotion, and with doing performances that touch people in some way. Being very good at music and at your instrument is a necessary but not sufficient condition for achieving this.
Allen