Playing a great piece of gear is a honor, not a merit. It's something you should feel subjection for, not something to be proud of.
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Gear snobs.
- Thread starter Indiana Mike
- Start date
As the father of two daughters, I can attest that this situation is seriously tough. Doesn’t matter if it is a cello, shoes or what you did for summer vacation. Kids judge because they get judged and their parents judge. Even if you shelled out for an instrument that is “on par“ with what those other punks play, I’m afraid it still wouldn’t change the dynamic. This is a long game of character development. One day she will be very proud of what she accomplished because it takes a while to realize that it is the player and not the instrument that matters. Good luck and congratulations on raising a fine musician.
Personal anecdote...
Of my bass’s that retail new in range $350-$2000, the least costly Squier gets the most time out of the house playing. There’s just something about having an instrument where you don’t have to worry about anything short of thieves.
Of my bass’s that retail new in range $350-$2000, the least costly Squier gets the most time out of the house playing. There’s just something about having an instrument where you don’t have to worry about anything short of thieves.
This is very well-said. I might also add...and have fun.
My 8yo daughter just finished her first year in orchestra. She was the youngest in the bass section by 4 years. After the end of her last performance they give out an award for the most inspiring player (voted on by the other players). One of the coaches approached me afterwards to inform me that my daughter missed getting the award by 2 votes. That, to me, was huge. It showed that even if her chops aren't as great as the rest, having fun with the chops she has brings a great energy to the whole group.
This is so true.
I'm glad to see so many other great dad/musicians out there passing on wisdom.
You guys rock.
That’s annoying especially with the “bullying” that comes with it. We’ve all seen it and have seen it go away with age.
Classical String instruments are very expensive. I’m primarily an upright bass player. This is unsolicitated but let me give you a little advice:
Step one: make sure you’ve had the cello set up by a luither. It will make it play incredibly. I bought a crappy upright bass and had a professional luither set it up. It outshown some of the better basses at a camp I was at.
Step 2: make sure she has good strings if you can afford it. Typically student instruments are set up with d’addario strings and they are pretty well known as “not great”. I believe the standard set of strings is Spirocore C and G with Larson A and E. That may be a NICE birthday present one day (since they are like $200 for a full set).
Step 3: save as long as you can for a great cello. With stringed instruments you don’t want to go with an intermediate cello cuz you’re gonna have to upgrade eventually. This also depends on how serious she is and if she would consider going further like college-professional. It really is the equivalent of going from a Mexican fender (“student model”) to a forever bass like a fodera and Sadowsky.
Regardless of the above ask a teacher if she has one before you buy her a cello. I love hearing that you’re supportive of her playing.
I am a firm believer in not bragging about yourself but your daughter? That's exactly who you should be bragging about. Good for her!
I've seen a lot of Rics in my life but until I recently joined TB I had only ever seen black ones and thought that Rics only came in black. Within the past six months I have learned that there are other colors. Ain't life interesting?
Fortunately I don't share your low opinion of kids. They can learn IME. Adults OTOH...
I've found that kids in general aren't stupid and many learn how to manipulate whatever situations they're in early on. You give them a built-in excuse.
Some people are into low expectations. I'm not. If you expect kids to be self-centered and immature and don't set a better example for them... GIGO.
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I've found the opposite to be true. Maybe newly rich or people trying to pretend they're rich do this. That's not most of them. In fact some millionaires I know are outwardly very frugal.
Great point... unfortunately many folks roll with the simple equation that if your gear is better than mine, you're a gear snob.
You can always not play the game. Keeping up with the Joneses is not mandatory. That's where strong self-esteem comes in. You can instill that in your kids early on.
IME that's the exception rather than the rule. I've seen the opposite more times than I can count, even in real life.
"I'd never spend $xxxx for a bass!". Strangely enough no one had asked them too... so what was the problem?
On several ocassions I've handed $xxxx basses to people who've said that and can't recall any of them not being blown away with how little physical effort was required to get a great sound vs. what they were using. That usually stuck with them.
The "shoving in the face" is typically done by the beholder, not the owner.
That's a fun part of parenting IMO.
It's a great convo to have starting at an early age. Have confidence in yourself, you can't buy experience, be patient and put in the work, it pays off in the end though success does not equal possessions. Karate Kid stuff... and Daniel-san ended up with a pretty cool car.
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Perhaps I'm having difficulty making myself clear. At no point did I express having a low opinion nor low expectations of kids. Nor have I advocated excusing bad behavior or implied that kids are not able to learn. Behavior and learning ability are not universal though.
You are the one making the "What's with kids acting the way they do today?" post. The only point that I made was that maturity comes with age. Kids are not automatically mature at birth. The other point I was making was that not all parents share your values nor do a good job raising their kids.
I would have thought this to be obvious, but here you are complaining about it. It's just the way it is. Sorry for the unclear post.
Fortunately I don't share your low opinion of kids. They can learn IME. Adults OTOH...
I've found that kids in general aren't stupid and many learn how to manipulate whatever situations they're in early on. You give them a built-in excuse.
Some people are into low expectations. I'm not. If you expect kids to be self-centered and immature and don't set a better example for them... GIGO.
Perhaps I'm having difficulty making myself clear. At no point did I express having a low opinion nor low expectations of kids. Nor have I advocated excusing bad behavior or implied that kids are not able to learn. Behavior and learning ability are not universal though.
You are the one making the "What's with kids acting the way they do today?" post. The only point that I made was that maturity comes with age. Kids are not automatically mature at birth. The other point I was making was that not all parents share your values nor do a good job raising their kids.
I would have thought this to be obvious, but here you are complaining about it. It's just the way it is. Sorry for the unclear post.
In that case I can point to where my confusion originated. You wrote, in response to expectations: "No. I don't for the same reason I don't expect cats to bark, nor dogs to climb trees.
It reads as a pretty low opinion, equating them as you did. Next...
Nev375 said:
Since you clearly believe you read this somewhere, could you reference the post? Because I don't recall making any such statement.
I thought my points were pretty clear yet somehow you twisted them. That's on you not me. Maturity can be aided by upbringing. If you have a parent that plays into the snobbery game it can work against the child
learning how to handle it. You somehow see me pointing that out as a problem. What you see me "complaining" about seems to be largely imagined. Why you chose that tact is a mystery to me.
The only thing I equated them to was themselves by pointing out that cats are not dogs and dogs are not cats. The OP seems to have the expectation for children to be something other than children. Therefore my point was that children equal children.
There was no value opinion applied. That came from your interpretation of the OP I guess. Wasn't from me.
It doesn't take a premium instrument to qualify as a gear snob. All it really takes is something marginally better than a basic starter instrument and the properly cultivated sense of entitlement and a gear snob is born.
