Klarinet Archive - Posting 000159.txt from 2001/06

From: CassildaYhtill@-----.com
Subj: [kl] The guru and the internet
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 09:02:31 -0400

Neil Leupold wrote to Tony Pay,
> Nobody deserves to be the object of these meta-commentaries you
> habitually post, as if you're in a position to pass judgment on
> whether one person's statements will harm or benefit any of the 800+
> members of the list.

Who would Tony Pay have to be, for him to be in a position to pass judgment?
I don't see him pretending to play God, but if he says something about the
clarinet I take it seriously since he is a world famous clarinet player. I
think I would be losing an opportunity to learn something if I didn't pay
attention or if I let the tone of a comment get in the way of what it means.

Before I signed on this list a few months back, I read the most recent posts
for a few days, in the archives, to see if the list was any good. One main
reason I went ahead and joined, was I recognized the name Tony Pay. He
doesn't have to defend who he because his CDs bear witness that he knows what
he talks about. Maybe some people here are jealous of him. I mean come on,
it is one thing to disagree with him but some of this hammering has been
really personal and spiteful. He comes on strong sometimes but when people
disrespect him the way some do, then I don't blame him for saying something
crude back. Some people really should just bug off.

Tony Pay wrote,
>What I notice is that people who *really* know something about the
>subjects that concern those groups, usually fail to participate in the
>group relevant to their expertise. This may be because they don't have
>the time, or it may be because they get fed up with the hassle of
>dealing with, not really the stupidities, but with the misconceptions
>that tyros inevitably have.
>
>The result is that the internet is less useful than it might be, because
>what I called, 'false gurus' arise. These are people who would be
>smiled at any real world situation containing experts, but who, by
>virtue of the medium, can establish some sort of credibility among the
>less knowledgeable.

Sometimes when professionals disagree with each other, that is one of the
best learning experiences for people who get to sit in and listen. Tony Pay
isn't the only pro on the list and he isn't the only one I listen to. But
it's a little weird to see people who are students and even beginners
themselves sounding like they are authorities about mouthpieces or tonguing
techniques. Maybe some people should think about listening more and giving
advice less. Some advice I listened to a long time ago is, "Consider the
source." I don't think sources get too much better than Tony Pay. My 2 cents.

Cass Hill

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