What a feeling when someone digs your music! What's your best compliment?

[Hush]

My best compliment came while checking out a guitar at a music store. The cashier asked me to play more cause she was enjoying it.

 

Marc

[NMcGuitar]

I don't know if this is the "best" compliment I ever got, but it's one that I'll always remember.

 

I was playing in the pit orchestra for a musical. It was the first rehearsal, and the players were all arriving and setting up. This cocky trumpet player introduces himself to me (and I confess, I took an immediate dislike to the guy), then drags out the old joke: "How do you make a guitar player shut up? Put sheet music in front of him!" He laughed at his own (lame) joke, and went to the other side of the pit where the horns were.

 

Well, throughout the whole rehearsal, I pretty much played rings around this fool. The conductor was relying on my playing quite a bit, and was frequently having to re-work things with the trumpeter (who was making a bunch of mistakes).

 

At the end of the rehearsal, this guy walks over to me and said, "Hey, I'm sorry about that comment earlier. You can really play!"

 

Like I said, I don't know if that was the best I've ever gotten, but it sure felt good at the time!

[Squ]

I made my own variation on that joke: "How do you get an [any instrument here] player to stop playing? Punch him in the face!"

 

Anyway, one of my favorite compliments came from a friend who attends most of my shows, but we hadn't had one for a while. After playing around 2 hours of music with various groups (my own band and some other musical aquantainces), he said "Jared, you are ridiculously good at guitar." That felt pretty good.

 

I was in a band when I was JUST learning to play, same one I'm in now. And at this early point I'd still take a lot of solos, and the first gig where I got compliments on them, I got like 5 different ones from members of other bands. They asked me how long I'd been playing and I said "Almost 2 years," after this they all looked at their lead player, who kind of hung his head, because he had been playing for around 5.

[Corner Pocket]

Two stories, one not on topic.

 

Off -topic Years ago I was at a Bluegrass festival. Smiley Bates was on the bill. Everybody else in the band had a name that was a derivative of the common first name Richard. Smiley wanted everybody in the group to join him in the center of the stage and sing an a capella number with him. It was a bit crowded, and Smiley, in all seriousness, said: "C'mon, let's see how many Dicks we can squeeze around this mic." He had no idea why the crowd burst into hysterics.

 

Many years ago I talked myself onstage to jam with a Blues band in a local watering hole. I did about ten minutes with them. Lotsa fun, but I'm no guitar hero, more of a tasteful hack. Anyway, a table full of people thought I was the cat's ass and told me I was the best thing they'd heard next to Roy Buchannan. Roy's untimely death was in the next days news.

 

Spooky, but I'm not anywhere near that good.

 

Paul

[cosmo115]

Here's by far my best recent compliment:

 

http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=008330

 

and I didn't even have to pay or blackmail them

[Billster]

I had to think a minute because I'm not sure I get many compliments

 

Anyway, once upon a time my roomate and I were talking about my playing, and I asked what influences he heard, and he said "Well, you have your own style". Not meaning that he couldn't discern some of my influences, but that I had my own thing going. That was a pretty cool compliment.

 

There was somebody that said "Jeff Beck" once, and that made my day.

[musicalhair]

I've been called a musical genius a few times, by band members and by various other types of people. I think all they really mean is that I know how to pull various styles into what ever music I'm playing at the time and the idea that I bring much theory and a lot of weird ideas and alot of jazzy ideas into everything.

 

A backhanded compiment I get a lot is I play very "jazzy" but this comes from people that get lost when they hear too many subtitutions, upper extentions and playing up up beats and such synchopations. When I hear that I never get the call back.

 

Recently I was told something along the lines of: so far I've liked everything you've played.

 

I used to get "you play beautifully" a lot where it was said like in a profound manner, and I used to get all sorts of compliments when I played Blues.

[Guitarzan]

my favorite was when my 6 year old asked me .."dad, are you a rock star?"

i don't know if that counts, but i like it!

[Guitr777]

Two compliments that mean the most to me:

 

I had just started playing in a well established and locally renowned blues bar band. The keyboard/harmonica player is a well-seasoned vet who had played with some pretty big names in the past. One night we were rehearsing and the guys in the band had been telling me to loosen up. (Being the newbie to the band I was still pretty nervous.) We took a short break from playing and then came back and played Texas Flood by SRV. No lie - at the end of the song the keyboard player had tears in his eyes and said "Man, that was beautiful!".

 

The other compliment came from Steve Winwood. I was in a duo playing the Holiday Inn circuit in the eastern US. Steve was playing colleges on his "Back In The High Life" tour. SW's band happened to be staying at the Holiday Inn I was playing at. Steve Winwood and his entire entourage were in the bar that night (They were scheduled to play at the local university the next evening). The place was packed and the crowd was enthusiastic about us, so I'm sure that helped fuel my capabilities. Steve Winwood sat there for the entire night just gazing at us, like he was evaluating our rig and everything we were doing. His eyes were almost piercing - which made me a little nervous. At the end of the night, he told me and my bandmate how much he enjoyed the show. He specifically complimented my playing. I will never forget it.

[Tone Taster]

At an open Blues Jam at the Green Iguana on westshore in Tampa, Lucky Peterson\'s Bass Player told me, "You're a Bad Motherf!@#cker" after we jammed together

 

I was speechless. All I could do was say thanks

[Dr. Ellwood]

Here's your check! and we will see ya next week! is all I have to hear!

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by Guitr777:

Steve Winwood sat there for the entire night just gazing at us, like he was evaluating our rig and everything we were doing. His eyes were almost piercing - which made me a little nervous. At the end of the night, he told me and my bandmate how much he enjoyed the show. He specifically complimented my playing. I will never forget it.

It doesn't get much better than that.

[Warthog]

I'm seriously a pedestrian when compared with most of ya'll, but the biggest compliments I get is that I've had probably 20 people want me to give them or their kids lessons.

 

My second best compliment is that way back when I was young and crazy and in a band we were playing a Big Head Todd song at a party and a friend came inside to turn the stereo up thinking it was a CD...

[Fumblyfingers]

Love that money Ellwood!!!!

 

This seems self indulgent but what the heck....years ago I was noodling on a guitar at some LA Guitar show. I was jamming away rather quietly checking out some guitar or other. I remember I was playing a lot of Half/Whole stuff, my fave scale, and I sensed someone standing behind me for a while and peering over my shoulder watching what I was doing. I looked back and it was Steve Lukather and he said "man you really burn" or something like that.

 

That felt very good. He was there for a while and seemed really genuine about his compliment. Thing is too that I had been going to see him during that time period at The Baked Potato in Studio City. He had a solo project going and it was very good, nothing like Toto at all, very progressive and lots of outside stuff.

 

So it felt even better coming from someone I admired.

[Ricochet]

A few months ago I went straight from my mother's 90th birthday party to a get-together put on by my old guitar teacher and the singer he works with all the time. I thought it was going to be just a little thing with some jamming, but I had to park about 400 yards away and walk to it, finding a whole stage set up outdoors and a huge crowd that was heavy on musicians far more talented than I am. But I'd been told I was going to have to get up and play, I'd brought my guitar, and get up and play I did. One of the things I played, on hearing that a soldier just returned from Iraq was in the crowd, was a special version of "The Star Spangled Banner" that I wrote. I later heard that a local fellow who used to play in a very well known rock band* wandered up next to my teacher while I was playing that and said, "That's just SPOOKY, man! That's just giving me CHILLS!" When I got off stage and headed for the beer tent, he came and looked me up before leaving and said "That was awesome, man! I really liked that!" I really appreciated that! (And my teacher was just about to bust! He was grinning from ear to ear.)

 

*(edit: he was the bass player for Jackyl, Tom Bettini. Now he plays in a couple of area bands, CattleAxe and The Bipolar Bears.)

[Gruupi]

I had a girl tell me that if I kept playing like that she would fall in love with me. Unfortunatley, this same girl had stalked a friend of mine for a year, so I had no desire to keep playing.

[Eric Iverson]

The two compliments I remember the most:

 

1. A guy I was playing with and trying to work up some arrangements for tunes told me, "you have a lot of resources!"

 

2. Someone came up to me at a church I was playing at and said, "this is the best worship in town!"

 

People seem to like my playing, which is fine, but I have been listening to great guitarists since I was exposed to Django at 10 and Segovia at 14; and I know the difference between the geniuses and the rest of us! So mostly I don't pay a whole lot of attention to compliments!

[Darklava]

I was told once that I can burn one hell of a steak and I'm the shit when it comes to pasta

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by Eric Iverson:

People seem to like my playing, which is fine, but I have been listening to great guitarists since I was exposed to Django at 10 and Segovia at 14; and I know the difference between the geniuses and the rest of us! So mostly I don't pay a whole lot of attention to compliments!

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by HardTail:

Originally posted by Eric Iverson:

People seem to like my playing, which is fine, but I have been listening to great guitarists since I was exposed to Django at 10 and Segovia at 14; and I know the difference between the geniuses and the rest of us! So mostly I don't pay a whole lot of attention to compliments!

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

True words! something you can always count on

[Tone Taster]

Originally posted by HardTail:

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

Or an "amateurish", soundclick uploadin', multitrackin'. non-soloist, doorknob !!!

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by YzeCounsel:

Originally posted by HardTail:

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

Or an "amateurish", soundclick uploadin', multitrackin'. non-soloist, doorknob !!!

Hey... how did you know I was going to put some stuff on Soundclick in the near future?

[marvar]

Well, I do get some compliments for my playing, but I get more comments on who I look like!

I've been told that I look like: Mick Jagger,Keith Richards, David Bowie, Ace Frehley or one girl said I looked like a Jagger/Richards love child!

[Windjammer]

This was a conversation with a girl I'd known for years (but not that well) - after I'd just strummed and sang on my acoustic (a 60s J45 at the time)

 

Girl "who wrote that song?"

Me "I did..."

Girl "I don't believe you."

 

And frankly I told her that was a compliment, which in a way it was.

 

Sort of like a another thread but the sound of coins rattling into my guitar case as I was busking.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by HardTail:

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

That never happened to Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso Was Never Called An Asshole.

[Trucks]

Hrrrrmmm compliments....

 

Well ive played some of my stuff for a guy I work with, he was quite impressed. Got a bit jelous and then made it his mission to try and one up me at every oppurtunity... I guess thats a compliment but he kinda makes for a bad jam partner now though

 

My girlfriend telling me something sounds good is definately a compliment as they come few and far between... (basically she doesnt give me any bullshit, just the truth) every now and again i come up with a new riff and she really digs it.. That means quite alot to me.

 

Finally, good friend of mine is a sound engineer, producer, has owned a professional recording studio etc etc. He's worked with quite a few big names, so when he says Wow thats really good.. That really is a confidence boost, and when he asked if he could help me produce some stuff that was an even bigger compliment... works both ways with him too if im playing shit he will be the first to point it out.

 

I just like honest opinions from anybody really.. bad or good.

[Gifthorse]

when this guy introduced me to Steve Morse and referred to me as "an incredible guitarist" with a bunch of people around.

 

I felt kind of cool with Steve Morse acknowledging me and shaking my hand after someone said that.

[Eric Iverson]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by HardTail:

Just take the compliments when you get them because the next day, someone will call you an asshole.

That never happened to Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso Was Never Called An Asshole.

How do you know?

[Ricochet]

Hey, I called him one a couple of days ago.

[Braxat]

wasnt this thread started on another name a while ago?