== also posted on Atomsplit.com ===

This “viral” email story came across my inbox this AM.

It’s about a guy who played violin in a DC Metro Station on a cold morning in 2007.

Here’s the deal:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.

Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

===

Now I can relate to this story b/c it sounds similar to playing a bar or club where you rock your heart out and no one notices (re: the “pool table” storyline in our webcomic). But in a bar people EXPECT to hear live music. I get the same thing these days sometimes when I play solo at the coffeehouse.

What’s the moral of the story?

Is it that people just don’t stop and look and listen?

No matter where they are?

If so who can blame them?

They have their own lives and agendas and things on their mind wherever you may be playing for them.

To me it’s more a lesson of realizing this “generic audience fact” as a music artist.

Of knowing that you can’t realistically expect everyone who gazes upon your mighty performance to be into it.

That usually it’s a small percentage you connect with.

No matter how hard you try.

But I’ll take that small percentage over no percentage at all.

For its the folks who you do connect with that make it all worth it.

- DJD

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