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Cutting your salary by 40%

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Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#391

Post by brooklyn_ashey »

the_cat_kittles wrote: post #381
brooklyn_ashey wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as a lifelong, professional classical and jazz musician, I can tell you that the current state of both very closely mirrors the current state for swe, it is just that swe's seem to have to go through what we have been through, just faster. There was a time in classical music and jazz, and even pop, when creativity was sought after. this time is no more. Classical/jazz has become a robotic craft in search of technical…

good post. its funny, im a musician too. i decided the conservatory could fuck off after 1 year. ive found gypsy jazz a breath of fresh air personally... wonderful people and spirit, tons of gigs, technical virtuosity to the extreme, AND even some truly creative players. i do agree the paralells are strong esp between jazz people and swe. i dont know, you probably are further on your musical journey, but, i feel like…

I agree, the conservatory really should fuck off. Creativity is definitely present in music, but unless you are a composer, you won't get paid for it. --not much anyway. Unfortunately, creativity doesn't really exist in classical performance anymore. When it exists in jazz, it is happening very rarely. There are exceptions, but no one knows these folks outside of jazz. - as you probably already know. The gypsy jazzers are a fun group of people, but again, it isn't creative, unless some nutball takes a really cool solo (once in a blue moon) which is such a wonderful moment when it happens. They are usually not asked to jump in much, as you probably also know. But nice to say heyto a fellow musician/engineer.

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#392

Post by asah »

s73ver_ wrote: post #371
asah wrote: post #367

This was presumably written by someone who's never worked at a successful startup and had equity worth something, let alone seen the tax difference between salary and equity (capgains in the US). Don't take an offer that you can't afford to live on -- but salary ain't the point of startup compensation. As for 40 hour workweeks, most startup jobs have 20+ hours of overhead: commuting, breaks, meals, random email, "sta…

Except the odds are that the salary is the only thing you'll actually see as compensation.

Obviously YMMV. My hit rate is about one in two, with wildly varying numerators.

Even excluding googlers and facebookers, I have dozens of friends who've made millions apiece. Bay area mortgages paid off, kids off to college debt free, parents healthcare paid for, etc.

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#393

Post by brooklyn_ashey »

the_cat_kittles wrote: post #272
adambmedia wrote: post #222

I often think about Arthur Rubenstein, the phenom mid-century pianist, for whom a lot has been written about his mission in early life to "practice as little as possible." There's a lot of hyped up romanticism in these quotes and anyone who plays at his level has spent a lifetime playing piano, period. Regardless, his guidance about spontaneity, creativity, and the relationship to practicing too much, which I equate…

i think the key here is the risk, not necessarily not practicing. its always good to boost you technique. its always good to know more rather than less. but, if you practice in such a way that you are trying to eliminate risk when performing, thats i think where you run into trouble. far be it from me to think i know more about this subject than rubenstein... but just my 2c. risk kind of seems like the empathic gatew…

btw, pretty sure I know who you are, but won't out you. ;)

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#394

Post by sfRattan »

RhysU wrote: post #376
Stranger43 wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's what most of the English speaking societies have centred on over time. Other places say Scandinavia might put it at 37 and some Asian companies might be closer to 45. But around 40 hours pr week is where most modern societies tend to think work/life balance is reasonable both for the economy and the individual. The old union slogan used to be 8 hours of work 8 hours of sleep and 8 hours of leisure. And in many w…

Have a source on the "old union slogan"? I would like to gauge vs some other language regarding tripartite division of the 24-hour day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day

For something more 'reputable' than wikipedia, check the footnotes of the article, specifically:

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/417.html

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#395

Post by dfischer »

jsudhams wrote: post #240
panarky wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Pfft. A man-hour of labor is a man-hour of labor > I'm expected to bill at least 8 hrs/day I bet you're capable of far deeper, more intellectually stimulating and rewarding work than you're doing now.

I used to be someone who worked only 4 hours max in any company and use remaining time to be on top of tech stacks(SysAdmin). But last four years i self trained on stock trading and it close to be becoming my main job in another year or so. Though i now look for trader jobs where i can trade for profit % but the salaries are no where near in my country for traders.

What was your growth path to excel and mature as a trader?

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#396

Post by rukuu001 »

vkjv wrote: post #247
adambmedia wrote: post #222

I often think about Arthur Rubenstein, the phenom mid-century pianist, for whom a lot has been written about his mission in early life to "practice as little as possible." There's a lot of hyped up romanticism in these quotes and anyone who plays at his level has spent a lifetime playing piano, period. Regardless, his guidance about spontaneity, creativity, and the relationship to practicing too much, which I equate…

I listened to an interview with guitar Richard Lloyd (Television, Matthew Sweet) with a very similar sentiment that stuck with me. (While discussing talented guitarists like Satriani who exhibit perfection in their performances) "There's got to be a little danger. Some of the greatest bands, you feel as if they aren't going to make it through the song... It's captivating in a way that perfection isn't." https://cosmi…

It adds drama to a performance. When a performer is a little shaky the audience empathise with them more. With perfection, people just sit back and let it wash over them.

A performance I'll always remember was a community night, free entry, amateur performers. Some guy and his sister got up. The guy said 'Hey, this is my sister's first time singing in public, say Hi everyone.' And the sister looked like she was going to die. Then she sang like an angel, still looking like she was going to die all the way through. Audience went bananas.

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#397

Post by the_cat_kittles »

brooklyn_ashey wrote: post #391
the_cat_kittles wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

good post. its funny, im a musician too. i decided the conservatory could fuck off after 1 year. ive found gypsy jazz a breath of fresh air personally... wonderful people and spirit, tons of gigs, technical virtuosity to the extreme, AND even some truly creative players. i do agree the paralells are strong esp between jazz people and swe. i dont know, you probably are further on your musical journey, but, i feel like…

I agree, the conservatory really should fuck off. Creativity is definitely present in music, but unless you are a composer, you won't get paid for it. --not much anyway. Unfortunately, creativity doesn't really exist in classical performance anymore. When it exists in jazz, it is happening very rarely. There are exceptions, but no one knows these folks outside of jazz. - as you probably already know. The gypsy jazzer…

you average jam, sure, its a bunch of licks mostly. but like... bireli? angelo debarre? sebastien giniaux? the list goes on... there are lots of people who come up with crazy shit on the fly. though you will find lots of licks in everyones playing

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#398

Post by dogruck »

s73ver_ wrote: post #370
dogruck wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The work didn't stop when the war ended. Regardless, my point is that when there is a motivating force, people work hard.

Europe isn't going to fall to Hitler if I don't put in extra hours at my job, though.

I don't think most people working at home during WWII were primarily motivated by concern about their allies abroad. Instead, I'd argue the motivations were:

* supporting a friend or family member serving in the military

* capturing a new economic opportunity (government contracts, etc), following the shockingly hard times of the Great Depression

To that point, there are currently millions of people suffering at this moment around the globe. If you were motivated by compassion, you'd probably find a different job and put in long hours.

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#399

Post by crdb »

brooklyn_ashey wrote: post #354
ivanhoe wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If what you're saying was true then any two good classical musicians would sound exactly the same... but they don't, right? The difference between a good pianist and the great pianist is in the expression of those same notes they're playing - call it as you wish: articulation, energy, dynamics, emotions...

these days, they sound pretty much the same-- no one is really scadalized or blown away by a classical artits' choices. Sure, we can "tell the diff" btw Hillary Hahn and Midori. But honestly, I can live without both of their dutiful takes on Standard Violin Concerto X. But if you know of some truly inspiring, artistic choice making, innovative classical player, I'd love to know so I can buy their record. I mean that…

Try post-stroke Stephen Kovacevich. He was already a maverick before, the loss of much of his physical ability forced him to review his approach and the result has, at least, forced me to reconsider my view of many pieces I thought I had done and dusted (e.g. Brahms 4th Ballade). Hearing him live was both terrifying and awakening. His Beethoven cycle is unique and changing over time.

I also think that if you can abstract from the visual, Yuja Wang's playing has a ferocity and hunger for life that reminds me of the Russian School at its peak without the tragedy, and the technique to back it. I've not heard it in anybody else of her generation. It is a bit of a shame that her repertoire choices are so conservative, but to be expected given how she is marketed; I am very keen to hear what she will sound like in 40 years.

Stephen Hough has a sensitivity and big picture awareness rare since the death of Richter. Sitting in a 4 hour masterclass on Franck, I learnt a dozen new things, almost as if new dimensions unfolded about the art (I got the same impression from reading Neuhaus' book - ideas clicked into place seeming so obvious ex post, unreachable ex ante).

Finally Zhu Xiao-Mei has had an incredibly full life (from risking her life smuggling a piano and sheet music into Mao's reeducation camps and playing that piano in a meat freezer, to cleaning houses in LA before becoming a Parisian ghost wonder after accidentally playing a friend's piano and getting standing ovations in German concert halls that had greeted her with audible disdain) and it comes through in her playing. As a bonus you can "rediscover" a fair amount of Schumann this way.

Re: Cutting your salary by 40%

#400

Post by brooklyn_ashey »

crdb wrote: post #399
brooklyn_ashey wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

these days, they sound pretty much the same-- no one is really scadalized or blown away by a classical artits' choices. Sure, we can "tell the diff" btw Hillary Hahn and Midori. But honestly, I can live without both of their dutiful takes on Standard Violin Concerto X. But if you know of some truly inspiring, artistic choice making, innovative classical player, I'd love to know so I can buy their record. I mean that…

Try post-stroke Stephen Kovacevich. He was already a maverick before, the loss of much of his physical ability forced him to review his approach and the result has, at least, forced me to reconsider my view of many pieces I thought I had done and dusted (e.g. Brahms 4th Ballade). Hearing him live was both terrifying and awakening. His Beethoven cycle is unique and changing over time. I also think that if you can abst…

I will check these folks out! Thank you.
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