Poll: Which Compliment Pleases You More?

[atomicmassunit]

Polled.

[littledreamer]

I'd hate to get a comment on my gear. It means the other person can't think of anything else positive to say about my music.

[zztomato]

I don't give a crap if they like any of it. :Devil

[JSeth]

As a songwriter, it's always good to know that a tune of mine has reached someone. Hell, I know if I played well or sang well (most of the time!) - and frankly don't care what anyone thinks of my gear. Tone? Well, I know what I want to hear from my guitars, so what anyone else thinks is not so relevant to me...

[phoenix 7]

1. Songs
2. Playing
3. Band
4. Tone
5. Gear

[sonhenry]

Playing and songs, only because I couldn't vote for singing...

[Lucidology]

Always on the state if teamwork involved ... has much more meaning then any isolated compliment ...

[Yngtchie Blacksteen]

Playing and tone. And that's it.

I don't have a band, I don't write songs, and I know I have sweet gear.

[Lublin]

I'm a supporting musician so compliments on playing and tone are all I could hope for!

[germs]

i'm a team player.

besides, i'd rather someone compliment the band. it means they were enjoying themselves, rather than standing to the side of the stage, arms crossed, staring down our gear and technique.

[Flyin' Brian]

The Band. We wouldn't be doing it without each other.

[YoungAmerican]

The songs. Nothing else matters.

[Blindspot]

A complement on my hair.

[derekd]

I'm a guitar player, so the playing is the most important part. Unless, I am writing the tunes. Still, I have put more time into my playing than anything else. However, I do understand the band/team thing.

[semi-hollowbody]

my playing
I play cover songs

[shark_bite]

I find most compliments on playing or the band are often throwaway compliments many people make, more out of some sort of feeling of obligation than anything else. Of course, that always depends on the source, and sometimes I prefer that. However, in the last few months I've gotten a LOT of compliments on my tone from people who aren't supposed to care about tone according to TGP (aka the non-musicians in the audience). When someone says "why does your guitar sound so much better than most people's?" I feel like A) all the gear whoring wasn't for naught, and all the money I've spent on stuff like my Klon and my Goodsells was well spent, B) a big part of sounding good is still playing, so it's kind of a 2-in-1 compliment, and C) most importantly, they were listening!

I want to connect my playing to people in the audience on an emotional level. That's why I primarily play Telecasters - I find the range of expression completely unparalleled. A tone swell with the bridge pickup of my Tele is one of those things... people hear it and they react viscerally. Or, in the case of my 6 year old nephew, they ask "Why are you making your guitar cry??" So if I can connect that way, I'm happy.

[Deacon]

What is most meaningful to me is if the band as a whole gets a compliment. To me that means we're working together well and we're truly playing as a unit.

[Plague Dog]

It's always about the songs...

[Robert1950]

I am a basement noodler who gets out once or twice a year to play. So a compliment about my playing is where its at. The last time I was out, someone who hadn't heard me for years (and included a long period of inactivity) sazid I was way better. I liked that.

[mprvise]

Any of the above is fine by me. At least it means folks were paying attention and came away with something they liked.

[Bryan T]

The music. The technique, sound, and gear are all in support of that.

[Donn Rowe]

The songs. Nothing else matters.
Yup at the end of the day thats all that matters

[acemcguire]

Songs. I didn't write the gear.

[DrSax]

The Band. We wouldn't be doing it without each other.

Agree.

I only care about what my bandmates think of my playing/tone. And that's only because I care about getting the band's sound right, not for any ego reasons.

No one is as harsh a critic on me than myself, so when I'm happy with my playing/tone, I don't care what anyone else thinks about it. I already know some will like it and some won't, it's not something I can (or want) to control.

[JPF]

Playing the right parts to suit the song.

One can always buy tone, but playing requires dedication and perseverance.

I guess one could say the same about the effort required to obtain the "right" gear and learning how to best use it, but I feel that a really good player can far better compensate for deficient gear than vice-versa.

[Julia343]

from musicians I get compliments on my tone and phrasing. You didn't list phrasing. Technically there are thousands of people with better technique who can play more notes per second.

[Yngtchie Blacksteen]

from musicians I get compliments on my tone and phrasing. You didn't list phrasing. Technically there are thousands of people with better technique who can play more notes per second.But phrasing is part of playing, shouldn't that be enough?

[dohootowl]

I have self-esteem issues, so I like to hear compliments on my playing--it puts me at ease and removes doubts about whether I'm worth a darn as a player.

[DocLovett]

The Band. We wouldn't be doing it without each other.
What he said.

[Thor]

i'm a team player.

besides, i'd rather someone compliment the band. it means they were enjoying themselves, rather than standing to the side of the stage, arms crossed, staring down our gear and technique.


This.

I find a complement of the band can frequently encompas good playing, tone, and songs.

[Tone_Terrific]

A compliment of one thing tends to be a compliment of the whole because of the complementary relationship of music/sound/band performance.
'You sounded good but the band sucked,' might be a compliment but ewwww!

[B_of_H]

band and songs then maybe playing.