Dvorak on the plane

[perpetua]

Six minutes could definitely trigger a migraine.  I imagine it would be more than enough  to trigger a reaction from somebody who has autism. And the reaction doesn't stop when the music stop.  The pain the person is feeling continues when the music is over.  So the music stopping once they notice somebody having a reaction is too little, too late.

Now, when we walk into stores with music we don't like we turn on our heels and walk right back out.  People sitting on a plane don't have that option.

But, except of course in cases where it's legislated, one cannot expect the rest of the world to conform to the restrictions of one's medical condition, and I speak as someone who suffers from migraine. It's not a reasonable benchmark for deciding whether it's rude or not.

[Two Ravens]

Six minutes could definitely trigger a migraine.  I imagine it would be more than enough  to trigger a reaction from somebody who has autism. And the reaction doesn't stop when the music stop.  The pain the person is feeling continues when the music is over.  So the music stopping once they notice somebody having a reaction is too little, too late.

Now, when we walk into stores with music we don't like we turn on our heels and walk right back out.  People sitting on a plane don't have that option.

I imagine there are about 10,000 other things involved in air travel that possibly could trigger a migraine or reaction from an autistic person. Crying babies, flashing lights, etc.

Its unlikely something like this would ever happen again. I doubt string quartets are going to become common planes.

[Geekychick1984]

I think it was a nice gesture with good intentions, but I do hope they asked if anyone had any objections.  They basically had a captive audience - no one could just leave if they didn't like it.

I personally get migraines, and the high screeching of the violins in a plane would probably make it worse (since I'm sure it would have been triggered by the stress of the situation already).

[Winterlight]

The woman at the beginning stated that they were going to play the final movement of Dvorak's American quartet, which is about 6 minutes long.

In that case I would consider it a welcome break from boredom and applaud it.

[TeamBhakta]

I think sometimes people get etiquette confused with "I don't like x therefore anyone doing it in my presence is rude". I see that on this thread. Just because one does not like violins, it doesn't make what they did rude.  Other people were no doubt enjoying the performance. So many people seem to expect that the world be tailored to their preferences and that they should never have to come across anything that they don't like. Sometimes we have to give way to others preferences. That's just the way the world works and it has nothing to do with etiquette.

One must ask, though, why those of us who want a bit of (reasonable, sort of achievable) peace & quiet on the plane are the ones who must bend. I'm getting flashback to the thread where people were singing in the ICU waiting room.

[perpetua]

I don't think you can really compare a plane with an ICU (intensive care?) waiting room where presumably most people are ill and in need of rest.

If the majority of people are enjoying something that brings a bit of joy to their day, why should the preference of someone who wants peace and quiet in a public situation (not always realistic) take priority? It's five minutes.

I think if you're of the opinion that you must have peace and quiet, then you take steps to provide that and take earplugs with you just in case, because in the majority of public situations it's not reasonable to expect it anyway.

[TeamBhakta]

I don't think you can really compare a plane with an ICU (intensive care?) waiting room where presumably most people are ill and in need of rest.

If the majority of people are enjoying something that brings a bit of joy to their day, why should the preference of someone who wants peace and quiet in a public situation (not always realistic) take priority? It's five minutes.

I think if you're of the opinion that you must have peace and quiet, then you take steps to provide that and take earplugs with you just in case, because in the majority of public situations it's not reasonable to expect it anyway.

The thing is, though, I would not expect when buying a plane ticket that a band would later break out their equipment & strike up a tune on that plane.

[rashea]

I like classical, but that was a poor choice of piece for that setting. It's one that isn't to many peoples' taste.

I have a few other questions we may never get answers too. Most musicians I know would have detuned their instrument before flying, because otherwise the pressure changes can damage a violin. That piece was played in tune (playing out of tune would have been really unforgivable). So, how much time did they spend tuning? And while I like the sound of strings being played, tuning is not generally a joyful noise. So, it wasn't 6 minutes unless each of those musicians had their instruments tuned before they started.

I also think that in general a captive audience is rude. If you're doing something unexpected in a place where people can not leave, it's on you to make sure you aren't irritating people. If you keep it brief, and are sensitive to people who react to it, I think a short performance is okay, but still not the best idea. If you poll people, then it gets better, because you lessen the likelihood that someone will want to shove a knitting needle into their ear to get away from the sound.

[Two Ravens]

I don't think you can really compare a plane with an ICU (intensive care?) waiting room where presumably most people are ill and in need of rest.

If the majority of people are enjoying something that brings a bit of joy to their day, why should the preference of someone who wants peace and quiet in a public situation (not always realistic) take priority? It's five minutes.

I think if you're of the opinion that you must have peace and quiet, then you take steps to provide that and take earplugs with you just in case, because in the majority of public situations it's not reasonable to expect it anyway.

The thing is, though, I would not expect when buying a plane ticket that a band would later break out their equipment & strike up a tune on that plane.

I always bring earplugs when I fly. Not because I am expecting a string quartet, but because I always seem to book the airline's screaming baby package.

[Roe]

I don't think you can really compare a plane with an ICU (intensive care?) waiting room where presumably most people are ill and in need of rest.

If the majority of people are enjoying something that brings a bit of joy to their day, why should the preference of someone who wants peace and quiet in a public situation (not always realistic) take priority? It's five minutes.

I think if you're of the opinion that you must have peace and quiet, then you take steps to provide that and take earplugs with you just in case, because in the majority of public situations it's not reasonable to expect it anyway.

The thing is, though, I would not expect when buying a plane ticket that a band would later break out their equipment & strike up a tune on that plane.

I'm sure most wouldn't expect a band to play on an airplane but it is reasonable, when flying, to expect many annoying, loud noises and so if those bother you (general you) then it's reasonable to buy ear plugs if loud, public noises bother you.

[That Anime Chick]

The people I'm reading who say that it sounds awful, is screechy, please consider the source. It's raw, meaning no clean up has been done on the video being taken. It was most likely recorded via smartphone. Unless you get a professional recording done, it's not going to sound pretty and perfect.

As for the performance itself, I would have enjoyed it. I'm probably biased because I spent many years playing in string and symphony orchestras. The fact that there was an announcement overhead meant that the pilot and the crew most likely saw it as an opportunity to try and keep people entertained while they were stuck. After seeing news clips and reading articles about people being stranded on planes for close to 8 hours, I'd be happy for anything to distract me.

[magicdomino]

I imagine there are about 10,000 other things involved in air travel that possibly could trigger a migraine or reaction from an autistic person. Crying babies, flashing lights, etc.

Especially since this plane was just sitting at the airport for hours.  It's hot, it's stuffy, you have to keep your seat in an upright position and the shades up (no sleeping), people are complaining, some of them are complaining loudly, the airplaine's sound system isn't on yet so no movie, water may not be available.  You'd be lucky if you didn't get a headache.

Heck, if some musicians decided to tune up, I'd be calling out requests.   "Yo, LL, do you know 'Freebird'?"   

[WillyNilly]

The people I'm reading who say that it sounds awful, is screechy, please consider the source. It's raw, meaning no clean up has been done on the video being taken. It was most likely recorded via smartphone. Unless you get a professional recording done, it's not going to sound pretty and perfect.

As for the performance itself, I would have enjoyed it. I'm probably biased because I spent many years playing in string and symphony orchestras. The fact that there was an announcement overhead meant that the pilot and the crew most likely saw it as an opportunity to try and keep people entertained while they were stuck. After seeing news clips and reading articles about people being stranded on planes for close to 8 hours, I'd be happy for anything to distract me.

Regardless of the sound quality of the recording surely you understand that many people - in general and in this thread - do not like the sound of violins. They have a very particular sound which many find quite irritating. The absolute best violin for some people is still going to be a truly awful sound. The difference between classical violin music and classical guitar music is so great, its hard to describe. Classical music played on a piano is also in a class of its own. As part of an orchestra violins can be lovely, but on their own, unless played fiddle style, I think they make a rather ugly sound, some people take a step further to uncomfortable sound.


I think the big thing here for me though is the "trapped" element. This was a loud performance one could not just ignore or walk away from. People were trapped not only on the plane, but the performance spilled over into the aisle so they could not even walk up and down to keep blood flowing or use the restrooms, or get a cup of water to drink. This trapped them even further.

Now as I said earlier, a few minutes I'd tolerate it. But I would never consider it a "gift" or "a wonderful thing" or a "treat". I would consider it something I had to put up with as the price of being part of of a society full of other people. I would hope it would be kept short due to their consideration of people like me though who didn't enjoy it.

[sammycat]

I think the big thing here for me though is the "trapped" element. This was a loud performance one could not just ignore or walk away from. People were trapped not only on the plane, but the performance spilled over into the aisle so they could not even walk up and down to keep blood flowing or use the restrooms, or get a cup of water to drink. This trapped them even further.

Now as I said earlier, a few minutes I'd tolerate it. But I would never consider it a "gift" or "a wonderful thing" or a "treat". I would consider it something I had to put up with as the price of being part of of a society full of other people. I would hope it would be kept short due to their consideration of people like me though who didn't enjoy it.

POD.

[Surianne]

I had no idea that there were lots of people who hated violins.  Funny what you learn here.