Learn When To Stop
Because it is an important way of preventing mass embarassment.
When I was about 14/15 in secondary school, it was decided that there would be a mini talent show for just our year. God knows why, the biggest talent in our school was either being able to roll a spliff or roll your skirt up as high as possible without turning it into a belt.

Anyway, I got asked to perform as the teacher who organised it knew I was taking after school music classes. Now this sounds very smart, but I was learning to play a Euphonium. It is essentially a small tuba... I wasn't too bad at it, although I was banned from playing it in the house. So I agreed to participate in this little show. Mistake number 1.

I get called up, I sit on a chair and begin to play a couple of tunes, damned if I can remember which ones though. I had done the two I knew the best, and had intended to leave it at that, but since I had been clapped I was feeling a little more conifdent that I should have. I decided to tackle a tune that I wasn't exactly good at - Yankee Doodle. If anyone in that audience knew it, they were either very, very gifted at mentally speeding up what they hear or liars.

I looked like a complete twunt. Never mind that I usually made a habit of not being noticed, I might as well have just come on stage and wet myslef.

About 2 weeks after the show I decided to give up on playing the Euphonium and started learning to speak Chinese instead.
(Cydonija well it sure as shit ain't sad, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 10:46, 7 replies)

whats chinese for Euphonium?

(Monkeystrumpet monkey. Monkey, MONKEY!!!, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 10:49, closed)

That would be
C¨± gu¨£n sh¨¤ng d¨©y¨©n h¨¤o
(Cydonija well it sure as shit ain't sad, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 10:59, closed)

Or since the computer doesn't like odd letters...
Cu guan shang diyin hao
(Cydonija well it sure as shit ain't sad, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 11:00, closed)

Tai Bang le

(Dan dan dan They tik urh jerbs!!!, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 13:21, closed)

xie xie
(Cydonija well it sure as shit ain't sad, Wed 24 Aug 2011, 11:23, closed)

It's a shame
you were banned from the house with it.

Most parents understand it's not going to be perfect at the beginning.
(username failed moderation, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 13:37, closed)

It might have been the loudness
It's not a subtle instrument! But they did come to see me when I was perfomrming in the school band so there was some love there I think!!
(Cydonija well it sure as shit ain't sad, Wed 24 Aug 2011, 11:22, closed)