BachScholar - BachScholar: The Man, The Enigma, The...Poser?

[dcstudio]

For me, the reason I rip on him is because he talks down to so many other people when he's awful himself.
It's one thing to be an arrogant musician, it's another to discourage other musicians. That, to me, is appalling.

usually the best thing to do is to not acknowledge...   it only feeds the monster when ya do.

[chopinlover01]

What did you mean bye that. 

Look up the term "compensating for something".

[dcstudio]

Look up the term "compensating for something".

lol...Freudian

but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar---in this case it's just a very small cigar...

[blackonwhite]

Look up the term "compensating for something".

Haha yes I thought that's what you were talking about.

[pytheamateur]

Haha yes I thought that's what you were talking about.

Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with them.  Just look at Ashkenazy and Scriabin.  They have/had small hands.

[blackonwhite]

Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with them.  Just look at Ashkenazy and Scriabin.  They have/had small hands.

Yes there are plenty of men with small hands.

[outin]

Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with them. 

I beg to differ...

[chopinlover01]

I beg to differ...

When speaking of hands, or the intended implication?

[outin]

When speaking of hands, or the intended implication?

Both actually...

[blackonwhite]

Speaking of hands, just out of curiosity which pianist has the largest hands.

[pytheamateur]

Both actually...

Yes, the 2 are more related than you might think.  Some pianists say you have to play the piano as though you were making love to it. This has been said so often that it has probably become a cliché.  My own contribute to this metaphor would be to say that too much Czerny and Hanon is as bad as pornography for adolescents.

You can never do either activity well if you have insecurities about your physical endowment.  Of course, there is a threshold in size below which performance is impaired.  That's what hand surgeons and urologists are there for.  The problem very often is that people place the threshold too high.

[outin]

You can never do either activity well if you have insecurities about your physical endowment.  Of course, there is a threshold in size below which performance is impaired.  That's what hand surgeons and urologists are there for.  The problem very often is that people place the threshold too high.

You are of course right, size only matters when there's either too much or too little of it.

Not sure about the efficiency of medical solutions though...

[chopinlover01]

  My own contribute to this metaphor would be to say that too much Czerny and Hanon is as bad as pornography for adolescents.

So, unless you're addicted to it, not very bad at all?

[stor314]

This is how BachScholar responded after being questioned on his Appassionata recording

https://imgur.com/Sp9mW5f

[robatsch]

I don't understand why BachScholar's technique is being so widely criticized.  While he doesn't seem to play with loose, flexible wrists, his playing still appears quite effortless.  He avoids unnecessary hand movements and dramatic flair.

[chopinlover01]

Watch this video and you'll understand why.

[tenk]

Watch this video and you'll understand why.

Just brutal. B.S is a hack fraud.

[roncesvalles]

"Poser" sounds a bit harsh.  The guy can obviously play the piano.  Not, I would hasten, to a professional level, but, for the purposes for which he plays, I suppose his skill is sufficient, and he is probably qualified to teach. We should be mindful that a good teacher need not be perfect but needs to be highly aware.  That said, I disagree with every interpretation of his I have heard (four pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and one of my favorite little preludes by Scriabin).  The balance between hands is off (especially in the Scriabin, where the delicious harmonies are muddied by a too-heavy bass and lack of graceful nuance), and there is no song to his phrasing, just executed notes, as if he was playing on a harpsichord or organ.   The lack of morbidezza strips the works of their charm, a bit like listening to midi playback--you get the point, can discern the structures, harmonies, and melodies, but the life is just not there.  As an adult learner, I admire his ability (significantly higher than my own, which I am trying to build with help from Liszt's exercises and Bach), but I couldn't imagine playing in such a way and would not choose to listen to such performances again.  

It's not, to me, an outrage.  It is good that he can attempt the classics and that he has some knowledge of them, which he apparently wants to share.  Teaching is an honorable pursuit.   It is unfortunate that he can take to bragging, because there is so much room for improvement, which I think he is capable of doing.   I hope he knows that even the greatest artists were rarely satisfied with their playing.  Busoni used to practice for hours after his concerts, obsessively replaying the pieces he had played earlier that night, searching for new insight, following new ideas.

I hope we can move on from this thread.  We find faults in his playing and in some of his behavior.   All of us have faults in our playing and behavior, even if they may not be as arrogant as some of his comments.   I see him as someone who is trying to do a good thing, with the resources that he has available.   Music is good, and teaching is good.  Not all of it can be done with consummate expertise.  Maybe he is seeking an ego boost at times and acts a bit more grandiose than his interpretations would suggest, but that's how people are.   I can find just as much fault with people who take shots at him and who try to "expose" him, rather to engage in a dialogue with him.

[perfect_pitch]

I see him as someone who is trying to do a good thing, with the resources that he has available.

...Stealing other editions of sheet music, claiming he 'edited' them and selling them for a profit???

No.

[pytheamateur]

...Stealing other editions of sheet music, claiming he 'edited' them and selling them for a profit???

No.

. Isn't that the same as some dodgy Schirmer editions?

[schubert960]

. Isn't that the same as some dodgy Schirmer editions?

The difference being that Schirmer (and Dover) have to pay workers, pay for raw materials to make their books, pay for distribution, etc - and they actually come up with a usable product. BachScholar takes things that are available for free on IMSLP and places them for sale on his website, with no overhead cost whatsoever.

[pytheamateur]

The difference being that Schirmer (and Dover) have to pay workers, pay for raw materials to make their books, pay for distribution, etc - and they actually come up with a usable product. BachScholar takes things that are available for free on IMSLP and places them for sale on his website, with no overhead cost whatsoever.

what you say is true, but another similarity is that Schirmer started to churn out a lot of new scores when copyright expired.  I think this is the case with Rachmaninoff.  I think Boosey and Hawkes had the copyright for most of his works.  It must have expired around 1993 (50 years?); it's around then Schirmer started publishing Rachmaninoff.
So would you be happier if BS won the lottery and decided to extend his business by selling hard copies of his "BS Editions"?

[jrubio]

I came across this thread by chance and let me say that I am flabbergasted by this mutiny against a dude that clearly loves music and shares it with the world, prepares tutorials, and tries to teach what he knows, pretty much for free.  

You've insulted him in so many ways, and for what?  Please think deep down and realize that your words, perpetuated in this forum and will never be able to take back - even when you get old and the 'new' pianists won't believe that you played any better a few decades before (not even with a recording), is mostly pointless slander that reflects badly on all parties involved.  

So a guy that you don't consider pianistically gifted is popular on youtube, and among insults and unkind words cannot fathom why he doesn't take the criticism and instead deletes the comments, something he has all the right to do so (this is by design, and there is good reason for youtube to have it this way).  

This reminds me of a story.  A fisherman catches a cast of crabs, and puts the pianist crabs in a bucket with no lid, and the other crabs in buckets with lids.  He is asked why he doesn't put a lid on the bucket with pianist crabs, and he replies that they never escape, because every time one crab climbs to the edge to the bucket, the others pull him back in.

Accept that someone who you don't necessarily admire or like can have a successful youtube channel.  Accept that clearly there are many others that do like his videos and admire something about them.  Realize that many of his videos are meant to be educational and generally speaking do a good thing, not a bad thing.  Please, live and let live.

[perfect_pitch]

I came across this thread by chance and let me say that I am flabbergasted by this mutiny against a dude that clearly loves music and shares it with the world, prepares tutorials, and tries to teach what he knows, pretty much for free.  

You've obviously never had any dealings with him, and if you had... you wouldn't be saying that. Please leave what you don't know, alone.

Realize that many of his videos are meant to be educational and generally speaking do a good thing, not a bad thing.

That statement alone proves you haven't watched any of his videos... there's nothing those videos can teach anyone.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

the 'new' pianists won't believe that you played any better a few decades before (not even with a recording), is mostly pointless slander that reflects badly on all parties involved.  

I think this thread is destined for internet detritus and won't be being read decades later! And talking of "new" pianists, there are a few on this forum who play MILES better than BachScholar.

Accept that someone who you don't necessarily admire or like can have a successful youtube channel.  Accept that clearly there are many others that do like his videos..

Of course, nobody has any particular problem with that. There's plenty other people out there who have "successful youtube channels" - wow! - and so what? Not all of them have his level of hubris however.

I will say if he's involved in a child custody battle, I have sympathy on those grounds - a lawyers' playground.

[schubert960]

what you say is true, but another similarity is that Schirmer started to churn out a lot of new scores when copyright expired.  I think this is the case with Rachmaninoff.  I think Boosey and Hawkes had the copyright for most of his works.  It must have expired around 1993 (50 years?); it's around then Schirmer started publishing Rachmaninoff.
So would you be happier if BS won the lottery and decided to extend his business by selling hard copies of his "BS Editions"?

My main gripe with BS is that he claims he makes changes to the score and that this justifies the price tag. BS makes claims that Schirmer doesn't - supposedly BachScholar sheet music is "the highest quality sheet music in the world" although evidently older editions aren't as clear or as high quality as a new Henle or Barenreiter. Of course, old editions have their merits, but to suggest that paying $9.99 for his infinitessimal changes to the Mikuli Chopin Etudes is fair? Frankly I'd go out of my way not to use an edition that was edited by him - judging by his playing, he has nothing of any value to teach anyone.

And another thing - what really irritates me about BS is that he bases his business on this model of ripping off free editions and selling them, but completely denounces them in an article he writes, saying they're useless and students should buy books instead.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Developing-a-Classical-Piano-Repertoire-and-Building-a-Music-Library&id=5762267

And yet this man sells sheet music that is very likely to be taken to either himself or other teachers copied onto fax paper and falling off the music rack. If nothing else, the guy's a jackass.

[schubert960]

You've insulted him in so many ways, and for what?  Please think deep down and realize that your words, perpetuated in this forum and will never be able to take back - even when you get old and the 'new' pianists won't believe that you played any better a few decades before (not even with a recording), is mostly pointless slander that reflects badly on all parties involved.  

I can't speak for everybody but what annoys me about him is that he goes around proclaiming he's the greatest pianist on the earth and that nobody's better than him. People aren't offended by, nor are they making fun of his limited abilities. It's the ego that offends. Were he to take constructive comments (not abusive comments, I understand him deleting those) with a little humility and recognise his limitations he wouldn't be discussed in this way. The reason he is disliked so much is that he has very little respect for musicians far better than him and that he is extremely rude and hostile to anyone who challenges him or his notion that he is the greatest pianist in the world. The arrogance on him is incredible, and I say if he's going to compare himself to the greatest pianists in the world, then he should also be subject to the same amount of criticism, and as we can see from his limited abilities he is far below the people he claims to be superior than. Put simply, there's a reason he makes videos in his living room to put onto YouTube instead of playing Brahms concerti in Carnegie Hall.

[pianist1976]

I came across this thread by chance and let me say that I am flabbergasted by this mutiny against a dude that clearly loves music and shares it with the world, prepares tutorials, and tries to teach what he knows, pretty much for free.  

Not exactly free, I guess. Sometimes there are ads shown on his videos and Google usually pays money to the video owners. Bachscholar channel has several hundreds of thousands views (maybe millions?). This probably doesn't make him rich but it may give him such a good salary of passive income...

[schubert960]

Not exactly free, I guess. Sometimes there are ads shown on his videos and Google usually pays money to the video owners. Bachscholar channel has several hundreds of thousands views (maybe millions?). This probably doesn't make him rich but it may give him such a good salary of passive income...

20 million views at the last count. So you'd think he'd be doing OK, financially speaking, but evidently not given his recent cyber-begging venture.

[dcstudio]

I can't speak for everybody but what annoys me about him is that he goes around proclaiming he's the greatest pianist on the earth and that nobody's better than him. People aren't offended by, nor are they making fun of his limited abilities. It's the ego that offends. Were he to take constructive comments (not abusive comments, I understand him deleting those) with a little humility and recognise his limitations he wouldn't be discussed in this way. The reason he is disliked so much is that he has very little respect for musicians far better than him and that he is extremely rude and hostile to anyone who challenges him or his notion that he is the greatest pianist in the world. The arrogance on him is incredible, and I say if he's going to compare himself to the greatest pianists in the world, then he should also be subject to the same amount of criticism, and as we can see from his limited abilities he is far below the people he claims to be superior than. Put simply, there's a reason he makes videos in his living room to put onto YouTube instead of playing Brahms concerti in Carnegie Hall.

   

why do we feel the need to express this online?  and why does it make us somehow feel better to be so mean?     was it because as children we were treated poorly by others--was it because our piano teachers were overly controlling and constantly critical of our playing? Was it because every time we thought we were good at something we were humiliated by a parent who knocked us back down?  One can only wonder.



  be careful what you reveal about yourself while you are busy pointing out the shortcomings of others...



...on a lighter note ---this reminds me of a joke--

How many pianists does it take to change a lightbulb?

100.   One to climb up the ladder and change the bulb--and 99 to stand around saying---

"aww man, I could do that better--I should be up there!"

[hypemeup3]

If you have any doubt about who Bachscholar is as a person and as a pianist, read the comments under what Sheldon Cooper said in this video

Dcstudio this is why people are so mean.

[chopinlover01]

My god, I think the two of them are seriously delusional. Like, medically..

[hypemeup3]

Ok he seems to have deleted the entire thread.  The good thing is I expected him to do this, and all this does is increase my suspicions of him.  I have uploaded the conversation onto imgur, you can view that here https://imgur.com/a/sd2eI

Seriously, everyone needs to see this.  This guy is not who he says he is.  If you had any doubts at all on what kind of person he was, this confirms all of those.  He avoided almost every important claim I made towards him, and only responded to things that were not of any real importance in the discussion.  He tried to tell me that he deleted my comment on his Appassionata performance (where I asked him to reproduce it) because he wanted to "annoy" me.  First off, if that really was his motive, what kind of practice is that?  He's a 50 year old man, he's had a channel for 6 years, and he thinks its ok to delete comments to annoy his viewers?  See how stupid that sounds?  Exactly.  Because that wasn't his motive.  People were questioning him, and he couldn't handle that. 

[perfect_pitch]

Wow... I even get a mention in the thread... for some odd reason (beginning Page 7).

I must have REALLY gotten to him.     

[hypemeup3]

You are Peter Johnston 

[schubert960]

Wow... I even get a mention in the thread... for some odd reason (beginning Page 7).

I must have REALLY gotten to him.     

I revealed my real name to him once. For the record, this is why whenever I ask him a question or comment on his videos now I use a throwaway account.

He searched for me and found me on Facebook. He proceeded to let me know that I was a twerp and that shortly I could end up being convicted for saying these things about him. I informed him I hadn't broken any law anywhere, and he could go right ahead and sue me. If I remember correctly he then threatened to report me to my college.

This was all because I told him his playing was boring and referred to the fact that he was arrested in 2009. There are four year olds more mature than this man. And his wife is clearly mentally ill also.

[dcstudio]

though I fully understand your feelings towards this man...

guys...come on...         


you are enjoying this...    be the bigger person and let this go.   

it's getting uglier than Caitlyn Jenner around here.

[chopinlover01]

it's getting uglier than Caitlyn Jenner around here.

Ouch. Like seriously, god damn XD

[perfect_pitch]

You are Peter Johnston 

Well, that's why my state-appointed Psychologist calls me.     

[dcstudio]

He searched for me and found me on Facebook.

 

[schubert960]

 

This wasn't the part that concerned me - although it was a bit creepy, that information was public anyway. What irritated me is that he felt it was appropriate to threaten to sue me and report me to my college over some comment which was actually not particularly offensive compared to some of the discussions other people have had with him.

But as much as I find this guy and his various mental problems fascinating, dcstudio is right, I think we've got to draw the line somewhere. We can discuss him and debate with him until we're all blue in the face, he isn't going to stop doing what he's doing until he either runs out of money or is committed to some sort of institution.

[dcstudio]

threaten to sue me and report me to my college over some comment

    #$%&!!!   

 ...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!       -- ( )--



 !!

[birba]

Wow.  Shows how out of touch i am in this world.  I had never even heard of the guy.  Saw some of his youtube things.  He's clearly a psychopath.  And a very mediocre pianist.

[schumaniac]

This guy definitely has/had qualifications to teach/perform, having graduated from Eastman... BUT something must have happened in between his graduating and now, as his playing is very inflexible, unemotional (not the same as "unsentimental"- his playing is just completely dry), rough, full of accents..... It's just not good.
Some of his insights as a teacher are OK though, but even THEN you have to take his crazy claims ("this is probably the only exercise you'll need") with HUGE grains of salt.

And yeah, his way of dealing with YouTube commentators is strange, and I could make a lot of other judgements from the things he posts/writes about. (taking to YouTube for a child custody battle and talking about his "BachScholar home" as though it's, say Kaplinsky's studio)

[kuska]

*digging it up*

yuck

fine, I've got some questions (assuming it's true)

- a Bachelor of Music in Piano from California State University, Sacramento,
- a Master of Music in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music,
- a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano as well as
- a Master of Music in Musicology from the University of Kansas

What skills do they give in piano performance/playing? Musicology is strictly about the history, music performance and (??) literature (??) - What the hell is that? Is it about theory again?

a Bachelor of Music in Piano and Master of Musical Arts in Piano don't tell me anything at all. Some years ago we used to have unified 5 years of studies for Masters. Now we've got two degrees: bachelors and masters (except for a few faculties) and it just doesn't sound right to me that someone is great cause he's got a bachelors. Sorry. Especially, that it doesn't even sound like a real piano playing. Please, explain what these are. Is it a performative level or something inferior* that just gives you a diploma or maybe really theoretical studies?

*by "inferior" I mean that here there's been something like musical education (I think now it's called something with art in general, not important) where you can go if you play anything at the intermediate level (more or less) and after that you can teach music in school. You have some piano but you can play it really since the beginning if you just played some guitar e.g. or just just sang well enough. I studies there for like 3 years and at that time I just had finished my primary piano education (6 years) and heard I was one of the best piano students they have as most of them just didn't play even at that level. It's different to pianists at conservatories where they play piano at least 17 years in total when they get the diploma (and already have diplomas from two music schools probably).