What do u say when you play to your friends & relatives ?

[kghayesh]

Before i play something to friends or relatives when they are at home, i tell them " i will play to you now, the first movement of Beethoven's sonata no.XX Op.XX in X minor ".

All the response i get is "  Holy sh** !! What the hell does that mean ?? ", " I expected a name like song names not this opus and major/minor "

How do you guys deal with the musical ignorance of people?? Do you just play without saying the pieces names or explain to them what is meant by a sonata, waltz, etude, movement,.....etc .

[xire]

If friends and relatives are expecting me to play something on the piano, I just go sit in front of the piano and let the music talk to them.

[pianorama]

I can symphathize.... No one in my family is musical at all. ( unless you count my brother who occasionally strums the guitar or my father who played trumpet in high school for a few months.) I agree with xire, though I sometimes say after I'm done , "That was Sonatina in G major by Clementi", and don't bother with opus/ number. Once my parents realised I knew two songs called sonatina in C major I tryed to explain opus/ number, and I think they sort of understood. (I compared it to a dog in a pound, where there could be two dogs named Fido but they both have assigned numbers for more accurate identification  means. I.E. Fido #1735 compared to Fido#2495.)

[quantum]

My name is Bond.............James Bond....   

Actually I've taken to not announcing pieces before I play.  I've gotten that "huh, what did you just say" look before.  I play the piece, let the listener absorb the music, then maybe talk about the piece a little after I play.  At least the listener will have some sort idea to connect with.  I find that this also takes the distraction away from any pre-concieved notions they may have about a composers name or a style of music, and they will listen with more open ears. 

This is also useful for the - "I hate Debussy 'cause there's no melody...can you play me something nice."  I play some random piece.  "What was that?  Those sounds you made were so beautiful."  I respond: "That was Debussy " - type of people. 

[steve jones]

I dont tend to say anything. They say "play something", and I rustle up the most impressive piece Im working on. Then they tell me Im amazing and will soon be like Rachmaninov! While in reality I know Im actually pretty shite and barely out of my piano 'short trousers', I take the praise graciously 

[leahcim]

How do you guys deal with the musical ignorance of people?? Do you just play without saying the pieces names or explain to them what is meant by a sonata, waltz, etude, movement,.....etc .

Where's the musical ignorance in not understanding some words from a foriegn language?

If you're Italian, presto and such forth are pretty common adverbs. There's nothing inherently "musical" about the words, aside from the fact that it's the language the bods that wrote on the piece used.

If Beethoven had written "quick but not too quick" then how ignorant would they be?
Probably just as much w.r.t music, otoh, would you have the same feeling that you had some amazing musical background because you know how to say loud and soft in Italian?

[rc]

Where's the musical ignorance in not understanding some words from a foriegn language?

If you're Italian, presto and such forth are pretty common adverbs. There's nothing inherently "musical" about the words, aside from the fact that it's the language the bods that wrote on the piece used.

If Beethoven had written "quick but not too quick" then how ignorant would they be?
Probably just as much w.r.t music, otoh, would you have the same feeling that you had some amazing musical background because you know how to say loud and soft in Italian?

Good point, expecting people to know about these things is a kind of snobbery.

otoh = ?

(I don't speak internet so well )

I'm like most, not saying anything. The goal is to do a good enough job playing to make the listener want to know though, I'm flattered when someone asks afterwards "what was that?". I've gone a little further and typically don't play  for friends/family unless someone asks, I don't enjoy playing for someone who isn't interested in listening.

[kghayesh]

I don't say to them Allegro, Presto, Forte,....etc.
What i mean by musical ignorance is in MUSICAL TERMS only.

When i say to them xxx in E minor or in Db major they don't know what the hell is an E or Db or a major/minor.
Or when i say a sonata, movement, Etude, Ballade .... All these are musical terms not just italian words (BTW not all them are italian )

[brahmsian]

Usually I will just tell them the composer and the type of work (Sonata, Ballade, Etude, etc)

[lisztisforkids]

I guess Ill play some Beethoven.

[pianistimo]

i used to be 'professional' with my family, too, and announce everything.  nothing seems to impress them.  much better to let them happen upon me playing (when i'm relaxed more anyway) and say 'wow, i like that piece. what is it?'

[zheer]

Ok i got the message i will stop playing.

[cfortunato]

To some degree, their ignorance is correct: who cares about what FORM it is?  All your friends and relatives care about is if they like the way it sounds.  Which makes perfect sense.

Tell them the composer.  If there is something else they need to know to prepare for what's coming, say it quick.  If you do a whole a Sonata, it might be helpful to tell them that there are three movements, for example.  Otherwise, a "piece" is just a piece.

[leahcim]

When i say to them xxx in E minor or in Db major they don't know what the hell is an E or Db or a major/minor.
Or when i say a sonata, movement, Etude, Ballade .... All these are musical terms not just italian words (BTW not all them are italian )

Fair enough, I'm with you on the E major etc, but you're still doing it in part. The movements are usually named "Presto agitato" and so on, so even if you don't say that, that's not because it isn't part of the "name" of the piece.

Most of those words have other meanings [ballade is a form of poetic verse, etude means study, opus means work. Movement is English and so you've probably translated that for them like others do. Or they are derived from words in languages in a way that doesn't make them particular unusual or unique when applied to a piece of music, sonata for example.

But yeah, they are musical terms.

My point is, often folk [perhaps not yourself] act in a way as those these words have some of the grandiose that they associate with the genre because of the language difference whereas a lot of them are just dull, everyday words, moreso if you translate them. [It's reverse snobbery more often though, pop / rock records with pieces called "Opus..." something always make me smile]

otoh = ?

on the other hand.