Do some people never "feel" at the piano?

[cora]

This thread is similar to the feeling thread. As a teacher, I notice some students express something outside of the music, almost as though the music occurs between and around the notes. Others only ever play what's there.

I wonder if some people never develop the capacity to feel things and express them at the piano?

In response to the thread on feeling, can we as teachers really guide people to feel things they don't naturally feel? Is there any point? When I play piano, whole scenes (mostly nature scenes) come to mind.

Some young people simply haven't enough life experience or aren't in tune with themselves enough to feel the music.

[ted]

Possibly, but I lacked this with regard to improvisation, and indeed music in general, until I was almost thirty. I didn't even know such beautiful things existed until I heard the man who was to become my teacher improvise at my audition, when I was about fourteen. Until then I had "just played the notes". Even then, although the gates had been opened it took over ten years to really "feel", as you put it. It is an ongoing life process, which, if one is creative, never reaches an end.

Therefore be very wary of eliminating somebody on this basis, especially a young person. If my teacher hadn't persevered with me despite what must have been an obvious lack of everything, I would be without the joy of constant composition and improvisation, in addition to getting more out of pieces, of course. Keep on encouraging and do not hesitate to describe visual and emotional associations, even if they sound silly.     

[keyofc]

I think that we can't always tell how a child feels at the piano.  Part of the freedom of expression comes after certain technical skills are no longer challenging.  Let's face it - the child has to constantly decode many musical symbols.  It takes awhile for their feelings to be able to catch up.
   Even though I play for groups of people, I am much more free to express myself alone at the piano.  No critics, no demands - pure pleasure.

[alwaystheangel]

Isn't the job of the teacher to teach the theory, the technique and most important the the feeling/musicality that a student may or may not have. 

It's the hardest thing to teach because some people will never undestand, others, like ted, learn in time, and everyone's favourites are the ones that just seem to "get it"

It's wrong to not teach a student that doesn't feel the music, if they enjoy playing, that's enough.

[zheer]

I think everyone does feel something at the piano, but only a few people can express this through music. I guess some have it, some learn it, and some dont.
Aaaaaaaaaaaneeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy, i think those who dont play the piano are the lucky ones (possibly )

[supertonic]

Some young people simply haven't enough life experience or aren't in tune with themselves enough to feel the music.

I used to be one of those young people. My teacher said I have good technique and no feeling at all and I never understood what she meant. So she finally surrendered and let me play my way. At the end I quit knowing I was not making any progress.
Now I am over 30s and I finally understood what she meant, and I pick up playing again and hope I can make major progress from what I left.

[rimv2]

I think everyone does feel something at the piano, but only a few people can express this through music. I guess some have it, some learn it, and some dont.
Aaaaaaaaaaaneeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy, i think those who dont play the piano are the lucky ones (possibly )

Thinks it's more a matter of the nature of a given piece rather than what a person is actually feeling.

Because Mozart should be played like this in this key and that in that key.

Who actually feels happy enough or sad enough to genuinely express an emotion within the confines of written, structured music?

If line A is supposed to contrast line B but complement line C and then repeated, how can a person say I'm slowly drifting into insanity and heart feels like it will never heal when the piece ends in staccatos leads to a major chord?

Many of the Romantic composers allow a certain amount of freedom in their pieces. For example, Chopin's music can be played very drearily or absurdly happy. Unfortunately you cant lean too much either way without losing what's on the page.

Improvisation is the only method ah could ponder that would allow a person to say what they want to say. The hard part is how.

If some has already mentioned this, it's because ahm to lazy to actually read most of the post

[what]

Well it really does bring up a question of whether the relation of emotion to music is innate or whether it's learned. Obviously as a child you can still hear the sounds, feel the sounds, synchronize with the sounds, feel them resonate with different parts of your body etc. but I don't think music and emotion get linked until you grow up and form emotional tendencies.

It seems to me, partly theoretically and partly self-experientially, that to a child music is just one of the many things that his/her body and mind can be aware of and stimulated by and it isn't until they develop a self image/story of their own self (and whatever corresponding emotions that go along with that self-image) that they can relate to pieces of music as things of emotion.

[keyofc]

Music therapy works for people of all ages.  How could it if you had to be grown up before you could link music and emotions?

Kids today have a lot of stories that I never heard of at their age.

I believe some people are just born with more musical sensitivity than others, but even so, most kids have feelings that can be tuned into music.
Why are kids the  ones who buy most of the CDs?  They are the ones with the least amount of money.

If you ever watch kids sing in church - you can see how they are touched by music, though they are still learning the music.

[ingagroznaya]

Not all people have same emotional range. It does not cover just "feelings" at the piano.
What seems amazing to me is how some very young children can produce an incredibly powerful and various tone without much life experience. I wonder if they copy or really "feel" it as they play. If I am, as an adult, placing more value and meaning into their interpretation. It's seems magic.

[ingagroznaya]

They also seems to posses natural hands coordination unchild like...and perfect sense of beat and whole enchilada. Sorry, I do not want to steer you away from the subject. I'll get back to my sit.

[ingagroznaya]

I'm talking about some of my own students. I look at them through a microscope and still can't tell. Such a precise copying seems impossible and at the same time "true emotions" makes no sense.
From what I hear, it's an almost perfect copy. But there is got to be a perfect ground to write. Child's mind is a miracle. Spongy. Awfully spongy. Not all stretch as much.

[ted]

Improvisation is the only method ah could ponder that would allow a person to say what they want to say. The hard part is how.

Yes, I have found this to be true. How is it done ? By working hard at it over many years, like most worthwhile things in life.

[stevehopwood]

Some kids play with deep feeling for the music, some with little and some with none at all. I have taught kids for whom playing the piano was really just a form of gentle exercise. 

They can all be taught to play 'expressively' to a greater or lesser extent. I demonstrate constantly to these children. saying things like, "Try it like this."

Some children 'feel' the music and imagine they are playing beautifully. This is that most common of faults - not listening to the results of their efforts as they emerge from the piano, rather than their imagination.

"Do try to listen to the sounds you are producing" must be the most common thing I say to students. 

Steve 

[rc]

"Do try to listen to the sounds you are producing" must be the most common thing I say to students. 

Steve 

That's probably the most common thing I tell myself, heh.

I believe feeling at the piano is something that can be taught, learned and cultivated. In playing others music, to me it's like linking up past experiences and moods to certain aspects of the music. You have to view the music very poetically, and spend some time building a connection between this music and your own life. Of course it's a very subjective thing, but there's a lot of emotional commonality that we all share that can come through the music.

I don't think we give kids enough credit for their capacity of emotion... The misery of being yelled at by a loved parent couldn't be any less than the miseries of adulthood. I'm guessing that the kids who are able to express at the piano are the ones who live more in their heads and have strong imaginations, to be able to link their emotions with notes on a keyboard. Then there's the issue of emotional supression, that can affect anyone of any age.

[stevehopwood]

I believe feeling at the piano is something that can be taught, learned and cultivated.

Couldn't agree more, rc. Much of my professional life is spent putting children in touch with their own musical emotions. Even the most talented need some help here.

I describe it as putting kids in touch with their own musical emotions - a wonderful thing to do.

Steve