Swaying/looking away/acting emotional while playing

[pies]

Why do so many pianists do it? It always looks so forced and fake. Just *** play and stop moving around.
Anyone else annoyed by this?

[Waldszenen]

No. It's called expression, and playing the piano while you look like a statue will earn no favours with examiners or competition judges.

[brewtality]

No. It's called expression, and playing the piano while you look like a statue will earn no favours with examiners or competition judges.

Shows what they know. Hamming it up shouldn't have any bearing on how a performance is assessed. Personally, I am awed to watch someone like Hamelin (who hardly moves) play; everything is so neat and effortless. It demonstrates a fantastic control. Mostly it is overdone but if it is natural or not terribly exaggerated (such as lifting the hands high etc) then I don't mind it.

[faulty_damper]

Some people do it because it "sounds" better.

Some people do it because they are are covering up the fact that they can't play better.

Some people do it becuase they don't realize it.

Some people do it because their name is Lang Lang.

And still others do it because their name is Mitsuko Uchida.

But if you can't play it, play it with your face! 

[pizno]

Ouch!  I am guilty of all, I am afraid.  But can I help it that I have an expressive face?  Some people naturally let their expressions show on their face and in their body movements away from the piano as well.  Physically expressing some emotion does not necessarily mean that you are not also playing expressively.  I believe these things help us get into the mood, but should be kept to a minimum.  But really, who wants to watch a stone cold face?   On the other hand, it can be overdone. (Lang Lang) I try to keep it to a minimum.  I hate big showy hand gestures.

Pizno

[pianistimo]

i used to move a lot to the music,t oo.  both uni professors would take videos of students at various times.   this, to me, is the most helpful thing in the world.  you can see urself and what u don't want to look like and what u do want to look like.  i think it's ok to lean back occasionally or move a little from side to side OCCASIONALLY - but for me, when i first saw my own video - it was dizzy.  back and forth (front to back).  when he sped up the tape i realized i needed to do something other than leaning forward and back.  i looked like a mechanical toy.

a combination of MINIMAL movements seems the most natural.  it's strange that teachers don't talk more about this.  performance does mean that you have to consider what u look like and how ur facial mannerisms are at the piano.  u can't know until u see urself.

what my recent teacher called unnecessary movements - would be those that do not significantly change the sound u are getting from the piano.  i used to do some hand gestures that i thought were not obtuse.  but - in terms of conserving energy (really important) they were useless.  hands in the air (except at the end of a piece if u want) just gets u farther from the next spot that u need to play.  i thought it loosened my wrist - but was actually working it more.  u can do undulations very close to the keyboard.

[ahinton]

No. It's called expression

And there I was labouring under the delusion that the expression was in the music itself; well, I'm only a composer, not a pianist, so perhaps I wasn't to know...

playing the piano while you look like a statue will earn no favours with examiners or competition judges.

It didn't do much to harm the reputations of Rakhmaninov or Michelangeli though, did it?

Best,

Alistair

[counterpoint]

And there I was labouring under the delusion that the expression was in the music itself;

Yes, it seems, that the pianists with the great gestures are feeling, that their playing is not expressive and convincing enough, so they do add some extra pantomime action 

You can do that, but it is not necessary, if you are playing well.

[kriskicksass]

I didn't realize that I moved while playing until I performed for some other pianists recently. Also, it turns out that I tilt my head as if I'm holding a violin sometimes while I play. 

[nolan]

I find it distracting if a person is overly-dramatic while playing piano. It's ok if they show a bit of emotion if the music "moves" them, but consciously trying to look emotional simply comes off as annoying and fake.

[counterpoint]

It didn't do much to harm the reputations of Rakhmaninov or Michelangeli though, did it?

It didn't harm the reputation of Glenn Gould either, that he did exaggerate his gestures and his crazyness to the farest possible exteme, didn't it? 

[arbisley]

I find that sometimes people "express" far more than is actually in a piece, or something which is not even in it! at other times, I get the impression that people move around to overcome some technical difficulty, or on the other hand, enhance the fact that it is difficult! I think that most facial movement is superfluous, but if convincing, should not be held back. As for example Leonard Bernstein who got away with sweeping gestures in his conducting, but never seemed to be "faking" it.

[chopinfan_22]

I do some of those things. Like when I'm really aborbed into the music, I'll move around, sometimes back and forth... other times I'll move my head in tempo to the music. I also noticed that sometimes I'll make facial expressions based on the mood of the music. But overdone hand movements. No. Waving around like Lang Lang... no. I don't do that.

[cfortunato]

Why do so many pianists do it? It always looks so forced and fake. Just *** play and stop moving around.
Anyone else annoyed by this?

If you actually feel the piece, it's going to show.

I don't know HOW one can play without an expressive face and without moving around some, if they are feeling the music.  Unless the music is to sound as unemotional as the stone face.

[moi_not_toi]

I think it's really called "Losing yourself in expression" not just "expression"

Some people think it sounds so good that they start to sway with the music (it's called Lang Lang syndrome. Uncurable, I'm afraid.  )

[ahinton]

It didn't harm the reputation of Glenn Gould either, that he did exaggerate his gestures and his crazyness to the farest possible exteme, didn't it? 

That's possibly a matter of opinion, but I would personally not say that it did so. The point is that all this cavorting around and facial screwing-up doesn-t in the end do anything for the music or for its performance, nor can it do anything for the audience reception of it other than act as a distracting force for those still prepared to carry on looking while they listen.

I once heard a pianist play the Goldberg Variations with quite a lot of looking to the skies and facial contortions, though with not much general moving around otherwise; it was most unpleasant to watch - yet the performance was almost clinically accurate and it was very moving at the same time - so what was coming out of the piano and what was coming out of parts of the pianist simply didn't ever get to meet (except, presumably, somewhere in the pianist's personal psyche).

Best,

Alistair

[pizno]

I just had an image of a pianist using expression like a singer does - when they prepare for what they are going to sing by changing their facial expression.  Some of it looks so STUPID that I want to laugh.  What if a pianist suddenly had an expression that expressed anger, fear, happiness, surprise, etc....  Of course we don't have words, but, it could be much sillier than most of us actually are.  I guess that would be Lang Lang.

[jas]

Like most people here, if it's natural, minimal and doesn't get in the way it doesn't bother me. If you're really wrapped up in what you're playing, for some people it's inevitable. But too much -- Lang Lang, I'm looking at you -- is irritating and self-indulgent. As part of the audience it makes you feel as though the pianist is having a rare old time up there and isn't interested in communicating with you at all. I'd much rather watch someone like, say, Richter, who just plays. For me that's a much more powerful musical experience than watching some show-off who looks like s/he belongs in a pantomime and is about to fall off the piano bench.

Jas

[nicco]

Ive yet to see a pianist who looks completely untouched and doesent start making faces or gestures when things get more difficult. Horowitz is the closest ive seen so far.

[counterpoint]

Ive yet to see a pianist who looks completely untouched and doesent start making faces or gestures when things get more difficult. Horowitz is the closest ive seen so far.

Argerich?

[nicco]

Argerich?

Hehe I guess she is as close as it gets

[pies]

I think Banfield takes the cake:

&search=ligeti

[quasimodo]

I wouldn't say it's always "acting" (though it is in most cases). But with some musicians it's pretty obvious that they have no alternative solution to release some tensions.

[cjp_piano]

Why do so many pianists do it? It always looks so forced and fake. Just *** play and stop moving around.
Anyone else annoyed by this?

It doesn't really bother me.  I usually listen more than I watch.  Usually, a very musical performance involves some kind of bodily movements and facial expressions.  It IS true that some pianists move a whole lot, but it doesn't sound very beautiful.  But those who DO play beautifully usually move around a little.  For me, I don't TRY to act emotional and musical, but I'm thinking about emotions and stories and things while I play, so naturally it's going to show in my face and my body. 

[russda_man]

No. It's called expression, and playing the piano while you look like a statue will earn no favours with examiners or competition judges.

That's a stupid thing to say. You obviously are an idiot saying that. What if you were playing a Bach prelude and fugue??

[gyzzzmo]

I personally think it is much more stupid if the listener only judges a performer by his/her body language than by the music that comes out of the piano.

Ofcourse it is distracting if you click on a youtube video and watch the silly faces for example Lang Lang manages to produce. But if it bothers you, dont watch and just listen. That is what it is supposed to be about, to my humble opinion.

Gyzzzmo

[ahinton]

Rakhmaninov managed to keep that kind of thing to himself and invisible to anyone listening to live performances that he gave - Michelangeli, who idolised him, likewise, not to mention two of his most remarkable students, Pollini and the already mentioned Argerich, to name but a few - but would anyone say that their performances for the most part lacked sufficient emotional involvement and engagement with the music that they play/ed or that their communication to the listener of such involvement and engagement was in any sense constricted as a direct consequence of their customary lack of physical histrionics?

I have a suspicion that performers who exhibit tendencies to over-indulge in this kind of practice spend too little time composing; it's a whole lot of no use doing all that kind of thing in front of the composition desk - just as it is in the practice studio - when no one is looking!

Best,

Alistair

[lostinidlewonder]

For me at least I find that the only thing I will do is change my facial expression, but not melodramatically, I may also catch myself moving as I enjoy it being attached to the muscular memory of playing the piece, an eccentric connection perhaps. I also find myself breathing deeply in certain phrases of music all the time, almost like my breath controls the music, but this is very much unseen by an audience.

When I play something sad for instance I am reminded of sad experiences in my life (not all pieces are attached to a personal memory but most of them are). Since these emotions are very personal and deep I do not feel the need to do lavish physical mannerisms to express it because I wouldn't do that if I wasn't play the piano. It is like an emotional "wash" over your body as you play when a life experience is "resurrected" in a word through the music. It is almost like a holy experience, being able to go back in time through the music medium and for me it doesn't call for melodramatic moving/facial expression. I know some concert pianists to be quite emotionally dysfunctional and very difficult people to be with and through their music they only can experience certain emotions in their life, they might then also have quite unusual and eccentric mannerisms while playing.

[brogers70]

That's a stupid thing to say. You obviously are an idiot saying that. What if you were playing a Bach prelude and fugue??

Hard not to look a bit sad when playing the Bb minor prelude and fugue from WTC 1. And hard not to look cheerful when playing the Eb major fugue. Not talking about hamming it up, though.

[rmbarbosa]

It´s quite simple: be exactly what you are. Be natural and do only what you must do. The most important isnt the player but the playing, the MUSIC. One must be concentrated in the music only. My body and my face are not important because I`m a pianist, not an actor, I`m in a concert hall, not in a theater. If my face transmits something it´s only because I do feel something, nothing else. Sometimes, when I`m playing, I remember this: one day I`ll die but this music is "eternal", "she" never will die. And this puts me in my own and humble place 

[carbe]

I don't think it's one of the most important parts of a performance, how you look or move...
But I have to say it's much more fun to watch a pianist who shows emotions under his/her performance. Too many pianists look very boring when they play and it may cause the actual appearance will be a bit boring. But it is of course very different. Most do it naturally.

[beeni30]

Some people do it because their name is Lang Lang.

Haha great!

I did not realise that I move around untill I recorded myself playing.
It just helps hitting the keys with the right amount of power so you can play more emotional.
Everyone has his own style. Someone wears black clothes and a nother dresses like LadyGaga.
Some just stare at the sheet some close there eyes and move around like they are having a serious braindecise.

If it sounds good I dont really care.

Cheers

[fleetfingers]

I have seen some pretty funny-looking movements from some people, so I know what you mean. 
My piano teacher would actually teach me how to make these movements, so I could play with more expression. I was a teenager and was too embarrassed to do it.
I don't think the movements should be taught. If one feels that they can express themselves better by swaying, then by all means, sway.
I don't sway or move much, but I will 'twitch' my head when accenting notes. I don't do it on purpose. I also look somewhere other than the keys (usually directly in front of me) or I close my eyes in certain parts. There are two reasons I do this: 1) I want to picture in my head what I am playing 2) I want to listen closely to what I'm playing. I guess you could call that 'looking away', but it is not dramatic or theatrical in any way.
I certainly don't ever ACT emotional. I tend to have a look of concentration when I play (not much emotion).

[ted]

I think I move about quite a bit during improvisation. Provided it is not detrimental to either the music or my technique it does not concern me. I made a video of myself and found that my actual movement was a good deal less than I had imagined anyhow. I never play in front of people so it can't be theatrical with me. I guess it is just a harmless physical reaction to the flow of ideas. I think I would correct irregular breathing, grunting or groaning though, if I ever developed it.

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

Before I started learning piano, and when I was a beginner, I told myself I would never, ever perform all those gestures and movements. I thought it would be embarassing and always wondered if the swaying and movements were forced or not.
But eventually I noticed I was moving a bit while playing naturally. I don't really move a lot when I play, and it's not dramatic at all, but it's still there. A lot of times my movements helps me keep the pulse of the music, or make the music sound better (I move and hit the keys to produce a certain tone, sometimes I move subconsciously to produce a certain dynamic)... other times I'm just absorbed in my music and feel the emotions.
As for looking away, I'm quite a visual person, and sometimes I look away and imagine imagery that goes along with the music. It helps me play better, and also keeps me from overthinking and messing up the piece, especially during a performance when I'm nervous.
I would feel uncomfortable if my movements were forced/exaggerated though. I have friends whose teachers tell them to make gestures to show more emotion. I don't think I'd be able to do that. I would definitely be embarrassed, and distracted from the music.

[asianpianoer]

ok LANG LANG yes  - over DONE. way too much.
but why? because he's so good he can afford to make unnecessary movements.
I dont like them and it doesn't improve his playing.

I get this feeling - it just flows when I'm playing. like It feels right but when you are watching someone do it, it just looks retarded.
Some people do it to look more professional but yeah it doesn't look good.

[prongated]

That's a stupid thing to say. You obviously are an idiot saying that. What if you were playing a Bach prelude and fugue??

...are you suggesting Bach's music has no expressive qualities?!!?

[ask_why]

It bugs the hell out of me, and it's one of the reasons I hate Glenn Gould so much (aside from the fact that his interpretations of some of my favorite pieces are just awful).

Something about Valentina Lisitsa really irks me too.  It always seems like she's trying to show off rather than play the music well, and her pasty, shapeless arms are somewhat repulsive...

[perelea]

It's really beyond irrelevant what one does when playing the piano. The sound is the result, everything else I really couldn't care less about.
It absolutely doesn't matter, what matters is the music that the player produces.
I'd never say something in lines of "Oh pianist X irritates me because he moves too much and it distracts me". If one had the habbit of standing on his hands and picking his nose while playing, I couldn't care less, if it sounded proper.

If you can't tell good music and you feel the performer is just "playing it on you" with overdone movements, well then, that's your problem, not his.

There were many undisputably great pianists that moved too much while playing and also those that moved "too little" while playing.  A matter of personal aproach.

And what's up with all the Lang Lang hate again ?

[csharp_minor]

What about if they stamp their feet while playing? I went to hear Kryistian Zimmerman earlier this year and he did a lot of foot stamping, for me sitting quite close it was rather distracting, and he wasn’t doing it to keep in time. Anyone else witnessed something like this?

Personally I can’t see the point in over emphasised hand movements, if it doesn’t add to the sound; don’t bother.  I guess for people who don’t play the piano it adds to the spectacle, but from a practical view it’s just giving you more work to do. 

I’m drawn to pianists, who don’t overdo it, aren’t cold statues but show their emotions very subtly – and of course, sound great.

[perelea]

well, it he was beating the floor with his feet like a drunk tap dancer, that could of course be very destracting, I agree. The main reason is the "extra" sound it produced however, not quite the movements themselves.

"I couldn't care less,   ""!!! IF !!!""  it sounded proper"

that's my point. I consider the rest a matter of sometimes personal aproach, sometimes acting, affecting, but even if it was acting and the music made was good, I wouldn't care. I'm generally a fan of using mainly me ears when being at a concert, not so much my eyes. If a players "style" distracts me, I can close my eyes. If his music is bad, I can't shut my ears.

Ye but, all a matter of taste I guess   

[pianisten1989]

Personally I can’t see the point in over emphasised hand movements, if it doesn’t add to the sound; don’t bother.

Well, sometimes it does, but none thinks longer than their nose.

[venik]

Really, you're not aloud to even look away to gain the approval of fellow pianists? (I say that because it only seems to be pianists that hold this opinion)

If you have to look at your hands while you play you don't know the piece well enough. And if you're holding back expressions (which is what I would have to do, in order to not sway and make expressions) then you're clearly not expressing to the fullest extent of your mind. Playing music is like acting, when the music's sad, you should be sad, so that you can produce a convincingly sad sound. If you ever took an acting class you would realize how closely related the art of acting and music are. That said I've been playing since I was 6, and didn't express anything until I was in highschool where I learned a few things about acting from my gf. And I found it extremely beneficial to my music.

[ask_why]

It's really beyond irrelevant what one does when playing the piano. The sound is the result, everything else I really couldn't care less about.
It absolutely doesn't matter, what matters is the music that the player produces.
I'd never say something in lines of "Oh pianist X irritates me because he moves too much and it distracts me". If one had the habbit of standing on his hands and picking his nose while playing, I couldn't care less, if it sounded proper.

If you can't tell good music and you feel the performer is just "playing it on you" with overdone movements, well then, that's your problem, not his.

There were many undisputably great pianists that moved too much while playing and also those that moved "too little" while playing.  A matter of personal aproach.

And what's up with all the Lang Lang hate again ?

No one said that someone is a lesser pianist if they move too much or make contrived facial expressions constantly.  The point is just that it's annoying.

I love to complain about pianists who do it, but if you asked me to rank famous pianists their movements wouldn't be a factor at all.  On the other hand, if you offered to sell me a ticket to one of their shows, I might be less inclined to go because I find it very irritating and sometimes distracting...

[shadowzerg]

Musicians to me are simply actors of heart and soul. If they want to act, let them. Your focus should be on the music anyway if you're listening to them. The visual aspects of the musicians performance shouldn't be a problem if it's not affecting his sound in a detrimental way. What's with all the "handcuffs" on music these days? Art is expression....express!

[birba]

I feel self-concious when I start playing.  And look pretty stiff.  But as I go along, I try to forget where I am.  I saw a video of myself once, and I discovered SO many distracting movements.  Does anyone else kick their left leg?  Or their right, when it's not on the sustaining pedal?

[littletune]

Well I haven't noticed ANY distracting movements!  (even if I watched it like 20 times or something like that)     

And I like it if people are not like completely still when they're playing  .... well it's sometimes funny if people are making some really funny faces like looking up into the sky or something like that but it's funny only if they don't even really feel like that but they're just pretending to feel like looking into the sky or something    cause then it looks like they're just joking. but if they are just doing someting because they really feel like it then it's cute

[birba]

As always, littletune's candid and spontaneous comment hit the nail on the head. 

[perelea]

well it's sometimes funny if people are making some really funny faces like looking up into the sky or something like that but it's funny only if they don't even really feel like that but they're just pretending to feel like looking into the sky or something    cause then it looks like they're just joking. but if they are just doing someting because they really feel like it then it's cute

Now that really confused me ! But I agree anyway !

[gyzzzmo]

Also i suppose that as long as all the swaying doesnt make the performer puke over the keyboard, there is no real technical reason why he/she shouldnt do that.