Whats this about the anything but piano board?!

[pianowelsh]

Why is everyone so concerned about the size of the anything but piano board. I heard such ludicrous suggestions like its 99% of the forum!?!?!? its nothing like that. True currently it si the largest one but there i one none piano and several which are piano related so its to be expected! However it does seem odd that people seem to want to post on the anything but more than the piano ones.  I set up at least 5 new threads today on the piano boards and people dont respond. Yet they do to old threads in the 'anything but'. It seems the only people who want to actively discuss things also have interests wider than the piano - FINE - GOOD but maybe people could try and post at least one post on the other boards everytime they post something in the anything but piano. To me that would make sense as a piano forum.??

[jpianoflorida]

I'm thinking that what might be happening(and it's happening to me) is that I for one joined to only discussed piano related topics.   I wanted to share ideas with teachers, etc.   Well , what happened was that I started viewing and posting about other things.   Next thing you know, i'm enjoying talking about everything else more than piano.  IT's become my stress reliever to talk to other musicians about all other aspects of life.  We have the common bond of piano/music, but yet we can talk about all kinds of things and no one is concerned about how old someone else is.  We have people from 12 years old up to ? who knows?     Where else can you have a forum like this?

[ihatepop]

We have people from 12 years old up to ? who knows?

Yes, thats true. I take the anything but piano board as a stress reliever(if you count out all the religion posts inside.)

ihatepop

[pianowelsh]

Some of us find religion a stress reliever ihatepop! Perhaps we ALL need to be more disciplined in our regard to piano related posting as i suggested before - so that we have actually some benefit to our playing/teaching. Piano threads are dying after a few days with mediocre comments whilst the anything but piano ones are mushrooming. I dont have a problem with non pinno related discussion BUT lets not forget its a secondary here.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

I believe that I was the one that pointed out the "Anything" room to contain 99 % of all Piano street material, but by that I meant that at the rate at which the board is growing, it is soon bound to bear that percentage. Major culprits are of course the "Word association" thread, the many religious threads, and a good deal of other threads that brandish myriads of posts containing single words or phrases, much to the general annoyment of the public, me included.

[ihatepop]

I just HATE the word association thread!!!!!

And I hate the religion stuff too.

ihatepop

[maul]

How about you people quit ********. Post. Live life. Expand the mind. Don't take negativity into your brain... especially from a messageboard. Repell it, and accomplish the infinite. You let minute things stick into your brain, then you are poisoned by that needle of the minute. It is YOUR choice. You must rise above, abolish the ignorance and stupidity. Destroy it... both in your mind and in those whom are infected (don't expend too much energy, a majority of people are too far gone). Reduce society control. Increase individual expansion.

[debussy symbolism]

How about you people quit ********. Post. Live life. Expand the mind. Don't take negativity into your brain... especially from a messageboard. Repell it, and accomplish the infinite. You let minute things stick into your brain, then you are poisoned by that needle of the minute. It is YOUR choice. You must rise above, abolish the ignorance and stupidity. Destroy it... both in your mind and in those whom are infected (don't expend too much energy, a majority of people are too far gone). Reduce society control. Increase individual expansion.

Well surely a little thing such as posting on a forum can't contribute to the detriment of the mind now. In order to achieve something one has to first encounter the encumbrances. This includes taking trash from other forum members.

[jpianoflorida]

It's a forum. Just  a forum.   We don't actually meet this people. It's an outlet to express ourselves. In real life, I doubt many of us would actually be "friends".    So with that said, read what you want, post what you want, but don't take it that seriously. Again, it's a forum, it's not hopefully your "social network" or "social life". If it is, then PLEASE get out and meet real face to face people and get interaction. PLEASE.

[jspash]

personally i don't care if people talk about religion, word association, or if they've ever kissed a boy  . one benefit is that it keeps them coming back. and occasionally the social chatterboxes have something useful to say about pianos  however...

i would like to have the choice to eliminate certain boards from the "Show unread posts since last visit." link.

it seems kind of silly to have to hunt down piano related topics on a piano board.

just a thought.

[mad_max2024]

I agree, the problem isn't the existence of uncontrollable and annoying topics, it is our inability to filter them and get to the piano related ones whenever we want.
I'm not sure if it is possible to get some kind of organization into the unread topics and replys to your posts thingy, but I guess we can always ask nils, since he seems to be the boss in this forum.
 

[lostinidlewonder]

ANYTHING BUT PIANO offers a lot more to talk about than just piano, so there is no real surprise that there is more activity. Also a lot of the discussion there is pretty empty and mindless so you do not need to know a lot to say anything, but when you talk about a specialist disipline such as piano playing you will get much fewer intelligent responses.

[nicco]

it seems kind of silly to have to hunt down piano related topics on a piano board.

You are spot on my friend.

[pianowelsh]

I have no problem with the anything but board .. The content or the existence of it, My problem is that it seems people are treating it more seriously than the piano related ones. That is a source of annoyance to me as I have posted a number of topics on more marginal piano related topics and had next to no comments. I come here as a professional hoping to learn as well as sharing my knowledge but Im finding that the level of discussion on many of the piano threads is simply trivial and not worth my valuable time.  I would like to see this improove. There are other forums which are more serious about their piano focus...I choose this one because of the number of people who seemed to be actively invloved in performing and teaching... this seems to not be the case anymore judging by the speed of the piano related topics at the moment.

[danny elfboy]

I think it's ridicolous how all tematic forums have off-topic section that are larger and more frequented than the tematic ones.
The reason is that there are tons of chit-chat forums where to post off-topic and make new friends but only few tematic forums and I think it would make more sense not to add something so useless and easy-to-find as an off-topic board on rare and useful services as the tematic forums

Since no one wants the "anything but piano" board to be removed AT LEAST a post-control could be applied so that only 1 or 2 new posts on the "anything but piano" board are allowed daily
In this way the people who wants to chit-chat a lot can find adequate forums whenever they want on the web and the forums can once again focus on the piano-related discussion without giving up some sort of relax in the off-topic section.
But it shoulnd't become another "chit-chat forums" as we have already tons of it and the piano-related nature of this forums is too important

Believe me. I've been in this forum since 4 years ago with another nick and the trend is absolutely straight-forward: the more the "anything but piano" section (and all its nonsense) has increase, the more the piano-related sections have decreased.
The way there are just a bunch of few new posts in the piano-related forums and hundreds of new posts in the "anything but piano" after one week is so ridicolous to be depressing and it wasn't like this a couple of years ago

It's time the webmaster of this forum shows that what he really cares is providing an unvaluable resource for those who care about the piano and who wants to discuss piano-related matters with other pianists and students and not creating a clone of one of the billionth of dispersive and caotic forums you can find on the web

[thalbergmad]

I am glad you are not the moderator.

Curtail the chit-chat and you will have even less members.

Thal

[danny elfboy]

I am glad you are not the moderator.

Curtail the chit-chat and you will have even less members.

Thal

Who cares?
What matters is not the number of members but the number of members who need help about their playing or have valuable information to share about piano playing
No one could care less if the members who love to delude themselves into thinking they can find objective/absolete answers about relative/subjective matters in the off-topic board abandon the board decreasing the number of registered members

The problem is adding to a piano-related forum a section which is something you can find in a billion of other sites and forums while this section is slowly killing the piano-related discussion and diverting the attention ... and if that wasn't enough ... diverting the attention to ridicolous discussions who become so lengthy and big because of frustration of the posters not because of their interest

[thalbergmad]

The problem is adding to a piano-related forum a section which is something you can find in a billion of other sites and forums while this section is slowly killing the piano-related discussion and diverting the attention ... and if that wasn't enough ... diverting the attention to ridicolous discussions who become so lengthy and big because of frustration of the posters not because of their interest

I cannot imagine how an "anything but" section is killing piano discussion. People post where and when they want to.

This forum has a great wealth of members, some who are professionals, some dedicated amatuers and others to whom the piano plays a small or hardly any at all part of their lifes. We are not all fanatical pianists who want to talk piano all the time.

If this section is something you can find on a billion other sites, there must be a reason why this is so. Possibly because people like it?

Thal

[thalbergmad]

Who cares?

The owner?

Obviously not you.

[danny elfboy]

I cannot imagine how an "anything but" section is killing piano discussion

Then you haven't been here long enough to see the trend

This forum has a great wealth of members, some who are professionals, some dedicated amatuers and others to whom the piano plays a small or hardly any at all part of their lifes. We are not all fanatical pianists who want to talk piano all the time.

It's not about being fanatical. It's about keeping a piano-forum functional
I'm not a piano fanatical and there are so many other things that I like ... but if this is a tematic forum ... if the members want to discuss about other tematics they can go to one of the billion of forums out there. The off-topic discussions here often frustrates the members, they occasionally read and get stuck in their debate even if they didn't want to and because of that they begin ignoring the piano-related boards (I have been told this personally many times)

If this section is something you can find on a billion other sites, there must be a reason why this is so. Possibly because people like it?

What the point of having one here too if there are billion out there which are identical to this one? Yeah ... people like reality shows too, that's why there's one for every channel.
But why watering down a tematic channel about documentaries, or one about hystory or one about music with another reality show. The tematic channels (like tematic forums) are oasis of uncontaminated functionality in the chaos which the web is
I'm not being moral or ethical with my use of the word "contaminated" ... it's just a matter of use. As I said watering down tematic forums with the chit-chat boards that you can find anywhere else and everyone like has an effect in distracting from the tematic posts. We're often not aware of it happening as the material of the off-topic is so controversial and long-winded (more often than not) that you feel sucked in a battle of "read-and-reply" while without it you would have probably paid more attention to the piano-related messages

I wonder who agrees with me on this one

[thalbergmad]

I wonder who agrees with me on this one

Not me.

Your long posts on this non-piano subject is contributing towards what you are against.

Incidently, why do we have a chat room?. Surely that should be banned as well.

Oh, I just realised you were in there earlier. Perhaps you were expecting everyone to be talking about piano.

Thal

[mad_max2024]

You can't stop people from talking about stupid and useless things,
that would effectively halt virtually all human communication...
 

[ihatepop]

In my opinion, we should'nt even care about the size of the NPB (Non-piano board). Like, come on! The NPB is not all a load of trash, its basically stuff that people would like to ask, say or express their feelings, if the case has nothing to do with piano.

Thal, you are right. The chat room has nothing to do with piano, so if people seriously take this as a complete pianoforum just because its a 'piano forum', why not remove it? Oh yeah, and remove the 'PF website' board too, that has nothing to do with piano.

BTW, the anything but piano board does NOT make up 99%of the forum.

ihatepop

[thalbergmad]

Wise words for one so young.

Some people need to look at the stats board and add up the piano related boards.

Thal

[danny elfboy]

Incidently, why do we have a chat room?. Surely that should be banned as well.

The chat is usefull for piano-related matters
Sometime a forum is not as direct and doesn't work as well as a chat
Anytime I go to the chat I see peope discussing music and piano playing ... mostly

Mind you, I'm not against chit-chat and I don't want to discuss piano and music 24/24
I'm just saying that tematic forums work better when people go there to discuss the topic of the forum and elsewhere to discuss all the rest

I was also pointing how naive is to think that there's something special in discussing life, love, the world and so on with a pianist or piano-student as playing the piano doesn't determine a standard mindset and worldview. There are way more differences between me and certain pianists than me and people who don't care about music and can't play anything

[thalbergmad]

Mind you, I'm not against chit-chat and I don't want to discuss piano and music 24/24
I'm just saying that tematic forums work better when people go there to discuss the topic of the forum and elsewhere to discuss all the rest.

We are never going to agree on this. I find it interesting to find out more about the people i talk piano with.

If i hear a improvisation by m1469 or read a comment on repetoire by Alistair, i want to get to know them better, listen to their views on other subjects and share the occasional bit of silliness.

Thal

PS. I have posted in some of the piano boards today

[danny elfboy]

We are never going to agree on this. I find it interesting to find out more about the people i talk piano with.

If i hear a improvisation by m1469 or read a comment on repetoire by Alistair, i want to get to know them better, listen to their views on other subjects and share the occasional bit of silliness.

Isn't this justified by maybe your belief to find mindset agreement?
I've stopped believing that there's any sort of link between the music we like and the way we play and our worldview and mindset. For example I've already found a pianist that has a similar playing attitude as mine and like me he particularly loves the fairy-like mood of Tchaikovsky ballets scores. Only I'm a strong liberal, enviroment/natur lover and anticomformist (philosophically close to Nietzsche and Deleuze and as far as possible from Kant and Plato) and he's a pro-fascism, bigoted conservative who think we would gain a lot from giving even more power to the government (and less to the individuals) and restricting the green-ereas so we can build more cities and streets, he believes in conformism and considers those who don't conform weak and inferior. We're at the antipodes ... just musically similar both in tastes and playing
So ... what's the difference with the discussing life and the world with him or discussing those with someone who don't play the piano and don't listen music?

[thalbergmad]

So ... what's the difference with the discussing life and the world with him or discussing those with someone who don't play the piano and don't listen music?

Everything, pianists and musicians interest me. A common frame of reference draws people together, or at least it does with me. I used to belong to a group of Nissan Skyline owners, but we didn't talk about our cars all the time.

I think you need to lighten and chill a bit. The "anything" board is here to stay.

Thal

[danny elfboy]

Everything, pianists and musicians interest me. A common frame of reference draws people together, or at least it does with me. I used to belong to a group of Nissan Skyline owners, but we didn't talk about our cars all the time.

I think you need to lighten and chill a bit. The "anything" board is here to stay.

Thal

No offense meant but I think you're far too biased since you have far more posts in the "anything but piano" board than elsewhere. Notice that I'm not the onlyone here who has recently and before criticized the nonsensical high activity in the non-piano boards compared to the low activity of the piano boards that would be even less if it weren't for the same bunch of people who post 30-40 posts a day and that got fed up with the lack of interest from both the readers and those that could have replied and helped those in need (too busy discussing subjective matters, as if they were objective, on the off-topic board)

Maybe we should vote ....

IT's become my stress reliever to talk to other musicians about all other aspects of life.  We have the common bond of piano/music, but yet we can talk about all kinds of things

Still ... it's the only bond we have
If you had to bet on where to find someone with views, tastes and philosophies similar to yours you're not more likely to find him/her among pianists/musicians than among skaters/writers/ps2 maniacs/scouts/chess players ....

[thalbergmad]

No offense meant but I think you're far too biased since you have far more posts in the "anything but piano" board than elsewhere.

That is true, but it is not a matter of being biased it is simply a matter of being interested in subjects other than piano.

I am only an amatuer and have a much smaller knowledge about piano and repetoire than some people here. However, when i feel i can make a contribution i do. I am always looking at the other boards to see if i can say something of use, but it is rarely the case as my interest in music only covers a small period of time.

I cannot see what your problem is. If you don't like the "anything" board, do not look at it. Nobody is forcing you to. Yes, other people have complained, but they don't have to look at it either.

Having a vote would be pointless as any decision is simply up to the site owner.

I would be amazed if he would try to exert any influence over where people post.

Thal

[ronde_des_sylphes]

When I have met pianists in real life, quite a lot of the conversation has not been about the piano or music. I don't see why an internet forum should be any different.

[pianowolfi]

When I have met pianists in real life, quite a lot of the conversation has not been about the piano or music. I don't see why an internet forum should be any different.

Exactly!

[pianowolfi]

We are never going to agree on this. I find it interesting to find out more about the people i talk piano with.

If i hear a improvisation by m1469 or read a comment on repetoire by Alistair, i want to get to know them better, listen to their views on other subjects and share the occasional bit of silliness.

That is exactly what I think too. 

[shortyshort]

I think that although we're not all "Friends" in the proper sense of the word. I consider a lot of people here as friendly strangers. I have a higher regard for these people, than say, some bloke I might see down the pub every Friday night.

I think it's great that people from all over the world can discuss any topic on this forum, knowing that all of us share the main passion of playing the piano.

A lot of people think that pianists are poofs, geeks, nerds, prats or any other derogitory term that may be used. But we know better, don't we

Some of the humor and sarcasm I read here has me in stitches for hours.

Post what you like.

Shorty

[thalbergmad]

A lot of people think that pianists are poofs

I did see a thread on that once.

It appears that a lot are.

Prettyboythal.

[shortyshort]

I didn't realise you were like that Thal.

What are you doing tonight?

Shorty xxxx   

[thalbergmad]

I didn't realise you were like that Thal.

What are you doing tonight?

Shorty xxxx   

Watching a disturbing programme about pensions.

Thal

[ahinton]

Watching a disturbing programme about pensions.

Thal

What was "disturbing" about it then? I would have thought that most of its contents were already patently obvious to most of us, especially those concening its dénouement, the "contribution" of my (I'm sorry to admit) compatriot Gordon Brown to this whole sorry history.

The entire pensions industry is over - personal pensions, corporate pensions and state pensions alike (not that they ARE alike per se - except in terms of their sharing of terminal decline). It's surely just a matter of how large an invoice for the fallout of it all that each of us might eventually receive. I have saved almost nothing for any kind of pension. I receive a very small one already that I really have no business to receive and I use its proceeds to contribute to another to which I likewise have even less business to contribute. I expect neither to last very long - nor do I expect anything from the state in the way of a "pension", because it has no money with which to pay me one. Pensions - of any kind? Just forget it! Someone I know has contributed over a million pounds to various pension schemes over a period of more than half a century and now expects to receive an income of less than nothing for having done so; fortunately, his gross annual income from working is currently approaching half a million pounds, but he still expects to continue working at least until some while after he is dead.

Best,

Alistair

[soliloquy]

What was "disturbing" about it then? I would have thought that most of its contents were already patently obvious to most of us, especially those concening its dénouement, the "contribution" of my (I'm sorry to admit) compatriot Gordon Brown to this whole sorry history.

The entire pensions industry is over - personal pensions, corporate pensions and state pensions alike (not that they ARE alike per se - except in terms of their sharing of terminal decline). It's surely just a matter of how large an invoice for the fallout of it all that each of us might eventually receive. I have saved almost nothing for any kind of pension. I receive a very small one already that I really have no business to receive and I use its proceeds to contribute to another to which I likewise have even less business to contribute. I expect neither to last very long - nor do I expect anything from the state in the way of a "pension", because it has no money with which to pay me one. Pensions - of any kind? Just forget it! Someone I know has contributed over a million pounds to various pension schemes over a period of more than half a century and now expects to receive an income of less than nothing for having done so; fortunately, his gross annual income from working is currently approaching half a million pounds, but he still expects to continue working at least until some while after he is dead.

Best,

Alistair

I wonder if Mauricio Kagel ever got a pension.

[ahinton]

I wonder if Mauricio Kagel ever got a pension.

I wonder why you wonder that! While I do so, however, it occurs to me that it is exceedingly unlikely that J S Bach ever got one...

Best,

Alistair