Getting bored of piano sound...

[stormx]

After some years of playing piano, and listening to a LOT of piano music, doesnt you become a little bored of the piano sound?
It does happen to me that so much focus on piano makes his sound too familiar to my ears, and i suddenly find a violin, or a flute more interesting.
Have you ever experienced something similar?

I assume this is temporary, because it was indeed the piano that attracted me to music. And i want to stick to it. But i admit i am in a moment where my interest for the piano has decayed...   

[pianowolfi]

Perhaps you should for a change play or listen to chamber music then. In chamber music you will find a lot of different tone colours and qualities. The combination of piano and strings for instance is so fascinating and so different from the pure solo piano sound that you will develop totally new worlds.

[desordre]

 Dear Stormx:
 Maybe it's not the piano sound, but the repertory. What are you listening to? How much variety are there?
 Anyway, I agree with Mr(s). Wolfi: the chamber music literature is some fascinating to explore.
 Best, and happy New Year!

[kriskicksass]

It's also refreshing to listen to orchestral works and solo repertoire for other instruments. An understanding of different timbrel qualities is good for your piano playing, too, so don't feel that your time would be wasted away from the piano rep.

[stormx]

Thanks you so much for your toughts on this subject.

Desordre, you are so right too.
I only listen to barroque, classical and Romantic repertoire. Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn should amount above the 90% of what i listen. No XX century...

I recently bought a solo piano Ginastera CD (i was allways reticent to XX century composers. I bought it just because the composer is argentininan like me and i have seen the pianist live 2 times), and the new sound, more percussive, more focused on rythm (and near atonality, in some pieces), was refreshing. Much better than i expected !! Time to incorporate Bartok, Prokofiev, etc and put the classics aside for awhile?

PD: i listen to chamber music too, but mainly from the composers cited above. The other day i was listening to the Spring "violin and piano" sonata, from LvB. And the violin singing of the opening melody really sounded more beautiful and stronger to my ears than the same melody taken by the piano inmediately afterwards (Perlman and Ashkenazy playing, so no amateurs  ).

[desordre]

 Dear Storm:
 Yeap...I supposed. Notice that you're far from alone: it happens with lots of musicians. I think that's almost normal, and it have precise causes, specially the fact that the record industry has grown up with this repertory. Even nowadays, the great labels are focused in this repertory. It is reflected directly in the piano life: competitions, recitals, classes, etc. However, by no means I want to say that we should stop playing or listening to these masters: in the very opposite direction, I think that we must know them as much as we can.
 Turning to your subject, I think that you can use three "tools" to solve your question (beside listening to chamber, orchestral, etc: it's part of it):

 - listen to early music;
 - listen to "lesser known" composers of common practice: the term is ridiculous, but it defines what I want to say, e.g., CPE Bach, Hummel, Alkan, MacDowell. Indeed, they're very well known today, but in comparison to Bach or Mozart or Brahms, they are "lesser known". It applies also to "lesser known" works of very well known composers... 
 - listen to 20th and 21st century music.

 And no, don't quit listening to the music you already know. I believe very badly that when someone starts to know deeply the development of our learned music, each audition of every piece come fresh. As an example, if you don't know the german baroque keyboardists (Buxtehude, Froberger, Pachelbel), Bach sounds in a way; after you do know their works, Bach sounds new, because you figure out lots of details, and relations that before were impossible to you. It's just a very simple example: the web itself is huge!
 By the way, if you want to, I'll be glad to provide you some suggestions.
 Best!
 PS: Ginastera is a great composer, and if you are from Argentina, we are near, 'cause I'm from the very south of Brazil.

[ryanyee]

then find a harpsichord or an organ. makes for a better change doesn't it?

[landru]

I can see how the pre-20th century repertoire on piano can get to seem "same-ish" in sound. A lot of it may be because of the western tonality and rhythm that is the basis of all of it. Now that is a mighty rich vein to mine, but it is still only a part of the musical universe.

If you want to listen to how to expand the piano's sounds, I would recommend either two ways.

First you may want to listen to "bridge" composers that have elements of pre-20th century in their DNA, but branch out into interesting rhythms and tonalities. Here I am thinking of composers like Prokofiev and Shostakovich - the latter's preludes and fugues are wonderful. Also, try non-European composers that can bring interesting melodies and effects to the music.

A second approach would be to listen to composers that really take the piano into things you've never thought possible. Here I am thinking of George Crumb and John Cage for instance. And also maybe Nancarrow (though you can't "play" it - his pieces are for player piano). In some of the pieces by these composers you would swear that it can't be a piano making those sounds!

[steve jones]

After some years of playing piano, and listening to a LOT of piano music, doesnt you become a little bored of the piano sound?
It does happen to me that so much focus on piano makes his sound too familiar to my ears, and i suddenly find a violin, or a flute more interesting.
Have you ever experienced something similar?

I assume this is temporary, because it was indeed the piano that attracted me to music. And i want to stick to it. But i admit i am in a moment where my interest for the piano has decayed...   

Maybe you need a break?

I always find that a few months with a new instrument will revive my enthusiasm.

SJ

[ramithediv]

The piano can make so many different sounds.

Perhaps try something totally different to play.

[lmpianist]

I'd agree with most other posts that getting to know orchestral music, or chamber music, or even opera would be a nice change of pace.  If all you've known is piano music, then piano concertos are a great way to transition into other music (that's how I did it).  Any of the common Romantic ones (the Grieg especially, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Chopin, Brahms, etc) would be great to start off with.  Plus if you like Mozart, his piano concertos are some of the best pieces he wrote in my opinion.  Also not all 20th century music is atonal and dissonant if that's what you're trying to avoid.  Alan Hovhaness created some gorgeous soundscapes in his symphonies that are not at all "classical" but make very good use of the orchestra.  Another possibility would be lieder if you're feeling more adventurous - Schubert, Mahler, and Wolf wrote some beautiful ones.  Have fun, and don't forget to come back to piano every now and then!

[simon73]

i had the similar problem as you, i think it's because of the same genre that made you bored. try listen to something different or change instrument for a while. That might help you and bring you back to piano.

[valor]

Whenever i play on my keyboard and i get tired of the piano sound i just change it to another voice, usually mess around with all of them with the peice im practicing on.

[ramithediv]

Whenever i play on my keyboard and i get tired of the piano sound i just change it to another voice, usually mess around with all of them with the peice im practicing on.

I do that too. 

Unfortunately, those of you who own a real piano don't have this facility. 

[bluepuri]

or you can try to listen to broadway music or movie soundtracks? Or give yourself new ideas of music, other than just classical.

Listening to orchestral pieces will help you get the idea of putting more tone color into your piano playing. It will reduce your boredom towards piano sound when you can imagine creating other instrumental voices in your piano playing

[mcgillcomposer]

After some years of playing piano, and listening to a LOT of piano music, doesnt you become a little bored of the piano sound?
It does happen to me that so much focus on piano makes his sound too familiar to my ears, and i suddenly find a violin, or a flute more interesting.
Have you ever experienced something similar?

I assume this is temporary, because it was indeed the piano that attracted me to music. And i want to stick to it. But i admit i am in a moment where my interest for the piano has decayed...   

I can relate to this problem. Everyone has suggested either playing chamber music, learning a new insrument, or listening to a wider range of piano repertoire. These are all good solution, BUT, why don't you start LISTENING to some orchestral music - and other music that doesn't involve piano.

 If you haven't heard the late symphonies of Mozart, those of Beethoven and Brahms, Mahler, the operas of Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner...I mean, there is TONS of music without piano that is wonderful to listen to. It may give you just enough variety so that you don't even need to stop playing the piano - maybe it will even inspire you to play some transcriptions.

Just as an experiment, try the following and see what you think:

Mozart - symphony no. 25, 41
Beethoven - symphony no. 7 and 9
Brahms - symphony no. 3 and 4
Mahler - symphony no. 5
Mozart - Die Zauberflöte
Verdi - Rigoletto or La Traviata
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

With this basis of more or less popular music, you can then move to some works that are heard less often, and even some of the popular ones that I left out (which are numerous!). You can also start to explore the 20th and even 21st century, although I don't recommend starting with anything post 1920s if your experience at the piano has been so limited. Not that a lot of it isn't wonderful, I just don't want you to be turned off by a really bizarre piece of music right off the bat and think that all 20/21 c. repertoire is like that.

Anyway, good luck with whatever solution you choose to try.

- Drew