Do you think that studying piano has affected your perspective on life ?

[m19834]

I would like to know in which ways you think it has.  Do you think it has been positive or negative ?  So on and so forth.

Thanks ,
 K.

[rute]

Understanding music afects our way of living, playing any instrument or not. I think music is very important for our mental health. Sometimes understanding too much of theory or practice is not the most important, we must feel it with an open mind.

[gyzzzmo]

Understanding music afects our way of living, playing any instrument or not. I think music is very important for our mental health. Sometimes understanding too much of theory or practice is not the most important, we must feel it with an open mind.

Music did very strange things to Schumann :p

[rute]

Music did very strange things to Schumann :p

For understanding compositors, their music and their lives, we must understand the époque and the context of their lives. For what I know, the Schumann mental illness had origin on a physical problem, probably increased by parent’s problems and intensity of his life. 

[thalbergmad]

Music did very strange things to Schumann :p

Yeh, and he did some very strange things to music.

Thal

[m19834]

So nobody has anything to add regarding your own perspective ? 

Or, you are just extremely impressed with the others who have come before us and that is your impression ?

[dnephi]

Without a doubt.  There's something that an hour+ a day does to your mind, and certainly music enriches my life.

[m19834]

Thanks for the response.  I would like to know :

There's something that an hour+ a day does to your mind,

What, in your opinion, does it do ?

and certainly music enriches my life.

In what ways does it enrich your life ? 

[ahinton]

Studying the piano certainly helped me to learn to write for it, for all that I have no natural ability as a player; I have therefore never regretted any of the time that I used to spend at the piano in my student days (apart from the horrible noise that I felt I made!)...

Best,

Alistair

[shortyshort]

I feel that playing the piano, (not well), helps many areas of my life. 

Who needs "Brain Training"?  

I wish I had not wasted so many years, before starting again. 

[ted]

I struggle to answer that question because I cannot separate music from the rest of my consciousness. My mind does not appear to comprise discrete, separable areas influencing one another to a fathomable extent, but is rather a single entity. In a trivial sense, the issue is tautologous because everything in my mind affects everything else, it has to. Also, I cannot imagine what life would have been like without piano music because I cannot remember a time when piano music was not a daily reality. Therefore I do not think I am capable of answering the question.

[jazz-piano]

I cannot image my life without a piano.
However, when I used to study piano 8 hours per day I had a great stress.
Now playing piano is for me a pleasure, I play what I want and I use it to have fun, sing, compose.
I believe that the piano has given me a creative approach to life.

[rc]

The effect piano has had on my life?  hmmmmm...

First off, it completely demolished any sense of instant-gratification I may have had and replaced it with the reward of accomplishment.  Piano isn't something that's done well without working at it.

It's been a help in developing concentration and I've found myself better able to ignore distractions in other areas of life.

Since I resolved to one day become good at piano, it's given me direction in life.  I realized I would have to practice and practice well so I developed good habits:  Can't practice properly when sleepy so I continually work at keeping good sleep habits.  Less partying for the same reason, which has also distanced me from friends who were a bad influence.  I also noticed that better eating helps focusing.

Buying my piano was the largest purchase I've made, also caused me to get a loan and start building credit.  I also came to realize that by living a frugal lifestyle I could work less and use that time to practice more.  Frugal living must be one of the best ways to reduce stress.

Noticing how much time I can waste in front of the computer or TV, I've cut a lot of that out.  Because I feel like I've failed myself if I don't put in good practice, I always try and make good use of my time.

[m]

Do you think that studying piano has affected your perspective on life ?

No, but I think that studying life has affected my perspective on piano.
Furthermore, I think it helped me to recognize some hidden identities  .

Best, M

[pianowolfi]

No, but I think that studying life has affected my perspective on piano.
Furthermore, I think it helped me to recognize some hidden identities.

Best, M

hmm perhaps I should try your way of life study to recognise a certain pianist from Russia whose name seems to begin with an "M" (Because actually I have no clue, but of course I'm curious )

[gyzzzmo]

The most important thing is that my 'piano talent' gave me confidence, i think. Being able to do something what few other people can is something you can always fall back to and what you can never loose. For the rest its hard to say, since there's no blanco Gyzzzmo

[zheer]

  No, life, friends, family must come first. Sadly when one gets too involved in piano studies, usually when young his/her perspective on life is for the worse. These days am more aware of the fact that piano playing is at its most rewarding when other aspects of life are going well, and yet fully aware that on very bad days the piano can be a huge source of comfort.

[m19834]

No, but I think that studying life has affected my perspective on piano.


Best, M

Dear M, how do you suggest an individual go about the study of life ?  And, in such a way that it affects the individual's perspective on piano ?

K

[m]

Dear M, how do you suggest an individual go about the study of life ?  And, in such a way that it affects the individual's perspective on piano ?

K

Dear K,

I don't think I can suggest anything about how to go about the study of life other than think, read, travel, talk, experience whole range of feelings, learn new things, absorb experiences, etc. etc., i.e. live the life.

Since I believe the piano is merely some kind of media through which we express our thoughs and feelings (i.e. something what life shapes in us), don't you see the direct connection?
 
Best, M

[m19834]

Dear K,

I don't think I can suggest anything about how to go about the study of life other than think, read, travel, talk, experience whole range of feelings, learn new things, absorb experiences, etc. etc., i.e. live the life.

Since I believe the piano is merely some kind of media through which we express our thoughs and feelings (i.e. something what life shapes in us), don't you see the direct connection?
 
Best, M

Okay, well honestly, I do feel like I should just agree with you or so (and I don't disagree).  It's just I still have questions about how piano playing and life are truly related.  In some ways people really do carry over aspects from one to another and in some way, of course we can't help it; whoever we are in life, that's who we are when we sit down at the piano.  I still wonder what actually forms within us the desire to play ?  To me that is nearly as mysterious as life itself.

When I think about it, yes, obviously there is emotion involved and other human characteristics (so I do see how our human experiences would feel that they relate with music/piano playing).  Or, at least there is very much that we as humans tend to think we relate with in the music (with all of our human experience and all of our human senses).  But then, there is just something more to it all.  Why does some music last through the ages ?  What is it about that music that somehow seems always pertinent, regardless of changing humanity ?  Sometimes certain music has actually given me "views" that I have never actually experienced in life before.  There are aspects of it which seem to "go beyond" whatever our concepts of life are (but there is a good chance that I just don't see the whole picture yet  ).

I do agree that one person can't prescribe to another how to study life and I wasn't trying to be a smarty pants by asking that.  I just wondered if you meant something rather specific in your case.

Part of why I have started this thread is because in a fight to keep music education alive, people often like to talk about how important it is for people to have music as part of their lives (and as an educator myself, it doesn't hurt to ponder this topic).  Well, I don't disagree, but why is it so important ?  It seems like it's something that people can't quite put their finger on.   

Thanks for your responses everybody !

[ahinton]

...I still have questions about how piano playing and life are truly related.  In some ways people really do carry over aspects from one to another and in some way, of course we can't help it; whoever we are in life, that's who we are when we sit down at the piano.  I still wonder what actually forms within us the desire to play ?  To me that is nearly as mysterious as life itself.

When I think about it, yes, obviously there is emotion involved and other human characteristics (so I do see how our human experiences would feel that they relate with music/piano playing).  Or, at least there is very much that we as humans tend to think we relate with in the music (with all of our human experience and all of our human senses).  But then, there is just something more to it all...

Whatever it may be that motivates people to want to play or sing, we should perhaps allow for the possibility that this will vary from person to person rather than be a question with a one-stop-shop kind of answer. What about those who have musical motivation that does not materialise into a desire to perform? I ask that question simply because, as a composer who has never nurtured any ambitions to play an instrument beyond what might be necessary as an aid to acquiring a kind of musical literacy in the early days, that motivation may or may not share similarities with that of the desire to play or sing.

Why does some music last through the ages ?  What is it about that music that somehow seems always pertinent, regardless of changing humanity ?  Sometimes certain music has actually given me "views" that I have never actually experienced in life before.  There are aspects of it which seem to "go beyond" whatever our concepts of life are (but there is a good chance that I just don't see the whole picture yet  ).

These may be somewhat different questions to the one enshrined in this thread topic, for all that they are obviously related.

Part of why I have started this thread is because in a fight to keep music education alive, people often like to talk about how important it is for people to have music as part of their lives (and as an educator myself, it doesn't hurt to ponder this topic).  Well, I don't disagree, but why is it so important ?  It seems like it's something that people can't quite put their finger on.   

Surely a pianist ought to be able to put his/her finger on it!

I do think that the experience of studying an instrument and/or learning to sing is almost always likely to affect some part of most people's life perspective, even if not carried through to professional activity and even if dropped at some point during life; the reason that I believe this has to do with the sheerly fundamental nature of music as part of the fabric of human experience.

Best,

Alistair

[steinway43]

Music saved me from a horrible childhood, but subsequently it has brought me to a very negative view of humanity in general.  I was a piano performance major at two universities, and did not quit becuase I can't cut it, but when I tell people I'm a pianist they laugh and think I'm crazy because I don't look like who I am. What this has done to me over the years...I could not even begin to describe.