mission impossible >< plz help

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

yo hi all
i need a answer from piano teachers or performers thx.
im 15 about to turn 16 in 7 days >< and have been training and practicing on the piano for almost one year. i work hard everyday and love it. i need to know whether it is possible for me to become a piano teacher or performer with just hard work and no talent. i had a teacher once and he/she said i was talented but deep down it was jus all my hard work i put out . i can play chopins nocturnes nicely and mozarts turkish march and rachmaninoff prelude in c sharp fairly and currently working on chopins impromtu fantaisie op 66   imma chopin lover >< looking forward to ur relpies espicially u bernard u pro.

[xvimbi]

In order to become a teacher, you do not need to have talent (this is not meant as an offense to teachers). All that matters is how well you can impart knowledge to a student. If the student learns valuable things from you, you are a good teacher. Many people are talented, but lousy teachers, and the other way around.

What does talent mean anyway? If you can do something well, nobody will care whether it was because of your talent or your hard work. Anything in life is mostly hard work. "Having talent" to me simply means that one is able to learn certain things faster and maintain them with less effort. Those without "talent" will have to work a bit harder, but lack of "talent" does not mean you can't achieve something if you really want to.

[donjuan]

yo hi all
i need a answer from piano teachers or performers thx.
im 15 about to turn 16 in 7 days >< and have been training and practicing on the piano for almost one year. i work hard everyday and love it. i need to know whether it is possible for me to become a piano teacher or performer with just hard work and no talent. i had a teacher once and he/she said i was talented but deep down it was jus all my hard work i put out . i can play chopins nocturnes nicely and mozarts turkish march and rachmaninoff prelude in c sharp fairly and currently working on chopins impromtu fantaisie op 66   imma chopin lover >< looking forward to ur relpies espicially u bernard u pro.

I know you wanted responses from performers or teachers, but I hope you wont mind one from a fellow student.

I myself are a late starter in a way because I didnt take it seriously until age 12.  My present piano teacher who is really, REALLY good tells me I am probably too late for a career as a concert pianist because there are people as talented as I, who have been taking it seriously since age 4 or so.  The competition is way too great for me because I am not talented enough to make up for lost time.  He does, however think I could be a piano teacher because that requires a special talent that develops with maturity and has little to do with how early I learned scales.

donjuan

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

thx for feed backs but this doesnt quite answer my question><. i want to noe if it is possible to become a
p-teacher or performer starting really late like 15 and have no talent just sheer hardwork and if any1 noes any1 who has achieved this goal. plz answer this if u dun i will die!!!!

im goiner die!!! do u want me to die??!!! nO!! save me?!! argh!! why have u forshaken me!?!!

[Swan]

Your question has been answered twice.  xvimbi said you could be a teacher as it doesn't take talent.  In other words, YES, you could be a teacher.

Donjuan said that he started late and the competition is too great for late comers to perform.

So that's YES to teaching and NO to performing.

Now you don't have to die.

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

alrite thx champions

[rph108]

I dont care what anyone says about starting too late. I try my hardest(very hard), I practice almost everyday, and I'm inspired and motivated. I am also progressing greatly because of this. Just keep in mind that you can never set your standards too high. No offense, but almost anyone can be a teacher. If you want to be a performer though, just keep practicing and set high goals. Sviatoslav Richter gave his first piano recital at the age of 19 and didn't enter a conservatory until the age of 22.
I dont know who started this quote, but alot of great people have supposedly said it, "genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." Some people are born with alot talent, but I have a feeling most of them would not be able to get anywhere without a ridiculous amount of work. Josef Hofman didn't get to his level without a ton of practice(and a good teacher).
Ive heard your recording of Fantasie Impromptu and it sounds like you have a great start and alot of talent. Just make sure you stay motivated, have a disciplined practice schedule, and long term committment. You may not become the most famous performer, but if you stick to it and have a good amount of courage and faith in yourself it seems you will have a good chance of success. And also try to find a good teacher, the more you know the better you can practice. (Almost all performers have to teach on the side in their free time)
(also I'm really tired, so this might not make sense)

[donjuan]

I dont know who started this quote, but alot of great people have supposedly said it, "genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration."

Einstein

[bernhard]

Einstein

Actually, it is by Thomas Alva Edison.

And here is what Pablo Picasso had to say about Einstein's genius:

"The genius of Einstein leads to Hiroshima."

Ouch.

[monk]

One question which comes up is:

Does the world need one more "Chopin lover"?

Hey man, EVERY classical pianist loves and plays Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff. The same pieces (although of course often great) are repeated ad nauseam.

I say, as hard as it may sound: The world doesn't need the 3475995th pianist who plays the same pieces O.K. the other 3475994 pianists also play.

The classical scene has become so boring! And in jazz, it's the same tendency: Every young jazz musician plays "Blue Bossa", "Summertime" and "There'll Never Be Another You" - and they think they're hip and special! On all these records by those young female "jazz singers" are always the same standard tunes, and if you're attempting to be hip, you arrange it in the style of Esbjörn Svensson or Bad Plus...
it's so boring and obvious!

What we need is originality and creativity, and you should strive to become an interesting, creative musician.

I of course see the value of playing Chopin for education! Of course! But Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff as an end goal as a performer...No.

Best Wishes,
Monk

[Spatula]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH

Now you don't have to die.

HAHAHAHAAHHAAHAH  

Sorry my stomach is having a hernia of laughter and my lungs are spurting out happy lah lah

[Spatula]

One question which comes up is:

Does the world need one more "Chopin lover"?

Hey man, EVERY classical pianist loves and plays Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff. The same pieces (although of course often great) are repeated ad nauseam.

I say, as hard as it may sound: The world doesn't need the 3475995th pianist who plays the same pieces O.K. the other 3475994 pianists also play.

The classical scene has become so boring! And in jazz, it's the same tendency: Every young jazz musician plays "Blue Bossa", "Summertime" and "There'll Never Be Another You" - and they think they're hip and special! On all these records by those young female "jazz singers" are always the same standard tunes, and if you're attempting to be hip, you arrange it in the style of Esbjörn Svensson or Bad Plus...
it's so boring and obvious!

What we need is originality and creativity, and you should strive to become an interesting, creative musician.

I of course see the value of playing Chopin for education! Of course! But Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff as an end goal as a performer...No.

Best Wishes,
Monk

Maybe that's why American Idol is so popular...to be the next Michael Jackson! HAHAHAHAAH

and of course to write your own songs (but of course we know that ALL performing artists write their own songs right?)  

And create something new and original (and again of course we know that ALL performing artists write their own original score right?)  

[rph108]

Monk, I'm sorry that you think Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff are overplayed and I dont know who suggested to you that almost evey professional pianist plays the same pieces as another one.

One reason for pianists playing a few well known pieces though, is because if they didn't, the usual crowd of classical listeners would not not attend. Most people don't like new things, they just want to listen to something they know. The result would be the pianist becoming a garbage man. Now, there is nothing wrong with garbage men, its just, well,  this wasn't the pianists intended profession.

So in order to be able to make a living you see, the pianist must play some well know pieces. The three you listed tend to be very popular composers and keeps the audiences rolling. If it makes you feel better about this, there are endless ways avaliable to play these pieces. Now the pianist also has to choice become creative and original in addition to being popular. Some pianists take this extra, but often unnecessary choice. It really just depends on who the person is, and wants to become.

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

kool

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

by the way i dun possess any talent. i heard sumwher this guy said ther is 2 types of genius. genius of talent and genius of hardwork and that hardwork surpasses talent .
thats right all u dam talented peeps im goiner rip u in sheds

[schmetterling]

It's insulting to dismiss the greatness of other people as "talent" because it tends to undermine their achievements.

A performer's goal is to entertain. While more musicians themselves would like to hear and see more creativity and originality, the performance and entertainment scene more often than not does not allow it.

I don't see what's wrong with playing well known pieces that have been and are still loved. Of course it's tedious to hear mediocre performances of the same thing, but who are we to tell others what they should strive for, if they're doing what they do for enjoyment?

[Swan]

one_wing3d_ang3l if you are really serious about choosing performance as a career, you should take a look at this list.  Its the recommended repertoire before entering college!  It's a real eye opener.  Please take a look at it.

https://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Career

[donjuan]

one_wing3d_ang3l if you are really serious about choosing performance as a career, you should take a look at this list.  Its the recommended repertoire before entering college!  It's a real eye opener.  Please take a look at it.

https://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Career

ohh is that how it is then?

to hell with that...

[.COM]

ohh is that how it is then?

to hell with that...

Ha ha, that's funny.

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

hey
about this site...
https://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Career
thats alot of boring stuff...have u learned all these when u were back in the seniors lol? if u did i got to really take my practicing to a much higher level than i do.

[bernhard]

hey
about this site...
https://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Career
thats alot of boring stuff...have u learned all these when u were back in the seniors lol? if u did i got to really take my practicing to a much higher level than i do.

Er…

Apart from the technique item (I don’t believe that Hanon, Czerny etc. are really necessary or even helpful), most of the other suggestions (I believe they are not written in stone – they are simply examples to give you an idea of the level expected) are simply the standard piano repertory.

If you are not learning this “boring” stuff, what exactly are you learning?



Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

chopin   and a bit of rachmaninoff
im goiner learn all these songs for my repertore

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

goiner laern all the pieces here
https://www.nivmusic.com/Tzvi_Erez_plays_Chopin.html
finished sum already
sori 4 double post

[thierry13]

If you only like Chopin and Rach is it because it's the only one you know AND have listened to a lot of their music or is it because you really dislike the works of great pianists like : Liszt, Prokofiev, Bartok, Debussy, Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, Mozart, Scarlatti, Alkan etc.??

By the way you CAN be performer by beginning at 15 with Hard work. First of all I began at 14 am Now 15 and i'm going to be performer / teacher ( i'm allready teacher to 12-13 years old beginners) . The proof it's possible is that my teacher's university teacher began at 17 and was a great performer and a university teacher... so you really can perform with hard work. And EXTAND YOUR REPERTOIRE wider than chopin and rach... yeah they are great one of my favorites, but you have NO CHOICE to do Bach, and others. They are University and conservatory obligations anyway...

[lostinidlewonder]

Piano is a learned art. There is this huge myth that you have to start early to get anywhere, perfomance wise and musically. Your teacher says the result of what you do is only from hard work, that sounds like a big compliment rather than saying, you have no talent, a talented person could do it much easier with less effort. It is all about hard work, I have never had a student who works hard fail, but i have had students who are incredibly talented but have no commitment, they fail, crash and burn.

Physical playing of piano becomes more and more routine and things become easier and easier. But that takes at least 10 years of focused and guided effort, and full development of your growth, emotionally and physically. The emotional part may take more years, a child working damn hard at 3, will not be a master at 13 if he has no emotional attachment to put his music onto, that comes with life experiences.

If you can maintain that focus and training then anyone can take music as a career, peformance or educational wise. Its just like another job, except a lot of music is done just by yourself, where other jobs you work with other people most of the time. Music, art on a whole is all about self perfection, you will never attain it, but you always get closer to it. It is a mission impossible if you start comparing yourself to others because their progress can blind/dishearten the personal musical journey you take. Focus on what you do, and you will do a lot, there are lots of distractions.

[lagin]

Half the people probably won't believe me anyway, but this is the truth.  I had my first piano lesson just under a year and a half ago at age 18, and I'm writing my grade nine royal conservatory (Canada) exam this spring.  Yes, I do have a qualified teacher with more than one degree, even.  Though, I do realize that there are lots of qualified teachers out there with no degrees.  I'm already teaching beginners and plan to make a career out of it.  Mind you, I knew a few basics when I started--common note values, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, but not much.  I finished a beginner's book, dabbled in grade 3, wrote my grade six exam last Aug., and skipped to nine.  Believe me, I'm no super star--God gets all the credit!  He's given me the passion, ability, finances, TIME, ect.  So, yes, if you work hard and love it, I certainly don't see why you can't teacher or maybe even perform.  Hope this encourages you.

[lostinidlewonder]

I find it hard to believe that a year worth of effort will get you very far. It may get you up the grades but that means jack really. And to be a teacher is not just about the written exam. You need just as much physical ability to play, if not much much more. Teaching of piano has to be about example, you must show not talk. If you talk more than you show in lessons you give your students get no where, thats what I reckon anyway. If student wants words then read a book. A book can't take your hand and show you exactly, one way how to do it.

[thierry13]

Half the people probably won't believe me anyway, but this is the truth. I had my first piano lesson just under a year and a half ago at age 18, and I'm writing my grade nine royal conservatory (Canada) exam this spring. Yes, I do have a qualified teacher with more than one degree, even. Though, I do realize that there are lots of qualified teachers out there with no degrees. I'm already teaching beginners and plan to make a career out of it. Mind you, I knew a few basics when I started--common note values, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, but not much. I finished a beginner's book, dabbled in grade 3, wrote my grade six exam last Aug., and skipped to nine. Believe me, I'm no super star--God gets all the credit! He's given me the passion, ability, finances, TIME, ect. So, yes, if you work hard and love it, I certainly don't see why you can't teacher or maybe even perform. Hope this encourages you.

Don't say things like that, everyone will hate, but i'm in the same situation as you and I understand you  I too have been playing for 1 year and have a beginner student. I don't know really why everyone don't believe things like that they must be jealous or simply closen minded. Ho and they will take what you and make it look ten times bigger than what you said. I'm just giving you tips of the experiences I had by saying things like that.

[delpetrarca]

one_wing3d_ang3l if you are really serious about choosing performance as a career, you should take a look at this list.  Its the recommended repertoire before entering college!  It's a real eye opener.  Please take a look at it.

https://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Career

can any conservatory student tell me if it's true? Imagine that someone can play the audition pieces really well, and the schools appear to like what they hear,  but the stud doesn't have enuf repertoires like stated in the link, is it absolutely impossble to get in?

[bachmaninov]

Don't say things like that, everyone will hate, but i'm in the same situation as you and I understand you I too have been playing for 1 year and have a beginner student. I don't know really why everyone don't believe things like that they must be jealous or simply closen minded. Ho and they will take what you and make it look ten times bigger than what you said. I'm just giving you tips of the experiences I had by saying things like that.

Thierry do you even review your post before submitting it? You have been playing for 1 year and you're are a beginner student, and you claim to be attempting, playing, evaluaton, the most difficult works for piano. I don't have to make pieces like FEUX FOLLETS 10 times bigger than they already are. But EVERY time you post, you just make yourself look 10 times stupider.

Argghh.... You gave me a headache!  

[delpetrarca]

can any conservatory student tell me...

I mean conservatory students or graduates or teachers...  

[rlefebvr]

Truth is, making it as a performer is almost impossible. That is why it is such a coveted position. Lots of luck, talent and the right connections at the right time are needed.

Almost all the musicians and teachers I know, Play, teach, write, play for other people and make a comfortable living. I know of none that make a living playing only classical music, but things may be different in Europe.

You have to be willing to do everything and you have to love doing everything and then hope you get lucky.

So keep playing, study, join competitions, get some students, play in bands, help with school plays with the music part and basically do everything you can to gain experience, you will be surprised at where this will lead you.

What not to do,

Sit on your back end and wait for the heaven's to open up, because you sound so great in your living room and Mom says you play great.


Good luck

[thierry13]

Thierry do you even review your post before submitting it? You have been playing for 1 year and you're are a beginner student, and you claim to be attempting, playing, evaluaton, the most difficult works for piano. I don't have to make pieces like FEUX FOLLETS 10 times bigger than they already are. But EVERY time you post, you just make yourself look 10 times stupider.

Argghh.... You gave me a headache!  

Again you don't read my post. I DON'T PLAY FEUX-FOLLET NOW ITS FOR IN 1 or 2 YEARS !! And I don't say you make the pieces look harder, I said YOU take what I SAY 10 times bigger. Not the pieces. So if you think I should review myself, begin by reviewing yourself and read my posts.