Is it to late for me?

[charmsjr94]

I'm 17 years old and I have been playing the piano since second grade. I had a teacher for awhile and then I couldn't afford it anymore. I continued to play everyday for about a half hour to an hour. Now I have made the decision to major in music education. I have a new teacher now, am doing exercises daily, and practice at least an hour to two and a half hours a day. I've been thinking it over and I was wondering if it's already to late to be a concert pianist? I could double major in Ed and performance. Would I have any chance at being a successful performer still? Thanks for the help.

[pianoman53]

Why is the goal always to become a concert pianist? Have you had quite a few concerts in short time, or any solo recital? It's hell! Worrying about everything that can go wrong, for days. And even if nothing goes wrong, and you've done as well, or even better, than you can, some jerk will still say "Yes, it was.. okay. But he doesn't understand the spirit...". And then you'll probably get some haters who's just following you around (on youtube, and in papers...) and giving bad review, just for the sake of it.
You have to work crazy hour. For that, you'll get some money (which, if you calculate, would probably be way less than the minimum, if you're counting hours and hours of preparation).

You can most probably leave the idea of a family, since, if you want to live only on playing, you have to travel like a crazy person.

And oh, you'll always have to compete with people way under your age, and with completely differend backgrounds ("Hi, Im Ken. I've been playing since before I was born. I am the 12th generations of pianists. I played Rach 3 when I was 7...")

But no, it's almost never too late. Go for it, and practise like hell..

[arturgajewski]

https://tinyurl.com/43u9fl3

[countrymath]

Yes, its too late to be a concert pianist. Sorry.

But its never too late to be a musician/teacher/composer/keyboardist/pop pianist/arranger.

[asiantraveller101]

It is a tough decision. On one hand, you have a dream, but on the other, the reality. It is not too late to pursue your dream if that is what you really want to do. The other replies have given you some doses of reality check that you need to think about. You are still 17, but by many, they think you are a little too late. Time is running out for you if you really do want to pursue this dream. You have to learn as much as you can in the next few years. 1 to 2 hours of practice just does not cut it. Though long practice duration does not make one a concert pianist, but you have a lot to catch up; and only intensive study, learning and practice can remedy that. Push yourself as much as you can now. Don't waste any more time. Most international competitions cut off age is around 30. You still have time to prepare for those if that is one of your goals, in becoming a concert pianist. It does seem necessary to have those under your belt nowadays, unless you are are super phenomenal player that relies solely on your skills and publicity. Ultimately, even if you are not destined to be an international concert pianist, you can still perform extensively. There are other venues for your to perform besides the big concert halls. There are opportunities such as recital series, smaller halls, churches, or collaborating with other instrumentalists, etc. Best wishes!
Think hard and talk to your teacher, parents, etc and hopefully you will come to a decision.

[healdie]

I don't believe he used the words "Concert Pianist" anywhere in the original post just performer, do you mean a concert pianist or just anyone who makes a living from the performance of music? if its the latter then no it's not too late, although you may be a bit behind and as said 2 hours a day isn't enough I'm a pretty good electric guitar player (not amazing) and I practice for 4-5 hours a day and even then I'm only the top end of average

If you did mean concert pianist then yes it probably is too late for the reasons already stated by every one else but all of your competition will have had likely at least 5 or more years of performing done by now and will be way beyond the grades

as said in the first post though I can't see the attraction of the life of a concert pianist it just doesn't sound like fun

[tmickel]

A little background to let you know I am not blowing smoke:
I have been playing piano since 1967 at age 6, yes i am the big FIVE OH! lol okay but back to time.

I have had many, many different piano teachers throughout my life with my favorite being a Concert Pianist when I was going to SEMO in Cape Girardeau MO, USA. I learned more from him than from any other teacher prior.

Looking back on all of those years and the pieces of paper hanging on my walls I have come to one conclusion...you have to really want it. I mean not just think about it but actually do something about it.  If you want to be a concert pianist, then be a concert pianist...it is only too late when you are 6 feet under.

There is a sacrifice which is spending countless hours a lone in a room with you and that magnificent machine aka the Grand Piano.

Good Luck

[sordel]

Gilbert Kaplan was over forty years old when he stepped out for the first time to conduct, and it was his second career. Conducting is a different discipline, and Kaplan has only 1.2 works in his entire repertoire, but I think that the story illustrates the fact that with dedication and a specific goal, you can achieve remarkable success at any age.

[avguste]

This is a great topic to discuss and thank the op for creating this thread. I will respond in my usual point fashion 

1. It is never to late to be a concert pianist. However as tmickel wrote, one has to really want it.
The point is that it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks of your goal. If your goal is to be a concert pianist, then go for it all the way.

2. practicing for the life of a concert pianist is a never ending adventure. Your 2 hours/day are not enough. When I was your age I was practicing 4-5 hours/day, but to be fair, back then I was in France and I did quit school at 16.
Bottom line is that you need a minimum of 3 hours a day of serious and dedicated practice.

3. experience in the life of a concert pianist is gained only by doing it. What this means is that don't just talk about it. Do it!!! Look for locations where you can perform. Look for house concerts in your area, small recital series, community orchestras to perform with.

4. confidence is probably the most important aspect of this business. Over the years, you will have plenty of people thinking you are crazy, that you should forget about the idea. That is where we will see what you are made of mentally.
Disregard all the naysayers, disregard all the negativity. Focus on your goal and be positive.

5. competitions don't make a concert pianist. I know plenty of people who have won competitions and who have disappeared from the performance scene (either quitting music or teaching, but surely not performing on the regional, national or international level).
What makes a musician successful in this business is name recognition, branding.
What branding means is that for a presenter to even be interested in a performer, they have to have heard of the performer, of what the performer has done in the past and/or is currently doing. This includes reviews and recommendations.

[scott13]

Yes, its too late to be a concert pianist. Sorry.

But its never too late to be a musician/teacher/composer/keyboardist/pop pianist/arranger.

What a load of sh*t.

Christian Lindberg, the only Trombone player in history to solely make a living as a soloist, started playing at 19, prior to this he had no musical education at all and could not read music. So for you to so readily dismiss the possibility that anybody who wasn't a prodigy cannot be a concert pianist is stupid.

Also pursuing a dream in your late teens, to early twenties is not a bad idea at all, in-fact your dedication is normally far higher than those who started from young age and older players tend to be far more musical and expressive than some 15 year-old playing the same piece.

And really what do you learn from age 5 to 15 in piano study? Teachers will educate you on the 'correct' way of playing even though this differs so hugely between two players that you could spend 5 years correcting the bad teaching you had as a child. You learn up-to maybe grade 8? I am 20 and started at 17 and already have my ATCL and am a piano major at University.

Really all you learn in the younger years is technique, this can easily be taught more easily to a late teenager as they have the focus and dedication to practice everything. Musicality cannot be taught and that is what makes a truly amazing musician (on any instrument). This is why i believe, there are not very many concert pianists from Asia. They are focused so blindly on technical perfection they miss the entire point of music.

[nyiregyhazi]

And really what do you learn from age 5 to 15 in piano study? Teachers will educate you on the 'correct' way of playing even though this differs so hugely between two players that you could spend 5 years correcting the bad teaching you had as a child. You learn up-to maybe grade 8? I am 20 and started at 17 and already have my ATCL and am a piano major at University.

and if someone has been playing for a longer time yet made nowhere near that level of progress? To have them believe that they have much chance of suddenly reaching a professional standard would be absurd.

[tb230]

What a load of sh*t.

Christian Lindberg, the only Trombone player in history to solely make a living as a soloist, started playing at 19, prior to this he had no musical education at all and could not read music. So for you to so readily dismiss the possibility that anybody who wasn't a prodigy cannot be a concert pianist is stupid.

Not entirely correct - Christian Lindberg started music school when he was about 6 years old and played various instruments including trumpet in a brass band before switching to trombone when he was 19. It's about making a fresh start but not exactly starting from scratch.

To continue my digression, all these topics 'Is it too late?', 'Will I become a concert pianist?' always remind me somehow of Florence Foster Jenkins, who despite an unconventional style became a very popular soprano and made it all the way to Carnegie Hall. Her singing is described by Charles Spencer (the Telegraph) as 'yapping like a small, high-pitched dog slowly being strangled to death'.

[scott13]

Not entirely correct - Christian Lindberg started music school when he was about 6 years old and played various instruments including trumpet in a brass band before switching to trombone when he was 19. It's about making a fresh start but not exactly starting from scratch.

Sorry but i personally attended a master class he gave to Brass players before a concert in Wellington with the NZSO, and i specifically recall him saying he had no musical education except drums and could not read any sheet music. Therefore your source is not accurate.

Regardless the point i was making still stands. In less than two years after he began learning the instrument, he held a professional position in the Swedish Opera Orchestra. That should prove to anybody that hard work and determination get you where ever you dream of going.

[tb230]

Oh, OK, no point arguing -I had just read it on CL's own web page a while back https://www.tarrodi.se/cl/page.asp?show=7. 

Still think he's quite a remarkable person, and that only remarkable persons manage to do what he did.

[charmsjr94]

Thank you all for the input. This has been very insightful and has made me think about things I hadn't thought about before on both sides of the argument. Great responses!

[refugepiano]

It is a tough decision. On one hand, you have a dream, but on the other, the reality. It is not too late to pursue your dream if that is what you really want to do. The other replies have given you some doses of reality check that you need to think about. You are still 17, but by many, they think you are a little too late. Time is running out for you if you really do want to pursue this dream. You have to learn as much as you can in the next few years. 1 to 2 hours of practice just does not cut it. Though long practice duration does not make one a concert pianist, but you have a lot to catch up; and only intensive study, learning and practice can remedy that. Push yourself as much as you can now. Don't waste any more time. Most international competitions cut off age is around 30. You still have time to prepare for those if that is one of your goals, in becoming a concert pianist. It does seem necessary to have those under your belt nowadays, unless you are are super phenomenal player that relies solely on your skills and publicity. Ultimately, even if you are not destined to be an international concert pianist, you can still perform extensively. There are other venues for your to perform besides the big concert halls. There are opportunities such as recital series, smaller halls, churches, or collaborating with other instrumentalists, etc. Best wishes!
Think hard and talk to your teacher, parents, etc and hopefully you will come to a decision.

May I ask if I am 15 years old and I want to be a concert pianist, is it too late?
I think I should elaborate more:
I started playing seriously in 2010 at the age of 14. I entered the Conservatory of Music of Chihuahua the year before, and in 2010 I applied for entering the career studies (in that Conservatory they allow from 15 year old student, as there is no other music school and it takes 9  years to finish it), presenting the Prelude in C# minor, Op. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff in my exam. I continued studying at the conservatory until April 2011, where I was forced to leave due to the current Drug War in my country.  I moved to Australia 2 days after leaving the Conservatory. Right now I don't have a piano and I'm studying with the school's piano teacher and in the school's piano everyday. After a concert in two weeks (accompaniment), my teacher is thinking on teaching me the first Arabesque of Debussy; the Prelude and Fugue Number 12 in F minor, BWV 881 by Bach; Brahm's Second Rhapsody, Op. 79 and Chopin's Etude in C# minor, Op. 10, No 4, along for several technical work of Hanon. I am thinking in applying for the Melbourne Conservatory of Music in two years time, as currently because of age I can't apply.  

So, is there any hope for me as a concert pianist?

[refugepiano]

Why is the goal always to become a concert pianist? Have you had quite a few concerts in short time, or any solo recital? It's hell! Worrying about everything that can go wrong, for days. And even if nothing goes wrong, and you've done as well, or even better, than you can, some jerk will still say "Yes, it was.. okay. But he doesn't understand the spirit...". And then you'll probably get some haters who's just following you around (on youtube, and in papers...) and giving bad review, just for the sake of it.
You have to work crazy hour. For that, you'll get some money (which, if you calculate, would probably be way less than the minimum, if you're counting hours and hours of preparation).

Aren't all kinds of work like that?

In Spanish "trabajo" (work) comes from the latin tripaliare, which comes from tripalium, which was a three-staked instrument of torture.

[jesc]

You have to know the sacrifices, what tmickel and pianoman53 wrote may be easy to read but you have to experience it for yourself (the hard work).

Then you grow old. The standard by which people judge your play changes. I came back to music expecting to breeze through to finish what I left behind. No, only now did I realize the truth behind the "countless hours"/"crazy hour" behind it all.

[phillip21]

May I ask if I am 15 years old and I want to be a concert pianist, is it too late?
I think I should elaborate more:
I started playing seriously in 2010 at the age of 14....., where I was forced to leave due to the current Drug War in my country.  I moved to Australia 2 days ......currently because of age I can't apply.  

So, is there any hope for me as a concert pianist?

Well, I can't speak for your abilities as a pianist, but the determination you have obviously shown and your interesting story are the sort of thing that attract promoters' attention - so if you have the talent required for success in this business I'm sure it might not be too late.  I wish you every success in your new life in Australia!

[countrymath]

I think its late for everyone being a concert pianist

[dcstudio]

I live on playing and I am quite, quite, happy and fulfilled. May it be for you as well.  Because this is really what you want most of all.

[phillip21]

Just one last thought - I spotted this today and posted details in the Student's Corner, but it might be relevant to readers of this thread too:
https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=233014

[bringdowntherain]

I think, honestly, the only person who can tell you if you're too old to do it yourself.  The road is long and hard, but that can be said of most things.  You just have to keep going, always sacrificing and never get content - there will always be somebody better, but that doesn't mean you can't be great. All you can do is put in your blood, sweat, and tears and just hope you get that back in return.

[farm boy]

Gee - you are 17 and you are asking if its too late.   Well I am 60 and I am taking piano back up again.  I reached grade 7 standard which means I can tackle stuff like Wedding Day at Troldhagen, Golliwog's Cakewalk, Clair de Lune as well as Chopin Etude 25 no 2, Ravel Sonatina (Minuet), Rach Prelude in C# Minor ,etc.  My question relates to - is it too late for me to progress to a higher level where I could play Rachmaninoff preludes, Moment Musical, Chopin Etudes in general, Debussy Preludes and his other pieces, etc.  I am currently practcing 3+ hours daily.

[dcstudio]

you go farm boy!! that is awesome...

[pianoplayjl]

you go farm boy!! that is awesome...

yeah, go FarmBoy!! if a 60 year old casn do it, why not a 17 year old? It's not too late.

[dcstudio]

yeah, go FarmBoy!! if a 60 year old casn do it, why not a 17 year old? It's not too late.

damn straight...