Beneficial Masterclasses

[evitaevita]

Have you ever attended any masterclasses with notable pianists, teachers or musicians generally?

Tell us about your experience!

[nanabush]

I had a masterclass with Andre Laplante last year.  I played Alborada del Gracioso, and it went OK.  He knows that piece cold, so it was really cool hearing his personal interpretation of it.

If you haven't heard it... he's got it on youtube, and it's beastly.

My only issue is since that piece has really sporadic moments, anything he suggested that required a different fingering made me look like a moron because I couldn't really get it on the spot haha.  But the way he made me see the slow middle section was really cool (kind of different than my teacher's view, but the analogy of a mopey clown... won't ever forget it).

[gregharris]

If I am a beginner then can I go for masterclasses??? Is it will be too difficult for me???

[starlady]

I have "attended" masterclasses, in the sense that I have sat in the audience. With the right teacher they can be marvelous, and with the wrong teacher they can be exercises in sadism.   I've seen some amazing things in masterclasses.  I will never forget Andras Schiff saying in a quiet,  almost apologetic tone: "you know, the 16th notes...the semi-quavers...are music too". 

So yes, they can be very beneficial to students.  Now if by "attend" you mean PLAY in a masterclass, that's on the agenda for my next lifetime.

--s.

[faulty_damper]

Of the couple of masterclasses I've attended, which included piano and chamber music, the one glaringly obvious problem was poor technique.  Poor technique can be identified just by looking at how they play but few teachers know enough about mechanics to address this issue and as a result, even though the audience understood what the teachers wanted, the poor pianists were left clueless.

If I am a beginner then can I go for masterclasses??? Is it will be too difficult for me???

It depends on what the masterclass is about.  If it's about musical expression, which it usually is, then it will probably be a waste of your time since you'll not be sensitive enough (aka: you won't have enough background knowledge and awareness) to notice what is being addressed.  Musical expression is about manipulating subtleties that most people are not specifically aware of.

If it is a masterclass on technique, and if the teacher is superb, then you will probably benefit a great deal since you'll be exposed to a number of solutions to technical problems.  It will be obvious to the audience that the teacher knows what s/he is talking about because they will see immediate improvement; they will look like a better pianist in just a few short minutes.  The guinea pig will also notice the improvement and take it home with him/herself to practice.  It's a win-win situation! (...unlike the musical expression masterclasses where usually only the teacher and audience benefit.)