3 Important Questions

[tritonemagic]

1) If one where to start playing piano today for the first time and practiced 1-2 hours a day, how long would it take for the individual to be considered a pianist? I know this i isn't very black and white so to say it better: what defines a pianist? What seperates a not-pianist from the pianist?

2) I'm starting to get heavy into classical music after playing fake music for so long, it's terribly frustrating but also fulfilling. Any tips to make my practice more efficient?

3) I want to create a medley of Christmas songs, how do I start?

[m1469]

What seperates a not-pianist from the pianist?

According to some pret-ty knowledgeable people, pretty much anybody besides me who has ever touched a piano is a pianist.  So, if you're not me and you sit at a piano from time to time, you are a pianist.  Hope that helps.

[lighthand045]

1) I wouldn't rush too far, people learn at different rates, some slow, others fast; a pianist according to wikipedia is a musician who plays the piano, either amateur or professional. For me is the person capable of playing the piano satisfactory or beyond with an aproppiate technique, capable of playing music of varied composers, periods and styles, of accompanying singers or other performers, needless to say also being able to improvise with facility.

2) Choose the pieces you like most that you are able to handle. Play some scales, arpeggios, classical chord progressions.

3) Once you learn chord progressions and modulations, you should be able to make one with various songs.

Don't worry, things will come easy for you within time and experience  .

Make some research on music history, sometimes that helps to understand some pieces.

[bernadette60614]

I think of myself as an athlete because I work out every day with the intention of improving...but I compete only once a year.  So, IMHO, if you are at the piano every day with the intention of improving your level of playing you are a pianist.

There are any number of posts about practicing, so just search for that term.

Xmas medley:  Check out Amazon for piano scores or the free music option here.

[hfmadopter]

This video might help you to modulate, it's one way anyway :   [ Invalid YouTube link ]&feature=endscreen   So practice some of this technique then pick your Christmas music and apply it. Keep in mind that when you build a medley you often don't play entire pieces one after another but segments of each piece to create one work as long as you desire the work to be.

Edit:

To add to this, as you modulate, work in part of the rhythm change to the new segment if there is one ( not all pieces will have the same rhythm or time signatures). Sometimes in medleys too, there is a main theme song, just say for instance that theme song is Silent Night, break away from Silent Night to create the medley portion and then modulate back to Silent Night for the ending. Silent Night isn't a good example of the main theme, just saying if !  I think of Silent Night as it's own piece and last Christmas used David Nevue's version of the song as a piece of it's own in my little performance. Consider too that a the whole medley could take on a theme, such as all the pieces have a jazz touch to them for instance, again just sayin !

For a Christmas performance ( performance meaning even for family or the house cat, to as much as going out and about in a club someplace) I might put together four pieces in a medley and reserve something else as a main piece to play separate from the medley, if not a few. Perhaps the medley is traditional Christmas carols and the main piece something new age or classical, what ever.

[aksels]

1) If one where to start playing piano today for the first time and practiced 1-2 hours a day, how long would it take for the individual to be considered a pianist? I know this i isn't very black and white so to say it better: what defines a pianist? What seperates a not-pianist from the pianist?

2) I'm starting to get heavy into classical music after playing fake music for so long, it's terribly frustrating but also fulfilling. Any tips to make my practice more efficient?

3) I want to create a medley of Christmas songs, how do I start?

1) What defines a concert pianist.. Well the touch, musical ideas, technical ease, the way they stand on the stage, the way they look at the world, tone quality, huge repertoire, the way they connect with you, the love of music that they make you feel, even personalities.. I think you just feel the difference when you listen to great pianists compared to other ones.

2)Patience

3) gather the songs you want to use, analyse them harmonically and you may even transpose them to make the bridges between pieces more easily