When to call yourself a pianist?

[andd845]

Hello there,

I've realised that I tell people I play the piano, never
that I'm a pianist...I used to think, early on, grade 5, but that came and
Went and here I am preparing for g7 and realistically on for grade 8 in next year, but
nope, still not feeling like a pianist. It's not the grade is it?

Someone in a band, playing a piano in a hotel lounge, they'd say they
were pianists, and I think they'd be right. For a classical player, a certain level
of sight reading, accompanying, being paid, a certain
level of under standing of what you're playing, being able to sit down and play without music
For hours? What is it that would make you announce yourself a pianist?

(Sorry for formatting)

[visitor]

its arbitrary, so id say whenever you feel like it.

i mowed the lawn last week. i think i'll start saying i'm a lawnist, or lawn mowerist, that sounds so much more substantial.

[andd845]

From a distance my patting my  lawnmower may look suspiciously like affection, but in fact I'm just checking to see if the grass bin needs emptying. I feel we may be veering off topic..

[timothy42b]

I'm not sure the exact terminology matters but the attitude might.

So try this.

A piano player is advancing through levels of skill as an individual.  Your level is higher than most ever attain, but you are still a player.

A pianist communicates with an audience, and defines himself/herself by that action rather than by the current state of proficiency, which could be considerably lower than yours.  The audience could be sophisticated symphony attendees or intoxicated patrons in a cocktail bar, it doesn't matter for this purpose. 

[beethovenfan01]

I would agree with that, and add a little more.

Going from "piano player" to "pianist" is such: when you are a piano player, it's something you do, normally just as a small part of your life. A pianist, however--amateur or professional--is serious about improving and executing his art, and strives to reach the highest standard he can. It's when it becomes part of who you are.

Are you there yet? Only you can tell.

[klavieronin]

I would only ever call myself a pianist if at least part of my living was earned through playing piano. That isn't because I think you need to be professional to call yourself a pianist but rather because when you say "I am a (blank)", it is usually assumed that (blank) is your profession (unless you are still in school).

Context is important though. If you were part of an amateur orchestra/band/ensemble for example, within that context you'd be right to call yourself a pianist.

Examples:

"So, what do you do?"
"I'm a pianist."
Sounds like a professional

"So, what are you doing on the weekend?"
"I'm the pianist in a community chamber ensemble and we have rehearsal all weekend, so I'll be doing that."
Sounds like an amateur.

"Do you like this music?"
"No. It's crap, and I'm a pianist so I think I should know."
Sounds like an arrogant prick.

[stevensk]

-It doesn't seems like guitarists have these issues 

[Bob]

Whenever you want.

Who you're talking to probably also factors in.

Either way, I'd probably say I practice or play piano.  The only time I'm thinking I'd call anyone a pianist is if they're in a group, and I need to point something out.

[ted]

If asked that question I usually describe myself as an outsider pianist, because I play the instrument in ways different from the commonly accepted meanings of the word. It saves later embarrassment when I cannot perform functions normally ascribed to pianists. On the other hand, many people call someone a good pianist purely in a functional sense, if keys are pushed with dexterity and confidence. The word is capable of several meanings.

[bronnestam]

Why wasting time and energy thinking of what others might think? 

Call yourself a pianist if you like. Or don't, if you like. Just don't do it because you worry about others.

There are some professional titles you are not allowed to use unless you have a legal license, like surgeon or police. The reason is obvious. But "pianist" is not one of those titles.

[klavieronin]

Why wasting time and energy thinking of what others might think?  

Call yourself a pianist if you like. Or don't, if you like. Just don't do it because you worry about others.

There are some professional titles you are not allowed to use unless you have a legal license, like surgeon or police. The reason is obvious. But "pianist" is not one of those titles.

I suppose if you cared about communicating with people effectively you might strive to do it in a way that avoids unnecessary confusion and misunderstandings, in which case the vocabulary you use is kind of important.

For example, when my father would introduce me to one of his friends or work colleagues he would always tell them that I was a pianist which I hated because the question "where do you play?" or "when are you performing next?" would inevitably follow, at which point I would have to explain that I'm not that sort of pianist.

The question, as I understood it, was less about what people think and more about what is generally understood by the term "pianist".

[timothy42b]

Call yourself a pianist if you like. Or don't, if you like. Just don't do it because you worry about others.

True, but, in this case I think it goes to self image. 

[bronnestam]

Well, I constantly end up in similar debates when it comes to writing. "When can you call yourself a writer?"
I have published just one novel - only tried that one - and some short stories and YES, I am a writer, because I always write. I think, breathe and live writing. But I don't make a living on it, obviously.

I know there are people who have published +10 thick novels and still they refuse to call themselves writers, maybe because they think they should be "modest". Or because they have not made enough money on them. Or because they think you need to get the Nobel Prize before you are a True Writer. Before that you are just a cheater and wannabe ...
On the other hand, there are people who have written two haikus and they call themselves poets. And why not?

In my Facebook profile I describe myself as a "writer, translator, pianist and engineer". If we want to go formal, I am just an engineer in applied physics, because I have the diploma. On the other hand, I have never worked with applied physics, not even one day in 25 years. I make a living on translations. I devote my spare time to piano playing and writing. If someone would tell me to adjust my description because it does not go well with THEIR definitions, I would ... not give a ****. And if they asked me when my next performance is, I would just say "never. I don't perform." And I am no Argerich either, for that matter. I cannot remove the description "pianist" just in case anyone would get the faulty idea that I am a skilled professional. 

But when I play the piano, I am a pianist.



 

[mjames]

When you can play Chopin's op.10/25  etudes or Bach's goldberg variations all in one go. Until then you're crap and don't deserve to publicly associate yourself with the instrument.

[chopinlover01]

Just.... don't.

[mjames]

I don't play piano, I make love to it.

[mjames]

Oh and furthermore, if you can't perfectly transcribe Prokofiev's violin concerto after one listen then you can't call yourself a pianist. Ever.
You're only eligible for the club membership once you attain these heights.

[klavieronin]

I don't play piano, I make love to it.

Yikes! Remind me to never touch your piano.

[mjames]

Yikes! Remind me to never touch your piano.

touch it like you touch my woman

[klavieronin]

touch it like you touch my woman

 

[bernadette60614]

I think when you can mow a lawn, you can say you are a lawnist, but you can't say that you are a landscaper.  A landscaper has a depth of knowledge, a broad range of abilities and a professional commitment to greater levels of knowledge, proficiency, and in the highest practitioners, artistry.

I am an emerging pianist.  I am gaining knowledge, my range of abilities is increasing and I have a professional commitment to constantly improving.

[chopinlover01]

Honestly, guys, this isn't really a tough question. When you can play something - anything - competently, you can call yourself a pianist.

Really, it doesn't even have to be very competent. Is anyone going to look at someone and say "they aren't a pianist" because they butchered Fur Elise?

[j_tour]

"Do you like this music?"
"No. It's crap, and I'm a pianist so I think I should know."
Sounds like an arrogant prick.

Ha.  Pretty good.  I might have to steal that one, if I can remember it at an appropriate time.

Yeah, I think I agree with several people (I don't differentiate "piano player," "piano picker," or "pianist," as concepts, just synonyms in slightly different registers):  if you have a book of repertoire, meaning you can pick and choose from your repertoire to play for a certain non-trivial amount of time something most people would recognize as music, sounds like a pianist to me.

Also, even though many advanced musicians still work with teacher/coaches, if you don't rely on anyone's advice, ultimately, but your own to choose repertoire or to identify technical problems to correct, sounds like a pianist.

If someone asks you impromptu at some occasion to entertain the crowd for a while on piano, and you can play appropriate music by sizing up the audience, that sounds like a pianist.

However, the obsession some imho intellectually-disabled people have with the corporate, tax-structures of "professional," "semi-professional," "amateur," or whatever are for retards.

If you get paid to play, you're a professional.  If you don't get paid very much, then you're not a very good professional.  If you make videos and monetize them, you're an entrepreneur who's selling some stuff you made in your basement. Power to you.

If you play jobs for "the experience" (i.e., without any compensation whatsoever) IMHO, you're lower than an amateur, you're a chump, or maybe 15 years old and don't know any better.  Some exceptions can be made for volunteering for the cancer ward or for AIDS babies, or at the old folks home.  I personally think people who put all kinds of videos for free on YouTube are losers, but at least they're developing a portfolio.  I'd never do it without money in the hand, but I'm lazy and dislike "helping" people without a good reason that benefits me directly.

[Derek]

You're a pianist if you make sounds that you and (maybe) others like using a piano.