Across the total time you have played, what is your favorite "era" or period?

[anacrusis]

Hey everyone,

I felt curious if anyone here as a particular time period, since they started playing, that is their favorite? The answer might be "right now", of course, but I was thinking today about when I used to enjoy playing the most. For me it was during my teens, when I started taking piano more seriously and got a teacher who inspired me to work more carefully. It was the perfect era, because I was good enough to play advanced music, but still at an age where I felt happy as long as I succeeded playing the notes, more or less. I didn't have a very developed ear for legato, good tone and so on, so my playing sounded satisfactory to my tastes. Now that I've been to music college, my envisioned standard is basically what a world-class pianist can do, and since my own playing falls mighty short of that, it's less enjoyable to listen to than it used to be Or maybe it's just an age thing, you just end up feeling less excited about things when you are no longer a child (which teenagers are IMO)?

[ted]

Good question and easy to answer. The best time for me has been the last fifteen years, since my late fifties, when I forgot everything teachers and experts had told me in my youth and over the preceding decades, ignored everybody and just started playing and creating for myself. It coincided with my retirement from a fairly responsible job, which event caused a tremendous opening of the musical gates. Contrary to expectations things continue to improve, even the physical aspect, which surprises me at seventy-four.

[thalbergmad]

Contrary to expectations things continue to improve, even the physical aspect, which surprises me at seventy-four.

Only for those with a hand push lawn mower. We know this is your secret.

Thal

[ted]

Oh calamity, all is revealed ! Funny you should mention that. I have just buggered the old one and had to buy a new one this week. Either I am getting stronger or the mowers are getting weaker; I don't think the grass is any different. I suspect planned obsolescence because they won't sell me spare parts. Those old iron and brass ones lasted ages but these days all the cogs are plastic and **** metal, you know, like most modern exercycles. I was actually referring to piano technique before for which my Virgil Practice Clavier is the proven fitness equivalent of a hand mower.

[lostinidlewonder]

There used to be a real magical feeling visiting a sheet music store and browsing what music they had. The internet killed that for the better but I still miss it in some way, don’t miss the expensive sheets or waiting months for it to ship from overseas.

[visitor]

There used to be a real magical feeling visiting a sheet music store and browsing what music they had. The internet killed that for the better but I still miss it in some way, don’t miss the expensive sheets or waiting months for it to ship from overseas.

to some extent but I dont feel it has gone as much as I find used book shops/used music shops give me that treasure hunting feel and browsing is great fun


I like At least given my experience playing. Modern era it gave me kabalevsk kapustin and game music /vgm transcription and modern arrangements of Rachmaninoff etc

[klavieronin]

There used to be a real magical feeling visiting a sheet music store and browsing what music they had. The internet killed that for the better but I still miss it in some way, don’t miss the expensive sheets or waiting months for it to ship from overseas.

It's still possible to go browsing for sheet music in Japan. Even big regular book stores will often have a decent sheet music section. If you're ever in Tokyo be sure to visit the Yamaha store in Ginza. They have an entire floor dedicated to sheet music.

As for the original question, for me it was the period between high school and university. I took about four years of just to practise piano. I had a great teacher and was only working two days a week. The rest of my time was almost 100% music. Sigh… good times.

[lostinidlewonder]

My point might have gone over your heads. Yes I too can still visit what few sheet music stores are clinging to life in my area and the 2nd hand stores (I usually clear them out of their sheet music lol) but it’s just not the same. When the internet came there was little need to search for music any other way. It utterly decimated a huge amount of sheet music retailers world wide. I used to visit sheet music stores because there wasn’t really another way to purchase music books back then or make discoveries, you had to make the journey and then have time to search around. The internet now you can download a huge amount for free, finding something is not so exciting because you find stuff all the time. If you lived before the internet years you’ll appreciate this a lot more.

[bwl_13]

I know this is probably meant from pianists who have played for a long time, but I've just reached the early advanced stage and I'm loving it so much. There's music everywhere that I've been eager to play since I've started taking piano seriously, and I reached it at a rate I'm really happy with. I'm currently wrapping up Beethoven Op. 13 which was a bucket list piece and looking forward to playing more Beethoven sonatas. I've started my first Chopin etude, even if it isn't meant to be played at concert tempo yet and my first Schubert impromptu. I'm also playing the Debussy first Arabesque, which I think I could've handled a while ago but now that I've played many pieces with 3 against 2 I can focus far more on the musicality of the piece and that's another I simply HAD to play at some point. It's a shame because my practice time is limited at the moment since I've got the end of my first term of university coming up, but regardless ever since starting on the Op. 13 around mid-September it's just felt so fantastic to be at the piano. It's also the first stage that I've been able to have many 4-8 hour practice sessions (prior to this month when I was properly on top of my studies) and actually feel like they were extremely productive and didn't just plateau after 2 hours. Piano has been making me reconsider what I want to do moving forward because it would just kill me to not have enough time for this wonderful instrument. Who knows how I'll feel in a few months but at the moment everything is just working perfectly as far as my piano journey is concerned. Really fun question!

*As a note* I still get excitement when I enter a music store despite growing up with the internet. There's something about the physicality of books and being able to have that connection with them that's just really special. I do use imslp though, especially if there's some reputable editions scanned there

[jimf12]

Right now for sure, but not counting that I'll go back to 8th grade.   I was really advancing, playing some good material, and it was right before high school when I had to make choices with my time where playing piano took a hit.    I was a three sport athlete in HS and the demands were pretty high.   I ended up getting a D1 baseball scholarship and ended up with a boatload of great memories, so I can't say I made a bad choice.   But sometimes I wish I could, I don't know, go back in time and wave a magic wand and make it all different so I could have done both?     

At any rate at about age 14-15 was really the last time I had legitimate thoughts in my head that I could be a great piano player.   Now I'm 58 and dream of becoming a really good piano player.    I actually think I enjoy today's dream more.   

[anacrusis]

Loved reading your answers. I was especially happy to read that ted finds his favorite era to be the last 15 years. It's great that you can find something fresh and exciting in music even after having played for such a long time!

[thalbergmad]

My point might have gone over your heads. Yes I too can still visit what few sheet music stores are clinging to life in my area and the 2nd hand stores (I usually clear them out of their sheet music lol) but it’s just not the same. When the internet came there was little need to search for music any other way. It utterly decimated a huge amount of sheet music retailers world wide. I used to visit sheet music stores because there wasn’t really another way to purchase music books back then or make discoveries, you had to make the journey and then have time to search around. The internet now you can download a huge amount for free, finding something is not so exciting because you find stuff all the time. If you lived before the internet years you’ll appreciate this a lot more.

In London will still have Travis and Emery, but I don't know how long they will last.

The joy of the pre Internet age was accidently stumbling across something you weren't looking for that ended up as a great new experience.

Your point is well made but lost on the millenials.

Thal

[ted]

Loved reading your answers. I was especially happy to read that ted finds his favorite era to be the last 15 years. It's great that you can find something fresh and exciting in music even after having played for such a long time!

If my music ceased to be fresh and exciting, no longer forced my mind to reach out into new modes of thought, became a habituated traversal of the same regions of the musical landscape, then it would be time to stop music and take up something new.

[jimf12]

In London will still have Travis and Emery, but I don't know how long they will last.

The joy of the pre Internet age was accidently stumbling across something you weren't looking for that ended up as a great new experience.

Your point is well made but lost on the millenials.

Thal

I had actually forgot about that experience until this thread.   I now really miss those stores and that experience.   

[lelle]

I enjoy different eras in different ways. I enjoyed starting out, because there was so much to discover and I was enthralled. I enjoyed parts of my teens because I developed a lot and played music I was really excited about. I enjoyed certain phases of studying music in university (though some years were tough) when I started finding my groove and developed a lot. Maybe the common denominator is rapid evolution? I feel I'm not growing as much right now, and I'm coincidentally not as excited about playing right now.