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The most recent questions and answers are listed here:
Dear Greg,
Well I would first like to thank you for creating such a wonderful website. It looks like you've fulfilled your mission! And for sure, you are my new inspiration! So my question has to do with Mozart Sonata K 310 in a minor. I've been playing this piece for about over a year, I think. I've performed it a few times and will soon be playing this at another competition. I've received several adjudications on this, and people all seem to have different opinions! I'm especially confused about the beginning of the 1st movement. Some suggested that I pedal every quarter note, and my teacher and I decided to try it because I can bring out more of the tragic feeling that way.. but once I started doing that some adjudicators were VERY strongly against it. Could you offer me any advice on this? What do you think? Thanks!
- PianoGirl in Canada
Dear PianoGirl,
I am very humored by your question! I played the same piece during my first year at Juilliard and dealt with the exact same issues when I performed it in competitions. It seemed that no matter how I tried to play the opening, every adjudicator objected. Should the grace note come before or on the beat? Should you pedal the eighths, half-pedal the eighths, not pedal them, connect them with your fingers, keep them dry? How loud should they be? Are they noisy, almost ugly, like a janissary band? Full of passion and drama? Should they be respectable and restrained, as if "you were playing on a fortepiano?"
Later, my teacher explained to me that "the piece is bad for competitions," because it's one of those divisive pieces with the tendency to incite strong opinions from professionals (sort of like Chopin's Barcarolle or Fourth Ballade). So I stopped playing it.
It wasn't until later that I realized how much competitions controlled my life in this manner. Nearly every decision regarding the repertoire I learned was made in deference to competitions and judges. Certain pieces, like the Mozart, were out due to their divisive nature. Other pieces were out because they weren't serious enough. Other pieces were too unfamiliar. Other pieces were too canonic (Appassionata, much?). Some pieces were dismissed because they didn't showcase enough (variety of emotions, technical challenges, etc.) in an appropriate span of time. Some pieces don't make a good impact on the audience (or judges) unless they are played in their entirety... and what if the judges didn't have time to listen to the whole piece? And I certainly couldn't play my own compositions...
In the end, you get the same old hackneyed, compact, virtuosic (but serious) competition pieces; pieces I didn't really feel like playing: Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata, Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata, and Ravel's La Valse.
Too much calculation. Too much strategy.
So I cut competitions out of my diet, and now I can play what I want, when I want. I can play a program of music composed entirely during the Classical era. I can play Chopin's Barcarolle. I can play Satie. I can mix children's pieces into my programs. I can play my own arrangements. I can construct my programs to make a statement about society. I can play music I like! Ultimately, this made me a better musician and a happier person.
Regarding the Mozart sonata: I went for dramatic effect. I never got the feeling that Mozart would have restrained himself... and a fortepiano can make a nasty racket when played in one of those old, reverberant European castles. Besides, I like playing the opening that way.
- Greg
Dear Greg,
In a few months, I will be performing for at a very large event. I would like my fun piece to not only sound great, but be entertaining to watch as well. Do you have any advice on how to work with the audience when performing (regarding facial expressions, etc.)? Is there any special "choreography" that I should take note of when performing a piece (for example, lifting hands off the piano at a certain time when the piece is done)? Do you know any resources that I could use to aide me in the process? Your advice is greatly appreciated!
- Caitee
Dear Caitee,
I would never endorse facial expressions or choreography unless the music demands it. There's nothing worse than watching a pianist artificially throw their limbs into the air because they think it may entertain the audience.
I suggest you start at the root of the issue versus its surface. Instead of asking what sorts of gimmicks and tricks you can utilize to "entertain" the audience, ask yourself how you can heighten the impact of the music. Most of your energy should go straight back into the music itself; you should be performing every piece as if it's the last time anyone in the world will ever listen to it.
Only after you've uncovered exactly what makes the music tick will other facets of the performance become clear. If for some wild reason, you end up tossing a sexy glance to the audience, it will be because you had no choice but to toss a sexy glance to the audience. It will be something the music demands of you; not something you decided to do because you thought it would be cute. Likewise, your outfits should be dictated by your interpretation of the music and not by whichever outfit may generate the biggest gasp from your audience.
Sabre Danse or A New Account of the Blue Danube Fantasy are unusual because they demand some visual performance as well as musical, but in most pieces you'll find that contorting your face and flailing your limbs are unnecessary and artificial. In the end, if you do your job, if you do what the music demands of you, you will entertain your audience.
- Greg
Dear Greg,
Hi, I am a 15 year old who isn't extremely advanced in piano (right now I am working on a toccata by Debussy, an etude by Mozkowski, and a Prelude by Chopin) but I REALLY enjoy the piano and love putting much expression into my pieces. Last summer I attended the Interlochen Arts Camp, I was accepted into the interlochen arts boarding high school, and this summer I have been accepted into the Eastman School of Music's high school Music Horizons program. I was wondering, how likely is it for me to be a concert pianist? Also, how much money does a concert pianist typically make?
- Rachel
Dear Rachel,
To answer your first question, I have copied and pasted my response to a previous question:
Please peruse the "Piano as a career" archives. I've already responded to quite a few questions about the demands, difficulties, and joys of playing the piano as a career, and my responses are archived there. To summarize: it is extremely difficult to make a living as a "concert pianist," even for the best pianists. Many Juilliard graduates I know have quit their instruments and turned their attention to finding alternative means of income. I fully believe in the realization of dreams, but some dreams take a ridiculous amount of work (especially in this case); you have to want it so bad that you are willing to make enormous sacrifices in other areas of your life.... like your day job... like time spent with your friends... like sleep... The rewards can be awesome, but you have to decide if the cost is worth it to you.
However, and I'm repeating myself here, there are other ways to earn money as a pianist that don't involve performing on concert stages. None of them are easy, all of them are important, and all of them can be extremely rewarding. Please reference the "Piano as a career" archives for more detailed explanations.
If you truly love playing the piano, if you enjoy creating music, if you are fascinated by the piano repertoire... you could always consider the greatest musical vocation of them all: you could be an amateur. By definition, amateurs "love" what they do. Amateurs keep music alive in homes around the world. More so than many professionals, amateurs are truly in touch with the joys of music, and their joy is contagious. Amateurs help to raise the musical literacy around the world. Amateurs deserve enormous respect, and America, in particular, is in need of many more amateur pianists.
To answer your second question: there is no typical income for a concert pianist. A pianist's annual salary entirely depends on the number of concerts he or she performs. It is a highly irregular, unpredictable, insecure, and wonderful job. :-)
- Greg
Hi Greg,
I wasn't familiar with the Waldstein until I heard you play it last summer. I was quite taken with the piece and I decided to learn it. I have run into a difficulty in one passage and hope you might have some advice. In measures 464-473, there are a series of octave scales that are played almost at the speed of glissandos (glissandi?). My teacher said that when she played it, her teacher had her actually do a glissando with 1 and 5. There is a simplification listed in my copy that uses both hands for them when the other hand isn't busy with chords. What did you do and what do you recommend? Did you find a way to play each octave individually at the required speed, did you do glissandos, or did you use both hands to play them as scales? What would you suggest that I try? Thanks!
- Joe L
Dear Joe,
The infamous octave glissandi in Beethoven's Waldstein sonata! Woohoo! My hand is big enough that I was able to learn to play the passage as your teacher did, performing a glissando with my first and fifth fingers.
It took me weeks, a great deal of determination, and a ridiculous amount of pain before I really got the hang of it. I can offer you a few tips, but in the end, it simply takes work.
Good luck Joe!!
- Greg
Hi Greg,
I'm presently working on my ARCT...I'm 46....have a B.MUS. and B.ED (from University of Victoria).... I teach general music and band in the school system full time. I'm also a pro french horn player with Symphony New Brunswick, have 15 private piano students and am a mother to 3 amazing children ages 16, 11 and 8. Could you give me some tips on things I really need to study and know thorougly I've read quit a few books on piano pedagogy....any specific recommendations on reading material? thanks for any insight you can give me. For my ARCT....I'm doing the teacher's part in June and the playing part in August. I travel 90 min 2X a month for piano lessons
- Cynthia Munn
Dear Cynthia,
Gosh. Cynthia, I have no idea what you should or shouldn't know, and I've never read any books on piano pedagogy.
My only bit of advice: don't lose sight of music's purpose.
Why do you play piano? Why do you think your students should play piano?
Here's my personal answer:
Music brings me great joy. It connects me to the world. For me, music serves as a portal to possibility, to an aesthetic environment that fosters human connection. For me, music is the means to the beauty, the spiritual essence, and the humanity that overwhelm this world.
Music makes life worth living.
I hope that you and your students play the piano for similar reasons!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
My daughter is 9 years old and has been playing since she was 5. Her current teacher is a young woman who is a graduate of Juiliard. My daughter practises 3 hours a day, 7 days a week and loves her music. Her current pieces are Mozart Sonata K333 1st Mvt, Bach Sinfonia #13 and Rachmaninoff OP 32 Prelude No. 5. She is home schooled which gives her the freedom to work on her music. When she was 7 she was the youngest winner of The Bradshaw and Buono Piano Competition in New York We flew from California and she and some other young students played at Weil Recital Hall in Cargnegie Hall. She is very confident on stage at such a young age. It took her many months to bring the Mozart Sonata up to a level that her teacher would let her play it in a piano festival performance. Her teacher is quite strict about finger numbers etc. The Bach Sinfonia was easier becuase she had played many Bach pieces before it. I hope that someday she may make it to a music school like Juiliard if that is what she wants. I have researched the undergraduate audition requirements for the school. Is it too early to begin thinking about the pieces that she must be able to play for the audition and ask her teacher to lead her in that direction? I know that it takes alot of time before a student is ready to play a substantial composition by Chopin, Schuman, Brahms, Liszt ,etc as Juiliard might require. A concerned parent,
- William
Dear William,
I have rarely been as confident when answering a question on my website as I am answering yours.
Yes, it is too early to begin thinking about your daughter's Juilliard audition repertoire. She is nine years old! Good grief, I didn't even start playing the piano until I was eight! My parents wanted nothing more than for their three sons to be "well-rounded," happy children, and I believe it made all the difference. I certainly wouldn't be the pianist I am today without having spent all that time outside building tree forts, participating in the science clubs, or visiting the public library on a weekly basis.
I know plenty of nine-year-olds who are instructed to spend four hours a day practicing, but I think it is unnecessary. There are so many child prodigies out there, and although several hours of daily practice may give the child early fame and a host of compliments, it will do very little to provide any sort of career later on. Besides, I've seen one too many child prodigies turn into unhealthy adults to ever recommend such a life upon anyone.
invest in her childhood now, and you'll have plenty of time to worry about her Juilliard audition later.
- Greg
Hi Greg,
Noticing that you play the Saint-Saens Ctos. 2 & 4, I 'll ask you something I've wondered over as a listener for years. The Ctos. 2 & 4 consistently get all the attention while the 3 & 5 get relatively ignored. Why I wonder this is, taking the Cto 5 with those exotic sounds in the middle movement (harmonics?) are so unique in the repertoire that they still sound somewhat revolutionary to me against other Romantic Ctos. All the best.
- Bill Shurtleff
Dear Bill,
I love your question! Those who know me well know of my passionate advocacy for Saint-Saëns' fifth and third piano concertos. They're wonderful pieces, but they do have their share of weaknesses. Most people consider the second and fourth concertos to be more consistent from begining to end. Nevertheless, the fifth and third concertos have some unimaginably beautiful and inspired moments. I particularly love the entire second movement of the third concerto as well as the ending of the first movement to the fifth concerto. The second movement of the latter concerto does, indeed, feature some exotic and awesome sounds, but Saint-Saëns wrote the work very late in life and it shouldn't necessarily be compared to other Romantic concertos. The work was composed in 1896, after Debussy had composed his Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Satie his Three Gymnopedie, and Grieg his Symphonic Dances, and two decades earlier came influential works like Balakirev's Islamey and Muggsorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
Pieces enter my repertoire for a variety of reasons - some complex reasons and some simple. The pieces listed on my repertoire page are, by no means, a complete listing of the pieces I love. There are countless works on my "repertoire wish list" that I have yet to learn, and with some luck, I will have many years ahead of me to make my wishes a reality. Learning repertoire is a time consuming process; the notes can be learned in a matter of weeks, but it usually takes years of "living with a piece" before it becomes something I'm proud to share with the public. Incidentally, my "wish list" is still growing, and I seriously consider all of the suggestions offered by visitors of this website. Recommend music here!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
This is a really random question, but how many browns are there? I believe melody just got married. But surely, there are more to the fam than just Desirae, Deondra, Melody, Greg and Ryan right? i was looking through your photos and just thought that picture had a lot of browns!
- Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
This would be a good questions for www.the5browns.com!
Keith and Lisa Brown (the parents of The 5 Browns) only produced five offspring. There's no additional children hiding in the attic! In some of the pictures with the Browns featured in my photo galleries, you can see Bryan (Desi's husband), Kevin (Deondra's husband), Casey (Melody's husband), Tara (Ryan's fiancee), Keith (the dad), Lisa (the mom), and Liz (my piano duo partner). They are all awesome, wonderful, and kind people whom I am proud to call my friends.
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I stopped playing the piano when I pass my ABRSM Grade 5 piano practical exam in 2000. Discouragements and disappointments leaded me to give up achieving my dream of being a professional pianist. However, I dunno how, not too long ago, I managed to have the desire to play the piano and dream to be a pianist again. I'm now 24. Is it too late for me to continue practice playing the piano to achieve my dream? If I may still have the opportunity to be a pianist, how can I achieve this dream? Do I need to possess national playing standard and have a degree in piano performace? P.S. Your true and most honest opinion will be very much helpful. Thank you very much.
- andrea
Dear Andrea,
Please peruse the "Piano as a career" archives. I've already responded to quite a few questions about the demands, difficulties, and joys of playing the piano as a career, and my responses are archived there. To summarize: it is extremely difficult to make a living as a "concert pianist," even for the best pianists. Many Juilliard graduates I know have quit their instruments and turned their attention to finding alternative means of income. I fully believe in the realization of dreams, but some dreams take a ridiculous amount of work (especially in this case); you have to want it so bad that you are willing to make enormous sacrifices in other areas of your life.... like your day job... like time spent with your friends... like sleep... The rewards can be awesome, but you have to decide if the cost is worth it to you.
However, and I'm repeating myself here, there are other ways to earn money as a pianist that don't involve performing on concert stages. None of them are easy, all of them are important, and all of them can be extremely rewarding. Please reference the "Piano as a career" archives for more detailed explanations.
If you truly love playing the piano, if you enjoy creating music, if you are fascinated by the piano repertoire... you could always consider the greatest musical vocation of them all: you could be an amateur. By definition, amateurs "love" what they do. Amateurs keep music alive in homes around the world. More so than many professionals, amateurs are truly in touch with the joys of music, and their joy is contagious. Amateurs help to raise the musical literacy around the world. Amateurs deserve enormous respect, and America, in particular, is in need of many more amateur pianists.
Good luck!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
When you sight read a piece or look at a piece, do you first break it down as to which key it is in and which modulation etc. etc...? How do you learn to do that fast? Do you know of any simple not-too-hard tango duo pieces? I would love to obtain a copy of your take on Piazzolla, but currently, it is not available, right?
- Olga
Dear Olga,
The more you sight read, the easier it will be. As a child, I would loan piles of music from the library - whatever interested me really - and play through it all at home. At Juilliard, I often checked out the maximum number of items from the library (45 items) because I was curious to read through music unfamiliar to me. The piano repertoire is like a giant treasure trove - there is so much good stuff out there, and the only way to become familiar with it is by listening or sight reading.
I'd recommend you start with what feels comfortable and go from there! Buy an "easy" classics book, or read through the Mozart sonatas, move on to the Chopin waltzes, etc. Gradually the process will become easier. For me, it is not a matter of analysis (keys, modulation, etc.) but recognizing visual patterns in the music (arpeggio figurations, chords, stylistic tendencies, etc.).
As for your other questions: I'm not familiar with any tango pieces for piano/four-hands, although I'm sure there must be something out there. Keep searching! And yes, my arrangement of Piazzolla's is not available yet.
- Greg
Dear Greg,
What's the name of the piece that used to play on your homepage? The piece that plays now?
- Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
The excerpt that used to play on my homepage was from Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, specifically from the cadenza of the first movement. The piece that currently plays on the homepage is the opening to Saint-Saëns' Second Piano Concerto. Naturally, I'm the pianist in both instances. :)
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I'm researching colleges with outstanding music programs and music conservatories for my Gifted Education program, and part of it is comparing all the different requirements of the school as far as auditions for piano go. I was wondering, what did you play for your auditions?
- Caitie
Dear Caitie,
Juilliard and Yale's audition requirements are listed on their websites. Some of them are pretty complicated, so I'd rather not take the time to list them here.
I've auditioned for college degrees at three points in my life (for my Bachelor's degree, my Master's degree, and my Doctorate degree), and my audition programs were different in all occasions. Developing balanced programs that meet all the requirements can be downright difficult, but whatever you do, play what you love, and play it well!
Good luck with your project!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I am 12 and love playing the piano and practicing (which I understand you love to do as well). I am also a huge Star Wars aficionado and am captivated by your Star Wars Fantasy impression 1. Is it possible to obtain the sheet music so I can try to play it?
- Alex Wagner
Dear Alex,
I'm so happy you like the first impression! (My personal favorite is #2 ... or is it #4...?) Anyway, there are copyright issues that must be cleared before we can sell the scores to the fantasy. I'll do my best to get on top of those issues, but with all the exciting things going on at the moment, I can't promise it will be in the near future. I'll email the mailing list when that day comes, but in the meantime, there are a number of other scores available for purchase that I encourage you to consider! Visit the composition page for more information.
Best wishes,
Greg
Dear Greg,
I am currently playing the Chopin Nocturne op 48 no1 in C minor. The music isn't too difficult until the crazy, passionate, difficult, fast return of the first theme. My hands are small and it's really hard to hit all the notes and voicing is extremely difficult because there are those big chords that support the music yet the melody is often times a single note (usually a higher, lighter note). How would you bring out the melody more? Without pounding away until your fingers hurt midway? What is your interpretation of the piece? Does it have to go really fast? I would like my music to be beautiful, not clashing to the ears. Thanks so much!
- Elaine
Dear Elaine,
By the looks of your question, you are well on your way to a masterful interpretation! All of your concerns and considerations are valid; it's that kind of thinking that will lead you to good technical skills.
Your teacher will be able to help you more than I could, but I will offer a quick suggestion. If you'd like to voice a chord to the right side of your hand, you should direct the weight of your arm (the weight from your upper arm and your lower arm) to that side of the hand. I find that my wrist adjusts to accommodate this by moving to the right as well. This way, I am able to use the natural weight of my body to produce a full, beautiful sound. It takes much more work (and the sound isn't nearly as nice) to play the piano by the strength of your fingers alone.
I confess that I really like the return of the theme to be exactly as you described it: crazy, passionate, and fast. Practice it so that you can play it effectively fast or slow; in other words, you should be able to play it any number of ways: slow and tormented, fast with direction, loud and grand, quiet but intense, etc. Then in performance (and here's the kicker), you should let yourself go - let yourself be carried away by the music. That section is all about the passion and intensity of the moment.
Have fun with such beautiful music!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I just recently saw the 5 Browns in concert and they played a few of your transcriptions. How do you do it? Also, I was wondering - do you tour? If so, how could we mid-westerners catch a glimpse of you, or better yet, you and Ms. Roe??
- Eliza
Dear Eliza,
How do I compose for 5 pianos? Hmmm. I generally begin by conceptualizing how to best take advantage of my instrumentation (5 pianos). Even with the most challenging situations (slow and quiet music for five pianos, for example), I try to find ways to musically justify the existence of all the instruments on stage. I want my original compositions and arrangements for five pianos to sound like they couldn't have been written for any other instrumentation. In the case of arrangements, that often means completely rethinking my original musical source.
Unlike many composers, I don't really work at the piano. Instead, I usually hear everything in my head at once, and then I spend most of my time translating what I'm hearing to staff paper. The process usually takes a couples months to produce just a couple minutes of five piano music.
Do I tour? Yes, I do! You can check my website for the latest updates in my schedule, including the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo schedule. This year I've been preoccupied with writing my dissertation here at Yale University and composing another album's worth of music for The 5 Browns. As a result, I haven't been on the road as often as I'd like; however, next year I intend to spend a good deal of time on planes.
You mention that you are a Mid-Westerner; if you're from the Minnesota area, Liz and I will be performing in Twin Cities in April of 2008. If you're unable to attend the event, we hope that our upcoming CD, "Reimagine," can hold you over! It's set to be released on January 15th!
Hope to see you soon!
- Greg
hi Greg,
Do you have absolute pitch? What is your hand span?
- Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
Do I have absolute pitch? No. There are many times I wish I had perfect pitch; it would certainly make the process of composing much easier. Instead I have the much more common form of relative pitch.
What is my hand span? I can comfortably reach a tenth. If I approach the keys really slowly (stress: really slowly), I can reach an eleventh. Sometimes I wish my hands were smaller; it would make it easier to perform Mozart's music, but the large reach is useful for late-Romantic music and contemporary music.
Cheers!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I am 20 and a pre-medical student at a State University. Yet, I am unhappy because I wish to pursue music. I guess you can call it the "Berlioz Syndrome". Majoring in Piano or Music is bad because the State University that I attend does not have any good piano professors. I am wondering - do I continue to do pre-med and be the normal person with a good salary or do I go do something that I am passionate about even when I am old? What if I have a small repertoire that includes mostly Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin? Do you think that music is only pursuable for those who study it professionally at the age of 15 or younger and for those who win competitions in high school and college? I really dislike competitions, and I didn't compete at all in my younger years. I've asked this question (making music my life) to my piano teacher (who is very good-she is a moscow conservatory grad) and she told me that I certainly have the musicality and the emotions and some of the techniques down. I just need to practice practice and practice. Any advice?
- Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I certainly do not want to be responsible for a decision that you regret later in life, but I will cautiously offer a few random thoughts on the subject:
Good luck and best wishes!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I need an honest response. I'm 18 and I've been studying piano for a year and a half. My teacher studied at the Moscow Conservatory of music in Russia under Erina Smorodinova who was a student of Emil Gilels and he is incredibly talented. My first piece was a 3-movement sonatina by Clementi and I learned that in 2 months from scratch (No prior knowledge of piano or music at ALL) then I learned prelude No. 15 (Raindrop) by Chopin and mastered that within 3 months. I play both well and with much emotion. I am currently learning the Rachmaninoff Prelude in C sharp minor and I already can play two pages within a couple days. My question is what are the odds that I could make it as a concert pianist and under what circumstances. Keep in mind that my teacher continually drills exercises and other technical practices at the piano so that I am not simply attempting pieces that I have no hope of playing.
- John
Dear John,
I definitely recommend that you read what I wrote to "Anonymous" in my answer above. I started the piano when I was eight years old, and believe it or not, that was pretty old compared to my Juilliard classmates! Learning to play the piano is not unlike learning a foreign language - it's a lot easier when you are young. And similar to learning a language, its a skill that takes years upon years to master. By the time I was 18, I had spent 10 years practicing 2 - 6 hours every day, and I still had a lot to learn (and I still do!); when I went to college, I practiced even more.
The honest answer: it's very unlikely that you'll "make it" as a concert pianist, just as it is unlikely that Juilliard graduates will make it professionally as concert pianists. It's possible, but very, very unlikely. You have to love it enough to withstand setback after setback. That said, pianists have so many different roles in society other than that of a "concert pianist," roles that are important and deserve your consideration: music teacher, educational outreach performer, accompanist, composer, arranger, music series director, artistic director, researcher, choir conductor and organizer, music therapist, chamber musician, administrator, or my favorite: amateur. It's those pianists that are a part of society - pianists who aren't estranged on a stage - who really have the opportunity to make a profound difference in an individual's life in a personal way. If you really do love music, you will find a way to share it with people, regardless of your ability.
Best wishes!
- Greg
Dear Greg,
hey can i ask if your piano duet scores are for sale? i am interested in specifically the piazzolla's tango and the blue danube. Love it!! =)
- Jeremy
Dear Jeremy,
Thanks for your interest Jeremy! Unfortunately the Libertango arrangement and A New Account of the Blue Danube Waltzes are not for sale. Not only have Liz and I decided to make a couple of our arrangements exclusive for a while (we know, how nasty of us!), but several of our scores are still completely illegible (including both of these) and face an onslaught of copyright issues. The day I get around to settling these copyright issues and manage to notate the messy handwritten manuscripts into the computer, I will post the news on my website and email the mailing list. I hope that day won't be too far into the future, but I honestly cannot predict when this will be!
However, in the meantime, there are a number of other scores available for purchase. Visit the compositions page for more information. For those of you looking for wild four-hand/one-piano music, consider the Sabre Dance arrangement. Additionally, you will be able to hear several of my latest compositions on the upcoming Anderson & Roe Piano Duo CD, to be released early this winter, including "Erbarme Dich," "The Cat's Fugue," "The Cuckoo in Sussex," "Danse macabre: remix," and "The Swan," all available for sale.
- Greg
Dear Greg,
I'm very confused. I just turned 11. I have been playing since I was 3 and studied under the Suzuki method with one teacher until I was 8. I had finished up the fourth volume. Most of the pieces in Volume 3 & 4 are Sonatinas by Clementi, Kuhlau, Mozart, and Beethoven. My teacher moved so my dad hired another teacher. My dad spends most of my practice time with me. I began to learn Beethoven's Sonata Op2 No1. I love this piece but it took me eight months to lean the first three movements. He has me working on Hanon, scales, Czerny Op599, for technique. I am also playing the Inventions and Sinfonias along with some romantic pieces from Denes Agay's book. My current teacher wants me to put the Beethoven Sonata aside and start learning all the Clementi Sonatas because he believes that physically I am not ready for these pieces. He also wants me to avoid playing Chopin for now which I really love listening to. My dad spoke with the former teacher of mine and he said that if you want to seriously compete in the major competitions, which I do, I have to start learning the Sonatas by Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin works like the Preludes and Etudes now. He disagrees with my current teacher because he believes that the teacher may not have the patience or knowledge of how to teach a younger student advanced pieces. My current teacher is very detailed and we spend vast amounts of time on Clementi alone and expects to spend two years on these pieces. I'll be 13 then. He believes that Clementi works are a precursor to Beethoven works. What concerns me is that when I see the bios on winners that win the major competitions most of them were playing concertos among other advanced pieces when they were 9. What are your thoughts about the direction I should proceed with?
- Celina
Dear Celina,
I responded to a similar question on this "Ask Greg" page, and I'm going to answer yours in the same manner: listen to your teacher. Your teacher, especially in this case, seems to know what he is doing.
You've certainly hit upon one of my pet peeves: students trying to tackle pieces beyond their skill level. It is dangerous physically, pianistically, and musically. If you rush through advanced repertoire, it is very likely that you will miss opportunities to explore your musicality or your personal approach to the piano. It is also likely that you will develop some bad, bad habits in your technique - habits that will follow and plague you for the rest of your life.
I remember being just as confused as you; I heard about the teenage prodigies who brought a new concerto in for their lessons every week, and I thought I had to do the same thing. Instead, my teacher taught me patience. She was extremely detailed in her approach to the music, and that sense for detail opened my ears to a new world of precision and craftsmanship at a very early age. It was invaluable training, in my opinion.
There is no hurry! My parents wanted nothing more than for their three sons to be "well-rounded," happy children, and I believe it made all the difference. I certainly wouldn't be the pianist I am today without having spent all that time outside building tree forts, participating in the science clubs, and visiting the public library on a weekly basis. I know plenty of young pianists who spend eight hours a day practicing, but I think it is completely unnecessary. There are SO many child prodigies out there, and although eight hours of daily practice may give you early fame and a host of compliments, it will do very little to provide any sort of career later on.
Build a firm foundation as a pianist now, and later you will be able to pursue anything you want. Truly elegant, insightful, and beautiful playing is so rare in people your age. Not that it really means anything, but in high school, I won competition after competition playing Mozart and Bach, not Rachmaninoff and Liszt like my competitors. (That is not a slam to Rachmaninoff and Liszt - I love their music - I truly do. It just shows that Mozart and Bach played well can be more impressive than more technically difficult music.) And the Clementi sonatas! Some of them are masterpieces! You shouldn't be complaining! How lucky you are to be able to play them at such an early age.
And now that I've already said more than enough, I feel I must take a moment to state my passionate thoughts on the matter of competitions. Be wary. Please don't turn competitions into your driving force, into your reason to be. Competitions can be so dangerous.
Competitions train audiences and pianists to listen critically. I found that after spending too long in the competition circuit, I lost my ability to listen and enjoy. When I was eight, I listened to a Mozart concerto for the first time and I nearly squealed with delight. It was bliss. After attending competition after competition, I found that I couldn't listen to a Mozart concerto without picking the pianist apart; I listened for what was wrong rather than what was right and beautiful. And even worse, I found myself continually making comparisons; "this is better than that!," "I liked his interpretation better than hers," etc.. Comparison is healthy to a certain extent, but it becomes detrimental when we lose the ability to listen with an open mind or the ability to simply enjoy what each person has to offer. (Please see the latest Anderson & Roe music video for a satire on the subject of critical listening!) I'm confident that I'm not the only music listener who has been jaded by the prevalence of competitions in our culture.
Not only do competitions transform the way we listen, but they influence the repertoire chosen by pianists for performance. Even if the competition repertoire is "free choice," only a select portion of the piano repertoire is appropriate. Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze is a great work but rarely programmed in competitions - it's too long and it isn't flashy enough. The music of Satie is completely inappropriate on a competition program - it's too simple and esoteric, and it can be very polarizing with the judges. Grieg's lyric pieces aren't serious enough, Handel isn't as good as Bach, too many transcriptions are bad, too many unknown pieces intimidate the judges, and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies are deemed "cheap" music by some. And goodness, if your specialty is New Music and not music of the Classical era, too bad, because you won't satisfy the judges desire to select a well-rounded pianist. And goodness, if you like to compose yourself, don't try to program your own compositions in competition programs.
Then, there is the whole element of winners and losers. In most major competitions I've seen, amazing pianists (truly amazing) are cut in the first round. It seems that creative and personal performers do not do well. They may win over some of the jury members, but they are bound to offend others. Competitions are kind to the consistent and predictable - very kind - $50,000 kind - lots of engagements and press kind. But interestingly enough, very few who win secure sturdy concert careers. Audiences don't return to hear these winners again, and concert presenters don't reengage them. Who won the last Queen Elizabeth? the last Tchaikovsky? the last Leeds? I forgot.
I passionately believe that competitions have done significant damage to the world of classical music. It has transformed music from an art to a sport.
Instead of playing the piano to win competitions, I offer an alternative: play music to change the world, to discover yourself, to explore humanity, and to bring people together. Play music that is relevant to you and find ways to make it relevant to others.
Happy practicing!
- Greg
