Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Chopin's signature

However this is no body art I'm doing here, just a way to show my devotion to Chopin... That will probably be the only tattoo that I'll ever have, and it'll probably be about two inches square...

I've read about the risks too and started looking for shops with good reputation in my area...

I think it's a stupid idea. You don't need a tattoo to show your dedication to Chopin. It just shows you are obsessed with him. Aren't you supposed to be obsessed with his music and not his self? Because you are tattooing a physical characteristic of his onto your skin, that's just creepy!

Please intrigue us with a scary story involving a tattoo then.

I don't mean tattoos in general, just this one. What's special about his signature? While we are at it, why don't I tattoo Mark Twain's signature on my chest to show how much I like his works...

I just wanted to share my opinion, it sounds weird to me to want to do such a thing, I understand it, but it still bothers me for some reason.

To me, tattoos mean that the person carrying them has issues I really would rather not have to deal with. One of which is the "I'm so desperate to be cool that I have to get a tattoo or else I'll die" issue.

In the West, maybe. In other cultures tattoos often are symbols of life changing events, spirtual events, commitments. I don't think one can interpret the significance of anyone's markings until one has seen them from the inside out.

I think the best place for a tat is on the back shoulder blades. My brother just got a tat of an eagle holding the flag. Its actually kind of cool. I probably wont ever get one.

But if I did I would only put it somewhere where its not really visible. Like on the back, But putting tats on the face, neck, arm leg etc is too visible, and is not very professional looking.

Somewhere in my vast T-shirt collection I have one with the first page of the 'Butterfly' etude on it. Always interesting to see who recognizes it.

As for tattoos, to each his own, personally I've never had much desire for one, though it seems like most of my mates have them... in some very interesting places I might add.

Goodness, even I never considered putting his name on my body! Or anyone else's name, for that matter. But I'm not criticizing.

There's a film about Glenn Gould in which a young woman who is extremely involved with his work has a tattoo of the beginning of a piece of his on her lower back. That might be another, more enigmatic way to do it.

For me I suppose it would have to be Op. 17 No. 4.

My daughter has an incredibly obscure Kurt Vonnegut reference on her shoulder. (The "Unwavering Band of Light" from Breakfast of Champions.) The idea is great, but the tattoo itself is ugly, IMO, and doesn't suit that part of the body. Oh, well.

Makes me wonder what sort of tattoo Chopin himself might want to get.

Elene

GS/FC in a heart if he were crazy

After a certain age, humans do not go through a "i'm so desperate to be cool" stage again. Please read what Frycek posted about the meaning of it.

Yeah I'm sure I'd be considered way cooler with a Chopin tattoo... I barely know anyone who actually knows him, so I surely won't tattoo his signature to look cooler, when no one knows what the tattoo would actually be...
Now I never said I would do it, I only considered the idea, and it would be somewhere hidden...
I respect opinions but please be respectful.

I hope I did not appear disrespectful-- that was not my intention.

And after all, much older folks, certainly past any desperate to be cool stage, do get tattoos. At least around here they do, in large numbers.

His name is written on my heart, that's for sure.

Elene

There are two types of people in the world, those with tattoos, and those without. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. I think it's important to respect self expression whatever form it takes. I have on my left fore arm a tattoo of the Phoenix Rising from the Ashes. It has to do with a life and death ordeal I endured. A lady once came up to me and saw it. She emphatically stated "I hate tattoos!". I politely suggested she not get one.

I think tattoos look fantastic. If I was passionate about something, which unfortunately I am not, I would tattoo a symbol of it on my forehead, neck or knuckles.

Also, a tattoo is a great way of communicating your thoughts to the rest of the world. Without a tattoo, the average person has no way of knowing about your deepest thinking.

Also, getting a tattoo tells the world that you are among that elite group of people who get tattoos, like some of the world's greatest scientists, doctors and pianists.

To those people who say that a tattoo is a desperate way of attracting attention, or conformity for non-conformity's sake, I say fooey. Fooey.

Biff

My friend, a fellow bass player, and I once said after high school we would get a tat of the bass clef symbol on our arms. Still might... might not... Who knows.

... and those other elite, the bikers and the wrestlers ....

Why do I have to tell the world that I'm a member of an elite group of people?

I wouldn't go as far as to say having a tattoo signifies being part of an elite group. But, it's more of a daily reminder of a significant, perhaps, life changing event that has occurred. A tattoo for a purpose of joining a group, though it does has some validity, is something I would not consider for a split second. But, a tattoo that has a very deep personal meaning, is a means to reconcile with your past as well as way to shape your life in the future.

I don't think it's about being elite at all. It's about me being me. And I would have to add, in addition to making music, I love riding my Harley-Davidson in the wide open sky.....................

I have a friend with a tattoo that sometimes says USA. Other times, it says United States of America.

And I once dated a girl that had the letter W tattooed on each butt cheek. When she bent over, it said WOW. It's one of the more popular tattoos.

Biff