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I don;t think famous pianists are lying but I think rather that the pieces he practises are very advanced anyway so he uses scales, trills, octaves, finger runs, thirds, sixths etc. within those pieces he plays. You would only have to play for twenty minutes playing Chopin etudes to have a workout on scales, thirds, sixths, octaves at high speed to maintain both technique and artistry. Two HOURS of playing etudes or concertos or sonatas would maintain a very high level of playing - in two hours you could play three concertos, or both books of Chopin's etudes, or 8 Beethoven sonatas. I think that would be enough for anyone! My music teacher used to practise Chopin's Black Keys study everyday to keep his fingers loose and nothing else.

After hearing Paganini Liszt famously practised trills, thirds, scales, sixths, octaves ... for 5-6 hours a day.

Zombie thread has risen from the grave!

That's a good point. According to the Glenn Plaskin biography, Horowitz told his pupil Byron Janis (in the 1940's) that he (Horowitz) only practices for two hours a day. However, in a 1932 interivew, Horowitz said: "I practice four hours a day and have done so for years. An artist must keep up a large repertoire, and must continually add to it. The new compositions require new technic also." http://nettheim.com/horowitz/horowitz32.html

It is not the first time.... We live in Zombieland....

I know this is a zombie thread, but I couldn't resist commenting on this:



I love Gould, and though I don't find this offensive, I think it misses the point a bit. He definitely cultivated his persona, image and perception. He was also genuinely loopy, and a genius, and at the same time insightful and able to speak effectively and plainly about music. He was an ardent fan of, and user of media, believing that a recording/broadcast should be crafted, and that means manipulation. There was no subterfuge there - it is stated and plain.

What I do think is silly is when people get too wrapped up in whether Gould's output, or anything, is "authentic". A better question is, is it interesting?

The other thing I would say is that hearing him talk about music, he is one of the most accessible - and at the same time complex - commentators and broadcasters that I have ever heard discussing classical music. If you haven't seen any of that footage, I recommend watching it, and maybe that will add some insight into what he was up to.

Time is of no consequence in the creative process.

yes more relax and understand with ur mind when u r out from ur piano...

Noone ever gets a virtuoso technique without lots and lots and lots of practice. I read some reliable research done a few years ago which found that the main difference between a sucessful concert pianist and a jobbing one trying to make ends meet is simply the much greater amount of hours the former puts into daily practice, especially in their childhood and teens.

One can easily see what's happening now with Asian pianists dominating the conservatoires and music colleges in USA: the Chinese have very strong work ethic drilled into them from childhood as well as respect for elders and teachers etc - this applies even to second generation immigrants. The applicants of Chinese descent for those institutions likely practise twice as much as those from other ethnic groups. They're not necessarily more innately talented than the others. Tiger mums (and dads) are common amoung Chinese families.