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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
The outliers like the little girl in the video don't get me down because I recognize them for what they are, anomalies. More difficult are comparisons with those I would regard as cohorts. That's where the danger lies.
Three-year-olds playing credibly well: there will always be a unicorn or two out and about in the piano universe. I love that the little girl is singing/humming along. That shows me that she is really enjoying what she's doing and it's not something a parent has pressed her into doing for the purpose of showing off.
Yamaha C3X In summer, the song sings itself. --William Carlos Williams
And what do you have against cute little girls that sing?
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
It was kinda an inside joke. But it related to threads that recur. Child prodigy makes us normal people feel substandard. Parents proud of their children but probably are pushing them beyond reason. Yada, yada, yada!
It was kinda an inside joke. But it related to threads that recur. Child prodigy makes us normal people feel substandard. Parents proud of their children but probably are pushing them beyond reason. Yada, yada, yada!
Normality is relative.
And the little girl is adorable, dude...
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
Well I don’t know if this will help, but the kid’s playing may be note-correct, but otherwise it’s pretty bad. As an adult, you will be able to progress past the “I know the notes†of this piece and make it sound lovely. This cute little girl has many years before she develops that part of playing skill.
No shade to the kid. For three years old she’s unbelievable! But let’s not let it get us down.
Well I don’t know if this will help, but the kid’s playing may be note-correct, but otherwise it’s pretty bad. As an adult, you will be able to progress past the “I know the notes†of this piece and make it sound lovely. This cute little girl has many years before she develops that part of playing skill.
She actually played lots of wrong notes. She may well be able to play more musically by 5 or 6.
Maybe we should all calculate how much time we waste looking for these cute videos, uploading them, then admiring/losing your head over them , then deciding why bother to practice when there's no chance you can be three years old and cute again, even if you have the 'Back to the Future' car (which is presently in the Louvre alongside the Mona Lisa, I've been informed), and suddenly realizing that you were far cuter and charming at that age (according to your adoring parents) and also already knew at that age that when you're 100 (or whatever your present age is), you will still be playing the piano to wow yourself (and everyone who hears you), whereas that cutie in the YT video would have given up at ten and turned her charming gifts towards, er, inventing new potions for rejuvenating ageing skin like yours.
I just calculated my wasted time, and it came to two minutes - the time it took to type this post (I'm a slow typer - I can only use both index fingers) .
Just to cheer everyone up. This is the great Rudolf Serkin at 74. He once said "I start to warm up after eight hours' practice."
I'll never be 3 again, but hopefully I will be playing in my 70s, so this inspires me.
I also saw Martha Argerich play a few months ago -in her 78th year. She was incredible, and I don't mean "incredible for her age". She was incredible for any age.
Maybe we should all calculate how much time we waste looking for these cute videos, uploading them, then admiring/losing your head over them , then deciding why bother to practice when there's no chance you can be three years old and cute again, even if you have the 'Back to the Future' car (which is presently in the Louvre alongside the Mona Lisa, I've been informed), and suddenly realizing that you were far cuter and charming at that age (according to your adoring parents) and also already knew at that age that when you're 100 (or whatever your present age is), you will still be playing the piano to wow yourself (and everyone who hears you), whereas that cutie in the YT video would have given up at ten and turned her charming gifts towards, er, inventing new potions for rejuvenating ageing skin like yours.
I just calculated my wasted time, and it came to two minutes - the time it took to type this post (I'm a slow typer - I can only use both index fingers) .
So, back to the piano.......(not to the Future).
If I could go back 60 seconds, I wouldn't have wasted my time on this post jk lol I was at the Louve this summer; no Delorean. Then again, maybe it was there, just at a different time!
I agree with Sam's advise, but I do also know where weaklefthand is coming from.
There are some days where life has thrown a few spanners in your direction and something stupid and ridiculous is the thing that tips you over the edge. I suspect weaklefthand already knows not to do these comparisons, just sometimes your brain automatically does it for you when you are at your weakest and most vulnerable.
+1. Sam's advice is good, BUT, I also understand where weaklefthand is coming from
I can see why a professional pianist might be concerned about their skill relative to another pianist or their progress because their livelihood depends on it. But I really don't understand why amateurs would be concerned. But maybe that 's because I've played piano for so long I don't think about how I might play in a few years.
I think an important thing to understand is that once one reaches around an advanced intermediate stage the piano literature is filled in endless masterpieces to enjoy.
"I think an important thing to understand is that once one reaches around an advanced intermediate stage the piano literature is filled in endless masterpieces to enjoy."
I agree with you but I even would expand to intermediate stage onward. There is so much music out there to explore. Weaklefthand enjoy the journey.
All these years playing and I still consider myself a novice.
Don't want to offend anybody using the term "tiger parenting". It is often used to describe Asian parents who pushed their kids to succeed in different areas including academics, sports, music, etc. at a young age.
My parents were never "tiger parents". They believe people are born with good genes that would allow them to excel in different areas. If someone has an interest in music and show talent, he/she would be able to play Mozart at a young age without pushing. Coming from a non-musical family the option of having a music teacher was always an option but nobody was pushed to get to a certain conservatory level. Nowadays there is the Internet and a lot of people are learning on their own without a teacher.
A cousin got his 2 kids into piano & violin (probably in the Suzuki or Yamaha program). He showed the rest of the family a recording of his kids at a recital with a lot of hesitation. The father tends to behave like a tiger dad. The kids were taught a second language at a young age. There is art class as well as Taekwando to fill up the week. As good as his kids performed, he wouldn't upload any of their music recordings online.
A lot of parents would enroll their kids in a music program or with a private teacher with good intentions. Not everybody including myself want their music recordings to be online unless the quality is good. Some people would do it for the sake of getting feedback so that they can improve on their playing rather than as a 'show-off'. Some performance videos you see online may be the better ones. Many would practice music in private for many years without giving a performance even in front of their relatives & friends.
Last year I went to a piano recital at a library auditorium that featured Ryan Wang (the 9 year-old prodigy). He performed the entire 40m concert from memory without reading a single note. He said a few words before & after and really showed his enthusiasm and his passion for music. Ryan did appear on the Ellen show. He already made a name for himself at a young age with video recordings made by a local TV network so his parents doesn't need to show-off.
Don't want to offend anybody using the term "tiger parenting". It is often used to describe Asian parents who pushed their kids to succeed in different areas including academics, sports, music, etc. at a young age.
My parents were never "tiger parents". They believe people are born with good genes that would allow them to excel in different areas. If someone has an interest in music and show talent, he/she would be able to play Mozart at a young age without pushing. Coming from a non-musical family the option of having a music teacher was always an option but nobody was pushed to get to a certain conservatory level. Nowadays there is the Internet and a lot of people are learning on their own without a teacher.
A cousin got his 2 kids into piano & violin (probably in the Suzuki or Yamaha program). He showed the rest of the family a recording of his kids at a recital with a lot of hesitation. The father tends to behave like a tiger dad. The kids were taught a second language at a young age. There is art class as well as Taekwando to fill up the week. As good as his kids performed, he wouldn't upload any of their music recordings online.
A lot of parents would enroll their kids in a music program or with a private teacher with good intentions. Not everybody including myself want their music recordings to be online unless the quality is good. Some people would do it for the sake of getting feedback so that they can improve on their playing rather than as a 'show-off'. Some performance videos you see online may be the better ones. Many would practice music in private for many years without giving a performance even in front of their relatives & friends.
Last year I went to a piano recital at a library auditorium that featured Ryan Wang (the 9 year-old prodigy). He performed the entire 40m concert from memory without reading a single note. He said a few words before & after and really showed his enthusiasm and his passion for music. Ryan did appear on the Ellen show. He already made a name for himself at a young age with video recordings made by a local TV network so his parents doesn't need to show-off.
I love that the little girl is singing/humming along. That shows me that she is really enjoying what she's doing and it's not something a parent has pressed her into doing for the purpose of showing off.![[Linked Image]](https://forum.pianoworld.com//gallery/42/medium/15854.png)
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![[Linked Image]](https://forum.pianoworld.com//gallery/42/medium/12283.png)
