Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner How's your self control in the presence of a piano.

Me i have no self control, the second I spot a piano anywhere I have to play it, I have to make a scene, I have to evoke a musical atmosphere. Its really bad sometimes. I know i'm not the only one so fess up people.

There's a saying that the difference between professional and amateur musicians is that the professional won't start playing until you pay him, while the amateur won't stop playing until you pay him.

Actually, I think there's some truth to the statement above. When I was younger, I had to go play every piano I saw. Nowadays I act much more professional... :p

My self-control is good. The reasoning is that people don't want to hear me hack away at the instrument, and if they did they'd pay admission at my recital. :p

Mine is OK. And, frankly, I'm not all that fond of being asked to play something in a social setting unless everybody there is expecting it. Sure, if I'm around a bunch of friends and everybody knows that I play, I'm glad to do it. But if there are lots of people there whom I don't know, I'm always worried that they will think either that I'm an insufferable showoff or part of the hired help.

Very strong, if there are people around.

Moderate. If it's a piano at someone's home in a social setting, I don't play it - that would be too much like showing off. If it's a piano in a shopping mall, or in a piano store, or some other public location, I always go for it and play until some security guard or other comes to kick me out.

I tend not to do things that I find annoying when I see other people do them. "Showing off" is a trait associated with the immature.

Don
Kansas City

I very seldom will just walk up and start playing. I'm afraid someone will come up and say, "Hey, can you play ..." And I'll have to say, "No, at least not without music." Or, even worse, someone will start singing. Odds are, they'll either be very bad or they'll be very good. Either way, it'd be ugly.

I always gotta check out the piano anywhere I go. The meetings I go to are usually in churches and there is usually a piano there. I'm too self-conscious to play, plus I know I have no talent so I won't play anything.

I haven't had lessons for years, plus I'm selling my piano to our next door neighbors. I'll make sure I get visitation rights.

As a beginner, I'm still pretty self conscious about playing in front of people, so its really not a matter of self control for me.

i'm getting better.

just started a new job not long ago, and the building has a player piano in the lobby. the first week, i was passing by after work and thinking about touching it, and 2nd week, i started sitting there and playing, and 3rd week, i still play sometimes, but less, and now 4th week, i hardly touching it anymore, except i still look at it whenever i pass it...

no, I don't do that. I also think it can be very annoying and kind of showing off. It's also kind of selfish, to assume that everyone wants to listen to you, it could be they don't want to hear you playing or that you are bothering them. It's also kind of assuming that you think you are better than other people around, and maybe there are other people around who could play the piano a lot better than you, but don't feel the need to monopolize the event or atmosphere. I don't think really good pianists feel the need to start playing every piano they see.

What is the point, really -- if you have a piano at home, you have all the time you want to play. The only time I do something like that is if I'm traveling or at a business conference or someplace away from home and looking for something to do in my spare time -- then if I saw a decent piano in a side room or lounge somewhere that was accessible and unused, and people didn't have other activities in the area, I might play it some.

Because I see so many players running up to the piano to play heart and soul or "Hey There Delilah" or some little ditty they think is wonderful, i refrain from playing in public. Though, I have been asked by other people to 'school them' and 'put them in their place', those people thinking they're the best playing heart and soul. (Not just playing it for fun, really thinking they're th ebest). I usually hope no one asks me to play, but sometiems I must.

I wouldn't play anything unless asked but I do have an urge to at least pet the creature. I'm much the same with cats, dogs and horses.

I don't show off, I have better manners, but i do always ask about the piano. It always leads to at least one playing of it. Good ice breaker if you're someplace with people you're not familiar with.

*to above post*
That it is. (good icebreaker)

I do it for a living, so control is not an issue. My place of business must have a dozen or so pianos. My job sure teaches you to think on your feet/seat FAST!!

The only time that I feel like I need to play the piano just because I know it is there is at school. I lot of times I will go play it during lunch or right after school is over, and playing in a public place so often has made me somewhat get over my shyness of playing in front of people.

In my class, at the royal college of music, theres always one student who will sit and play around on the grand piano during break time/lunch, ect, when people are trying to talk and relax in the classroom. He is one of the worst pianist in the class (mainly self-taught), and really immature as a person.

It really starts to **** me off when he does that every single day, but I have no desire to ambush him and perform myself, as I dont want to be accused of showing off, which I dont need. I just dont want to hear him play all day! How can some people be so insensitive to their surroundings?

Do you have any tips on how to go about quieting this person down? I dont want to come off as a bad guy, telling him to stop, because he has some fans in class (who are at about his skill-level..), so I´m likely to be voted down. Am I doomed to hear him everyday until college ends?

Sorry if this is too off-topic, but I´ve been carrying this weight for a while. At least it seems to strenghten the theory that it´s the worst pianists that are the loudest.

"Am I doomed to hear him everyday until college ends?"

Is he not more likely to drop off? More often than not time is, as they say, a gentleman...