Harry Potter

What was it like meeting Daniel Radcliffe? What was he like? What was Emma like? How long were you an intern for Goblet of Fire?
Harry Potter Fan

Dear Harry Potter Fan,

Are you really a piano student?? I've received many questions of this nature, and I'll remind you - I'd love to post the journals from my experience, but I'm under heavy confidentiality restrictions! Everyone was so nice to me during my stay at the Leavesden Studios - I'd rather not break their trust. Perhaps sometime soon I'll receive permission to post some of my journals from the experience. For now, I'll touch on these, but then I need to get back to practicing the piano!

- It was a surreal experience meeting Daniel Radcliffe - After seeing actors on huge, gigantic screens, it sometimes slips the mind that they are real people. Dan was so down-to-earth and friendly that it was hard for me to connect this person to the cinema. He seemed like he could have been my next-door neighbor! Actually, I think he's got to be one of the most intelligent, friendly, sincere, and unassuming 15-year-olds I will ever meet. Every time he saw me, on or off the sets, he'd make a point to say hello and give me a huge smile. On several occasions, he'd make his way over and we'd chat as if we'd known each other for years - I was completely amazed. Emma was exactly the same. They both were genuinely interested in everything BUT themselves - something pretty impressive, considering their position. While I'd be trying to talk with them about the movie, they'd be asking if I was having a good time, what I was up to, or how my flights went.

- I was in England for 10 days and I spent 5 days interning on the sets. I also saw Dan and Emma during the two MTV shows I did in New York and London.

- Greg

Practicing Four-Hands

Dear Greg,
Our four hands of fingers get tangled when playing the "Waltz of the Flowers" from the Nutcracker. Any suggestions??
Muddled in Mahtomedi :)

Dear Muddled,

That's the fun of four-hand playing - tangled fingers, limbs, feet, etc.! Liz and I routinely become weak from laughter during our rehearsals!

The element of physical navigation is unique to four hands at one piano, and it is helpful to isolate the issue and practice it separately. When you practice your parts individually, make sure you practice as if the other pianist is there. Drill things like "going over" or "under," "around" or "elbow in," so that you remember everything when you and your partner practice together.

That said, there are a couple tricks you may want to consider:

• Try placing two benches in front of the keys at a slight angle to one another so that the pianist make a "V" (facing each other). It gives you more elbow room.
• Instead of cramming your elbows into your sides (the top player's left elbow and the bottom player's right), try elevating or lowering your elbow so that it sits above or below your partner's elbow. Although it is awkward, I find it to be much less technically restricting than playing with my elbow stuck in my side!
• In particularly nasty points, consider switching the left and right hand parts of the two pianists. Although it may not make musical sense (and "goodness!", you'll have to cross the invisible line many composers insist on drawing down the keyboard), it's frequently easier. When the two pianists cross hands, it forces them to utilize "Trick #2."

Four-hand playing it very similar to dancing - the hands and fingers are like a pair of dancers' feet - it can be just as beautiful to watch as it is to listen!

-Greg

Scales and Pieces

Dear Greg,
I am an older piano student currently working on my Grade 8 RCM piano level (busily preparing for my pending theory and piano practical exams) - in short, I have a passion for the piano and love to practice 1.2 to 2 hours per day. My practice routine consists of a half-hour of required technical elements (scales, chords, arpeggios, sight reading, ear training, ... etc.) with the remaining 1 to 1.5 hours practicing both new and learned repertoire. What are your thoughts on quality of practice versus quantity? What are your thoughts on practicing finger exercises (Hanon, Czerny, etc.) and studies? I personally believe that these finger exercises/studies eat up precious practice time and provide very little gain.
Many thanks,
Devoted Practicer

Dear Devoted Practicer,

I encourage you to examine the source of your passion for the piano. Ask yourself why you play the piano. to become a professional? ARCT goals? competing with someone else? to play that certain piece?

Many people seem to forget why they spend all that time at the piano. I know this sounds cheesy, but the reason I practice is because I love music. I'm serious! I am drawn to the piano every day by the beauty of music. Whether the music be easy or difficult, I love to take it apart, note by note, and hold it up to the light and say, "Wow! Isn't that amazing?!" I inspect everything under a microscope, marvel at its craftsmanship, and polish it well. Then I put it back together again and let it carry me away.

I have never been able to practice scales or exercises. They don't inspire me. Where's the beauty? A Chopin etude, sure, but not a Hanon exercise.

Over the years, my devotion to detail and beauty has worked for me. My technique improves naturally with each piece I play, and I have never tired of practicing. Could I have improved at a faster rate? Perhaps, but I enjoyed the path I followed.

- Greg

"Practice...How Long?"

Dear Greg,
 ...Like yourself I have a profound love of music - pure and simple. ... Perhaps you could comment as to whether (in your professional opinion) - 1.5 to 2 hours of daily practice (all that I can possibly squeeze in) suffices to acquire sufficient technique in due time to play major piano repertoire. Thanks again for your time.
Best regards,
Devoted Practicer

Dear Devoted Practicer,

I apologize in advance; my answer is going to be very annoying. :-)

I have seen quite a number of pianists sail through Juilliard without putting in more than a couple hours of practice per week. I don’t know what they do during the day (academics, video games, friends, TV?), but come concert time, they walk on stage and play with unbelievable inspiration and accuracy.

There were also the pianists who would wake up every morning at the crack of dawn to snag the best practice rooms, and they would stay until the cleaning ladies kicked them out at closing time. To increase their concentration, these virtuosos would cover the windows and limit all social interaction to two 15-minute meals. It came as no surprise that they were also fantastic pianists.

Nobody is going to acquire the skills for Gaspard de la nuit over night; it takes years (upon years!) of experience before the act of playing the piano feels natural. Regardless (and the point is:), everyone has different practice room needs. Many people can handle the world’s most substantial repertoire on 1.5 – 2 hours of daily practice, but even more people would find this insufficient.

If you are already practicing as much as you have time for, why worry about it? Enjoy every minute that you spend at the piano. You may step back from it all in a few years and say, “Wow, just look at how I’ve improved!” It is VERY unlikely that 1.5 – 2 hours of daily practice would ever lead to the opposite.

Good luck!

- Greg

Memorizing on a Deadline

Hi Greg!
I always enjoy your website and appreciate the support you give to young musicians. I have one question--how do you memorize music on a deadline? I'm looking for a fast but reliable method of memorization.
 - Katie

Dear Katie,

Oh, memory! I hate memorizing music! You'll hear a lot of pianists speak about how they play better without music; and then you'll hear them say that all pianists play better from memory -- that a pianist only really knows a piece once it's memorized. I think this is a load of baloney. It is incredibly close-minded too.

Everybody learns differently. Some people have to write things down, others need to see it, and others need to hear it. Some people rely on rote memory, photographic memory, analytical memory, or aural memory. I remember dutifully taking notes during school classes for years; I thought that was the best way to learn. The trouble was: I couldn't concentrate both on spelling words and listening to the teacher. It wasn't until my third year of college that I realized I learned better -- and retained information better -- if I simply listened to the teacher. No notes at all!

With that distinction in mind, I believe many pianists could perform better with the music in front of them, but they have been lead to believe that they are inferior unless they memorize the score. As a visual person, when I can see the curves and shapes of the counterpoint in a Bach fugue, I play very differently. Unfortunately, I usually just bend to conventions and play from memory anyway.

The memory techniques that I use may not work for you; nevertheless, here goes:

• I memorize just a section of music at a time.
• I learn and memorize everything hands separately.
• I have many, many, many "memory points" -- points in the score that I can jump to at any moment. I rarely find myself actually jumping to a memory point; instead, I use them as stability pillars -- they are like buoys keeping me afloat.

Good luck finding what works for you!

- Greg (Oct. 25, 2009)

Orchestral Pianist

Dear Greg,
First let me begin by saying that I discovered you and your musical brilliance via youtube and that extravagant video of you and your accompaniest's interpretaton of "The Blue Danube", an exceptionally well demonstrated piece of art I must say. Anyway in light of seeing your evidently incredibly skills I took some time to look at my own, and though I've only been playing piano for about three years (with rapid improvement due to my prior musical learning via the flute for about 6 years) I was interested in doing it as a career. I just want to know if I'm being realistic. I'm twenty years old now and working on building a repotoire to apply for an undergrad school (certainly nothing as prestigous as Juilliard, perhaps I could end up there for grad school). If my private teacher thinks I have the talent and technique to pursue it do you think it's unrealistic to fulfill my dreams of being a orchestral pianist? Am I just too old to start working towards a dream like that? I'm sure you get numerous variations of this question but any other answer than one specifically catered to my personal question just simply won't do. My sincerest thanks for your time in even bothering to answer. All the best in your own musical endeavours! Your are certainly a talented and devoted individual!
 - Lawrence Scanlan 

Dear Lawrence,

Wow. An orchestral pianist! That is a fantastic idea, but there are a few things you should know about the position:

• Orchestral piano jobs are very hard to come by. There are few positions and the demand for them is high.
• Orchestral piano jobs are usually part time. Most orchestral pianists I know have other jobs on the side.
• Some orchestral pianists are also employed by the orchestra to play in chamber ensembles with other orchestral musicians -- they are expected to be multi-faceted musicians that can fit in whenever and wherever they are needed.
• Orchestral piano jobs often come through "connections" -- in other words, current members of the orchestra often recommend pianists they like to fill this role.
• Orchestral pianists MUST be able to count. The few orchestral piano playing jobs I've taken over the years have made significant demands on my ability to count empty bars (49 bars of rest +3 bars of 5/8 time +7.5 bars of prestissimo 3/4 time, then PLAY!)

Orchestral piano playing is a unique and fun universe! I wish you the best in your pursuits.

- Greg (Nov. 4, 2009)

L'escalier Du Diable

Dear Greg,
I recently stumbled over your interpretation of "L'escalier du diable" on youtube and have to say that I love it. It´s better than any interpretation I heard before. I really would like to buy it in a high quality version. Is it somwhere available or can you make it available e.g. on iTunes. Thanks a lot!
 -Rainer

Dear Greg,
I saw your video of Ligety's "The Devil's staircase" and i loved it (i posted a comment in youtube). Do you have a record with this composition? Thank you in advance.
 - Eduardo Pola

Dear Rainer and Eduardo,

Thank you for your ultra kind and flattering comments! Unfortunately I have not yet professionally recorded the etude. I certainly hope to some day, but it may be a while; the album I am currently preparing does not include the etude.

Best!

- Greg (Nov. 4, 2009)

Enough Practice?

Hi Greg,
First I would like to congratulate you on you amazing achievements at such a young age. I am a 54 year old mother and a true music lover. As a teenager I studies piano for about 4 years. When I fell in love (with my husband), he became the centre of my universe. There was no room in my life for my piano I thought. Sad to say after 30 years of marriage he vanished from my life (I believe forever). I was heart-broken. One day I found a used piano in a local furniture store. I bought it and started to practice. It was depressing at first. After 25 years (minimum) of not touching the piano I had forgotten everything. I could not even read notes past one octave. I struggled to say the least. It’s been exactly 1 ½ years now. I am happy to say that now I can sight-read quite well and I am playing at about grade 8 level. I practice 3 ½ - 4 hours per day. I want to become a meaningful and a very natural pianist. Please tell my how long will it take? Thanks a million notes.
 - Emma Votre Fan

Hi Emma,

First off, I am sorry for your troubled experiences, but I'm happy to learn that you found some respite in music.

At 3.5 to 4 hours of practice a day, I'd say you're well on your way to becoming a skilled pianist. Of course, it's impossible to answer such a subjective question -- how can I possibly articulate the definition of a "meaningful and natural pianist" and the hours necessary to become one??

My advice to you: forget how long it will take to become "good" or "better" -- instead, focus on having a wonderful time doing exactly what you are doing right now. Enjoy practicing the pieces you are currently learning and forget about what is yet to come. I've been playing the piano for over 20 years, but I've loved *every* day of it.

- Greg (Nov. 4, 2009)

Live In the Moment

Greg,
its the second time im asking this question and nobody cares.im 27 ,ive been playing for about 3 years.im not good enough but i 'd love to become a good pianist,what should i do?and is it possible considering my age and few years of playing?
  - Celine

Celine,

You'd have a better chance at winning the lottery than becoming a concert pianist at this point in your life. That said, there is no doubt in my mind that you could become a "good" pianist someday in the future. Actually, who knows, perhaps you already are a fantastic pianist.

My advice for you is the same advice I gave to Emma above: forget how long it will take to become "good" or "better" -- instead, focus on having a wonderful time doing exactly what you are doing right now. Enjoy practicing the pieces you are currently learning and forget about what is yet to come. I've been playing the piano for over 20 years, but I've loved *every* day of it.

Seriously. Live in the moment. You'll definitely get better with time, but playing the piano is one of those things that should be awesome all the time, regardless of your ability.

- Greg (Nov. 4, 2009)

Scales

Hey Greg!
I love your website and your music. To study most standard literature, how fast should I be able to play scales? I understand that the quality of the scale is more important than the speed and that more speed will come with time and relxation. Thanks,
Josh

Hi Josh,

Oh goodness, you're asking the wrong person. I've never played scales -- not one day in my life -- never. I'd much rather play music than learn scales. ;-)

- Greg (Nov. 4, 2009)