Facial Expressions and Choreography

Dear Greg,
In a few months, I will be performing for at a very large event. I would like my fun piece to not only sound great, but be entertaining to watch as well. Do you have any advice on how to work with the audience when performing (regarding facial expressions, etc.)? Is there any special "choreography" that I should take note of when performing a piece (for example, lifting hands off the piano at a certain time when the piece is done)? Do you know any resources that I could use to aide me in the process? Your advice is greatly appreciated!
 - Caitee

Dear Caitee,

I would never endorse facial expressions or choreography unless the music demands it. There's nothing worse than watching a pianist artificially throw their limbs into the air because they think it may entertain the audience.

I suggest you start at the root of the issue vs. its surface. Instead of asking what sorts of gimmicks and tricks you can utilize to "entertain" the audience, ask yourself how you can heighten the impact of the music. Most of your energy should go straight back into the music itself; you should be performing every piece as if it's the last time anyone in the world will ever listen to it.

Only after you've uncovered exactly what makes the music tick will other facets of the performance become clear. If for some wild reason, you end up tossing a sexy glance to the audience, it will be because you had no choice but to toss a sexy glance to the audience. It will be something the music demands of you; not something you decided to do because you thought it would be cute. Likewise, your outfits should be dictated by your interpretation of the music and not by whichever outfit may generate the biggest gasp from your audience.

Sabre Dance or A New Account of the Blue Danube Fantasy are unusual because they demand some visual performance as well as musical, but in most pieces you'll find that contorting your face and flailing your limbs are unnecessary and artificial. In the end, if you do your job, if you do what the music demands of you, you will entertain your audience.

- Greg

Booking

Dear Greg,
Where can I inquire about performing in a piano recital?
 - Steve

Dear Steve,

I'm not entirely certain I understand your question, but I recommend you contact me through my Contact page to discuss your idea further. I usually perform my recitals as a soloist or with my piano duo partner Liz, but I'm always open to awesome ideas regarding collaboration.

Similarly, if you are interested in booking a concert, please contact my management via the Contact page.

- Greg

String Quartet

Hey Greg,
My school has an athletic requirement which means I have to do two seasons of sports this year, but in the spring I'm doing an independant performing arts project. I'm so excited! I'm working on the Bach Concerto in F Minor S.1056. I wanted to do the entire concerto, but I may have to just do the first movement. Anyway, as far as accompianment goes, my teacher said I could either get a string quartet or another pianist. I would rather go with the strings, but I'm having a really hard time finding musicians for it. Should i settle with the piano accompianment? What do you think?
 - Caitie

Athletic requirements are a good thing! I'm all for Americans finding enjoyable ways to stay healthy!

You ask whether you should work with a piano accompanist or a string quartet. As a potential audience member, I would be more inclined to come to the concert if I saw you were playing with a string quartet. That said, if you can't find a string quartet, enjoy yourself with the piano accompaniment!

- Greg

Libertango Hang-Ups

Dear Greg,
Hi, I am attending a High School of The Arts, my major is piano. I was amazed by your arangement of LibreTango. From my understanding the composition will not be available untill 2010, My final exam, Duet concert will be held in 2010, so i would greatly appreaciate your effort to finsh all the legal stuff ASAP. If by any chance, something comes up and it is not possible, would you share what ever methods were needed to transcribe the piece so i can get started?
 - Jovian

Dear Jovian,

Thanks for your devoted interest in my arrangement of Piazzolla's Libertango! I never said anything about the score being released in 2010, so don't get your hopes up yet. (Liz and I plan to notate our New Account of the Blue Danube Waltzes to release it in 2010. We'll turn our attention to the Libertango arrangement after that.)

As for "what ever methods were need to transcribe the piece"... it's not like I plug the notes into a formula and let the computer do the work. There's a great deal of creative and original work that goes into creating an arrangement of a piece; rarely does a faithful, dogmatic treatment of an original's notes result in an arrangement that is faithful to spirit of the score.

My arrangement of the piece comes with its own set of intellectual copyrights, and while I invite you to create your own arrangement, I kindly request that you do not copy mine.

Mailing list members will be the first to learn of the work's eventual publication. In the meantime, best wishes to you; have an awesome duo concert!

- Greg (April 25, 2009)

Repertoire List

Hi Greg,
I saw your amazing repertoire list and I just want to ask you this: 1. Are you able to play all these peaces any time when someone picks up a piece? 2. Do you need to prepare them all over again? 3. What is the repertoire list for if you anyway practice one program at the time?
 - Laurana

Dear Laurana,

The pieces on my repertoire list have been "field-tested;" this means that for any given work on the list, I've probably spent a great deal of time thinking about what the piece means to me, I've memorized it, performed it publicly, and worked out the technical kinks. I certainly can't play most of the works at the drop of a hat, but they usually come back to my fingers pretty quickly when I invest the proper energy into relearning them. In fact, I find that when I relearn a work, it somehow happens to feel markedly better than it did before; it's as if my mind had been practicing it all along.

I like to cater my programs to particular audiences, venues, and concert series, so it's rare that I trot the exact same recital program around with me from city to city. My repertoire list is mostly used by concert presenters when they make requests. I can always learn new music, but it's not reasonable to learn entirely new programs for every performance. The chamber and concerto repertoire lists are particularly helpful when events are planned last minute, such as when an immediate replacement is needed.

- Greg (May 10, 2009)

Mainstream Musicians

Dear Greg,
Have you ever collaborated with a mainstream musician? I think that you and John Mayer would produce some crazy awesome music (oh, to be a fly on the wall during that brainstorm session...). Just curious.
 - Susan

Hi Susan,

Yes, I have dabbled with popular elements here and there. The most obvious example: I arranged "Everybody Loves Somebody" for five pianos and voice. You can listen to the work on the 5 Browns' latest album, "Browns in Blue," performed by the 5 Browns and Dean Martin himself (in a previously unreleased vocal recording).

I'm sure that throughout my life, I'll continue to have unique experiences with mainstream musicians, but my true love is classical music. I love its shapes and forms, its complexity, its harmonies, its passions. It's sort of like mac and cheese -- I love all types of food in moderation, but I could eat mac and cheese for every meal if I had to. The same with classical music.

- Greg (October 24, 2009)

Single

Dear Greg,
You're hot. So... the question is, are you single, as well?
 - Josh

Dear Josh,

Hehe. Josh, you're making me blush!

I am in a happy, wonderful, and amazing relationship with a man who continually exceeds my dreams. :-) While he isn't a professional musician, he is a pretty fine euphonium player! You can watch my husband-to-be and me perform Piazzolla's "Oblivion" together on this very website.

- Greg (Nov. 6, 2009)

Bio

Hey Greg!
In your bio, you are described as a gifted musician who was able to tackle some very tough works in a matter of months within you're beginning. I ask, did that ability come from long hours of practice and dedication, or did it simply come to you?
 - Chad Aboukaram

Hi Chad,

The bio is playful and humorous, but it is true -- I devoured my teacher's first four years of piano study books in a few months.

Many concert pianists begin playing the piano at a very early age -- 3 or 4 years old. I began when I was 8 years of age: comparatively I was "old!" I believe that during those first months of study, I caught up with those who had started much earlier. It definitely came naturally to me; I wasn't practicing much longer than 30 minutes a day. By the time I was 9 I was learning at a more reasonable rate, even though I started practicing longer hours. I worked very, very hard -- long hours of "practice and dedication," as you say -- later in elementary school, high school, and college. Liz always refers to me as a "voracious practicer!"

- Greg (Oct. 25, 2009)

Leavesden Studios

Hey Greg!
I was just wondering if you knew if Leavesden Studios offered any work experience ? Thanks for your help!
 - Catherine

Hi Catherine,

During my residency at Leavesden Studios, I did see a few people "experiencing work," but I have no idea how they came by such work experience. I wish you the best, and I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance!

- Greg (August 12, 2009)

Dealing with nerves

Dear Greg,
I'm 14 years old and has been participating in small competitions for 3 years, performing roughly 4-5 times a year. Last year, I entered a big competition (which I've never experienced before) and managed to get into the final round. However, my nerves got the better of me during my performance of the sonata for the final round and I did not win. I am not obsessed with winning any competition (I don't really mind losing, as long as the experience has been of some benefit) but after the competition experience, I am afraid to attempt such large competitions or to play a sonata in front of an audience again. Can you please give me some honest suggestions in how to overcome such a fear or should I simply stop entering competitions anymore (maybe for the next few years)? Thanks, Greg and I love your playing! XD
 - Anonymous 

Dear Anonymous,

Nerves are definitely a part of the performing process. Most of the time, I consider nerves to be a wonderful thing; they keep my performances exciting by giving me just the bolt of adrenaline I need. On rare circumstances, however, they can be downright detrimental!

I've actually found that the less I think about my fears, the better! I used to have a pre-concert routine worked out (to simmer my fears), but I found that it was just a waste of time and it made me more nervous. (Besides, things never went as planned, and that just ruffled my feathers even more.) Instead, I acknowledge that I'm afraid, then I simply walk on stage and have a blast.

It really only takes a brief, concentrated moment and a couple deep breathes to center oneself. From there, sit down at the piano and fall in love with the music all over again.

- Greg