72 years ago after practicing on a fair piano was asked to perform for an audience of 100 plus on a trash of a piano and had to give up into the second measure. I was followed by a youngster of the same age who ripped off an astounding performance, was lauded, and the leaders indicated with reticence that I would receive a bible anyway. That is to say, the technician is important but the tolerance of the pianist may be as important. Daniel Gurnee, Humboldt State University, Retired On Nov 24, 2008, at 6:53 PM, Fred Sturm wrote: > On Nov 22, 2008, at 10:06 PM, Kendall Ross Bean wrote: > >> Practicing only on Steinways is "safe" for pianists, IF they can >> also assure >> that they only perform on Steinways. > > Four points of view have been stated in this thread: > 1) Aspiring pianists should practice on Steinways because that is > what they will find on concert stages. > 2) Aspiring musicians who practice only on Steinways won't be > successful performing on non-Steinways. > 3) Aspiring pianists should practice on a variety of different > brands of pianos, because that will make them better musicians (and > perhaps because they will run across non-Steinways on the concert > stage). > 4) Pianists can't tell the difference between Steinway and other > brands unless they can see the fallboard decal. > All four cannot be true. A couple little comments on each: > > 1) This assumes that the Steinways being practiced on resemble those > to be found on stage. > 2) This assumes that Steinways are distinct enough from other brands > that skills learned on them won't transfer (also true of statement 1 > in a reverse sense). > 3) This assumes that there are substantive differences which have an > effect on, say, interpretation merely due to brand/manufacturer: > inherent differences. And that the mere fact of having access to > variety will instill a sensitivity to those differences and a more > adaptive technique and musicianship. > 4) This implies that brands/designs/manufacture are perhaps less > important than individuality (characteristics of individual pianos > as opposed to those of manufacturer groupings). > > All four statements are missing some of the essential elements in > the total picture, the foremost of which is quality of setup, and > consistency of maintenance. Until all the pianos being commented on > are equally well prepared, there is no basis for comparison. And > even then, there will be argument about whether piano A was, indeed, > as well prepared as piano B, or whether a different approach would > have brought out its underlying qualities better. > I certainly think that an aspiring pianist, or an established on > for that matter, should ideally have access to and should work on as > wide a variety of well-maintained instruments as possible. I don't > believe, though, that this access will necessarily lead to a better > pianist. Some musicians adapt well to a variety of instruments, > others don't seem to "get it." They simply do the same thing and > complain that the results are different. This is true not only of > students, but of many established musicians, even quite prominent > ones. > On the whole, I think our emphasis should be on skill of the piano > technician, and adequate resources to get the work done. If and when > these needs are met, then it becomes interesting and important, > potentially, whether there are M&H, Sauter, Bluthner, Bosey, etc > included in the mix. Insisting on variety without, at the same time, > ensuring the chops and the resources to keep all the instruments in > top shape is really pretty pointless. > So except for those few schools which are adequately staffed (both > in terms of numbers and of skills) to keep their inventories in top > shape, this whole argument really has little relevance. Better to > buy what is "adequate" at as cheap a price as obtainable, and put > the savings towards maintenance - that is, assuming there is any > budget for purchase at all. Because one thing that IS certain is > that a badly maintained instrument is detrimental to the educational > experience, and to the performing experience (both for performer and > audience). > > Regards, > Fred Sturm > University of New Mexico > fssturm at unm.edu > > >
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