“Some experience is helpful. "The Pianist" was a film that I could make with my eyes closed because I had lived it and everything was still alive in me.” StillsEyeFilmAliveHelpfulPianist Author:Roman Polanski
“Shook is the musical universe I created. I come from a classical and jazz background and my father is a jazz pianist, so my world bears largely the marks of this influence. As a sort of gateway, I started composing my own music on the computer at the age of 13. Before Shook, I had not yet discovered the kind of music I wanted to dedicate myself to, so I did a little of everything.” WorldKindLittlesAgeWantedUniverseFatherMy OwnInfluenceBearsComputerMarkJazzMusicalBackgroundsComposingPianistGateways Author:Shook
“Singers actually used to begin singing at a much younger age than they do now. I would say for me, I started late. But it's not unusual. I discovered I had a voice. I wanted to be a pianist when I was seven, and circumstances didn't allow that I studied it.” AgeWantedUsedVoiceCircumstancesLateSingingSevenSingersUnusualPianist Author:Dolora Zajick
“When I create I don't think in technical or mathematical terms until the idea is formulated Musical composition is formulated in improvisation. Once a pianist like myself sits down and begins to play and start thinking about what I am writing all of a sudden a little tune will emerge, a little spot light and I'll go, "That's interesting."” ThinkingWritingLittlesIdeasPlayLightTermInterestingDown AndMusicalSpotsMathematicalTunesCompositionImprovisationPianistMusical Composition Author:Aaron Zigman
“Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist?” PersonsPlayHumorFunnyCarPianoRacistRacingPianistRace Car Author:Steven Wright
“I consider the first 20 performances just learning the piece. Think about it this way: If you think about a pianist who plays a Schubert sonata through his whole lifetime - if you listen to Rubenstein or Horowitz playing their repertoire later in their life, you understand the richness with which they play that music, and how differently they must have played it when they were younger.” IfsThinkingWayFirstsPlayWholePiecesPerformancesLifetimeWhole LifeRichnessPianistSonatasSchubert Author:Philip Glass
“Composing is like driving down a foggy road.” DrivingFogBricksComposingPianistConductorMortarBricks And MortarBrick Roads Author:Benjamin Britten
“When I hear the words jazz pianist, that just means I have the skills to do most things. Because to be a jazz pianist, even to be a bad jazz pianist, you have to be pretty good.” MeanSkillsJazzPianist Author:Robert Glasper
“I couldn't say I ever dreamt of becoming a composer, a pianist, or anything else for that matter. I have the kind of brain where nothing is set in stone.” KindMatterBrainBecomingStonesComposerPianistHopkins Author:Anthony Hopkins
“Allow some warm-up time each day to stimulate your creative flow. A pianist does keyboard exercises. A gymnast stretches. An artist needs to loosen up, too. It takes a few minutes to shift from the real world into a creative mode.” WorldNeedsDoeRealArtistCreativeMinutesExerciseFlowWarmPreparationEach DayReal WorldKeyboardsPianistGymnast Book:The New Creative Artist Source: The New Creative Artist
“I sat on the piano bench next to my mother in church. Something happened before I set foot on this planet. I was crawling around inside of her. She was a church pianist. My dad was a brilliant singer. I was hearing it.” MotherNextChurchHappenedFeetPlanetsDadMy DadHearingBrilliantSingersPianoSatBenchesPianistCrawling Author:Al Jarreau
“My father was a very good amateur pianist, and he had a collection of books on technique. One of the things he had was a small volume of exercises by Rudolf Ganz, in which Ganz mentions the pedagogical work of the Swiss composer, Émile-Robert Blanchet, who wrote a ton of polyphonic exercises for one-hand. These exercises were a great help for finger independence, which I acquired early on. This might have given me somewhat of an edge, a facility to be able to knock any obstacle that was in my way.” WayBookHelpingHandsMightAbleFatherGivenExerciseIndependenceFingersVery GoodEdgesObstaclesTechniqueMilesMy WayCollectionsComposerVolumeFacilityPianistSwiss Author:Marc-Andre Hamelin
“I don't record for my own glory.I mean, of course part of it is for career advancement, but more importantly, I want some of that repertoire - as much of it as possible - to remain and enter pianists' consciousness and, hopefully, into the standard repertoire.” WantMeanCoursesMy OwnConsciousnessCareersRecordsGloryStandardsHopefullyAdvancementPianist Author:Marc-Andre Hamelin
“Whenever I record something, I always believe that it's worthy of inclusion in the pantheon, and I would certainly like pianists to pay more attention to it. I think it's ridiculous now, because the range of repertoire - or what's considered 'safe' - is so narrow, even though there are pianists who are really trying to push the envelope. There is still a lack of attention, and there's no reason for it. The piano repertoire is so rich, with so many wonderful things that still are not given their due.” ThinkingTryingBelieveStillsReasonGivenPayAttentionRichRecordsWonderfulSafeWorthyDuesRidiculousRangePianoNo ReasonInclusionWonderful ThingsAlways BelievePianistEnvelopesPantheon Author:Marc-Andre Hamelin
“A mission that comes from the heart to promote these things and to encourage composers to write, then of course they should do it. And there are more than a few pianists these days who do this, fortunately.” ShouldWritingHeartCoursesMissionsThese DaysComposerPianist Author:Marc-Andre Hamelin
“Mathematicians - for what they do - are really poorly rewarded. And it's a very competitive field, almost as bad as being a concert pianist.” FieldsConcertsMathematicianPianist Author:Gian-Carlo Rota
“Duke Ellington is my choice for many reasons. Nobody has written so many great pieces of music, which are everlasting, and he has made them available to the world through his orchestrations of his work in a unique way. Lastly, he was himself a fine pianist. He covers the entire musical spectrum with his genius.” WorldWayMadeReasonChoicesPiecesWrittenFineGeniusUniqueMusicalAvailableEverlastingSpectrumDukesPianistOrchestration Author:Marian McPartland
“As a young child, I thought that all pianists played everything. I mean, I thought anything on piano - any piano music, all pianists played it.” MeanChildrenYoungPianoYoung ChildrenPianistPiano Music Author:Allen Toussaint
“The zenith of virtuosity, a violinist like Jascha Heifetz, the supernatural in a pianist like Vladimir Horowitz, these are performers who were so idiosyncratic and personal that to imitate them would be like filling somebody else's bottle with your wine.” Would BeWineBottlesPerformersFillingPianistViolinistZenithVirtuosity Author:David Finckel
“Even if you are a pianist, your concerto repertoire is very limited compared to what your chamber repertoire would be if you were a chamber music pianist.” IfsWould BeChamberPianistChamber Music Author:David Finckel
“The writer who develops a beautiful style, but has nothing to say, represents a kind of arrested esthetic development; he is like a pianist who acquires a brilliant technique by playing finger-exercises, but never gives a concert.” GivingKindBeautifulStyleDevelopmentExerciseFingersBrilliantTechniqueAcquireConcertsArrestedPianist Author:Ayn Rand
“I wanted to be a jazz pianist, but I wasn't good enough. I got into city college because I didn't have the grades to get into university. I took acting because it was a way to get three credits. I just needed three credits and my friend told me to take acting because it was like gym - nobody fails you. I took it and that's literally how I got involved in acting.” WayLifeEnoughWantedThreeActingCitiesDestinyFailingCollegeNeededInvolvedDirectorsMy FriendsJazzUniversityCreditCinemaGradesGood EnoughGymInvolvementInvolvingPianist Author:Dustin Hoffman
“To play the piano is to consort with nature. Every mollusk, galaxy, vapor or viper as well the sweet incense of love's distraction, is within the hands and grasp of the pianist.” WellsPlayHandsSweetPianoDistractionGalaxyPianistIncenseVaporVipersMollusks Author:Russell Sherman
“The artist who gave me the most inspiration and direction, especially as a singer - and I absolutely consider myself a singer, 100 percent - is Nina Simone. She's my ultimate pianist-singer-type person.” PersonsInspirationArtistTypePercentUltimateSingersPianistNina Author:Rufus Wainwright
“They wanted me to be a concert pianist, because I had a very good right hand, but my left hand's terrible and I hated performing.” HandsWantedLeftTerribleVery GoodHatedPerformingConcertsPianistLeft Hand Author:Stephen Sondheim
“I began ear training when I was about six months old. My mother was a concert pianist, and she started all of her children with music before they were a year old. Then she began to see that I had a musical gift...” YearsChildrenMotherMonthsSixMusic IsTrainingEarsMusicalConcertsSix MonthsPianist Author:Twyla Tharp
“What I would really like to have been, given a perfect world, is a jazz pianist. I mean jazz. I don't mean rock and roll. I mean the never-the-same-twice music the American black people gave the world.” PeopleWorldMeanHas BeensGivenBlackPerfectRocksJazzPianoBlack PeopleRock And RollPianistA Perfect World Author:Kurt Vonnegut
“My father is a violinist and my mother is a pianist, so I've been hearing music all my life. I started playing at three and had my first music teacher at five.” FirstsMotherThreeFatherFiveTeacherHearingPianistViolinistMusic TeacherHearing Music Author:Michala Petri
“It was quite unusual to use the recorder as a concert instrument. But my mother, a pianist, actually helped me a lot by assuming that anything done on the piano can easily be done on the recorder! She helped me with technique and was just as critical about my playing as she was with her own. I think that has been one of my fortunes.” ThinkingHas BeensDoneUseMotherInstrumentsAssumingFortuneCriticalTechniquePianoConcertsUnusualPianistRecorders Author:Michala Petri
“Music informs my work so intensely. The better actor I become, the better pianist I become, and vice versa.” ActorsVicesVice VersaPianist Author:Janina Gavankar
“I recorded with Hank (Jones) a number of times, usually on dates where Milt was unavailable, and I thought he was the perfect pianist. He had a beautiful touch, knew all the best ways around the chord changes, and swung mightily. And he brought an air of cheerful competence to every date, making us all feel that it would be possible to make some very good music that day.” WayFeelsWould BeBeautifulPerfectNumbersAirVery GoodBest WayPianoCheerfulChordsCompetencePianistAll The Best Author:Bill Crow
“When you think of diversity, George Duke fits that bill better than a lot of people. He's played a lot of straight-ahead jazz with people like Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley; he's played a lot of fusion with his own groups, with Stanley Clarke; and, you know, he did the rock thing with Frank Zappa. He's written all kinds of big arrangements for people like Burt Bacharach. So, he's covered the board. He's still a great pianist.” PeopleThinkingKnowsKindStillsBigsWrittenGroupsRocksFitDiversityBillsJazzAll KindsBoardsCoveredFrankArrangementsDukesPianistWilsonFusionNancyStanleyZappaCannonballs Author:Christian McBride
“Baton technique is to a conductor what fingers are to a pianist.” FingersTechniquePianistConductorBaton Author:Igor Markevitch
“I met the pianist Barry Harris when I was about fifteen. He would show me changes, which I had no idea existed. I knew about scales, but I didn't think about chords. I was fortunate in that he lived right around the corner so I'd be at his house almost every day and he showed me about playing melodies over chords. After about three years, I could play some gigs. I worked with drummer Roy Brooks and other guys my age at that time, like trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer. Some of the older guys were Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins and Louis Hayes” ThinkingYearsIdeasPlayShowsAgeGuyThreeHouseMetsCornersScalesNo IdeaFortunateMelodyThree YearsFifteenShow MeChordsChamberGigsDrummerOther GuysBrooksPianistAround The CornerOlder Guys Author:Charles McPherson
“I'm sorry that I did not become the world's first black classic pianist. I think I would have been happier.” ThinkingWorldFirstsHas BeensBlackSorryClassicI'm SorryPianist Author:Nina Simone
“Musicians want to be the loud voice for so many quiet hearts.” WantHeartVoiceQuietMusicianLoudIntrovertSinger SongwritersPianistLoud VoicesQuiet Heart Author:Billy Joel
“I consider myself to be an inept pianist, a bad singer, and a merely competent songwriter. What I do, in my opinion, is by no means extraordinary.” MeanOpinionExtraordinarySingersSongwritersCompetentPianist Author:Billy Joel
“I went to this boy's choir school when I was growing up, and I think that the first time that I consciously started making music was when this one kid joined our class. He was an amazing pianist and would come up with all these ideas. I've always had a really competitive side, so I saw him doing that, and was like, "I have to try writing songs as well."” ThinkingWritingTryingFirstsWellsIdeasKidsSchoolSongSidesClassBoysGrowing UpSawsGrowingFirst TimeCome UpWriting SongsChoirPianist Author:St. Lucia
“Nina Simone was a gifted and prolific singer, songwriter and pianist who became a powerful presence in the civil rights movement and paid a professional price for it. Behind the scenes, she struggled in a fractious, sometimes violent relationship with her husband and manager and with mental health issues that strained other relationships, including with her only daughter.” SometimesPowerfulBehindsIssuesRightsMovementSceneHusbandDaughterPaidMental HealthIncludingSingersViolentCivil RightsManagersSongwritersGiftedCivil Rights MovementSinger SongwritersPianistBehind The ScenesNinaHealth IssuesOnly Daughter Author:Michel Martin
“When I do operas, I'm not really singing very classically. I have a classical background as far as being a pianist and an oboist, but my voice isn't really classical in the operatic sense. But I certainly have a classical sensibility, so I'm comfortable being in that world.” WorldVoiceComfortableSingingBackgroundsOperaSensibilityPianist Author:Jason Graae
“My whole family is in the arts some way or the other. My father was a cellist in a symphony outside Chicago that was a side-job, he was a scientist. My mother was a dancer in New York. She was next-door neighbors with Dorothy Loudon and they moved to New York together. Mom was a dancer in New York for several years before she got married. My sister was a classical pianist. And my brother was a partier. So it all just seemed to work.” WayYearsArtWholeTogetherJobsMotherNextFatherSidesDoorsNew YorkBrotherMomMarriedScientistMovedNeighborMy BrotherDancerChicagoMy SisterSymphonyPianistWhole FamilyNext Door NeighborsCellists Author:Jason Graae
“I played piano for a lot of my childhood and stupidly quit. I wish I hadn't - I could have been a great classical pianist!” Has BeensWishChildhoodQuittingPianoCould Have BeenPianist Author:Frankie Cosmos
“I applied, and I got in as a pianist. Their idea in the music department was that pianists, if they were good enough to get in, they were good enough to learn a new instrument. They felt sorry for pianists being alone in the practice room all the time, and they really wanted to socialize us pianists.” IfsIdeasEnoughWantedFeltRoomsPracticeInstrumentsSorryDepartmentGood EnoughPianist Author:Zeena Parkins
“My dad's family were political and he was always a theatrical creature, whereas my mum is really musical and her father was the touring pianist with Nat King Cole. My family was an explosive mixture of politics, religion and music - no wonder I turned out how I did.” PoliticalFatherWonderKingsDadCreaturesMy FamilyMusicalMy DadMumMixturesTouringTheatricalPianistExplosives Author:Grace Jones
“I've been nominated four times, never won. And the whole world is going, `Why hasn't Winslet won one?' That's why I'm doing it. "Schindler's Bloody List," "The Pianist," Oscars coming out of their ass.” WorldWholeFourListsWhole WorldAssComing OutBloodyOscarsPianistSchindler Author:Ricky Gervais
“By the time I was eight I was taking classical piano lessons and I wanted to be a concert pianist. But that didn't work out. I graduated from high school and my formal education ended.” WantedSchoolLessonsHigh SchoolWork OutEightPianoConcertsFormalPianistFormal EducationPiano Lesson Author:Nina Simone
“That's a very high goal to have, study eight hours a day to be a concert pianist.” GoalHoursStudyEightConcertsPianistHigh Goals Author:Nina Simone