The Pianist’s Reflections – Page 2

The Pianist’s Motivations

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

What is it that motivates us as pianists?
Why did we start learning to play the piano? ..
And why do we continue to play?
What are our piano goals for the future? ..
And how do they excite us?
How can we motivate and inspire our students?

Ask these questions to a hundred pianists, and there’s a good chance you will hear a hundred different answers, but common themes will likely emerge.

In this article I am going to consider the many and complex motivations we all experience in life, and how they pertain to our piano playing.

The Pianist’s Kindness

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

As I write this, I am in India on a yoga retreat. Each day here begins sat on the floor together, listening to a reflective discourse on the ethics outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the classic text that provides the start point from which all yoga theory subsequently developed.

The first, foundational ethic presented by Patanjali was ahimsa, which can be literally translated no harm, and essentially means be kind. Without kindness, there can be no true yoga. And yet, as our teacher wryly and rather decisively noted:

“There are plenty of people in this world who can touch their toes, but who are still basically arseholes!”

As usual, what is true in one field can equally apply in another, and certainly from my own observations of pianists, both in online forums and the ‘real world’, there are plenty of very fine piano players and teachers who seem to be somewhat lacking in kindness towards others.

So how can we encourage the piano community to be a kinder one? Let’s sit together and reflect on the meaning of ahimsa…

The Pianist’s Overthinking

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

“Leave your thoughts in a place you will not visit, and let yourself return to the natural way.”

Most of the pianists that I have met are easy to describe as “deep thinkers”, and I would argue that an aptitude for analytical thinking is an essential skill for the advanced piano player.

But the jump from analytical thinking to overthinking is a small one. And here’s the problem. In recent years, we have become increasingly aware that overthinking any problem can break rather than solve it, and can often lead us to bizarre conclusions. Overthinking is inextricably linked to anxiety.

If we overthink an upcoming performance, this can undoubtedly contribute to performance anxiety. And in the same way, if we overthink life in general, this can have a significant and debilitating effect on our whole lives.

A growing body of research supports our suspicions that many physical health problems are rooted in the activities of the mind. Overthinking can be associated with anxiety, fear, paranoia and mental instability, all of which can have serious physical as well as social consequences.

The Pianist’s Emotions

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

Louise Eales has more than 30 years of clinical experience as an advanced mental health practitioner, with specialisms in child and adolescent psychiatry, and neurodiversity. She is also a fully qualified practising acupuncturist. I am grateful for her professional insights, range of specialist advice, and collaboration in the writing of this important article.

Emotions are an essential aspect of our basic humanity. But when they are out of balance they can become problematic, with the potential to leave us feeling shipwrecked and adrift.

This is true for everyone, but for piano players there can sometimes be some additional challenges, and the back-and-forth swing from over-excitement to terrible disappointment can become our daily emotional landscape.

The Pianist’s Lineage

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

Until quite recently it never occurred to me to consider who my teacher’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher was. But then I realised (somewhat inadvertently while looking into the history of piano teaching) that my teacher’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher was none other than Franz Liszt, perhaps the greatest and most influential pianist of all time.

At which point I decided it was time to give the matter more serious thought…

Now let’s get this bit over with quickly, because (as we shall see) I’m really not about to claim my “lineage” endows me with any special status or ability. But here it is:

My final teacher at college (in the 1980s), Joseph Weingarten (1911-1996)
In his own student years in Budapest, Joseph had studied with the great pianist and composer Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960) and with the composer Zoltán Kodály.
Dohnányi had been a student of István Thomán (1862-1940) and Eugen d’Albert (1864-1932), both students of Franz Liszt (1811-1886).
Liszt, incidentally, was a student of Carl Czerny (1791-1857), who in turn was a student of Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Would it be rude to mention that Beethoven, in turn, had lessons with Haydn and Mozart?

THUD! There’s the sound of some pretty heavy name-dropping! And if you are interested in tracing your own legacy, this information on Wikipedia is a helpful resource.