Becoming A Concert Pianist - Realities, Difficulties, and Solutions

[Music] hi everyone I'm Josh and this is Josh right piano TV today I wanted to discuss a question that I get a lot via email which is how do I become a concert pianist and I want to talk about some of the realities of being a concert pianist some of the difficulties and things that you would need to do to become a concert pianist the first thing is there's no one path to becoming a concert pianist some people do it through competitions others do it strictly through networking I have one friend who competed very little and he has a thriving concert career and I have other friends who have only won competitions and that has been the door to or the key to unlock the door to a successful concert career and I've had other friends and here's kind of the main focus of the video who have one giant competitions and are still struggling to make a living being a concert pianist so my first piece of advice is make sure you diversify your skills so that you're able to survive if music is really the only thing you can do and the only thing you can imagine yourself doing and you can't breathe if you're not doing music then you can pursue a career in music but at the same time realize you are going up against the best pianist in the world for the attention you are doing one of the hardest skills a human being can endure I guess is practicing several hours a day you are isolating yourself in the practice room now I really like that I like that isolation I like that alone time and a lot of other pianists do as well but realize it's a pretty lonely lifestyle if you do make a successful concert career I mean I've spoken with Sergey Babuyan and Daniel Tripp enough about this personally it can be extremely tiresome I remember Bobby on saying to us in a class he said why would any of you be jealous of Daniel there's only one thing to be jealous of is that he's on top of his game right now he could walk in and play his very best at pretty much any concert hall but besides the the life of a concert pianist is actually quite terrible and coming from you-know-who I consider the world's greatest pianist Sergei Baba on and trifa knob is probably a close second I mean I loved their playing so much that was a good wake-up call for me that was many years ago that he told me that but it made me ponder about how do I want to shape my musical career how much involvement do I want with teaching how much do I want to accompany how much do I want to do online lessons and online endeavors and this was probably around the time that I started my youtube channel and that's just kind of evolved into a lot of online courses that I create now this YouTube channel a lot of Skype lessons I actually started Skype lessons when I was moving to Michigan for my doctorate degree and I was like oh my gosh how am I going to support my wife and me while we're in Michigan because I have a huge studio here in Utah a lot of them started taking on Skype and then I also attracted quite a few other Skype students through this channel so that's been kind of an evolution if you can imagine yourself doing something besides piano and piano is your absolute passion and you love it so much but you don't necessarily need to do that for work in order to be happy I would actually encourage you to do that because it is such a tough career and I've seen so many people even tenacious persistent determined people completely fall apart emotionally because they have this idea that if I don't become a concert pianist and I'm not performing 50 concerts a year and being highly paid than I failed in life well that is one of the hardest things to break into I think first of all you have to have some of the greatest skills in the world to make that happen and it takes a bit of a bit of luck a lot of persistence and determination I know I'm not gonna name any names because I respect them so much but I know a few pianists who I think are you know some of the best in the world who are relatively unknown and they shouldn't be unknown they're so amazing I mean their skills far surpass mine and they're performing as much as I am maybe even less and I'm just like how is that possible they're so good but a lot of it is networking and knowing the right contacts and setting yourself up with those contacts and so if you truly love piano and you want it to be something that just fulfills you and brings you joy outside of a normal job go ahead and pursue that if you can't breathe without I mean obviously that that's an exaggeration but like if you can't breathe without being a musician then you have to look at ways of making a living on top of your concerts because there's going to be times a feast in times of famine I remember a few years ago or many years ago I think it was like eight or nine years ago in April I released a CD called Josh right it was a fun project I've meshed Christian hymns together with classical pieces so I did like clair de lune with How Great Thou art that was the first track I did that with several tracks on the album and in April I had twenty concerts and that was like oh my gosh but when we were releasing I was performing almost every single day and there has been other times where I might have liked so I had a couple of performances in December and my con the concert that I had previous to December was all the way back at the end of September I performed down in Texas for the Chopin foundation down there and that was a big concert to prepare for I did a pretty rigorous program but you can see right there that's a three or four month span between concerts sometimes you have that last year I played four times with Orchestra four different pieces it wasn't just the same concerto played Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto Beethoven choral fantasy samson's concerto number two and the Chopin and Grandpa lynnae's with the orchestral edition which was really fun to play that was a lot of work this year I didn't perform with Orchestra at all so it's very unpredictable unless you are emailing orchestras constantly willing to perform for very little if their budget is very small it's a tough life I have first-hand experience with this and I have friends who have much more experience with this and they tell me all the time how stressful it is so this is just a little piece of advice to get you thinking how much do I want to make piano my career if that is something you want to do could I become an expert accompanist could I am i passionate about teaching am I really good at creating software to help musicians I know some people who have created amazing software who didn't become performers but they're blessing the lives of others in a unique way so try to think of what if you are going to make music your career what you can bring to the table that's unique if any of you have any questions my email is Josh at Josh right piano comm I wish all of you a wonderful new year I hope the advice in this video is not discouraging but rather a reality check of what you want to do don't daydream about the glory days of when I'm performing within New York Philharmonic if you do that is going to be a dream come true of course but you can also create so much joy and fulfillment in your life even just performing locally or teaching piano or doing all of those other things I mentioned so I'm also going to link four different things in the description below the first is something to get your new year started off right it is a free webinar containing ten of my favorite tips to take your playing to the next level these are tips I've learned from some of the world's best teachers and also discovered in my own practicing and teaching over the years ten of the most efficient ways to increase the efficiency of your practice and unlock some technical abilities that you may not have realized quite yet the other two beneath that will be for a couple of my paid courses if you want to take your studies even deeper than this channel offers and then finally I will link something called kit Co basically that is a list of all the gear that I recommend from beginner piano books to all the equipment I use for Skype lessons to other recording equipment lighting cameras all that gear book recommendations CDs so you can check that in the description below as well if any of you have any questions again my email is Josh at Josh right piano calm happy new year have a great week good luck in your practice sessions [Music]

Channel: Josh Wright

Views: 52,582

Rating: 4.9494162 out of 5

Keywords: piano, piano lesson, piano tutorial, how to play the piano, piano tips, piano tricks, classical piano, piano scales, piano technique, piano arpeggios, piano chords, best piano tutorial, piano masterclass, master class, music career, piano career, concert pianist, career in music, pursuing a music career, tips for musicians, career success, how to make a successful career in music, how to be a concert pianist, how to become a concert pianist, becoming a concert pianist

Id: 0rDvQ0T2bPw

Length: 9min 7sec (547 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 03 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/EssentialFox]

Without getting into crazy details and explanations, I personally take a more "middle" ground approach when it comes to this issue. On one end we can have the "the world is your oyster" camp while on the other, we have the ultra-pragmatist who will say "the astute young musician will be quick to find out that he/she is not fit for star-billing..." Personally, through conversations with various mentors, I have concluded that the truth is a bit of both.

I feel that we have to recognize that there do exist these kinds of concert pianists that many dream of becoming. In other words, a dreaming music student is not saying "I want to develop wings and fly!" but is pointing to real-life examples of people who have made careers as performers, few as they may be. In other words, they are not trying to achieve the impossible, but rather, the implausible.

Being naive is one thing, but if one is clearly aware of the implausibility of their goal yet still wishes to chase it, I'd say why not, you have one life, do what makes you happy. But it's probably a good idea to get a clear reality check on how difficult your goal is, which is where comments like those by Yeargdribble (I don't know how to make links? to the names, sorry) really shine.

I have much more thoughts on this issue but I don't think my opinions, if we start getting into specifics, are going to be valuable to most people, so I'll just stop here.

[u/Yeargdribble]

One of my frequent complaints about Josh is that his channel is targeted very strongly at people wanting to be classical concert pianists and I feel that he doesn't often address reality. It's clear that he, like so many, actually makes a living from other income sources... private teaching, his Youtube channel, sponsorship, etc.

Virtually nobody is actually making a living playing solely as a classical concert pianist.

Well, I'm glad that he made a video actually saying that (and echoing most of my warnings) himself, though I feel like he does pussyfoot around it (like many Youtubers do) because crushing people with reality doesn't make youpopular. Being bubbly and saying anyone can do it does.

I like how explicitly states that you have to be willing to do leg working looking for orchestras to play with and be expected to play for very little. Like I tend to say about this (because I know someone like this personally), this is cosplaying as a concert pianist. Your real income isn't made doing this.

He also points out the very low demand. He mentions a 3 month gap between programs and then follows up mentioning how he hasn't played with an orchestra in a year. This is not the kind of work that pays the bills.

I'm really glad he mentions that you should essentially do ANYTHING else. Also, extremely important... DIVERSIFY YOUR SKILLS! Like I often say, flexibility is key.

I do feel like he could've gone a bit more into that because what I find among most hopefuls is that they don't actually know what that means or what skills to aim for. It doesn't mean being able to play Chopin and Bach. It means having good reading skills and accompaniment skills.

I would argue that it means having improv and ear skills and the basic jazz skills that are involved in SO much music these days. Even in my very classical leaning jobs, those skills are extremely valuable and then there are a huge swath of jobs I couldn't take without them as a cornerstone and I honestly suspect Josh may completely be lacking the ability to do despite him being way better than me. Granted, with his other income sources and his extremely proficiency, he doesn't need them as much, but I'd argue that most musicians would be in a better place the more of these skills they had. I find it best to never have to say no.

---

He touches on the isolation and exhaustion that can come from the sort of preparation you have to do. To expound on that, so much of the prep you'll be doing for paying work may not be in styles you are good at or enjoy. That means even more work while not being personally gratifying.

Plenty of people are passionate about Chopin, but can you find passion in preparing half a dozen choral accompaniments in a short deadline in hokey styles you hate? If you want to be a musician, I'd challenge you to actively seek out a lot of music you have ZERO personal taste for and little skill with (maybe some country, jazz, funk, childish hoe-downs) set a nigh impossible deadline, and then see if you have what it takes to put in the work when you don't find joy in the music you're playing, because that is reality.

His talk about isolation also lays into my thoughts that your temperament matters. Josh says he likes the solitude. I'm right there with him. I enjoy grinding away alone and I'm not a person who is constantly starved for more socializing. If you can't handle that loneliness and the rigors of real practice vs. empty, fruitless hours, you might just not be suited for the musician life.

---

He also briefly touches on the importance of networking. You can be a great player and even be a versatile one, but if you don't know how to talk to people and reach out and actively make new connections, none of it matters. If you have crippling social anxiety... not just performance anxiety, but you suck at talking to people... you're going to have a hell of a time making a living in music. You sort of having to really go out there and know how to connect. He actually covers having to cold call/email people. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you need to fix that.

I'm lucky at this point in my career because my network does the leg work for me. I no longer have to actively seek work or new contacts but instead people I already know pass my name around and I'm generally inundated with more work than I can possibly take. I still make a point of meeting and greeting as often as possible. It's just built into me at this point to know how to talk to, follow up, and make good impressions on people I see as being potentially valuable assets to my network.

---

He tries to soften the blow at the end by mentioning how fulfilling other avenues can be and while I don't think he should soften the blow about the UNreality of being a concert pianist, he is right. I personally find it very fulfilling to do what I do. I like being a valuable member of a large musical community. I like providing a specific Venn diagram of skills that makes me often THE only person who can do some of the work that I get asked to do. I'm lucky enough that I don't have to teach (though I actually like it so I get my outlet here on reddit). That also gives me an availability others don't have. I'm not a full time pianist/organist at a specific church which makes me even more of a unicorn and puts me in high demand to sub a lots of different places (which also means I can command a higher price to do so).

In the end, I'm happy to hear Josh at least sort of hint that playing solely as a classical concert pianist for a living isn't a thing even though he tried very hard to never actually say that. It's definitely there if you read between the lines.

[u/UnknownGenre1]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, though I haven't gotten the impression (so far) that Josh is peddling a pipe dream. His proposition overall is not so much "how to become a career concert pianist," but rather "how to be a better pianist." IMO, he is fairly what-you-see-is-what-you-get.

Speaking for myself, I come to Josh more for practice and technique tips than for career advice.

Members of his audience might bring unrealistic expectations to the table, but correcting them is not his sole responsibility. Life will do that on its own, as many here have pointed out.

Speaking for myself, a more reserved tone (i.e. not so "realistic" as to sound overtly negative) can deliver the same reality check without being downright discouraging.

But I definitely agree that illustrating more and varied paths to marketability could dampen much of the mental pain and anguish people face when setting out on a career path.