Simple question I think - who inspires you in terms of music, and why?

Hillyb on soprano sax because she sounds great, makes it look so easy, and I wish I could do it

My son's clarinet teacher. Ever since I've known her she has wanted to achieve a permanent orchestral place, and she works towards that aim constantly. She has to be prepared to drop everything and run if an opportunity for temporary work arises, but meanwhile she teaches to the best of her (considerable) ability and has helped my son achieve more than he ever thought possible.

She is always incredibly busy, often has no time to eat, and is rarely less than totally inspiring. I would dearly love her to achieve her dream.

Who inspires me? My teacher of course. I know if I have trouble with orchestra music or anything I can just ask him for help next lesson and he will help me.

I always wonder when I can be as talented as him. When I find a piece hard he just sight reads it perfectly, even when he has never seen the score before!

The forums?

Also, my far more musical than me partner, and his bunch of nutty musician friends. (Lets just hope they don't find that out... they'll all get big headed. )

My teachers inspire me - my sax teacher and my jazz teacher both seem to believe in me and push me and encourage me into playing better

My wife inspires me - she is a fantastic violinist (although I am naturally a bit biased!) and she often trusts me to accompany her. If I don't practise her accompaniments then she threatens me with divorce.... or, worse still, months of extra house-work
But, seriously, if I hadn't met her then I would probably never had taken any interest in taking further diplomas etc. I think we have given each other encouragement and inspiration which we might not have had if we hadn't met.

That's a really lovely post, Bobsie! It's good to hear that people can be inspired and supported by their spouses. My hubby doesn't play an instrument, but he loves choir singing and has always encouraged our children in their musical pursuits.

It's interesting that most people are inspired by their teachers. The brilliant professionals are great to listen to, but can make one feel so inadequate - it's our teachers who make us feel our efforts are worthwhile, and inspire us to better playing.

My Dad is the same - he can play the pipes, but his main love is singing in his local choir in Gretna. My sister, when she was well enough, sung in her local choir, and later requested that one of her favourite choir pieces be played on the organ at her funeral. They have also both been sources of encouragement to me.

Ad_lib

Ice skaters. Watch someone like Pluschenko interpreting the music with every fibre of his being blazing commitment and passion. All on a few millimetres of blade at goodness knows how many mph. They may fall horribly, but just pick themselves up, get on with it and bow graciously to their public at the end. They must laugh when they hear us lot having panic attacks over a few missed notes!

For me it is the great composers. Just as W B Yeats puts into words my thoughts and feeling more wittily, precisely and beautifully than I ever could, so do the sonatas of Scarlatti, Haydn, Beethoven, the Preludes of Scriabin, and the fleeting miniatures of Szymanowski and Mompou do the same with even more intensity ... but in pure sound.

I lack the craft and understanding to create original music that invokes in others what I feel, but recognize the same feelings
in the works of these great composers, and just want to to re-create and interpret their message (which is a universal one) for our times

Maybe I should answer my own question...

As much as I am impressed by my teachers - they truly are wonderful people - I don't think my main inspiration comes from them. My Grandad inspired me a lot when he was alive, although at that time I'd barely started on this so-called 'musical journey'. After he died, I often felt that I was playing for him in some way, and now that I'm able to play some of his favourite works, it feels like something of an honour. I don't think I'll ever be 'amazing' but if I can play well enough that I think he'd be proud, that's enough for me.

My teachers - for their constant support and encouragement and believing in me. The forum - for making me feel welcome, for your support and for giving me opportunities that I could only dream of. My OH - for banning me from having another instrument in the house which he knows full well is full licence for me to go and buy another one and finally my cat - for showing her appreciation when I've played something well and the sympathy when I have a bad practise day.

I was inspired by my teacher too. Before I met her I would have never considered a career in music, but she helped me to realise how amazing music can be, and has never given up on me. Thanks to her I have achieved things I never once thought were possible. And I agree - An inspirational teacher might not be a fantastic performer (mine won't perform infront of an audience at all really unless she's forced!!), but they certainly know how to encourage and make us feel better about our abilities (or lack of!)

Brian May at the moment. Because I'm not doing any musical stuff really, listening to a Queen record makes me want to go and pick up my guitar again

My Grandad, who would be chuffed beyond belief to know I'd found my way to the organ eventually. Paul, whose organ playing first really caught my attention when I was just a chorister with very little interest in the organ. David, who gets the most amazing sounds out of organs and whose playing just sparkles with life. Paul (a different one), who somehow manages to make it all seem less impossible. Listening to Paul and David play made me want to do it myself, while the other Paul gets me through the times when I think I'll never be able to.
Plus my teachers who are terrific and the recitalists I've heard who show me what's possible.

T.

My year 9 music teacher and Delta Goodrem!!

Two/three years ago I wasn't into music at all, and I became a fan of Delta Goodrem's which got me into singing more because I loved singing her songs. Then, in year 9 (2.5 years ago), I got a new music teacher who was/is an absolutely fantastic teacher and pianist!! She inspired my friend an I into taking up the piano and got us obsessed with music!!

And she also accompanied us in our first ever concert...and at the time was the only pianist we knew of who could accompany us, so we'd never have got into performing (which we now love, even though we're both totally shy!), nor would we have ever chosen to do GCSE music leading onto A-level and hopefully music degrees!

And then my GCSE music teacher has also 'sustained' the interest! And next year I get to be taught by both teachers for A-level

She also inspired me to become a music teacher - I want to help people and inspire people to enjoy music just like she did/does!!

My teachers. Petra. Mark Knopfler. Mozart.
Bev.

The people who play/sing my music. If I've got someone who might perform something I've written (e.g. a local orchestra, or a theatre group who wants some songs or incidental music) then the ideas come pouring out. Without potential perfomers, I can't write anything.

I'm glad a lot of people seem to be inspired by their teachers. I had a fantastic class music teacher at junior school and her influence kept me going through all the dull teachers I had subsequently. Without her, I would never have done GCSE, let alone done music at university. I wonder what's happened to her? I'm going to try and find out if she's still around - may be about time I thanked her!

my piano teacher, ananda sukarlan, my piano teacher's son

there are so many musical people who inspired me

I remember having to write a talk for English for our standard grade final about who has inspired us, I think I wrote about beethoven, don't know why. But there was another girl in my class who wrote an entire talk about why the main inspiration in her life was herself...

I think my grandparents inspired me to take up the piano. My great grandma was a fantastic pianist, and was a very good performer, and i used to love hearing her play and talk about all the places she'd gone to play the piano. Also, my gran, who is a fantastic pianist and piano teacher, who was also inspired by my great grandma, and it was her who started my piano lessons in year 7 (3 years ago, ish), and she encouraged me to carry it on as a hobby, but then after a while, she thought i could go and make a career of it, and has encouraged me ever since.
My grandad also inspires me. He is a fantastic organist, pianist, and composer, and it was him who got me into playing the organ and to work with choral and church music (He was a vicar in Bracknell, now in south wales), and has always been very supportive of my music, and involvement with the church.

Jacob.

Yes me too! I saw him last month at Bercy. Wow! What a player!

I am in a bad position where my parents are very unmusical, my mum claims to have grade 6 piano form about 30 years ago!

They have no musical knowledge so when I need help reading the odd note, I have to wait till my next lesson and ask my teacher, who usually complains saying I should be able to read it on my own!

We saw him about 4 weeks ago at the NEC in Birmingham. Superb. But too loud due to his sound people. Why do they do it so loud??
Bev.

Hi VH.

I found this an odd post as your signature puts you at grade 6/7 on the violin. I agree with your teacher that you should be able to read and work out notes by this stage. Perhaps there is more to it and you actually mean that you have problems working out rhythms rather than note names?

Sorry to go because it is a

Bev. Did you mean that I inspired you or is there another Petra who does? If it was me then I am very flattered. If not then ignore this post.

What an interesting question, one that has certainly got me thinking. My first impressions was to say my family or the great composers but when I really thought about this, the people who inspire me the most are the people who are learning to play an instrument or study Music Theory. To know that I am in the same boat as them, that there are other people giving to music as much as I am, that gives me that encouragement to better myself.

Absolutely! Everybody here!

I'm still being my useless self, about sorting out a teacher and so on, but the fact that I come here and read the forums means that I'm soaking up a bit of inspiration each time and it means I'm not just shoving things in the back of the cupboard and forgetting about them for another 15 years.

Enthusiastic musicians, pupil and teachers; 'proper' recorderists; and even some people who've got me cycling to work What isn't inspirational about the forums?

The only thing about the forums which I find un-inspirational (if that's a word...) is when people say, 'I passed Grade 8 after 2 years but I'm still rubbish and will never be a musician' / 'my daughter is 10 and has 3 grade 8 distinctions - is she musical?' Makes you feel rather useless, imo.

But yes, being able to log on and speak to musicians from all walks of life certainly is inspiring.

Aaah. Petra T

and I thought your name was a reference to a small furry rodent of the Ben-like variety

I was inspired by a man who came to play the piano and accordion at my primary school when I was six. I thought he had a wonderful skill and I wished I could have it too!

Yeah, well, you just have to ignore the disinspiring stuff (that's probably not a word either); thing about the internet is you can just say to yourself that 95% of it is rubbish, and sometimes some of that rubbish makes it in here to Really! I'm not saying to treat the uninspirational as lies, but, y'know, you can never have the full story

Sometimes the talent here is such that you forget that a pass is a pass, or that G4 for me would be worth just as much as a diploma for someone else. But then there are plenty of pootlers about too, and I'm decidedly one of them Heh, I'm going to change my sig - Maizie the Pootly Tootler


It was a man who came in to play the cello at my primary school that made me take up the cello when I moved to secondary school.
We also had an 'orchestra' come in one time to primary school, and I remember that being brilliant. I remember being totally flabbergasted when I realised that the lovely deep noise I could hear was coming from that great big string instrument (double-bass) and not the bottom end of the piano! We only had a piano at primary school (plus anyone who owned a recorder, and a 'music trolley' with various percussion things on it), so seeing all these weird and big things was a revelation!

My violin teacher, who's shown me how much further I really have to go with my playing, but also that I can go that distance.
Anna Esslemont, who has overcome all the odds and who's music is so optimistic, enthusiastic and uplifting.
All the people who come to the folk session at the pub in my town. To have that many people just playing for the sheer joy of it and nothing else is amazing, immense fun as well
Strangly enough, also my science and maths teachers. It always seems to have been them, as opposed to my music teachers, who have asked about the music, encouraged me and willed me to go on and do well. I really want to do well and make a good career in music for them, because I know that they believe in me.

Yes you dear

It is!!! I am Petra Ll D but used to have a large furry rodent called Ratner. I would love to have another rat as a pet but I think that it would be worried by the smell of our two cats. I used petrat in honour of dear departed Ratner, the best rat in the universe.

And to answer the question I am inspired by many people and things. A beautiful piece of artwork, a wonderful performance, a beautifully written musical score, a nicely kept piece of furniture etc. I always admire something produced by a person who has tried to do their best and has created something with love and care.