i'm currently doing my grade 3 but i don't feel anything close to being a pianist, when does one become a pianist?

Somewhere between Fur Elise and the Transcendental Etudes.

I think it's when you can sightread comfortably things of greater than grade 5.

I'm a Pianist

never heard of transcendental etudes

i've learnt to play fur elise but it was a beginner version, i also attempted to learn moonlight sonata 1st mvt but the triplets on the left hand were doing my head in, so i stopped.

The Transcendental Etudes refer to Liszt, on a par with Chopin Etudes - the sort of pieces where Fur Elise would be played in the left hand alone whilst the RH would be similarly occupied!

I had to sightread a Scriabin Prelude yesterday, triplets and quintuplets to negotiate alonside the crotchets and quavers of 3/4. Nevertheless, it wouldn't even scratch the surface of one of the Transcendental Studies!

Pianist- "a person who plays piano, esp. one who performs expertly or professionally"

I didn't look into that too much, just took first definition I found, but that's how I see it.

By professionally, I don't mean international concert/recording artist, I think the key word is more 'performs'. Basically someone who plays the piano in public. Doing grades has nothing to do with it, neither does difficulty of repertoire. Someone playing a grade 1 piece in a music festival is as much a pianist as a concert artist; on totally different levels in every musical aspect obviously, but still a 'pianist'. Conversely, someone with grade 8 piano who has never performed outside examinations is not a pianist.

That is my view

No wonder it was "doing your head in". The triplets are for the right hand.

TshepoM - did you ask your teacher about it? They should have put you straight. If not, then you've just found that this is the danger of trying to learn stuff on your own

I "learned" the whole piece (mostly off my own back), but teacher pointed out about a million things wrong with it.. Must give things a lot more thought in future.

For me, it's when you can play something you're pretty happy with and that won't hurt others' or your own ears.

Just this morning my friend sent me recordings of me playing (a few weeks ago) on her old upright (so not a piano that would magically make me sound 10 times better ) Surprisingly, not only did I not cringe, but I actually quite enjoyed them (though of course I might be biased and should actually send other people copies and get some perspectives ). When listening to my own playing, I used to always hear the failings that made me feel like jumping off the balcony. Today for the first time, though, I actually found them decent enough that if anyone were to walk in, I would happily admit "yep that's me playing". So, I can now call myself a pianist, methinks. I'm a happy bunny

Was that the 'pseudo' funeral march ?

Back to thread, I'd have said I felt as though I was a pianist at about Grade 6, but if the level is that of the Transcendental Studies , I'd never be a pianist !

When my daughter was about 8 she talked about being a "pianoist." I corrected her and said the word was "pianist" not "pianoist". To which she replied:
"No, I'm a pianoist, pianists are people who can play complicated pieces."

oh my bad the triplets are for the right hand! it's just that i haven't looked at the score in a long time

Love it.

As pianists are people that can play more difficult things than we can ourselves, we are all doomed to remain pianoists forever.

But is is such a lovely term that I don't mind.

Apparently, Prelude Op.15/1 in A major.

no i never asked my teacher about it, i should have!

That's a good question! You've had lots of proper answers, but for me I feel like a pianist when I am playing something that is moderately difficult and it is sounding pretty good. Sadly I often get so carried away with the feeling that it all falls apart.

Strangely, I always feel I am a much better pianist when there is no-one else around! It's like that nonsense question "does a falling tree make a sound if there is no-one there to hear it?" and "is my piano playing really better when there is no-one else around to hear it?"

Until my sight-reading gets to a pretty good level I won't really describe myself as a pianist - just in case someone whips out some piano music and says "ah, play this then!"

N

Ah no, I thought it might be the Bfla t Minor in Op11, that is a parody on a funeral march, 5 beats in a bar.

Someone on here recently said they had a friend who was able to accompany a poor exam candidate whose accompanist had not turned up at the last minute for an exam! Now *that's* a pianist, but I fear I have started the piano too late in life to be able to do that, sigh.

I think my ambition to pass my Grade 8 is so give me confidence that I really can play the piano! Somehow, I need that piece of paper to convince me that I can play! The problem with the piano is there are so many really good pianists out there to compare oneself to, I always feel really inferior, especially as a late starter (I was 29 and I've had 2 breaks to have babies in since starting) whereas with my other instruments that I have started late (singing and the harp) they are more individual and I don't find myself making so many comparisons, I can enjoy those at the level I am at more. The piano I am forever wishing I were better, which while being a good thing on the one hand does rather take away some of the enjoyment of the journey.

As someone else once said on here, you always want to be a couple of grades better than you are...

I guess it varies between people. I play the piano at about grade 8 level, but I wouldn't call myself a pianist because I play the clarinet at a higher level so would all myself a clarinettist. I realised this about a year ago in my class music lesson where we were being divided into groups, each with a pianist in (me being my groups). I found it really strange to be called a pianist because I had never thought of myself as one before!

I like the idea of being a pianist though, because I love the feeling of being sat at the piano, playing an impressive piece and knowing that I have control over an instrument so large!

They often divide the music class that way with us as well - but there are at least 8 first-study pianists, including me. However, one is about Grade 1-2, and at the other end there are 3 or 4 of us around Grade 7-8. There are lots of people who play piano as a second instrument too.

I always say I'm a pianist who plays clarinet and bassoon, not a clarinettist or bassoonist (apart from my forum name!!). However after reading this thread I may have to alter that to 'pianoist'

Well, if not now, I shudder to think when!