At what point do you make the official pronouncement that you can play a particular instrument? It seems people have mnay different ideas on this one. Many a person has told me they can play the piano and proceed to pick out a one-finger rendition of something almost recognisable. I am confident about sitting grade 3 in piano really have picked the wrong grade because I'm ready now for my March exam (whoops!) yet would not begin to think of myself as playing the piano, perhaps because it compares so unfavourably to my other instruments, and maybe I should compare to the general population and realise that most people are below that standard so perhaps I can "play the piano" after all. Recorder is most prone to claims of being able to play it so long as it can be inserted in the face and sound comes out, methinks. When do you think it's proper to say you can play an instrument?

Depends why they're asking!

I can play the viola - it's how I make my living.

I can play the violin - I teach it to grade 8 and am happy(ish) playing 2nd violin in an orchestra

I used to be able to play the oboe (was joint first study until halfway through degree, then realised that I'd get more work as a violist and it fell out of favour). Can't play it now, although understand how it works and probably know the fingerings still.

Piano. Hmmm - I would say "I can play it a bit, but not very well". I got as far as I had to with it for music degree entry (grade 6), then parts of my piano technique developed (busking, basic accompanying, basic score reading & keyboard harmony, hacking through aural tests for pupils) and other bits totally went. If someone was wanting a pianist to sight read the hymn for school assembly - my answer would be 'no - I'm not a pianist'.

In general conversation someone just says "Can you play any instruments?"

I used to think "when I can play Chopin Op. 53 (the "Military" Polonaise), then I'll be able to play the piano", which is ridiculous

I can never answer that sort of question accurately- same as people ask me, "Can you speak Chinese" and I don't know what to say, because I know a few words so I can't totally say "No" but I certainly can't hold a conversation.

I'd answer the question "can you play the piano" with "I can play happy birthday and a few Christmas carols from memory but otherwise I need music".

Hmm, I guess among most of the people I interact with I can say, "I play viola in the orchestra" and they can make of that what they will! (so non-musicians would consider this an accomplishment, serious violinists/pianists would snicker ) I don't mention piano nearly as often, but if it does come up I say that I can play a bit and pray I'm not asked for a demonstration

I believe there is a previous thread on this topic in the general forum. You might like to do a search and see what people thought last time the question was raised.

TBH I find it hard enough to make the search function tell me about threads I know are definitely there, are recent and I know exactly what words I posted!

Here you go

http://www.abrsm.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=10165

If someone asks me what instruments I play, I reply, 'piano badly (graduate of Les Dawson School) and all the recorders enthusiastically'...



(OT but I still don't know what to do about the following conversation, which I have fairly regularly:

Person: What do you do?
Me: I teach music.
Person: Ah! What instrument do you teach?
Me: I don't teach an instrument.
Person: (puzzled look appearing) But I thought you said you taught music?
Me: (starting to flounder) Yes, I do.
Person: So what instrument do you teach?
Me: I don't teach an instrument.
Person: But I thought...

Conversation continues ad infinitum)

I play the clarinet and piano

It's one of those answers that changes all the time, isn't it? If you'd asked me at age 11, I would have confidently told you I played the cello - four open strings is playing, isn't it?
I have a photo of my recorders as my background on my work computer, and I get asked from time to time if I play. I do tend to say yes, but in my head it's more "yes, a bit" - doubtless as a teenager I would have told you yes in full happiness that this was the correct answer.
It's not to do with age, I don't think, but to do with advancement on the instrument - as you advance, you become aware of how much more there is to learn, and realise that Grade 8 doesn't mean you can play everything ever and you're all done now. And of course, if you have reached that point on one instrument, then starting a new one you will feel much less of a 'player' at Grade 1 as you did the first time round.

I wouldn't even state 'I can play the flute!' for the same reasons Maizie mentioned.

One day a professional flute player said to me: 'It never ends! The same things will raise as to work on from time to time, but each time on a different level!'

I can play clarinet, saxophone, flute, Irish tin whistle, 'cello, piano, recorders and I can sing. I can play all of them. Some better than others, but I can play all of them. I think we do ourselves down if we say otherwise.

Maybe your right.

So I should add flute and saxophone!

I play clarinet, sax, recorders and flute. I would call myself a clarinetist or at a pinch a saxophonist. I would never ever describe myself as a flautist.

I can play saxophone.
I can play clarinet, but not very well anymore.
I "fiddle" on piano, but absolutely cannot play it!

I am definitely of the Barry-Clari school of thought here - good to be positive! In fact, there is a Polish violin beginners tutor book which is called "I play the violin beautifully!". I figure that if Polish beginners can say that, then I can definitely play the violin!

I know what you mean. I would call myself a clarinettist but if it was to go what you actually play and practise the most I would be a pianist

When my daughter had been having piano lessons for about six months (so was about seven and a half) she said to me one day: "I'm a pianoist". Thinking she just didn't know the correct word, I corrected her, saying she was a "pianist". She then corrected me saying: "No, I'm a pianoist. Pianists are people like my teacher who know how to play properly."

(Ok, so you still have to define properly, but I liked her definition of the two words )

How about:

Person: What do you do?
Me: I teach music.
Person: Ah! What instrument do you teach?
Me: I don't teach an instrument, I teach music literacy.

Yes, I know, Judith...I do try saying that, or similar ('musicianship' etc.) but I still get a baffled look quite often - as in, 'But don't you learn all that by playing an instrument?'

Ah, but it's a lot harder in Polish!!!

P4

My point exactly! Although I've been told in the past that I play a lot better in Polish...so not so sure!

I can play grade 8 pieces on the piano, but whenever anyone asks me whether I can play, I always say, "Only with the music". Otherwise, people expect me to sit down and just play something, which I just can't do! One of these days I am going to memorise the first page of something well known however long it takes, just so that I don't feel obliged to expose my own inadequacy!

Its funny, but even after not playing regularly for years, there are pieces that my fingers never forget. I might not get all the way through them anymore, but I can manage a few lines from many impressive sounding G5-8 flute pieces. Enough to convince most people that I'm a "good" flautist.

Its ridiculous. I never was. And I certainly am nothing close to it now!

So yes, memorising a few lines, or a couple of pages of something will probably do the trick.

More on topic, I do still say that I can play the flute (I can, rustily. Can't sightread for toffee though.) I don't admit to the fact that I can maybe-sorta-play the recorder (treble and descant that is). I have played the tenor (so maybe I should say that I CAN play that... as clearly I can get notes and simple stuff out of it!) but its a bit too much of a strain on the fingers.

I play violin, flute and I sing. I mostly try to play piano and I used to play recorders. I also dabble in ocarina....

A colleague was whinging that his (distant younger relative) called herself a (guitarist/ pianist I forget) when she couldn't pluck a tune out of mid air and exploit the instrument to the nth degree, but could play from memory whatever music she had learned in a 'rigid' fashion. He knew jazz improvisation, she 'classically' trained. Personally I think he was playing the grumpy middle aged man and choosing not to understand her ways .

I play the violin badly. Always with the badly, then people can only either agree or be pleasantly surprised...

How about your clari?

Oh yes I play clarinet, more confident with that - people have fewer preconceptions / expectations about clarinets than violin I reckon, unless they're in the know...

The leader of my orchestra thinks that all fiddle tunes should be binned. When I have discussed the differences between classical music and scots folk music with folk musicians the word they tend to use to describe classical music is "rigid". I suppose it's a case of understanding the music you know and love and just not getting the other type of music. I am classically trained and I grew up around scottish folk music so I appreciate both - and get a bit upset when people talk about one or the other in a derisory way because they just don't understand it Maybe it's par for the course...

Sorry,