“I didn’t allow Lang Lang or Yuja Wang to compete.” - Gary Graffman 

Most people who are musicians don’t become the Wangs and Langs of the classical world but they can become successful musicians on their own right and have their own well deserved space such as recitalists or professors etc. I don’t understand why the ideal is always to be a concert pianist ( and the best ones) if only a minority can achieve that. Music is life. Humanity needs music. It’s not just something to become a celebrity. I wished I understood that from the beginning

I began the violin at 12. At 17, with no great amount of practice I went to study at the Royal Academy of Music, London. After four years with not so much intense regular practice I joined a series of professional orchestras initially as a 1st violin but then as a sub/co/ principal. The lack of really thorough practice though played havoc with my bowing technique. Tensions built until after ten years I decided to leave and rework my technique. I did this so thoroughly that I have never had any technical problems since. In short, I relearned to play the violin in my 30s. I filled in the past. I corrected it and filled it deep into my past self. Whatever the received wisdom is, it can be done!

He out here flexing with the gucci belt 🔥😤🔥🔥😤😤🔥🔥

Even Yuja Wang confessed that she remembers best what she learned before she was 18 years old. Let's face it : Yuja Wang is an exception. Genius, and Beautiful.

Mr. Graffman, do you remember being with the Community Concert Series back in the '50's? You performed in Auburn, California, and you were gracious enough to allow me (a high school student) to attend your practice session the day of the concert. I have never forgotten your kindness, and it was part of the reason I chose music as a career. I never even came close to achieving your ability, but I had a very enjoyable and meaningful career.

Can we all take a moment to admire Gary Graffman's belt buckle?

I started playing at aged 19. I’m a concert guitarist now. It’s never too late.

The good News is: You don't have to be a Virtuoso to make good Music! So never give up your Passion for Music!

just a reminder ， Mr Graffman is 91 years old

I remember with great pleasure hearing Arthur Rubenstein play with the Boston Symphany many times. What was remarkable was the great warmth and affection he expressed for the music and the tremendous rapport

Peter, Zsolt, each episode more engaging than the last. Your engagements always uncover surprising insights. Interviewing is a nuanced skill and you have it in spades!

So much knowledge so little time. Wonderful interview. With great questions. 👍

Lovely interview, wonderful pianist, fine man. His reminiscent glimpses of Horowitz and Serkin are precious. I admired his LPs - Beet3, Tchaik 1 & 2, Prokofiev...as a young teenager, then heard him in concert (2 recitals, 2 concertos; Tch2, Beet5), when he toured Australia. I eavesdropped in on his rehearsals, and taking a break, he chatted warmly, humorously and enthusiastically with this young intruder(!), offering to get me a best seat for the concerts if i wished. Thank you for this heartwarming video.

What a brilliant man I love his total unaffectedness. A delight to listen to

A wonderful, exceedingly professional interview with an exceptional human being. Thank you for sharing this.

LOVE GRAFFMAN... he hits all the main points.... I've listening to this interview over and over... I ALWAYS get something out of it... EVERY TIME!

Wonderful interview!

It seems many people are taking issue with Graffman saying you need to start learning an classical instrument (piano in his case, but you can extend this to violin, cello etc.) early in ones childhood. The overwhelming majority of great soloists prove that his is absolutely spot on. Sure, you can learn anything at any age (humans are absolutely build for learning until the moment of death). But in terms of being an great performer, Graffmenn is 100% correct. So all those complaining about Graffman displaying... agism, just get over yourselves. His comments have nothing to do with learning an instrument (or any other craft), becoming good, or even very good at it, an enjoying it, or even others enjoying your performances. Graffman specifically talks about the Wangs, Langs, Buniathishvillis, Hillary Hans etc of this world, as well as the past masters, almost anyone you care to name - who are household names as soloists of classical music. Conducting an orchestra is probably an exception there, but even with that, great conductors have started learning an instrument, and therefore have been exposed to classical music, very early in their life. Plus orchestra conducting is not comparable to being an instrument soloist.

Seriously this guy hung out with Horowitz at his place after hours to help him pick out pieces. Well that’s just kinda unreal

Wonderful- Mr. Graffman’s 1st Chopin Ballade will always be my favorite- the lightness of his touch imo is the Chopin I imagine -

Gary Graffman is one of the best ever. His Prokofiev PC #3 with Szell is one of the greatest recordings of all time.

The classic performance disc of his Prokofiev 1 & 3 (and the third sonata) were life changing for me, when I was 11. I'd never heard anything like it.

Hearing him say its too late for me saddens me so much. I used to play the piano for a few years when I was a kid (around 7 or 8 so not early enough that it would’ve greatly affected my musical development) but I was forced to and didnt enjoy it at all, ergo didnt really practice and as soon as my teacher stopped teaching I was finally freed from that annoyance called piano. But just recently the passion and desire to play the piano were ignited in my 19 year old heart and I want to become good. Good enough for people to notice me. Good enough for my music to touch people. Hearing it’s too late for me to make people feel the music how I feel it is just breaking my heart.

Excellent interview!

Why should the opinion of one man change my chances of me becoming an accomplished pianist. I’ll prove him wrong

Excelente entrevista. Es admirable el lenguaje tan directo con el que Gary Graffman aborda temas que a veces no nos gusta conocer: el duro entrenamiento físico al que se someten los músicos desde muy temprana edad; y las contingencias que pueden llegar a estropear su carrera. En tiempos recientes como cibernauta, observo que además de dominar la técnica y tener una musicalidad original, las estrellas de la música clásica (directores de orquesta, cantantes, solistas, y si me apuran hasta compositores) deben ser jóvenes, bellos y carismáticos.

His recordings of the first three Prokofiev piano concerti are amazing!!

Idk why people are so salty about his comment that you need to start early to be world class. It's like if an Olympic athlete said you need to start training early to be world class, it's simply how the human brain and body works

That was such an interesting interview into Garry,,could have listened to much more, forever grateful he put Lang Lang into my life, with his exceptional ability, to this day both of them are my no. 1, thankyou Garry xxxx Australia

Priceless!

VERY interesting and informative! My sister won a full tuition scholarship to the Eastman School of Music on harp. She was the harp faculty at the University of Denver, first call union harpist, and played with the Denver Symphony. Her husband earned a master's and doctorate at Northwestern University on cello. He recently retired from the Denver Symphony after 34 years and 25 years (summers) in the Colorado Central City Opera Orchestra. There were some playing issues that he had to deal and cope with during his career. My sister hasn't had any problems yet. They both are 70 and still practice religiously every evening for a minimum of an hour. They still do some public performances and my sister still has an active teaching studio. I'm 72 and had s successful clarinet/sax studio for forty years. I have some infrequent symptoms with numbness in my 4th and 5th fingers of my left hand. Fortunately, I have no playing responsibilities other than working with my students.

A jewel of an interview! He looks great and at91 is incredibly sharp. I recall hearing about his injury in Amherst Ma. while attending the Dorothy Taubman seminar. Her technique was aimed toward preventing just such hand injuries in musicians. Playing octaves with fingers 1 & 4 much less 3 was strictly forbidden, even with black keys. Later I heard Mr. Graffman speak in Monterey California. He was promoting his book ‘I Really Should Be Practicing,’ and signed my copy.

I started at 14. One cannot rule out exceptions; I’m at an enormous disadvantage but I know it’s possible. It feels natural to me as it would for any of these people starting at five and three. Learning the Chopin G minor ballade (to a genuinely, competitively high standard), i have won competitions, and will be auditioning for conservatoires at the end of this year. Additionally, keyboardist in a rock band and solo jazz/blues pianist. I’m 17; not trying to suck myself off, but too late is a very strong thing to say.

What a great series. 👍

Him: “16 years old... it’s too late.” Me, a now 17 year old pianist who started at age 16: **im in trouble**

Conversation I actually had: Him: No artist can ever become great unless they start very young. After age 13, there's no hope. Me: Van Gogh was 29 when he did his first oil painting. He did informal doodles and drawings, didn't even get lessons, until he was 27. Him: Yeah, Van Gogh was good. But he's no Rembrandt! Meaning: if you start piano at age 17, maybe you won't be a Mozart. But if you have love and passion and sacrifice for your art, you can make a living at it, provide joy and beauty to thousands of people, and live a life in love with a transcendent pursuit. Sounds GREAT to me!

I took horn to a reasonably comfortable professional level and had some fine successes with good orchestras - Siegfried's Rhine Journey, Schumann Konzerstuck, all the Beethovens/Brahms/ some Mahler, etc. But I had some serious technical problems that I never confronted that occasionally caused a disaster here and there. I quit cold turkey when I was 50 because of other concerns. But I missed it so much, I took up the instrument again at age 67 - took on those problems that plagued me - and overcame them. I don't have the stamina I had 20 years ago but my technique finally took off. My lips are getting thin and I don't think I'll be winning auditions any time soon - besides there are too many outstanding young players in line! But I have no doubt it can be done. It's a different beast than the piano - there are no 91 year old horn players still muscling through Bruckner symphonies. But love for the instrument never dies. It's a joy just to keep it up!

So true. I started too late, 14. I could see that I was never going to be as good as what I could appreciate. So I focussed on mathematics, etc. and found it wasn't too late for that.

This Man is the YODA of the 21st Centuries Greatest Pianist !!!....The Force is STRONG With Him !!!.....

My mother was an honors graduate from Northwestern University Chicago in choral conducting and piano in the late 30's. She tells of one of her juries after which the three professors actually applauded, something which was never done then and is pretty much the same today. I had two sisters and me. We all took piano lessons (we had no input as to our opinion). She was too intelligent to teach us and researched the available qualified teachers. My oldest sister won a full tuition scholarship on harp to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Everyone was required to audition on piano as a basic evaluation of skill. She sighted so well that she qualified to study with an actual piano professor. She was the harp faculty at the University of Colorado-Denver, first call union harpist and played with the Colorado-Denver Symphony Orchestra. My final accomplishment culminated at the end of my junior year with my learning the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto after which I "retired". My real passion was clarinet and I was solo chair (out of 18) in my senior year. We did a pro band arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue which included having to master the infamous "smear" as it was called in the mid-60's. My band director thought I spent hours, but I basically had it under control in about 20 minutes and just needed to drill for reliability. We did a local state band tour and got to perform it 4-5 times. Later on I was asked to do it with our local adult community band. The curse was that my son was in 7th grade and wanted to try it. Foolishly I taught him how to do it and we were assaulted with the incessant "whine" for most of that year with it "piercing" our ears. I sang with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Chorus for thirty years including three different sold-out concerts in Carnegie Hall. We were asked to augment the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus for two different summer season opening concerts in Ravina, the Northshore of Chicago outdoor 100+ year sculpture garden concert venue seating 4,000 in the covered amphitheater and another 10,000 on the manicured lawns. James Levine, the conductor of the Metropolitan Opera at the time brought eight Opera stars with him. That's my little tale of

You can start late as long as you are really committed and feeling the music and practice daily with understanding what you are playing .Never be a little robot of the notes but feel them with all your soul .

There are two opinions about succes in classical music - the more popular one and the one that's spoke about in this video is that you need to start at the age of max. 5, you need a perfect teacher and have to practice 8+ hours a day and that might not even be enough. Then you go on a competition and play everywhere, all the time and your life is just piano. Then there's another one - it doesen't matter when you start, teacher is recommended, but you can find everything on the internet and in books. If you enjoy yourself and get good, you can get little gigs, that can lead to being recognized and having some nice concerts, without being overwhelmed.

fantastic interview. Really insightful for any serious pianist

I was so lucky!!! I managed to go to the concert celebrating his 90th birthday with his assistant also teaching me some piano. AND I even got to meet, shake hands, talk, AND have a selfie with him (Mr. G Graffman).

he reminds me of Dejango a gypsy guitar player who could only play with 2 fingers and was awesome

One of the finest pianists of his generation. First introduced me to the Tchaikovsky 2nd and 3rd piano concertos in the sixties. Fantastic technique, sadly undermined by muscular problems.

Wonderful interview. Thank you. Uh...also...I wonder if the interviewer (Zsolt Bognar?) sings. He has a spectacular voice.

If you have the fire to be a musician, you can do it at any age. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Ever.

Such an interesting man. He is living a wonderful life. A happy man.

This is great, not sure how I missed it. You should do an episode with Koji Attwood

There's a lot to it. I'm not keen on contests. They can be limiting, What matters is how people respond where you are playing, not how they respond to someone who is playing somewhere else.

Great interview. Thanks for sharing. Regarding the focal dystonia, this is becoming an increasing presence in musicians' performance abilities, but covers other fields as well such as the artist for Gilbert cartoons, a friend of mine who was a court reporter and others that have been struck down by this debilitating infliction. It seems to attack persons who do a lot of repetitive actions that all these disciplines cover. So I think it is just overdoing it in some cases and the muscles just give out and nerve damage is the result plus the victim cannot resume normal function (performing at previous level as before) in most cases. I speak from experience as a woodwind player. This condition attacked me in my late 30s and haven't been able to play very well after that. Showed up in a practice session and in a week most muscle memory with embouchure was gone. So, to musicians I cross frequently I suggest they not overdo it or this can be very debilitating.

I was lucky enough to hear Mr Graffman perform the first Brahms piano concerto and later to sign my Brahms score. This was around 1977. I remember talking to him about the detailed interpretation of a certain passage near the beginning. I mention this only because he said that that was around the time he started noticing a problem with his right hand.

Yes they’re absolutely the truly mostly gifted students in the world!

Thank you. Exceptionally interesting and informative.

Yuja Wang works her hands so hard, I worry that she may someday have a problem similar to Mr. Graffman's.

People, especially well known musical artists, have a way of seeing the world through their eyes only - he started piano at 3 and was at Curtis at 7. I understand what he is trying to get across and I also understand why it is ruffling feathers. I agree with what he is saying in part but always remember all great artists live in the bubble that they grew up in, succeeded in and spent their lives in. That is not to say it is the same for all. Great artists and teachers always have a way of making you believe what they say is the gospel… think about it… that’s their job and they’re good at it ! ;) There is some truth in it and perhaps especially so for pianists, violinists and organists to be the greatest in the world but… there are ALWAYS exceptions! I value and honor those who have persevered and followed their callings at whatever age they heard them!

Mr. Graffman and all of Wuja's teachers, you are all performers of the Buddha's third miracle. The Buddha explained the three types of miracle to his followers. First is the miracle of psychic power, walking on water, levitation etc. NOT IMPORTANT, a waste of time. Second is the miracle of foretelling the future. Also not important! Third is the miracle of teaching. Very important, because someone you teach may go out and change the world! TAKE A BOW!

I'm not a "pianist" by any stretch but I know enough to evaluate what I see and hear a real pianist do, and on that basis I've seen RU-vid videos of Yuja Wang playing live and she's scary. What got me was just how staccato she was able to play chords at high volumes. I get it that the point of piano playing isn't the sheer athleticism (although I appreciate that aspect of it) but my thinking was more along the lines of, here's a mechanical instrument that responds exclusively to player input and there's an envelope to the instrument's performance that a player can push and that's what I sensed Wang was doing. Piano actions have evolved the way they have over the centuries because of performers pushing what a piano could do into the realm of what they thought it *ought* to be able to do and who knows, maybe Steinway, Yamaha, etc. will be woodshedding their actions in the years to come because of what the current generation of classical pianists are doing.

Many people commenting about the "starting early" answer are not seeing the question and the answer for what they are! The question is how to form and foster a first-rate talent into a well-rounded musician, and the answer is "they SHOULD be started early, that's the most important thing." He's not saying they "must" be started early, nor is he saying this is the only thing, nor is he saying that people who start late can't be first-rate. But ideally, they should start early.

I started piano at 14 (almost 15). I received my Bachelors, Masters, and I am a dissertation away from receiving my Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) degree all from Manhattan School of Music. My teacher is Nina Svetlanova. Never let anyone tell you your limits. Work your hardest. Figure out how to overcome. Get a great teacher that knows how to solve your technical problems. Be the best version of yourself. Record yourself constantly. Perform constantly. You will grow everyday. Set goals. Reach them. Prove doubters wrong.

This is the man who Horowitz voted for in a major competition couple decades ago, but sadly he didn't won that competition. However, the thing that Horowitz would never know is that Gary Graffman, who he voted for, is now the principle of Curtis

My heart goes out to both Gary and Zsolt regarding their inability to play. I am a retired doctor (surgeon) who could play concertos, even though I never became a musician. I never attained the technique of Graffman, so I never played the huge concertos he played. I can still play but obviously not at their level. I think that (ultimately) focal dystonia is an overuse syndrome. I believe Gary is correct when he mentioned that he might have stretched some structures in his hand, in particular the inter-osseous inter carpal ligaments. Eventually, they became stretched- out and could no longer function properly. Once they get stretched, there is an essential imbalance in structure and anatomy that occurs. I think that this is the crux of dystonia. There is a natural tendency...after some damage has been done...to "use" other anatomy to "make up" for the primary damage. So the cycle of damage continues and extends to other, neighboring anatomy. How can it be avoided? I think the answer is in front of us. NO MORE Prokoffiev concertos, say than once/year. NO BARTOK at all. No weird arrangements of Stravinsky for piano solo. No pounding. No multiple octaves at thrice tempo. No piece with only arpeggios (Liszt). I have written warnings on line for a number of young artists. I think that I actually got through to Yeol Eum Son, even though she never responded publicly to me. She was playing huge works and she is physically small....but that is NOT the overriding factor. I ASKED HER TO START PLAYING MORE MOZART AND EARLY BEETHOVEN. Now, I see she is doing exactly that. I know there is an enormous thirst for the Brahms' concertos (which I used to be able to play) and Rach 3 (which I never could). But there has to be a LIMIT on those also. Helene' Grimaud never did Rach 3, but does both Brahms's instead. Rubinstein never did Rach 3. But he did a lot of Chopin. But I think he was in control of them and alternated fingering scientifically....even if he was not aware of that. Also, his tempi were reasonable and he never pounded. Ever. There are some fingering "tricks" in the First Chopin Scherzo that avoid stretching. That's what I do. We have to remember that a classical piano career is absolutely NOT normal. No human's anatomy can or was built to withstand the trauma of routinely performed gigantic, thumping and stretching works. None. There is an exquisite balance...that once offended...can never be retracted. Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)

His autobiography I REALLY SHOULD BE PRACTISING

Good advice

yes the best no longer need to compete

Interesting interview. I watched it because Yuja Wang and Tiffany Poon are my two favorite pianists of the young generation, and I wanted to hear more about what he has to say about competitions... and Yuja. But I didn't know about Mr. Graffman's injury. My dad had exactly the same problem and it cut his career as concert performer short (that was in the 1930s). He managed to play again later in life; figured out fingerings for working around his handicap, but never could play at concert level again. He also went to different doctors, the last one in the 1970s, and none could figure out the problem, only that it seemed to be a neuro - muscular injury of some sort, and that there was no treatment.

Graffman is part of that long lineage from the great Romantic composers and now Yuja Wang is carrying on that tradition. So many of the newest pianists seem to think that speed is the goal and the result is a mishmash of sound. I was raised on the grand, romantic style - Van Cliburn, Graffman, Horowitz, Bolet, Hough

If you want to be an elite concert pianist who performs the music of 200 and 300 year old dead guys in a manner that's slightly different to how Horowitz, Richter, Rubinstein etc have performed, then yes, starting in your teens is likely too late. I get that everyone has different ambitions but I'm not sure why too many people would want to choose such a narrow dream. If I felt that I could really gift the world with an interpretation of some old Chopin or Beethoven classic that nobody of these dozens of elite pianists have in the past, maybe then I'd go for it. If you want to write and perform your own unique music and inspire generations coming, it's never too late, and there are thousands of living case studies to support that point.

It is important to note that his perspective about starting late is only talking about being a top tier competitor in whatever discipline one wants to dive into. Yes(mechanically speaking) age & talent are a huge factor. But creativity & passion have NO AGE LIMIT. One can pick up an instrument at 50 & create a hit. Success is circumstantial.

" I didn’t allow Lang Lang or Yuja Wang to compete" == I HIGHLY respect your Wisdom

That Gucci Belt is on fiahh! 💵💵

His Tchaikovsky #1 with George Szell and his Rachmaninoff #2 with Leonard Bernstein are my favorite versions of all time. The fact he mentored Yuja Wang is so thrilling to me as her versions of these are just as magnificent. Love you, Gary... and you, too, Yuja.

The GG Gucci belt buckle is perfect!!!

Haochen Zhang ,his another student coming from China, has competed in the Cliburn International Piano Competition and won.

Huge amount of students are learning piano in PRC

yes, my idiot brain just read "I didn't allow ling ling or yuja wang to compete"

Can u do interview with a Doctor who experiences to handle case like vocal dystonia hand ? Maybe talk about the treatment / etc around that topic

16 is too old..... maybe for become a super concert pianist star. I began when I had 13 with synthesia Xd, and I took it seriously when I turned 16. Now that I’m 21 . I just can say, maybe you won’t be able to play with a tremendous virtuosity or learn big hard pieces in just weeks. Your way will be harder than others that began at 6 or ... 3 years old . But with effort and discipline you can achieve many things (obviously with a good teacher that knows how to make you improve according to your abilities) In my experience I’ve could play some bach, Mozart concertos. Schumann and Grieg piano concerto. Some Chopin etudes and a couple of Liszt trascendental etudes. Many sonatas of different classical composers. Some Bach’s suites and tocatta, etc. So, maybe someone with 21 who began at 3 could learn and play rach 3 in a couple of months, that’s something that I can not do and I do not think to learn at the moment lol. Then, do not give up ! Keep studying and improving everyday :D

I'm not sure why people can't understand simple English. He didn't say you can't play piano if you didn't start early in life. He is refering to World class performers and that does not mean you played in your mediocre city level orchestra. There are plenty of adult learners that have passed ABRSM Grade 8 . One guy on that forum passed grade 8 at 69

This pre-supposes that the only way to be musically "talented" is to be able to play the conventional repertoire as a virtuosic executive (ie "playing") musician in concert halls. But there is composing, arranging, conducting, multi-instrumentalists, jazz (which requires a facility with rhythm and harmony rather than just virtuosity), the ability to improvise, orchestral playing, and a hundred other ways to be accomplished. For every one classical virtuoso there are several thousand perfectly good and well-trained musicians who make the world a better place, but they are often written off as "failures". I recognise that this interview is about a narrow part of the musical world, but sadly it just perpetuates the myth that musicians are of little real value unless they are virtuosi or unless they practice 10 hours a day from the age of six. They are indeed brilliant and wonderful, but nearly all of them have a narrow repertoire of 100-200 year old music which they play over and over again from one concert hall to another. Unfortunately the classical world. The real value in music is, like poetry, art, film and other creative pursuits, the broadening of minds and a civilising element to the benefit of all.

Wonderful;....however there are many fine, healthy young interpreters who know that a competition can offer them contacts and some contracts. A competition is not the end of the line or the end of life for them!!; nothing terrible regarding sharing, confronting, etc.!!

One of the few pianists I've gone to see who really excitedme ! I've seen DeaRocha,Argerich (Chopin eminor with guiini),Milstein in soo recital payed his Pagiana at end , Pollini (5 Beethoven sonatas no encoreor maybe there was I actually don't remember nor did I notice how perfect he was , Arrau (BeethNo.4 he was very old by this time.I don't remember a note . Graffman played Prokofiev Dflat concerto no.1 andIve never forgotten how shiny and mettalic everything sounded . There was an electricity that night . later i wentto see Argerich a second timein Milami .Early 1980's .Cancelled .Andreswesky was the best Diabelli Ive ever heardand by that time I could actually judge piano sound and interpretation . Collard I don't even remember whAT HEplayed .Sgouros was amazing in liszt Sonata !

When Graffman cancelled those concerts, other pianists got the break they'd been waiting for. It's an ill wind... as they say.

How many people below do not understand what the story in this interview is? it is not what age your start but a whole heap of other important stuff

I totally agree about starting to learn piano early young, because the kids muscle is still soft and easy to develop. I start playing Piano in 2012, and I have to practice 8 hours a day to make my finger playing faster with effortless. It's been 7 years and everyday I have to flex my hands and fingers all the time or otherwise my playing become stiff. So this is the drawback starting playing Piano as adult.

Graffman has the best version of Rachmaninoff"s Prelude in G# minor, Op. 32 No. 12

from what he says it may well be that one (as child) can learn to play piano in the same way one learns to speak or move. In that case of course it is hard when you start at a later stage.

Muscles can be coordinated and trained . You don’t need to start early necessarily. One just need to have the right instruction ( which is rare) . One needs to be aware of suppleness of the hands , core activation , seating bones , relaxation of upper back and shoulders , self awareness as far as tension and wrong use of muscles ( e.g chest ) , understand the well coordination among leading fingers , wrist ( which should be flexible at all times) and natural fall of the forearms , One needs to understand musicality and texture . How many people deem to play the piano but merely type the keys, not offering any texture or deep tonality . How many of those are unaware of their natural arm weight ? Musical line has to stand out with different tones and textures , the rest , even if from the same hand , needs to humbly lay low . people have to listen first ! And record themselves playing and see the huge difference between their playing and Cortot’s for example. One must read books like : Chopin , pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils . All this a good teacher can guide and even if you are in your 20’s but desire to put some effort you can accomplish many things .you still can become a great artist .

I disagree on one thing. It's never too late, talent can be grown from whatever age.

If you like Mussorgski's Pictures at an Exhibition, try Gary Graffman's recording. If I could find mine, I would post it.

It’s never too late I’m almost done with learning concert level music and I started four years ago I’m 20 now I don’t like this negative connotation if there is a will there is a way

Lucas Debargue started serious study very late. Arcadi Volodos didn't start taking the piano seriously till his teens if recall correctly.

So what classical music and classical art institutions are saying is that unless your rich and have parents that will give anything to get you trained at any early age you cant make music!?!! They have made a requirement to be trained early have “talent” and go to a conservatory to be accepted as a classical pianist. No ONE is ever to old to learn and play ANYTHING they want and become professional. These requirements for the concert halls and classical music world are discriminatory, prejudice and flat out unjust. They claim to be the worlds best musicians yet have lost the very heart and soul of what music is which is to be enjoyed, played and experienced by every single human being on this planet. Don’t let these narrow minded critical people steal your passion creativity and ability to touch the hearts around you. We NEED the voices of us “regular” people!! 😘

Tell me about it I didn’t get a piano until I was almost 14 Very frustrating

Can someone tell me the name of the piece played in the intro?

what was that piece played in the intro of the video?

Thank you for this wonderful interview. I’m ashamed to ask because it’s so frivolous, but I’m setting up a camera system to record my piano playing and I love the look of this video. I was wondering what camera/lens was used here?

I’m not iPad savvy in my eighties. How do I get a catelogue. Living the Classical life

Gran historia