10 Most Frequently Asked Questions on Being a Classical Pianist Q&A | Tiffany Vlogs  

Before someone asks, I'm going to start writing all background music here instead of in the description box 😉 Scarlatti Sonata K.9 Chopin Waltz in A Minor ❤

About "pianist" in quotes: I was at a friend's home when his young daughter played a piece for the group. One person asked her, "Do you want to be a pianist when you grow up?" She replied, quite seriously, "I already am."

If you throw blankets over your Steinway, you can build a...pianofort!

“Being hated one school because of liking classical music” broke my heart. Crazy world!

the 'under piano' vlog days are back again😁 ,we missed you tiffany

It takes a lifetime to learn not to care about other people's opinions of you.

The thumbnail is just too adorable. The Scarlatti Sonata K.9 is full of crystal clear trills. Scarlatti is literally Tiffany’s theme music.

10:10 on the subject of self confidence (brace for some amateur DIY philosophy). I find the main reason people have problems with self confidence is because they calculate their self worth with how they stack up compared to others. i mean who can blame them its drilled into our heads, the concept of "the race" and "winners or loosing" but at the end of the day if that's how you calculate self worth you'll be trying to fill a endless vase because no matter how hard you try there's always going to be someone smarter or faster than you but that doesn't necessarily mean their "better" than you. better is a relative term meaning you define what better is. when picking colour i prefer royal purple over red, i define it to be "better" than red. For self confidence i find the best way to measure yourself is to ask yourself 1. who you are now 2. who you want to be in the future. so if i say i want to be able to teach classical music, its something i can pursue and not be hindered by watching other amazing pianists perform pieces i may never play. instead i can whole heartedly listen in awe to their musical talent because their greatness doesn't diminish my value. also as for "who you want to be" it that doesn't have to be a fixed variable in fact often it changes so to anyone out there don't be afraid to change, grow and evolve. Thank you for coming to my ted talk

Hey Tiffany I’ve been following you for a long time and I just wanna to say that your videos are amazing and I love your channel🤍 I’ve been playing the piano about almost 10 years. My parents didn’t allow me to be a pianist and they’re not allowing me to practice because of the university exam. I’m secretly trying to learn some pieces when they are not at home. So seeing someone who can do something that they like makes me really happy. Thanks for sharing!!

Yes! I miss this. I cried for joy because of this. Being a concert pianist is my profession. Thanks to you, Ms. Tiffany. Edit: I gonna cry when I listen to Chopin's Waltz.

Thank you for answering Tiffany☺️ I was super excited. I really admire you, thanks a lot again

I love your videos. I just started playing again after 30 years. I play because I love it and it makes me happy. When I want to hear beautiful music and playing I watch your videos. Thank you for the inspiration to start playing again.

I'm a piano performance major (and comp) and your videos inspire and motivate me so much!! Thank you! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Being hated in school because of liking classical music: “why care about people who hate you for loving what you care about” That is so well said! Cheers from Hong Kong

You don't have to keep apologizing whenever you come up with a philosophical concept!

Thank you so much for sharing your “philosophy “ ha! and advice with us. Under the piano; what a great place to hang out. All things seem to sink in more deeply under a piano.We are never too old for that!

Well, Tiffany, I am in my seventies, so I have more life experience than you. And guess what? The things you say are full of wisdom and truth. It's apparent that your philosophy degree helped make you articulate, gave you perspective, and helped you think logically--though I suspect you had gifts along those lines to begin with or you wouldn't have studied philosophy. More important than your college degree, however, is that you are sensitive and caring. You demonstrate that a person doesn't need a lifetime of experience to be wise. Keep up the good work!

I love your Chopin. Very moving.

Glad to see you back in NYC and under the piano again. Good points about college degrees. My take on it is that a college degree (BA or BS) means more that you are capable of learning and analyzing complex material, not that you are necessarily an expert in a given field. I think graduate degrees do imply a degree of expertise in a specific field. Being a professional musician vs. performing music for an audience is a different question. P.S. I'll stop using quotation marks for emphasis.

Tiffany: ....the traditional *kind of old* classical audience... Hey! I resemble that remark! We may be old, but we're....uh, reliable. 😁

Dear Tiffany, I love your videos because they’re so inspiring for me as an aspiring musician. Do you think it’s possible to have an active career as a pianist (not necessarily touring for a living) as well as a mathematician? Perhaps the question I thought was my favorite was “what to do during high school to increase the chances of becoming a professional pianist.” This is something I can resonate with, because I’m in high school and my two passions are mathematics and classical piano. There are a few classical pianists who are also mathematicians, but it’s unclear to what extent they belonged to both worlds. I can’t decide which I would prefer going into professionally! Thanks so much!

As for feeling like "never being able to play like Tiffany" (or whoever is your fav ): Listen carefully, get the sound in your ear, then take your instrument and try to achieve (not imitate) that sound, or to come as close as possible. Also watching closely how your favs play their instrument helps. BTW Great Q&A as always, Tiffany!

Love the philosophizing as much as I love the under the piano setting.

You are glowing in this video! I hope you’ll visit us in Canada when the Covid is over ❤️😇

I’ve been a Flutist since I was 11 almost 12 but I studied piano for a year before I started playing the flute. So, my question for you would be What are some pieces that you want to learn that you haven’t played yet? I love your videos!!!🥰❤️

I learned to play piano when I was really young and one of my biggest regrets is not continuing on. I’m almost 21 now and I’m starting to play piano again (albeit not very well). Watching your videos really inspires me.

Thank you so much Tiffany ! I really hope you are happy and stay healthy!

Watching your channel has deepened my appreciation for classical piano music. Thank you!

Love you Tiffany, keep striving.

Excellent insight about what being a professional means. There are so many ways to make a living performing (ie, being a "professional artist") outside of classical performance. Keep striving.

Musicality. What is it and how does it work? Emotionality. What is it and how does it work? As artists, we work out of intuition as well as technique. When the structure of a song or melody is understood, we can then feel how the music moves us. Sometimes, we need to step away from a piece and let it settle within us. When we connect with the piece emotionally, it will flow from us with ease. Each of us has this ability within us. Just be easy with it and yourselves. ☺️

The algorithm brought me here... i dont play piano but just started listening to classical music out of the blue

Thank you for this vlogs. It really helps a lot of people. I just started watching your videos, Tiffany. Love it

1:57 Thanks for explaining the algorithm! I recently turned on Notifications, so got here within the first 2 minutes! :)

I don't know if you will read this but i really like your videos. You have an outstanding personality. Keep it up

I've loved this video. It's so useful to hear all this things from a really good pianist. It gives me hope and encourage me to follow my dreams. I love you and your content, you are an incredible person.

Scarlatti be like: *TRILLS*

Your sparkling personality is on display in each video.

I've been a fan for a while and clicked right away! 6hrs from posting.. you got this algorithm!

Tiffany you're so humble and helpful.

Since I'm a subscriber I must be a VIP. LOL!!! Thank you, Dear Tiffany, for sharing your philosophy and experiences with us. It is a pleasure to hear from you again! 💖💖💖

I just started taking piano lessons at the age of 45, I just love it and I plan on becoming very good at it regardless of my age. I feel inspired by your videos and your accomplishments. You are young and smart person and a role model to the younger generation. Classical Music is Universal and it should be shared with everyone and in that respect your a great Musical Ambassador of spreading the knowledge and taste of Classical Music. Thanks for sharing your life experience as a Pianist and with Music.

I love your videos Tiffany! Cheers from Paraguay

This was a great video! Thank you so much Tiffany; I will be taking your advice with me :)

Very cosy setting, love it, and the answers you gave ❤️

When you played Pavane pour infante defunte (Ravel) in your sight reading video I loved it so much that I chose it as my romantic/post romantic piece for my school audition!

You are under your piano! I've always wanted to sit beneath a Concert Grand! All that vibration, what a different way to feel the music.

I love your content and I always click on your videos, hope you're having a good day and keep up the good work!

I really liked this video, thank you Tiffany 😊

This was so encouraging, Tiffany. After years of asking myself if I should study something "practical" and leave playing aside (a common thought, I think), I'm figuring out how to get back to some form of studies and pursue piano again more formally. Reason being, I have always loved to play and share in performance, and I'm finally believing in the people who have told me I have a gift. For me, profession can be performing and teaching, I don't care- I just want to be with the instrument! :) So I encourage anyone else who is a few steps behind or unsure to just go for it, if you have any ripple of passion that you just can't seem to stifle. Yay for classical piano and pianists, keep dreaming 💞

You are great!!! I am a big fans! I just started this piano journey. Wish me luck.

I quit piano for 5 years after after i studied it back at 1st grade (studied 3 years) and i got back recently december. I dont have a teacher because i couldnt find a good one so im on my own, and its really challenging because no one is really teaching me. My skills, im probably between early intermediate and intermediate. My pace of learning is now better because before i didn't really like the piano, i have no motivation, i didn't see it as a hobby,so as a result most of the lessons that my teacher taught me, i forgot them already but the basics stayed in me. Those 3 years of learning was actually wasted for me and i regret it, if i loved it before and continued playing the piano, im probably 5x better than my current self right now.

I like watching your channel and I also like reading thru the comments. You have such a variety of followers...

You are very kind girl! I whish you all the best!!!

your answers are so interesting, thanks you so much😻

I love hearing from you

5:11 thanks for the advice i'm always forced to modern up, and Classical is always belittled in my Junior High. But I will not stop classical its my passion. Hrrrr Maybe because im in the Philippines🤔

I watched this right away - as soon as it popped up ;)

Tiffany, brfilliant and very thought-provoking. Thank you so much!!

Very nice, Tiffany. I play flamenco and jazz (guitar) and I play simply because I enjoy the feeling of achieving mastery and, of course, enjoy the music.

Amazing!

Pianist play for themselves their music is a reflection of their inner subconscious. It's their therapy is cheaper then a shrink. When we play for each other in a piano salon piano meetup it's group therapy with appreciation from our peers. Keep playing the musical journey is endless.

This was refreshing, as my Stienway lays under me and answers questions from keyboards 😊 I'm jk, lovely post Tiffany! Thank you 👍✌

Just wanted to say that you got me interested in playing piano again after watching your videos for the past year. I played for 10 years growing up and hated every second of it. After a 15 year "break", and now at 30 years old, it feels like I picked back up where I left off.

Wonderful video, Tiffany!

Hey Tiffany, I just watched some recital pieces you did 9 years ago and I was stunned by your performance. Even your body language was a part of that piece and you looked like absorbed into it body and soul. I am just wondering how you can so easily switch into that mode to be there body and soul - you almost looked like you created those pieces and you were Beethoven or Mozart at that moment. Does my question make sense? :) Do you find it’s easy to get out that zone after recital? Did you feel sad when one piece was over when you have to come back to reality? How do you adjust emotionally?

900th like and 100th comment! This is too perfect! Keep up the good work Tiffany!

I don't play piano like I used to anymore. I was never anywhere near as good as Tiffany. But I appreciate what we usually mistakenly call classical music (I actually like Classical and Romantic period music) because of how diverse and artistic it is. When you listen to Liszt, my favorite, or Chopin, or others like Scarlett, Clementi, you can tell they made the music they did because they loved the music. Not for money, necessarily, or for fame, but because it was a deeply personal thing for them. I connected with that, and so I began to learn the piano until I could play half decently.

For ur age u r very matured Tiffany..!! Obviously an amazing pianist...!!!..Love your work❣️❣️

This video also works great as a podcast. I heard this on my way to Uni

A musician is someone who makes music. As a pianist you play the piano, as a violinist you play the violin. You dont need to give a concerto to call you/be called a pianist. If you make music, you are a musician. And it doesnt matter if you play in front of 300 people, or just for yourself at home.

Thank you for the videos! They give me motivation to continue playing piano.. Thank you very much!!

I was just listening to Josh Wright saying the same thing about toxic trolls who criticize for kicks. He advises people to keep a tight inner-circle of people whose critiques to take to heart, and to take critiques from the rest with a grain of salt. I thought it was really cool when you sympathized with that one person who compared themselves to you, and also when you told that other person to get rid of the quotes around the word "pianist" in reference to themselves. Not about that philosophy lesson, how does that go again? "x can be part of y and still be its own x"?

Yay a new video!

You posted this video on my birthday 😄

"Hated and school for liking classical music" Ugh. Happily this part of life is temporary.

I'm an easy person, I see Tiffany's video so I click and watch it 😊

Most music degree graduates end up becoming music teachers; which I guess is "professional". My friend with a music degree is the oddity in that he became an organ tuner/builder/restorer. He of course would love to see you play an organ. The Wanamaker isn't that far from NYC :) Peter Conte is amazing and I am sure he would show you around it.

Tiffany youre amazing, kisses from argentina

I came to this site off a YT recommendation. I started playing early like you (perhaps Asian parents!) and stopped playing once I left for university. I do miss classical piano and was happy to buy a top-end hybrid piano for my kids. I’m currently living in HK so you know how tight space is! Anyhow, I enjoyed your videos so much and subscribed :). You make me regret that I stopped playing. Now, I want to pick it up again when I relocate to London next month and take a hiatus from working!

There's a big difference between being a professional at something and being serious about it. Again, I don't play piano anymore, I now am studying political science and statistics in graduate school, but I've seen this up close, with both music and other things. Professionals do a job to get paid. Serious practitioners may be paid or unpaid, the differentiating factor between the two is that the serious practitioner is disciplined, takes their craft seriously with an open mind and eagerness to learn and improve. You may be a professional pianist because you get paid (that is, IF the world gets half civilized ever again soon), but more importantly, you are a serious pianist.

香港觀眾: came from the algorithm, subscribed to ur channel since then:)

youre so great at playing 😍i want another right reading video 😼

I'm 15 and I just realized I wanted to become a classical pianist, I wonder why now not earlier xD. THANK YOU! I got a peace of mind now.

I guess it all amounts to practice practice practice I think it goes a long way

My favorite spot to think, relax, and take a short nap (under the piano). Interesting reflections on what being a (professional) pianist (musician) means. Yes, we should compare ourselves to others less and just have more fun doing what we like doing and share it the way we want (or not share it; we don’t necessarily have to share everything we like (doing) just like you don’t necessarily have to share your boyfriend or girlfriend, with everyone, right? 😊 (I know, it’s a little different…). Classical music is not as appealing to everyone as other music genres are, simply because it is a little too intellectual and usually complex and because it is the reflection of the mentality and level of consciousness of a particular period in history which is usually not that of the present time (I don’t even want to start talking about contemporary classical music…). We human beings are an extension of the Perfect Intelligence that created us. Therefore, we are, in essence, Harmony. Simplicity is, to a great extent, a synonym for Perfect Balance (Harmony). So, we’ll always feel drawn to consume mostly things that are simple, which doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be mediocre (junk). We also feel more comfortable (and enjoy and focus on) dealing with the present than the past or the future. It’s not by chance (nothing happens by chance in the Universe) that Simple Present is the most commonly used tense… Life always compels us, somehow, to focus on the present more (it’s healthier, too) which, of course, doesn’t mean that focusing on the past or the future, once in a while, is a crime… History is fascinating and classical music is very interesting, too. But there will always be more consumption of other music genres that are simpler and more connected to the present (It’s our nature…). Classical musicians should play and experiment with other genres as well. It is not only fun but it also enriches our overall knowledge of music and it, somehow, makes you a better musician, as well… Yes, cutting toxic people out and not worrying about what others think is definitely a healthy choice… The traditional education system is really not the most effective way to learn nor it is a guarantee that you’re going to get where you want… So, just focus on learning and doing what you want and carve your on reality without worrying too much; just enjoy the ride… Emotional musicality is more about sincerity and intuition than anything else (listen to your heart at all times)… Your reflections help others to understand and appreciate music and music-making (and other interesting things) more… 👍

I would love to know your Desert Island Discs! 🏝 Perhaps you'll be on that program someday.

Don't make Tiffany small. Go to Together with Classical. Make her much, much bigger.

Hi Tiffany. I’m always waiting for your next video. Always very good moments. Could you consider to make some videos on your views on interpretation. Your loved Scarlatti K380 could be a nice one to explain your analysis and how you approach the piece for interpretation. Thank you.

Thanks for the update. FYI - the volume was quite low - I had my computer speaker all the way up and still had a little hard time with it. Would like you to talk sometime about playing with an orchestra vs being a solo pianist.

I too laid under my piano but I couldn’t breathe. Do NOT do this if you have an upright! Loved the video, though! 🙂

I think classical music is never pop music. It has always been for the upper class. But you’re doing an amazing job. And you’re pretty and so classy

Love ya !

Conversations under the piano, chapter 5.....this is a nice habit 😁

You should do a video explaining how you got into Julliard, we young musicians in HS would appreciate knowing the level at witch you would need to play to get into a top tier school. PLEASE SEE THIS!!!!!! I REALLLY WOULD APPRECIATE IT!!!! I have a channel tooo.....but thats not the most important part of this comment.

An inspiring Q/A. I'd like to share a story of mine. Apparently, people who don't listen to classical music think that us classical musicians are all elitist and arrogant. I think it's quite the opposite. So this happened quite recently. I had a 'friend' who was very interested in pop and rock music. I however, was obsessed with Liszt at the time (still am). We were just exchanging music and our thoughts. He made me listen to various pop songs. I didn't think much of them and just commented that they were 'good' (so that, you know, I don't offend him). Then I make him listen to some classical pieces. Specifically, the first Mephisto Waltz by Liszt and the first movement of the Beethoven/Liszt Symphony No.5, just so that he would recognise something. You know what he said? He said, "It sounds like he tried a bit too hard." What?! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?

I can explain why it's important for me to get a degree in music. First I think it's good because it ensures you are getting the proper education, especially if you are doing something like composition. Also, I want to get my doctorate so I can teach college level because college professors get more time to work on their projects and all of the resources to do so. Also it gives you job security that is ALSO in the field that you love.

Inspiring answers, thank you. I hope you will someday play in France, otherwise I might have to travel!

Woah that was fast 😄🥰

Hello, I just found your channel and subscribed :)