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Ever dated another pianist? How did that go? Did it ever get competitive; did you ever argue about music topics/each other's playing?

Not sure if this belongs here, but it IS called pianist corner so I figured it's ok.. =P

I did, but I play a few instruments, have a bit of experience as an arranger and producer and know something about making music in general, not just limited to the piano..

..but I do have the advantage of not really a pianist, so I would never be able to compete in the first place..and I don't get jelous either.

Nope. I guess you'd need a clipboard hanging on the wall to sign up for piano time, like for the treadmills at the health club.
"Okay honey, you get 6:00-7:00, then I get 7:00-8:00."

I've heard it said in jest that the secret to a happy marriage is separate bathrooms and separate bank accounts. Perhaps if 2 pianists were a couple, separate pianos in separate soundproofed rooms might be necessary too!

reminds me of a joke:

This guy walks into a bar, pulls out a tiny piano and stool, and a tiny little man. The tiny man sits down, and starts to play the piano. This other guy notices it. "Hey, what's that?"

"A twelve-inch pianist. Ya see, I found this magic lamp, rubbed it, made a wish, I got a twelve inch pianist."

"Can I try?" The man with the piano agrees and a minute later, a million ducks fill the room.

"Ducks? I didn't wish for a million ducks, I wished for a million bucks!"

"Ya think I really wished for a twelve inch pianist?"

Yup.. either that or hopefully we'll both have studios at the schools we teach.

Are you trying to hit on me Angelina?

Hahaha.. I never intentionally hit on people.. =)

Hehe I'm just kidding -- I actually did date a pianist for a little bit.

What was funny is that she never wanted to play piano or listen to any type of classical music with me. She just wanted to go out and have fun at the beach, eat hamburgers, go to movies, etc. She wasn't even interested in hearing me play at all.

Honestly I think I practiced even more than she did while I am working a full time systems engineering job. She liked to take pictures of food she cooks and do other stuff. I think she was probably just disillusioned with piano and the music field in general.

A romantic relationship between two people who participate in the same highly specialized area has both benefits and pitfalls.

Pros:
+ You understand what each other might be going through.
+ You share a serious common interest, and most likely, a similar outlook on everything else because this interest is such a big part of your life.
+ You have one more person whom you trust and who is close to you to give you really honest feedback on your performances -- this feedback may be more valuable than from your teacher because you are closer to each other.
+ You can learn vicariously from each other's experiences.

Cons:
- Competition: Even if you are not particularly competitive in nature, situations may force it upon you.
- On a related note, unless you live in a metropolis like NYC, it may be hard to find a place where both of you can have unhindered career advancement. This is especially true if both of you have identical aspirations. It's more workable if one person wants something slightly different (my piano teacher's husband, for example, focuses more on composing while she focuses more on teaching and performing).

It's only based on anecdotal evidences, but I think the pros outweigh the cons.

[addendum: chances are, you will argue about music at some time. But if you are together, it must mean that you already respect each other. Then, it's much easier to "agree to disagree."]

After much memory searching, I think I can safely say I've never even dated a musician.

I dated a pianist. And we got along fine. We're still good friends today.

Hmm.. interesting stories.

Is anyone married to another pianist? I wonder what that's like!

You could marry me and find out. =p=p=p

I can think of a few very successful pianist couples:

Misha and Cipa Dichter

Elisabeth and Eugene Pridonoff

John and Nancy Weems

Alvin Chow and Angela Cheng


I also know of a few couples who didn't make it, which probably means that pianist couples are just like all the other couples in the world. Some make it, some don't.

So Angela and Andre are done for sure?

you can have it out with my man =P

haha go stores!

In the next piano competition for amateurs in Chicago, there are 2 couples of husbands and wives competing. I've seen a few sparks in amateur piano competitions; nothing to do with me though.

For me it's been interesting dating a pianist for almost 2 years now. I've always known him as the piano God around here because he's so good.. and I knew him for 5 years before we went out. So I think because of that I never feel competitive. (also, because he's a guy and is 4 years older haha). I've learned so much from him about music and we had duo coachings with his teacher who is INCREDIBLE.

Unfortunately we're aiming for the same job - position at a university, so I don't know how that's going to be. The good thing is, he's heading for performing solo mostly, and I want to do more collab and teaching.

Also being with someone who is so much better than you drives you to get better.. which I have, I think.. I recently won a competition that I wouldn't have had a chance at 2 years ago =) We do fight and we've ripped each other's performances to shreds and I threw a score at him last year before a duo concert.. but it's all good in the end!

I'd think twice before applying for the same job. One of my graduate advisors used to warn us away from that because we tended to look very similar on paper and might "cancel each other out."

And be careful how you handle interviews. Be sure you come across as "If you hire me, you also get him - an excellent accompanist. Two pianists for the price of one!" You don't want to come across as "I'll work for you until one of us gets a better job or someone hires us both."