What is piano playing all about?

For me, the audience.

Well, partially it is for myself, because I would play piano even if nobody else ever heard it. However, I love it so much that I want to share with others, and for that reason, most of the time what I do is for the audience.

I've always thought music was meant to be heard, so the more the merrier. Being on stage is a priviledge, my responsibilty is to fill the air with the best possible music making I can bring... It's ultimately about the audience for me too.

It depends. There is music that I love and I think deserves performance that only a tuned-in audience will "get." Plus, a piece must have a certain amount of intellectual and/or emotional content for me to invest the time and energy in learning it. So the first task of the music is to keep ME interested. If there's nothing there to sustain my interest, there won't be much to communicate to an audience.

I should state that my usual frame of reference is contemporary music. With the tried-and-true classics, I might balance the equation somewhat differently.

An interesting point RealPlayer, on whether the audience gets it or not. I would consider myself more populist, I certainly enjoy intellectual complexity but it's the emotional content that I consider the priority since that's what's more likely to connect to the average listener.

For me performing is more of a social endeavour - to share and connect with others, than a purely musical consideration. (that said, the best way to communicate is to be entirely focused on the music)

I've always played for myself and an imaginary audience. Since I was a little girl, I secretly wanted to perform but I never had a teacher who held recitals. In my growing-up household, asking to perform would have been viewed as immodest.

I'm 60 and have played before an real audience exactly 6 times. Each time I liked the experience very much. When it went really, really well, I was high as a kite for hours. I want to do it more.

Pretty much only for myself and my own enjoyment. I tend to get performance anxiety so it's not all that fun to perform. I'm happy just being able to practice and play for myself. My wife enjoys listening on the occasions I play without headphones when she is awake. (Not that she's asleep all that much, I just get up early and practice before the day gets going.)

In a way, it's a form of communication.

It's so much better to have an audience.

I can stay at home if I want to play/perform for myself.

But that's boring - though practicing at home never is.

You can say that we're in front of an audience as an usually unworthy representative of the composer, or the composer's wishes, intent, ideas, etc......(a slight similarity to the relationship between an actor and the writer of a script?).

But I don't consider myself to be playing for the composer, unless the composer is sitting in the audience.

Why play "for" anything? I am not convinced that a reason is required.

Like the great Sviatoslav Richter and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, I'm contemptuous of audiences... , and only tolerate them as a source of income. Hang on, I don't play for money.....

In which case, I'll only play for myself. (If the composer wants to observe from on high, he's welcome too).

I think I posted this in another thread, but it fits here, too. I have my father in mind a lot when I play. He died about five years ago, and he was quite a good amateur pianist. I inherited a lot of my love of music from him, I'm sure. I feel sort of a communion with him when I'm playing, especially when playing pieces from some of his music books that have his notations on them.

myself

Kind of OT, but there are a couple different ways of "Playing for an audience" that I've tried:
1) "I'm going to show these people how much I practiced and how good I am" -> FAIL
2) "I'm just going to immerse myself in the music and play what the music calls for" -> SUCCESS

So my goal is always to play for the MUSIC, not just NOTES. And then it doesn't matter if I have an audience or not. I want my audience to enjoy what I'm playing, and I know that won't happen unless I am engaged in what I am doing. Unfortunately I still often fall into just playing notes because it is easier as it requires less of a time commitment.

For music.

At least for me, playing music is about communication. I play to communicate the message of the music from the composer, through my performance, to the audience.

I do it for myself, but I very much enjoy the company of those who want to listen, NOT people who treat my performances as 'background music' and rudely chat over it.

For myself.

It's for the music, for myself, and I guess...sometimes for the audience. Playing 'for the composer' seems a little egotistic, but certainly, I think about the composer while I play/before playing (that's to be expected though.)

Egotistic? How so?

I play because it gives me joy. If others enjoy my music and CDs, it is even better, but I mainly play because I don't think I could survive without music.

All of this but I also generally like trying to get into the heads of composers through their music. I feel like you can sort of get to know these people...

I play for pleasure, mine.
Playing for an audience woudld require vast amounts of narcissism, which I do not have.

I was curious about that also, because it almost seems the opposite of 'egotistic' to me.

I'm an adult amateur, I never play outside of my own living room, and my lifelong passion is in my screen name -- and I seem the first poster to answer the question, without hesitation, as for the composer.

I imagine he's there (or that he's listening somehow), and I try to channel him. I also have a very nice bronze bust of Chopin, and the Delacroix portrait hangs on the wall of my bedroom. All these things inspire me and affirm my passion.

On the fairly unusual occasions that I play something not written by Chopin, I think my answer is still the same -- it's for the composer -- even though I don't feel the same intimacy with any others.

I'm a conduit for the composer's art, and my ego is irrelevant except in that I want to practice my craft as skillfully as I can ... to honor the composer without whom the music wouldn't exist.

I don't really relate to that approach to music.

Playing for an audience only to get a specific emotional reaction from them, and/or for the sole purpose of attracting a certain level of attention from them is narcissistic.

Playing for an audience in which you aim to perform at your best for them because a) you wouldn't be there in the first place without them, or b) they're spending their hard earned money to hear and see you, so you better do your damned best - which'll hopefully give them their money's worth - that's far from narcissistic.

I hear you. But, if you read what you just wrote again, in a different mind set, you will find that you have just decorated narcissism with some altruism. "You play your best" (obviously..why would you play your worst?), and "they paid money to come see you" are statements that assume that you are worth it, that you have something to say AND it is worth their trouble to come hear it. It has got be so, otherwise you can't be successful as a performer. Narcissism is not necessarily a bad quality in this context.

To which approach? Mine (being the post above yours), or the OP's 'approach' as reflected in the title question?

If you mean mine ... well, you don't have to relate to it! But FWIW ... what I described isn't an approach to 'music' but rather the way I approach playing/practicing/performing at the piano. It's certainly not how I approach listening to music.

Playing the piano is about expressivity. It is about channeling the composer through one's own psyche. It can also be about sharing that with a private listener or a public audience. So, playing the piano can be about any or all of the above.

Andromaque, what I think you're describing is just a healthy dose of self-esteem, but not narcissism.

Or maybe it's a case of performers ego? I dunno. I've performed with tons of narcissists over the last 36 years (ha! not like I've weighed them all, or anything ;)). I hope that by now, I can tell the difference between healthy ego and narcissism.

I find this troubling. It's true that the compulsion to perform is often couched in a strong ego. But I like to think of a performance as a gift for others, a gift that's carefully and thoughtfully prepared in the hopes that it will bring enlightenment, catharsis or merely pleasure.

I like to think of the score as a portal linking me to the composer, that we are in communication without barriers of time. It is a way of bringing him/her back to life. This is quite a power, don't you think?

That's a great way to put it, Neil!

I play for the groupies.

You couldn't have said it better. I agree.

I play and compose because I have to. I can't not do it.

Hear, hear!

Like Lang Lang =]

As do I. One of the many reasons...

How's playing for 'groupies' different from playing for the audience?

Just curious, as it's so rare to see 'groupie' used in a classical piano context.

Stylistically speaking: Total flashy grandstanding to please the (presumably slightly shallow) audience. I.e., make it sexy!

You've obviously never seen Lisztomania =D

A bit of each really. I have a passion for piano. I love it so much I want to share with others, and I love sharing the music of my favorite composers with other people .

For me it's because I love music more than anything. I cannot live without music in my life. It is as much a part of me as breathing and eating. Piano just happens to be my favorite medium (but sometimes I wish I played the violin)...

I often put my ego aside and perform for a student in a lesson, or for a friend. I have to put my ego aside because I know that my performance was not yet perfect, that I will demonstrate some errors and lumpiness in front of students. Youtube video would be so much easier, but there is an extra something in the live experience.

This gift that I want to give, the first experience of hearing Brahms for example, is so wonderful that I must give it. Hearing "oh, I love that piece" from children from 11 to 14 who come from families where classical music is never played is... I can't even describe how special and important this is. They are being given the gift of a window into arenas of music that are profoundly important. Then we discuss it, describe it, ponder how long before they could attempt the piece. Teaching the love and understanding of musics is part of what I do, not just the technical execution.

Last week it was Haydn and before that Bach.

I remain grateful to those 2 generous performance majors who awakened my interest in piano in my 30's by playing for me. Sometimes I went to their performances, often they played when requested to at home. Nothing better than an impromptu show and tell. I'm lucky they were comfortable with the idea of performance, come to think of it i'm lucky that <all those concert pianists> are comfortable with performing. I'm just doing my bit, listening to others, and playing for others to listen. It's 2 sides of the same thing. I feel a duty to do my best to introduce people to musics that could bring so much joy.

That's why I'm a teacher!

Have you sung in a choir yet?

Oh no no no I'm sorry; I worded that kind of badly. I should have been more clear, hmm let me try to explain this better:
I guess the first thoughts that popped into my head when I read "Do you play for an audience, the composer, or yourself?", that "playing for the composer" immediately went to the idea which meant playing for the composer as in "wow I'm so talented I'm playing for the composer, just for the composer to hear and know and appreciate how wonderfully I'm performing their piece"

And the composer, being in short, genius, whom have created such beautiful music (this is really broad/vague but understand, these were just the first reactions in my head) it would would seem aha 'egotistic' to assume that they would want to know or something you're playing their compositions solely for them.

umm I hope I'm not offending anyone with my first post since I wasn't all that clear. And sure, definitely, some people might play for the composer just as I described being big-headed (sort of), but then again the way some people play would definitely make the composer feel...good?proud?happy? Yeah this is semi-ranting and OT a bit but I hope this clears things up or at least gets across my intentions.

Speaking for myself anyway, I wasn't offended by your earlier statement -- just surprised because I didn't understand what you meant. It makes sense now that you've clarified it, so thanks (even though now I'm kind of embarrassed by my answer that I play 'for the composer' ... if it sounded like I meant I pompously sit down at the piano imagining that I could 'impress' Chopin!).

Actually, I do. I sing a soprano in my school's choir.

I think it is different for everyone. When I try to just emerse myself in the music thinking I'll be showing the audience my passion for the music, it ends up not coming out that way. What happens is I feel the music internally and I hear what I want to do, but I don't actually do it. It takes a great deal of practice to know your feelings about the piece and express them, but listen to yourself, and be also part of the audience as well.

In general, being a concert pianist is just not easy -- that's what I've learned from three years of being a piano/comp major.

A wise observation. My teacher used to refer to the three ears, the one inside the mind, the one on the stage and the one at the back of the hall.

You are right to immerse yourself in the music, but I would stop there, semantically speaking. The concept of "showing the audience your passion" takes you away from your focus on the music. If you aren't yet able to realize your intentions for the audience, you may still need work on the techniques of doing that, i.e., what do you need to do physically to create the moods you imagine? Starting with an image can help, but you still need to know how to move your fingers. The Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier once said that he couldn't actually be Hamlet 8 times a week or it would kill him. He had to find techniques for making the audience believe he was Hamlet.

When performing, as long as you stay focused on the music and how to make it, you will draw the audience to you; your concentration is like a magnet. But once you allow the audience to draw your attention to it, the focus is lost and your presence on the stage is no longer so compelling.