Hey, my name is Rusty Wilson. I am working on a research paper about what kind of people play piano; and if this differs by: age, gender, and the type of music the piano player enjoys playing. I am also researching why people play piano and why they started. If you could just take a few minutes and answer the survey below I would greatly appreciate it. If you do not want to answer some of the questions, that is fine. Any answers greatly help out. I have posted my own answers as an example.
Please do not post after April 20th 2013.

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
2: How old are you?
3: Are you man or woman?
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
5: Why did you start playing piano?
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
8: Why do you love to play piano?


My own answers:
1: I love to play contemporary and folk music on the piano.
2: I am sixteen years old now.
3: I am a man.
4: I was 5 years old when I first started to learn piano.
5: My mom first had me learn piano.
6: I would rate myself a late intermediate to early advance piano player.
7: I play on a Vose & Sons cabinet piano, and an electric Yamaha.
8: I personally love piano for beautiful sound it makes and the sheer joy of running my fingers up and down the piano in the process of playing one of my favorite songs.

It would greatly help you to use google docs to make a normal survey rather than posting in this forum like that, but in any case:

1. Pretty much all. Classical, contemporary classical in particular, and more specifically my own music, but pop and songs as well.
2. 35
3. Man
4. 5
5. My parents thought I had talent and I enjoyed playing the piano everywhere I went.
6. Professional
7. Grand and upright and digital. All three! (and keyboards actually).
8. Because I live and breath through music.

'nuff said!

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
I have played classical, pop and show tunes at times, but now almost exclusively jazz.
2: How old are you?
57
3: Are you man or woman?
Man
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
Around 10
5: Why did you start playing piano?
Parents signed me up.
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
An advanced intermediate.
7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
Upright at home (Fandrich), digital on gigs (Yamaha).
8: Why do you love to play piano?
There is no why. It's just something that feels so good I could never not play.

Hardest question is #6.

1: Atonal (but not serial), baroque and romantic mostly...oh, and renaissance of course...anything really Except jazz Edit: Impressionism most of all!
2: 21
3: Woman
4: 13-ish
5: It opened a window into my soul I couldn't bear let close.
6: Hmm...probably a reasonable beginner.
7. A very dirty Yamaha Portable Grand, model DGX 520, though I only played on a beautiful Blüthner until I was about 18.
8. It is the one way I feel I can accurately express myself...and, um...if I'm away from it for too long I just ache all through; the relief from that is almost beyond compare..urgh, it sounds horribly cliché but...I love it because I have no other way to be; um, it is not a raison d'être, but rather chemin à être.
I hope this helps...but, frankly, your questions are for the most part so open ended I struggle to imagine what statistical collation you could really form...save for a vague, impressionistic one...um...good luck!
Xxx
P.S. #6 *is* really hard

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
Mostly classical. I've played some Gershwin, Joplin and even some Boogie Woogie but only wish I could play real Jazz.

2: How old are you?
Personal question?? :P I'm 43.

3: Are you man or woman?
The last time I checked I was a man.

4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
Started for one year at age 7, quit and then took it up again in high school.

5: Why did you start playing piano?
I wanted to try it probably because my sisters were taking lessons. I took it up again simply because I was drawn to the instrument.

6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
Late, always late to the party. I guess advanced but that is difficult to evaluate.

7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
At home I practice on an old Clavinova. I hate it now but have given it more life through piano software. A few times a week I practice on the real thing at a conservatory.

8: Why do you love to play piano?
Its an obsession. I don't see how I could stop playing piano. I love music so its as simple as that. The piano gives you a whole orchestra under your fingers which you can't achieve with other instruments. I played saxophone in school but was drawn to the piano for that reason.

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
Classical (mostly Chopin and Bach) and folk tunes, hymns etc
2: How old are you?
60
3: Are you man or woman?
XX in fact, XY in spirit (transgendered)
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
fivish
5: Why did you start playing piano?
I couldn't stay away from a neighbor's piano so she persuaded my mother I needed lessons to get rid of me
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
early advanced
7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
1937 Kurtzmann small grand
8: Why do you love to play piano?
When I'm at the keys all's right with my world

1) Classical mainly (99%), but I'll dabble in anything short of microtonal (because there ain't no microtones on a piano unless it's out of tune, or I dial in 'Arabic' unequal temperament on my digital, but that sounds too weird). I'll even dabble in jazz.....

2) Far too old

3) Indeterminate (but my sex genes are XY)

4) Around 10 - again, far too old

5) Because my parents wanted their children to keep up with the 'Jones's', a.k.a. my cousins, who were playing Beethoven's Für Elise at 8 and Mozart's Rondo alla turca at age 9. (BTW, they've all given up playing.....)

6) Advanced, I think (in my dreams, 'Virtuoso'.... )

7) My home piano is a high-end digital, Roland V-Piano, which I play using headphones. (No space, too many neighbors, thin walls and floors and ceiling....)

8) For the music, the expression of my innermost existentialist manifestation of my Freudian psychobabble.......er, what was the question?

Hi, Rusty. I'll take a crack at it.

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? Mostly classical, but I dabble with old standards and very light jazz.
2: How old are you? 59
3: Are you man or woman? man
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano? 4.
5: Why did you start playing piano? My dad bought a piano for the house and I was intrigued with it.
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? I guess I'm still very advanced. I certainly was when I was younger.
7: What kind of piano do you play? Steinway Grand
8: Why do you love to play piano? It's just part of my life. I love all types of classical music, and the piano and singing are my only two outlets (I'm a much better pianist). I find it incredibly relaxing, even when I'm playing challenging works. Although I have a great career as a lawyer, I can imagine not practicing law. I can't imagine not making music.

P.S. I might as well tell you that the collective wisdom of this board is that a "song" is something you sing. I piano work is a "piece." This is technically correct. Nobody will ever correct you if you say "piece."

Good luck with your project. I remember when our girls used to do things like this in high school.

You're right, of course. It depends on your point of view. I answered "very advanced" because I play much, much better than most bankruptcy lawyers.

1. I play it all, as the old-timers here will tell you...
2. Forty-ish, but don’t tell my 19 year old boyfriend (he thinks I’m 34 - isn't that sweet...)?
3. Lady
4. Five years old
5. Mama bought me a piano, the rest is history.
6. I’m a compilation of Carmen Cavallero, Frankie Carle and Joanne Castle...
7. Own a Steinway (rare series G). Baldwin grand, Yamaha grand and Kawai at work.
Hamburg Steinway at school.
8. Among other things, it pays the bills...

What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
Classical.

How old are you?
18 in May!

Are you man or woman?


How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
14, details below.

Why did you start playing piano?
One of my close friends has an upright piano built in 1910. I've always loved old history and antiques so it always intrigued me to go over there and tinker with it. One day in my 8th grade year, my friend played a recording of The Entertainer and I started picking out what I could by ear. Ever since I've been hooked.

At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
I'm pretty advanced. I'm working on Chopin's last scherzo and I'm doing well. There are however gaps in my technique such as playing chromatic chords fast and thirds trills. I have good arpeggio technique but I wouldn't be able to just bust out the first page of op. 10 no. 8 any time soon, so that's another thing I need to work on. Learning ETUDES.

What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
I play on a Yamaha G2. It has good tone and great action, but it needs a regulation.

Why do you love to play piano?
Why does anyone love anything? I guess I love it because I love music, and I'm good at it. Also, I love Chopin so it's a good thing to be a pianist when you love Chopin!

1: Classical, Jazz
2: 21
3: Man
4: 20
5: The opportunity to play and self-teach presented itself when family randomly purchased an upright for decoration.
6: Beginner
7: Yamaha digital, Kohler & Chase upright
8: Self-expression, entertainment, because I like music, etc.

1: Pop, Modern, Classical
2: 30
3: M
4: 8
5: I enjoyed it!
6: Advanced
7: Yamaha C3
8: It's beautiful!

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing?
easy listening, some classical composers, no jazz!
2: How old are you?
old enough to be yo' mama
3: Are you man or woman?
see # 2
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
officially 12ish, kanoodled for several years before lessons
5: Why did you start playing piano?
as young'uns, my sister and I spent many wonderful hours at our grandmother's old upright
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself?
probably early-mid intermediate
7: What kind of piano do you play?
digital grand
8: Why do you love to play piano?
Even on my crappiest playing day, all my cares melt away like ice in the hot sun. It's my zen place.

Sheesh... I'm the only one who said 'professional' at No. 6 and I'm actually a professional composer and not a pianist?!?!? I'm amazing, am I not? :P

Well anyway we know this is true!

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? Classical only.

2: How old are you? Old enough that it's impolite to ask. My hair has been white since my 40's. Your guess.

3: Are you man or woman? Woman

4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano? Dabbled very young. Lessons started at 10.

5: Why did you start playing piano? I was raised immersed in classical music and always loved it. My parents asked if I wanted to take lessons. I fell in love with the piano when I sat down to practice right after my very first lesson. I still remember it clearly.

6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? Advancing. (My friends say I'm somewhat advanced but I'll never be able to play a 10th or play a Rach concerto.)

7: What kind of piano do you play? Steinway grand.

8: Why do you love to play piano? It makes me happy.

1. Ragtime, jazz, a little bit of classical. A lot of video game themes, 80s/90s pop, and modern music as well.
2. 16
3. Man, I hope. It better not just be a tumor (rimshot)
4. 7 when I first really began playing, but we'd had a piano around since I was about 4 or 5.
5. I have no clue, really. We had a piano that had a long strip with key names lining up with the keys (thank god it wasn't those stupid stickers. Yeck), and there was a basic book with the note names labeled. Didn't take too long for me to figure it out. Found out I was good at it, played a lot, got lessons, outdid the teacher, and then it's fuzzy from there. I lost interest in 6th grade
and didn't pick it back up 'til this September. And now I'm even better and with a beautiful new piano for once.
6. Very high intermediate, or advanced.
7. Kawai K3 pro upright.
8. Because banjos are for hicks, ukuleles are for hipsters, organs are for wackos, guitars are for mere mortals, harpsichords are for les douches (c'est different en français), and violins are irritating. It's really one of the few instruments I can stand the sound of, actually.

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? Primarily classical, but also some jazz

2: How old are you? 31

3: Are you man or woman? Woman

4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano? 7

5: Why did you start playing piano? I couldn't stay away, and I was better than my brother

6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? early advanced / advanced

7: What kind of piano do you play? upright Young Chang at home (but waiting for my new-to-me Yamaha C3 to be delivered), Yamaha C7 at church

8: Why do you love to play piano? it's the one place where i don't need to find the right words to say what i want to say...

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
Mostly classical, but sometimes pop and jazz too.

2: How old are you?
Late 50s.

3: Are you man or woman?
Man.

4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
9.

5: Why did you start playing piano?
My parents bought me one. I actually wanted to learn cello at the time!

6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
Early advanced.

7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
Steinway grand primarily; Yamaha Clavinola with headphones if household members are sleeping.

8: Why do you love to play piano?
It's an outlet I couldn't do without. It's the only thing I do where being a perfectionist helps instead of getting in the way. It's the one thing I do best. It expresses what I can't say in words - and by the way, the words I just wrote only scratch the surface. The only way I could really answer the question would be by playing the piano.

Great post!

Reminds me of the quote:

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

1) Mostly classical, but I do enjoy playing anything really. I've gotten more into jazz over the past few years.
2) 25
3) Female
4) 7
5) I really liked pianos when I was younger, and begged my parents for one
6) Advanced
7) I play a lot of pianos, of all different kinds!
8) I love to play piano because I have had a lifelong love of the instrument itself. It is my personal outlet and my way of expressing myself through music. I now teach too, so it is wonderful to spread the joy of playing piano to students of all ages. The piano is truly what defines me as a person.

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? Classical, Jazz
2: How old are you? 26
3: Are you man or woman? Man
4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano? 10
5: Why did you start playing piano? At the time, it got me out of class at school.
6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…) Well, I am getting my degree, soooo Late Advance.
7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway) Petrof upright
8: Why do you love to play piano? Many reasons: I love listening to the music, the challenge. Passionate about classical music.

Hey Rusty. Welcome.....

1. My current workload is 60% classical, %40 acoustic and electric jazz.
2. 53
3. Male
4. 10

5. I always knew deep-down inside that I would grow up to become a pianist, even before I started lessons. But I started lessons because I wanted to impress a girl that I had a crush on......

6. Professional (though my workload hasn't been "late advanced/virtuoso" for at least 4 years now....)

7. All of my professional life, I've had access to phenomenal grand pianos in the schools that I worked in. Doing the bulk of my practicing there has helped me to live with the fact that I own what I now consider to be a substandard Yamaha. I also own a digital stage piano and a couple of synthesizers.

8. Acoustic piano is what I musically communicate best on. I love the range of colors and sounds.

How about geographic location? That might have an effect on what piano one owns, and more than likely what kind of music they play (ie: more folk pianists are in the south, more jazz pianists in the cities, etc.). For me, it doesn't have too much to do with what I play.

Or how about what music they've been exposed to over the years? This usually has more to do with composing than playing, but someone who listens to a lot of classical music is probably going to be a classical pianist, whereas one who listens/listened to a lot of pop music will probably wind up playing more pop songs than classical ones.

Psychological factors might influence genres as well. Someone who is predominantly moody or sad will probably not play a lot of novelty or ragtime music. Someone who is serious all the time will probably not be playing cakewalks. Someone who's just a bubbly ball of effervescent joy will probably not be playing Rachmaninov concertos.

These three might be interesting additions to the survey.

1: Mostly classical (i.e. "art music") but also pop
2: 24
3: man
4: 6
5: My parents and older brother wanted me to.
6: I've played a Rachmaninoff piano concerto with an orchestra before.
7: Samick
8: It's fun, it's an outlet for my feelings, it's intellectually stimulating, it's challenging.

1) Classical, rock
2) 58
3) Man
4) I hacked around for a few years, but started lessons at age 55.
5) I love music and we have a piano from when our kids took lessons.
6) Early intermediate
7) Young Chan upright
8) Listen to Clair De Lune or Beethoven's Sonata no. 8 Pathetique and you will know why.

1: Classical, little bit of contemporary
2: 17
3: Man
4: 8 (ish)
5: Because you can do so much with it, create so much variety.
6: Late intermediate
7: Upright
8: Expression, to feel good.. Same reason people do drugs?

1: What kind of music do you enjoy playing? (Pop, classical, jazz, etc…)
I play mostly classical, pop, and own compositions (which are also something like classic-pop).

2: How old are you?
45 years.

3: Are you man or woman?
I'm a man. But where is the trans/intersexual option?

4: How old were you when you first started to learn piano?
7 years.

5: Why did you start playing piano?
My parents proposed it to me.

6: At what level of skill would you rate yourself? (Beginner, intermediate, late advance, etc…)
Advanced amateur. I studied music, but am not a professional musician.

7: What kind of piano do you play? (Grand, upright, electric, Yamaha, Knabe, Stienway)
I bought a Yamaha C2 SG last year. My first grand piano; before that, I owned a Clavinova. My father owns a Sauter upright, which I also like to play; at university, my favorite pianos I could practise on were also Sauter uprights.

8: Why do you love to play piano?
I like music.