Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Open Discussion - arrogance

I think it is very unusual for musicians to be arrogant about their music or talent. They know how much work is involved and this is an antidote to arrogance. It may not stop them or us being arrogant about other things though.

It is far too easy to lose humility if you have any amount of talent. As long as you keep this firmly in mind it is unlikely you will become an arrogant jerk.

Yes, I have run into them. In my opinion they tend to be shallow people and I don't hang out with them. I do, however, admire the way some of them play (not the robots). I should also note that the person that has the greatest musical talent that I know is actually the kindest, humblest person I know as well.

It's true that there's something really attractive about shy greatness. But that's something some people have in them... one can't ask it of others.

Arrogant performance doesn't bother me so much. To some extent, knowing how good you are and being confident about it and proud to show it helps you discover and achieve more of your potential. With teachers, however, it's a completely different story. I believe teaching needs the ability to give wholeheartedly, to completely step out of the spotlight and use all your knowledge, your talent and your experience to bring out the best in someone else.

<em>Good leaders make followers, while great leaders make other leaders.</em> I love that... thanks, Gerg. You can never truly wear off your arrogance unless you're ready to take someone's hand and help them become better than you are.

Is it my fault that im so much better then eveyrone else??????

I am seriouslly just kidding with that statement

I am fine with arrogant musicians most of the time. I just don't like when I mention any problems at all in their playing, they act like it's an attack on them personally.

And, by the way, it's usually a "guy thing".
No offense, of course.

I'm sorry. I thought the piano superbooperstore thread had migrated here.

Clara, that's just because the men actually have something to be proud of =o)

No offense, of course.


lol

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

I haven't met any arrogant pianists yet, but I haven't met many pianists either, heh.

I've met some arrogant guitarists though, who unfortunately didn't have much to be arrogant of, their boasting was more like compensation.

Sometimes friends have confided that on a few occasions I have sometimes displayed a somewhat shall we say, assuming attitude. It is not true. Arrogant? Far from it. I appreciate other people but I simply know how good I am. And I don't have to talk about it either. They already know it.

Yeah...I also think that it is usually the "guy thing" hehe...=D but not all guys. No offense too! If you're not, then you're not!
Arrogance is fine but I will only take it to a certain extent where before and after performance, say during the performance is ok. but not after the performance..no pretender! It sickening(-.-)''' Just be yourself! But if you're like tat then I have no comment =D

PassionatePianist:

I can sympathise, I wouldn't like someone who is arrogant, but I'm unsure why this person is coming across that way. I don't get a sense of that from what you wrote in your post.

You describe this person as being "so full of himself", but the only specifics you mention are about playing "cliche pieces of music without making mistakes."

Many of us are taught to play those cliche pieces of music. I'd like to ask respectfully - do you consider playing those pieces of music to be arrogant or trite or to demonstrate a lack of musicianship or of musical ability and/or feeling for music?

And about this person playing without making mistakes, well, what of it? Why mention that? What's the significance of it? Is there something wrong or arrogant connected with having the ability to do that? (I wish I could do that!)

As far as someone getting carried away when playing, well, isn't that what the best pianists do? ??? And I'm thinking there has to be a certain amount of arrogance present or ego, if you will, whether visible or not, for someone who puts themselves up in front of others to perform.

Finally, have you thought about looking a little deeper? Thought about why this person is causing you to react as strongly as you are? People or things that irk us may teach us about ourselves - bring to light something in ourselves that could be tended to or worked on so we can move one, learn, or grow in some way. Granted, that's often not a very easy thing to acknowledge or to do.

Jeanne W

P.S. Is jealousy necessarily always bad? It can be constructive in some ways, spur the competitive spirit - drive a person to higher levels than they might not have otherwise. Those achievements just feel better, however, when they come - not as the result of something like jealousy, but from a positive emotion like admiration.

P.P.S. After having said all this, some people really are just jerks or arrogant and there are a whole lot of us who would find them hard to take! I'm just having a little bit of a hard time figuring out what exactly this person is doing that is so arrogant. How are they "showing off" ??? If you could be a little more specific, that would help paint the picture.

I equate arrogance with human goodness. Don't tell me how good you are; SHOW me then I will really know and draw my own conclusions.