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Dear Teachers, You were so kind to me recently and I loved your answers to my question, "Should I play a classical piece exactly as the composer intended?" Now I have a question that I do not know the answer and want your academic input please. I enjoy taking a basic classical piece... only sometimes for fun... doing my own thing, improv. The way I hear the piece. I taught piano ,40 years ago, as an understudy to my teacher, she had her Master's in Music Ed. She taught me to respect the classical piano masters. I do very much. In your academic thinking can there be two worlds here? One that we do our best to play a classical piece as written ...as we do... or... do you accept the other world of a pianist making a statement such as," This is my own improv of this classical piece?" Teachers do you find this offensive the second, compromising to me and other pianist who also enjoy improv of the classics? I am so excited to hear your thinking. Thank you in advance for your input. Sandy B

It would'nt be acceptable to me or my teacher...

Sandra, you asked: In your academic thinking can there be two worlds here? Of course. A lot of great classical music has been derived as paradies, improvs, theme & variations, etc., on previous music.

As a teacher, I am not prone to allowing students to mis-play music in the guise of "improv" but an accomplished student who wants to venture forth, by all means.

I think that if the student knows the original piece as it is meant to be played then they should be allowed to improvise on it. In the end, as long as the sound is pleasing to hear, then what is the problem. Although I'm sure many of the composers would disagree...

I think if the improvisation is done intelligently (i.e. using original themes, harmony, and form as a basis for variations, reharmonization, etc.) it could be highly beneficial in solidifying knowledge of the original composition. In fact just this morning I was playing around with jazz chord voicings underneath Chopin's Fantasy Impromptu melody.

If, however, the "improvisation" is simply a way to skip, gloss over, or avoid altogether difficulties in the original, then it is of little value other than perhaps as an enjoyable diversion at home. It is important to enjoy playing, after all.

I think we need to realize that there is no such thing as Piano Police. You can do anything you want without fear of incarceration.

No matter what you do, some people will like it and some people will hate it. In the case of classical improvisation, most people will dislike it, but there's no real reason why it's bad.

At Kreisler,

I'm glad to see a piano professor (I believe...?) being so liberal and flexible with piano music. It is truly great.

I think you'll find there are many professors and academics who are rather liberal and flexible. Jerome Lowenthal at Juilliard is a pretty thoughtful guy, as are Todd Welbourne and Christopher Taylor at Wisconsin. (I only know these people by reputation, but from what I've heard, they're all fascinating.) William Westney at Texas Tech University has his students engage in free improvisation quite often. Steve Rush at Michigan is known for doing all kinds of completely bizarre things (when I was there, he created a "piece" where the movement of Geese in the pond outside the building generated MIDI information that was performed in real-time on the University's Carillon.)

When people aren't flexible, I think you'll find the good ones are quick to admit it. I remember being told by Ann Schein (at the Peabody conservatory at the time) that she was only able to work with a certain kind of student. She said that a student needs to come to her with an interest in traditional classical piano music and their technique pretty much set. I asked "what about people who would rather specialize in 20th century music?" She said that was commendable and that there are certainly a lot of people who will go on to have great careers in that, but that she's just not the person to help them get there.

I wish more teachers were that honest. At smaller schools, faculty are usually so desperate to recruit that they'll take anybody, regardless of whether or not it's a good fit.

Dear Teachers...Thank you so very much for your input. I printed your academic information and I will value this for my lifetime. I am putting together a classical medley of well known classical themes as I hear them. I have the CD's to use to hear them played by the best concert pianists. I will be very careful and respectful of the composers. The other residents where I live, assisted living, love classical piano and I want this concept to entertain them. Their attention span is rather short, average age of 85 years old... I am 68. I have a very good classical fake book with many, many chord changes to use as a guide too. Thank you again...Sandy B

"I think we need to realize that there is no such thing as Piano Police. You can do anything you want without fear of incarceration."

Whew ! That's a tremendous relief. I was worried all night about people in the street reporting a rhythm I used yesterday. There's no law against making a musical prison for oneself though, and thousands seem desperate to do so.

"I think you'll find there are many professors and academics who are rather liberal and flexible."

Do us a favour and send a few of them over this way will you.

This isn't meant to be contradictory by any means: but I think that the best time to start learning improv is when a student is not accomplished. If they get too far into a comfort zone of never improvising, they will find it increasingly difficult to just let go. I've been improvising and "mis playing" since the beginning, whilst simultaneously learning the correct way to play classical pieces. I'm finding "AND" is just about the most useful word while learning music and learning different ways to learn music.

By the way...just listened to Andras Schiff's recording of the first Beethoven cello sonata tonight. On the repeat, he improvises in several spots, adding ornaments, or filling out passages with extra sixteenth notes, etc...

Cool stuff!

Thank goodness for Victor Borge and Liberace ... to give us a laugh and take the starch out of grim
adherence to pedantic cast-in-stone doctrines.

Zorn, there's a big difference between a student who is purposefully varying from what is written and a student who cannot play what is written, and using the "improv" theme as a crutch.

That said, you are correct, and that is why many of us teach students to transpose and improvse early on. It gets the student to listen to what's being played, not just pushing down the "right key at the right time" as a certain famous musician once said.

Beethoven is my favorite musician/composer of all time. (As if my name didn't already hint towards that) But what I find really interesting is how he taught and always performed and encouraged sticking to the music exactly as written. I believe he even yelled at Czerny during some concert that he went expecting to hear his music and not some slight variation. Another thing I've read somewhere is that Beethoven was able to improve any music he came into contact with. Also in the movie Amadeus, although the movie itself was not entirely factually accurate, i remember a scene where mozart improved on Salieri's piano piece on the spot improving it quite a bit. One point is that it is slightly hypocritical of Beethoven to teach and promote something he didn't always do himself. This is me assuming he didn't ask permission before he made that additions. The other point is that many of the great composers were able to improvise on themes and pieces already written and we'd only be limiting ourselves if we didn't use the same creative drive they did.

This guy by the name of Liszt did a lot of that kind of playing but the Piano Police finally caught him in the end and made him become a priest.

Which, for a guy like Liszt, was not all bad.

But hey, if music is supposed to bring joy and adding something here and there brings you joy, lock your doors and go to town.

Just don't play it in front of the ... well, you know who.