Visit Some Stores!
I am more and more convinced that the real enjoyment of any skill is the result of many hours of practicing basic technique in detail. And what, pray tell, would this have to do with visiting stores?
It is my belief that you will never reach your potential in any area without first considering the work that will be involved. One aspect of playing any instrument is acquiring access to one that will respond appropriately given your requirements. It is unrealistic to expect a student of any age to be challenged and interested in playing an instrument that has no vibrancy or life. The first rule of acquisition is to visit and play as many instruments as possible. This will give you a feeling for what will be useful and what will be a waste of money. Playing pianos, even those you cannot afford, will begin to educate your body on what will respond to your input and what is past response.
Secondly, find a good coach. Note the use of the word ‘coach’ and not teacher. For me, the greatest teachers are also great coaches. Instruction is not merely relaying information as to how to accomplish a goal. It is the encouragement to make it your own. To give you a hunger to grow, maybe past the coach’s abilities.
Get A Coach
Most of us will require a coach or teacher or someone that knows the skills we will need and is willing to push us HARD to achieve them. I am interested in learning all I can and become a much better pianist. You may wish to enjoy your golf game or create a great work of art. These skills and most others will require copious amounts of dedicated, intensive, penetrating, practice.
Finding your Coach
So where do I find such an extraordinary person? It seems the simple answer is they are everywhere. The greatest of life coaches will not necessarily possess the skills you wish to acquire themselves. They will, however, know the skills necessary to be great, they will understand the work needed to accomplish those skills, they will be able to evaluate your skills in light of what you need, and they will push you to the outer limits of your abilities to get you to perform at your best. Sound like hard work? It is. And it will always take the most effort to reach the greatest heights. ALWAYS! There are no exceptions. (We have discussed this before.)
Tom Brady
Tom Brady was a less than average college quarterback while attending Michigan University and was not selected in the National Football League’s 2000 draft until the 6th round. He was the one hundred ninety-ninth selection in the overall draft and it was considered by some as a throw-away pick. However, Tom possessed a work ethic second to none. It has been storied that after the draft while passing the then owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, he said, “Mr. Kraft, I will make sure you are not sorry you picked me.” True to his word, his workouts are legendary, his diet quite strict, and his performances, second to none. He has won the Super Bowl seven times with two teams. He is forty-two years old and still going in a sport that is known for eating up young quarterbacks and spitting them out before they are thirty-two. For many years he has spent several weeks in the off-season honing his skills with one of the premier quarterback coaches in the country, Tom Martinez. When asked about the dynasty created in New England, Tom’s replay was, “Sometimes some of the toughest things you deal with end up being the best things because you realize the people that you can rely on, that love you and support you through it.”
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer is often mentioned as one of the best chess players to cross the noble stage of the game. At thirteen years old he won a game which was later dubbed “The game of the Century”. At fourteen years of age he became the youngest ever U.S. Chess Champion, and at 15, he became both the youngest grandmaster up to that time and the youngest candidate for the World Championship. At age 20, Fischer won the 1963/64 US Championship with 11 wins in 11 games, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. He won the 1970 Interzonal Tournament by a record 3½-point margin, and won 20 consecutive games in the last seven rounds of the Interzonal and in the Candidates Matches, the latter including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps.
Prodigy you say. Natural talent you say. Much greater memory than most you say. It is reported that even at six years of age, Bobby would study the greatest games ever played looking for similarities and applying them to his play. His incessant hunger to be the best lead him to study long hours and quite deeply, the skills, positions, and placements that had led to the miraculous wins of past champions. Once again it would appear the hard work triumphed over natural abilities.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Considered by many to be the pinnacle of musical creativity, Amadeus Mozart composed a number of works, a few of which are still played in concerts today, at a very early age. What is often overlooked and under-reported is the role his father, Leopold Mozart, played in preparing the young master for his work. By the time Amadeus was three years old, he was required to practice three hours a day. None of his early works survived in their original form. They were all edited and published by Leopold, himself a vaunted composer, conductor, and teacher.
This is not to belittle the dedication and effort put forth by the young Amadeus. But sufficient credit has been slow in forth-coming for the role his father played in the development of his skills. Many would say that had it not been for Leopold’s insistent efforts, we would not have the works of Mozart to ponder over.
What Happened to the Local Store?
I have been privileged to visit several hundred piano stores across the country. Some represent the best the piano world has to offer. Others can resemble a boiler room with the phones ringing off the hook. Both can potentially have the person that can help you to greatness. Meet the other patrons who frequent the shop. Ask them how they came to play so well. If they start with something that sounds like “My Skills” or “My Talent”, gracefully say thank you and move on. If they start talking about a teacher/coach that gave them the desire to grow, write down the name, get a phone number, make a contact. Do not settle for ‘good enough’. Make every effort to find someone who loves teaching and wants to see you succeed. You will go farther and enjoy the process more when you work to achieve it.
And find a piano that will deliver results. Far too many people have given up playing an instrument because there could not acquire the results they desired. You CANNOT learn to play a piano on a toy or a piece of firewood disguised as a piano. It will require dedication and hours of persistent practice. Find a piano that will deliver this and much more and you are much more likely to succeed.