May 30, 2013 · 10:30 am

Seven Annoying Things People Say to Pianists

Emily says it so well…..I have a sad memory about being asked to play something at the last minute: when my great-grandmother died, my father asked me – 1 hour before we were to leave for the memorial service – if I would play her favorite song, “Beautiful Dreamer.” I had some music for it, but I just couldn’t prepare it quickly enough so I refused, and my dad was really mad at me that whole day. I’ve always wondered if I should have just blundered through it, but it felt really wrong.

5 Comments

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5 responses to “Seven Annoying Things People Say to Pianists”

  1. pianolearner
    May 30, 2013 at 10:51 am

    That’s really mean of your dad to be mad at you!

    • Lea Ault
      May 30, 2013 at 11:37 am

      He didn’t intend to be mean – he was upset about his grandmother and he didn’t understand the whole performance thing. He was wrapped up in his own issues and to him, it seemed that I was refusing to cooperate and being a selfish teenager. It’s all perspective. Thanks for being on my side though!

  2. Emily January
    May 30, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    Funerals always create last-minute performances. I once accompanied a group of vocalists at a funeral, and one of the people in the audience said my face was so serious and concentrated the whole time. That’s because I was trying so hard not to mess up! I hadn’t had much time or warning to practice.