Piano Competitions: Good or Bad?

[@caseysheehan8437]

Piano competition are great, except they should raise all the age limits. Or have them for the older crowd. Not only children want to learn Classical piano and compete. 🤓🎹

[@jwetzel3141]

I think there is often too much emphasis on flashy perfection. Piano is a great hobby which non-experts can enjoy too! It’s worth it to start an informal piano club to play in front of others.

[@jules153]

100% just like athletes has seniors, over 40s, over 50s etc.

[@caseysheehan8437]

@@jules153 Yep, the age limits should change. Age is merely a number that does not guarantee any sort of experience level.

[@francesco.morici]

Yeah I agree

[@switchlaserflip9243]

Children and adults should be separated in music contests. It's similar to why men and women don't typically compete against each other in sports. Adults have slow brains and miss notes far too much.

[@joshyman221]

I always think of Chopin competition like this: would Chopin himself actually win it? The way it seems judged makes me guess no (given we know he hated performing, and that he had a unique rubato style of playing, often didn’t completely play accurately and would change score based on mood) At that point you really have to wonder whether it’s focusing on the right musical aspects

[@aliceko4695]

I also think as same as you.

[@27b563]

Couldn't agree more. Art is about taste. And taste it's about individual preference. And no one can force their preference to the others. Competition in art is more like..non sense to me. But I like watching Chopin Piano Competition so that I can learn the way the play to improve my piano playing. More like I watch a regular piano recital.

[@OziCastle]

He’d probably get kicked out before the first round

[@sofija_milanovic]

Currently watching the preliminary sessions of Chopin piano competition, and I was thinking about this topic. As a piano student, who also competes, i think the idea of competitions is right, and i like to chalenge myself, but, at the end of the day,music is subjective :)

[@yashbspianoandcompositions1042]

To be honest these competitions are pretty entertaining. The benefit of competitions is that you get to compete against yourself and others as well as getting fame. Also I like how these competitions are legitimate music contests who test the players ability on the piano compared to reality tv competitions which focus on ratings.

[@shuatock8216]

Hey bro, I’m almost 16 and haven’t ever performed in a competition, but I want to be a professional. I intend on doing the local concerto competition in my city in October. I think I wanna play Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, but I also may just settle for something, that wouldn’t cause me to crack under the pressure and mess up (probably Mozart K. 488). I’m going to do my first adjudication the end of this month playing Chopin’s 1st Etude, which I genuinely play really well. I’ve never done a competition or concerto before, though. Any kind of advice, input, encouragement is appreciated. So what can you say?

[@sofija_milanovic]

@@shuatock8216 my advice - see this as an amazing opportunity. you will be very stressed - that's why i suggest going with mozart :).stress is something everyone learns to handle differently, what helps me, Is playing in front of people, playing a bunch of concerts, which Is now unfortunately very rare bcs of covid :(. overall focus on your practising, and be positive, that's how you win.good luck!

[@shuatock8216]

@@sofija_milanovic thanks 🙏

[@TimothyChiangPianist]

Great video Josh! It’s definitely a fine line with competitions, and I agree our expectations can be our worst enemy. Sometimes there’s too much emphasis on technical perfection, especially competitions for younger age groups, which cultivates music as a sport. But all in all yes the journey of preparing for a competition can really improve ones playing and be very rewarding

[@joshwrightpiano]

Thanks Timothy!

[@cherylstone]

I just went to re-listen to your 2015 semifinal and you started off with Op 59 Mazurkas(!), which I am currently polishing. I'm finding a lot of inspiration in your wonderful performance - a lot to learn from! Thank you for addressing the competition topic today, and cheers for all the 10 year old winners coming from Spotlight, also in Russia (Aleksandra Dovgan, Ivan Tkachev, and others) who will be enlightening us with their music for years to come.

[@leonardmartin6048]

Was waiting for that video, Josh. Im watching the chopin competition right now and the comment section makes me sick. From pointing out "oops" after every minor mistake to claiming the pianist has no right to be at that competition and so on was the norm. I eventually had to turn the chat off, because it was just distracting and too toxic.

[@leonardmartin6048]

@Glanderson Booper Great comment. Yea, I agree. I feel like the insecurity of many viewers makes them ironically less humble and less appreciative of what they are witnessing...

[@joshwrightpiano]

@Glanderson Booper beautifully said!

[@joshwrightpiano]

I totally agree Leonard. I read some comments on my own performance in 2015 and after reading a few, I asked myself why I was reading them and giving any credibility to the opinions of those whose opinions I don’t want or care about. I made a video awhile ago about discouragement where I talk about similar topics, and how important it is to have an “inner circle” of people whose opinions you DO let in and help shape you (I have 4 people whose opinions I highly value and will always take their comments into consideration). You can then abandon the judgement of others outside of that inner circle. It’s very liberating and good for mental health. Many people try to exert power over you or influence you, even in the guise of trying to help you…you have to be careful who you choose to allow to help you. And then there are others who just want to blatantly destroy you. This is beautiful classical music…why it has become this toxic environment of perfectionism and judgement is beyond me

[@jwetzel3141]

“Your boo’s mean nothing to me because I know what makes you people cheer.” - Rick Sanchez, American philosopher and scientist

[@leonardmartin6048]

@@joshwrightpiano Yes, thats actually a very helpful advice. Thanks Josh!

[@ckl5590]

Not quite the same as national competitions but my son played formal programs for many , many years. He started at 4 years old and played up thru graduation. His last diploma programs burned him out completely . It didn’t help that he lost his beloved teacher his senior year to retirement. He won’t go near a piano now not even to just doodle around. It breaks my heart. We have a special piano room with a beautiful view, a lovely well cared for grand piano, and all his awards everywhere. He’s just done with it all. My hope is that he will return to it someday.

[@rothschildianum]

I compete in amateur competition, to date I have competed 6 times. From the beginning, I was always good in performing in front of people. But, it was not always that way. When I was a teenager, my knees shook like crazy. Later, I learned that if I prepared really well, the nervous feeling disappear for me. I am so grateful that now I can play well in front of people. I do practice in front of people when I am close to entering a piano competition.

[@Fryderyk_Franciszek]

Piano competitions are pure politics (in the majority of cases). It all depends on the judges, and most of them have old quarrels to each other and with the competitors' teachers . There's an old story about Vladimir Horowitz. He was invited to be a judge in a very relevant piano competition. At the end, he said "never ever ... a totally waste of time (and talent)".

[@weinerdogcat3101]

It all depends on who sponcer's the the competitions. In my experience the teachers got together and put it together picking a judge/teacher to could fairly judge with the purpose of complimenting the student competitor and helpfully critique them to be a better pianist.

[@frazzledude]

Here is an audio recording kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6CTpoxoq9ZgaqM of a question and answer session Horowitz did with some music students in the 1970s. At 11:24 he gives his views on competitions. In this recording he also tells about meeting Scriabin when he was eleven years old. The whole recording is very interesting.

[@Fryderyk_Franciszek]

@@frazzledude Indeed, Mr. Horowitz.

[@jacobschiller4486]

That is rich coming from one of the greatest pianists of all time. He got lucky and didn't need one. It's like a millionaire Hollywood celebrity posting a video on their Instagram from their mansion, declaring that "money doesn't buy happiness".

[@Salsanadia]

I am so happy there is a pianofest here for amateurs of all ages where we can feel like a pianist for 5 minutes 😀

[@TomSiler]

I love watching the "alien" shadow cast on the wall behind you! Just kidding, I really appreciate the quality of your productions! Thank you for your instruction and advice.

[@rachmusic9873]

So great to hear your remarks on Trifonov. He is my favorite pianist.

[@riacalitz14]

Mine too.I'm obsessed!I've never seen anyone so immersed and become one with music.His teacher Sergei Babayan said that to him Daniil IS the music.I agree!

[@darwin94]

I agree. Like Emmanuel Ax said on his interview with Living Classical Life. That some pianist aren't really there to win the competition. They're just hoping that some famous conductors or musicians will hear them and give them concerts. Here's his interview in case anyone is wondering: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npCsZ2eip9t_i8k

[@MM-sd1vr]

Really helpful advice and comment you made Josh. Thank you always for encouraging us. I think you said something very important here.

[@ilovepiano5047]

Play like it is your last moment on the piano 💕❤️ I love this quote. I played Chopin Nocturne op9 no1 for exam, end of may. I was so nervous. 🙄 My “ general repetition” was much better. Because I played like I will not touch this Piano until my exam. Let’s make the best of it. But my exam was not like that. Focus shift to all those extern things… I forget that moment how I love playing piano and beautiful music. I really love this philosophical talk about performance and performing. ❤️🙏Thanks X

[@esauponce9759]

Your thoughts on all of this topics are definitely valuable. Thank you, Josh!

[@benjamincollins8559]

Achievement in music exam, is something I did for the last 8 years. This current exam I had a nervous breakdown last year, because of the planning, sending videos of small songs before my actual exam. The day of the exam I was fine.

[@BjornHegstad]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on competitions, Josh. I watched your 2015 Chopin prelims and thought you played very well. Really enjoyed your ballade. As many others do, I'm currently watching the 2020+1 prelims and the competition seems brutal. As for the mean comments, I agree with the other video you made regarding criticism; we have to discern between the opinions we value, and those we choose to disregard. Regardless, we ought to treat each other with respect always; it takes tremendous courage and effort for anyone to get onto a stage to perform before a jury. No one deserves to be booed away, which happens quite often in the livestream chat.

[@aliceko4695]

I also saw that livestream chat and it actually sucks. Some people are being toxic.

[@m.a.3322]

like you said - I think it depends on the pianist at the end of the day! i know some pianists who love competitions because of the exposure and commitment to learn repertoire, but then others perform their worst because of the nerves and toxic scrutiny. I'm thinking back to that video of a pianist who couldn't get through op. 25 no. 6 at the Tchaikovsky comp and was stopped from continuing :(

[@aliceko4695]

I also remember..........

[@chrisy367]

This is actually a great video topic to cover, rarely ever covered, and I'm also really enjoying watching the icc preliminaries! I do enjoy participating in amateur piano competitions and i definitely endorse it, just make sure the judges are being constructive, if it's just destructive criticism, don't let it get to you. Great video as usual josh!

[@joshwrightpiano]

Thanks Chris!

[@christophejavon3509]

Thanks for your video Josh, I always enjoy your balanced view points. I have never competed but really enjoy watching this last Chopin competition. Everybody is so good and inspiring I cannot imagine how judges select…watching all the wonderful performances really feeds my motivation and the quality of my playing lately too, hopefully haha!

[@larrymeier9902]

Thanks Josh, great video I love your points about - Artistry and the example of artistry in a 10 year old boy and his whole demeanor; using competition for your own personal motivation- so important, enjoying the challenge, doing your best preparation, having a deadline; what a mistake it is to feel like you have to win the competition- there's no guarantee; enjoying the exposure, the rewards of meeting your peers and the fine pianists, sometimes legendary judges. You know you hit it out of the ballpark.

[@katttttt]

Yes, Trifonov is a star (imo)! Going to see him live in a month and I hope his hair won't disctract me (Ik it's none of my business lol)🤣

[@marshallartz395]

Such a heartfelt and fascinating video. Having just watched much of the 2021 Chopin Competition live on KZbin, I especially appreciate your thoughts concerning the positive value of the competition experience. 😎🎹

[@Aerospace_Education]

This is why as an adult I still do the RCM exams. Practically there is no real reason to do it. But it pushes me.

[@arthursantiago100]

Josh. Have to admire your take on completions. Having almost making a life of classical piano , I have to agree on your mentor about your performance of the Chopin Ballade number one. It also took my breath away. For me I enjoyed listening to your performance of the first ballade more than both A Rubenstein and V Horowitz for what my humble opinion means. Music is in the soul. Keep playing and teaching. You’re the best.

[@ianspiano9387]

Inspiring stories! I never considered that certain collaborations may never get to be repeated, even for the most famous musicians. It really might be the last time you'll get that experience. Concertos especially should really be savored by you guys!

[@Lisanna61]

Thank you Josh for offering your positive perspective on competitions. Yours is indeed a good mental framework to face these events. I've always refrained from participating because of the stress you have to undergo, not so much the stress of the event itself, but rather the one coming from the attitude of the competitors themselves (most of them considering themselves as the best ever musicians in the world...). What I disagree about, though, is the idea of "competing against someone else": I think it creates the wrong frame of mind to face the whole experience. Maybe when Glenn Gould said that competitions are antitethical to the nature of art he referred to this aspect of the proof.... Now I consider competitions as a way to compete against/along myself. But maybe it's too late because of the age limits of most of them 😉

[@nathanwilson723]

Great video Josh! I have only participated in 1 small competition, and have shied away from taking any exams for grades 7 and 8 rcm…I would like to go for more performance opportunities, but feel I have to work harder at it. Performance has been a bit of a weak spot for me, but this video really encourages me to take the next step in the direction of performing!

[@tatianamendoncastudio]

It would be nice if they had something like the Olympics. The major piano competitions in Europe have mostly people from one continent, now the Chopin Piano Competition is happening in Poland and there is no diversity, most people are from Asia. This is an unpopular opinion, I know.

[@bassmaiasa1312]

That's an interesting idea. But the Olympics covers a much wider range of events than a piano competition, and it's not unusual for one country to dominate a specific event. China dominates diving, USA dominates basketball. 'No diversity' is inaccurate. Aside from the many competitors from outside Asia, pianists from Japan don't necessarily identify with pianists from China or Vietnam, it is a distortion to lump so many diverse cultures all together. Asians are 60% of the world population -- not even counting the global diaspora -- so even if we imposed national quotas on the Chopin competition, 'most' of the pianists would still be Asian. An Olympic Arts Festival would be more diverse than a classical music competition. Even inside of Juilliard school, I don't see many black artists in the classical instrumental departments, but many black dancers in the Dance Division.

[@tatianamendoncastudio]

@@bassmaiasa1312 i get your point but disagree on the majority being Asian, if each country sent 1-3 qualified pianists in different categories or modalities, I don’t believe the majority would still be Asian as you say. And yes, Asia is a continent and I know it ;-)

[@tatianamendoncastudio]

@@bassmaiasa1312 chopin2020.pl/en/competitors what i meant.

[@Emma-ob5oj]

@@tatianamendoncastudio i think you should know how many of the over 500 applications were "asians" (I'm using air-quotes because Asia is a large continent with many countries but I am guessing you're referring to: japan china vietnam taiwan hong kong south korea).

[@velcroman11]

Yes, piano should be included as an activity in the Olympics. After all, skate boarding is included, like WTF.

[@Jounas1123]

I liked how the announcer in the Chopin competition said your name as "Joshua Wrong"

[@BjornHegstad]

It's not always so easy to distinguish between Wright and Wrong.

[@rotsteineva]

@@BjornHegstad 🤔😅🤣

[@esauponce9759]

@@BjornHegstad Good one.

[@aliceko4695]

Lol

[@mofumofutenngoku]

I would not be able to take the competition seriously if someone did that to me, that was so disrespectful.

[@katttttt]

Thank you!

[@aliceko4695]

I also watched 2021 Chopin competition and i really enjoyed watching it. However the chat and the audience in Warsaw was upsetting, chat was toxic and there was a phone call in the middle of my favorite pianist's performance (21 july morning session, second last performer was my favorite) also, i don't like competition in some ways because I'm the one who performes the worst in competitions

[@PianistStefanBoetel]

Don‘t think the Chopin Competition‘s Jury will decide after minor missing notes. They will more go after interpretation and stage prescence. Of course it‘s different if the messed up sections are bigger.

[@johnphillips5993]

I definitely think competitions do help musicians play at their A game, but in the long term, we as musicians should consider looking for other ways to structure the musical world. Like music societies.

[@Prometeur]

I'm a fan of piano competitions, for reasons you stated - it encourages you to play your best, to prepare rigorously, and to strive for a new level of performance. However, competitions fail for me in the sense that without artistry, or expression, there is no chance of winning. Of course, artistry and expression are good things. Yet, when it comes to the point that contestants may be driven to the point to fake expression when playing a piece that they have practiced thousands of times, it perverts the meaning of artistry and music performance.

[@abikincaid0801]

Another great video, Dr. Josh! I really liked what you had to say about the artistry aspect of performance. Imagination and originality are definitely pivotal to being an effective and successful performer/competitor. What saddens me a little is that these traits seem to be more innate than learned. 😥 Some of us just aren't naturals, like the 10-year-old in your example (or like you- getting that kind of compliment on a Chopin ballade is every pianist's dream 😅) Not saying we average pianists shouldn't work hard anyway, but we likely won't ever be musicians of that kind, save a miracle haha.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Comps are a necessary evil, I'm afraid. If you're a YW or LL and have a teacher w/ connections then you can bypass them. It's a tough racket out there, I tell ya. Josh, I decided to tackle some jazz and found a beautiful jazz arr. of Over the Rainbow by George Shearing. I went on da tube and lo and behold your rec came up. Beautifully played and watching and listening to you play made the role of some of the inner voices much clearer. This piece has some really interesting, affecting harmonies. They give me "the feels" as the kids say.

[@velcroman11]

A question I would ask. Is the judge/s capable of playing the piece to be examined better than any person that they will judge. If not, how can they be capable of being a judge, if they do not have the skill to play the piece as well as those they are to judge.

[@ndumisongwenya7489]

Great video!!

[@your_crazy_lazy_pianist]

Omg, Josh, I just today thought about you lol, and then you uploaded a video after a while

[@francesco.morici]

Today i literally just entered my first competition😂. What do you think of my playing? Thanks for your videos Josh love your playing. Saluti 🖐️🇮🇹

[@LeosPianoAcademy]

Will you have another competition?

[@elias7748]

I'm not a fan of competitions. These competitions are the reasons why there aren't any great composers today. Competitions have destroyed improvisation and musical freedom. We live in very conservative time of classical music, and it is tragic. I hope competitons become a thing of the past soon, and that we focus on being creative, composing and bringing back the old and true classical tradition. But we should of course honor the masterpieces of the greatest composers who ever lived. Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Rachaminoff, etc... That is my take on competitions.

[@jimmyponds5504]

I've never participated in "competitions;" recitals? yes and that was enough for me!! ha

[@etudeando]

I saw at the Chopin competition that many pianist tends to think that virtuosismo is the same as great playing and it is not! Playing piano is about transmitting feelings not about fast passages getting done.

[@bjornviir3333]

speaking of Trifonov, Josh, he played the fastest coda of Chopin Scherzo3 in 2010...your skills are great also....Daniil has to work on his posture though....

[@captivator13]

Thank you brother Josh :)) Sam 🎵

[@KeepingOnTheWatch]

Competitions? Not for me. It’s bad enough when I show up in the waiting room for my practical exams - parents wonder where my kid is. As a 48 year old it’s a little embarrassing when I’m waiting with 5 or 6 year old kids. Makes me feel like I failed Kindergarten forty-three times 😏.

[@davidcunningham7330]

Mmmm, on the Chopin, didn't you say you felt like you did wonderfully on the first 3 rounds but had a rather weak (I'm sure your 'weak' is 10 times stronger than others 'strong') 4th round? Also, I think Gary Graffin (Lang Lang's teacher) wouldn't allow his students to compete because of his strong view against competitions.

[@alext7202]

What is a piano competition like? Do you all play the same song and judges decide who played it best?

[@bassmaiasa1312]

I do wish I could hear how judges decide at that level. It must come down to fractions of 10, 20, or 100 decimal points! Sometimes the gold medalist is also my favorite, but many times it's someone else.

[@bjornviir3333]

i would gladly pay 80 percent ticket price to hear someone just 2 percent lower level play a concert than a winner, great value....sadly his ticket price maybe less than 50 percent.

[@bhh1988]

Here's the video of the 10-year-old Josh spoke so highly of: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWTEnH15er2Sm5o

[@switchlaserflip9243]

Any problems related to competition are a result of the person, not the competition. If you're not part of it, than it's none of your business and if you lose and feel bad than you're committing a logical fallacy..

[@paulzeng6211]

Say no to competitions unless the standard of Richter in the 20th century is re-instated. No one is required to play with Conviction, power, authority in classical music! All is required is fluffy anxious technique just passing by on stage with little to spare on interpretation. This includes everyone I have listened on youtube, smfh.

[@velcroman11]

Piano should be included in the Olympics. If they can include skateboarding, why not piano? The Olympics is about physical skill. Piano is one, if not the most challenging of physical skills. Requiring great strength, stamina and intelligence. Of cause, to evaluate competing pianists, all must play the same piece.