Pianist vs Doctor: Which Career Takes Longer to Master?

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Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I'm Robert Estrin. Today I'm going to answer a really interesting question from a viewer: Does it take longer to become a concert pianist or a doctor? Both of these fields obviously require many years of study. So I'm going to break it down for you and give you an idea of what each of these career paths entails.

[@kittyfruitloop8264]

If you want to enter the competitive concert pianist world, try moving onto the pipe organ next! There is such a shortage of organists I found out! I've had 4.5 years of organ, 7 yrs of piano before that and I am regularly employed at a Lutheran church! I just played for a wedding for the first time this weekend! I am at an intermediate skill level, and even at that, more churches are clamoring for organists and even utilize people with less skill than I. It's very uplifting to carry voices in song. .Now that said, once you become concert level on the pipe organ, then you will be an automatic shoe in for professional concert piano because you can play either instrument! Plus, you will experience why Mozart called the pipe organ the king of instruments!

[@PianoRevisited]

That was a very fair assessment Robert. I am a retired MD who practiced for 40 years and there is no doubt in my mind that becoming a concert pianist - and certainly a successful concert pianist - is much harder than becoming a successful physician. The sheer numbers of practicing physicians versus the much smaller numbers of successful concert pianists speaks for itself. And there is no stage fright to deal with in being a physician. 😊

[@hwaldman6479]

Interesting question. A bit of apples and oranges comparison, but I can note that as a M.D. (with a second doctorate degree and two speciality boardcertifications) that I was amazed how difficult learning the piano is as an adult student. I can’t fathom how challenging it is to play any musical instrument professionally. I am pretty used to working hard to achieve professional success, but there have been so many moments where my piano practice has pushed the limits of my resolve and maybe even my sanity. My respect goes out to anyone who becomes a concert level musician.

[@robertdavis5692]

As a recently retired physician who took piano lessons as a child and now plays piano about 2 hours per day, I say becoming a good competent pianist takes longer, and that's assuming the person has some innate musical ability or talent. However, playing piano is more fun than practicing medicine these days in the United States.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Idem in Switzerland. I learned four new scalpel techniques and I can perform hundreds of new operations.

[@avrumgolub2735]

I am a M.D., J..D. and am a Horn player. I played professionally throughout medical school, residency, fellowship and through my career as a Pathologist (I worked in the public sector). Through my Mother z''ll, I became friendly with Olga Bloom of Bargemusic. Of course, I went to many rehearsals and concerts on the Barge, being friendly with many of the performers. Around 1990, I was at a performance of Brahms' Horn Trio, the Horn player being a prominent New York City professional (a well known free-lancer similar in age to me). Prior to his performance, we talked about our lives and found that we had approximately the same annual income. However, he noted that my life was more stable income-wise. In fact, he said I had the best of both worlds. At almost 78 years of age, my heart is with the Horn and it takes me places Medicine could never. Medicine fulfills an intellectual side of me. So, Robert, thank you for bringing these thoughts to the surface. Indeed, becoming and being a musician is more challenging. However, I have to stop writing now as it is time for me to practice the 1st Horn part of the Brahms D minor Piano Concerto (have a look at the part after the last movement cadenza, bar 410 - after all, you do play the Horn😃). Again, may thanks and kudos for that which you bring to the world of Music. ~ Avrum Golub.

[@deadmanswife3625]

And yet what we really need a r e reliable electricians and plumbers😂

[@LivingPianosVideos]

I too am a horn player! I majored in both at the Manhattan School of Music.

[@avrumgolub2735]

@@LivingPianosVideos As a devoted follower, I wrote the above knowing that you are a Horn player. Who were your teachers? I was John Barrows' first "kid " student (age 12, 1958) and stayed close to him until his untimely passingg (1974). I also was coached by Lorenzo Sansone when I was 15, and when Mr. Barrows was on tour, studied with Ray Alonge, a Sansone student and a close associate of Mr. Barrows. I heard your Father's famous Rachmaninoff cycle at Tully Hall and was well aware of his teaching at Hofstra since my Mother admired him.

[@AtomizedSound]

@@deadmanswife3625true but you can’t change people. Lots of jobs in demand more so than those you listed. Reliability is an individual persons responsibility to upkeep no matter the job

[@biswita]

I concur. I myself trained as a physician in my college years, and as a classical pianist in my grade school years. and i can attest to the fact that advanced piano repertoire is a lot harder

[@stacerogers4008]

Perhaps a simpler answer is that it takes a lifetime to become “great” at anything one peruses. I can’t imagine studying medicine as a hobby, but music is far more approachable is this regard. Good topic though 🎹👍

[@edkaempf906]

That was a fair review, from someone with siblings who are M.D.s. Those years of MDs training include years of near 24-hour days with no sleep, outrageously high malpractice insurance rates, and constant changes in treatments, technology, and medicines.

[@user-ig7nq7pc7k]

Very thought-provoking. Good video.

[@TheMarionettePianist]

I’m a physician, a neurologist. Been playing piano since I was 5. I continued playing and gave 2 concerts in med school, played in residency. Didn’t play in fellowship because it was only 1 year, so didn’t take a piano when I had to move there. I resumed playing as an attending and still play now.

[@vcupiano]

A musician is a life long endeavor, few humans have mastered playing much less composing for arguably the most difficult instrument in the world.

[@M_SC]

The piano is demonstrably not the most difficult instrument.

[@ShaneyElderberry]

@@M_SC it depends on the repertoire. Some opera piano reductions are terribly difficult and quite long. Endurance begins to take priority after two acts.

[@LivingPianosVideos]

Piano is the easiest and hardest instrument in the world. Even a young child can get a decent sound out of a piano the first time they play. Try that on a flute! But it makes up for it with the extreme complexity of the music written for it.

[@AtomizedSound]

Interesting discussion and comparison and contrasts of the two professions. I’m a musician (not pro), but good insight and I can see the division people will have and argue over this question.

[@Gardener7]

I am both a doctor and decent pianist. The biggest differences are that doctors do much longer hours. Even at medical school, we had 9 hours of lectures per day, and then went home to study until late. So typically 15 hours a day. Hospital work was even longer, sometimes working more than 24 hours straight. Rarely would I do less than 12 hours work per day. I have never heard of concert pianists playing for that many hours, plus it would probably ruin their hands. Also progress as a pianist is not limited to set rate of x years. Some prodigies are playing the hardest pieces at age 15. By comparison, you can't possibly be a fully qualified doctor at 15. Another big difference is pay. Even a lowly paid hospital resident will get more money than a pianist in training. There are very few pianists who can make a good living from their skill alone. You have to be world class to get serious piano work, and at that point, it becomes fairly stressful. Maybe not as stressful as a doctor, but no longer fun like an amateur pianist.

[@loveispatient0808]

Concert pianist, many of them do practice long hours for new repertoire and to maintain their technique!

[@yoonchun6945]

Great discussions! I concur with your statement! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I am a surgeon with great love for classical music ❤ just love these videos, keep it coming!,,,

[@ezraschwartz5201]

Great question and answer! 🙏

[@agoogleuser6319]

Very interesting video topic. 👍

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I passed the Swiss Chiropractic Boards last century, and had to completely change my techniques due to a shoulder injury. Being a doctor is actually a lifelong learning process. But can a concert pianist play hundreds of songs by learning just four chords?

[@swede10000]

Oh, thats a long snake lamp on the piano!😮

[@pianoredux7516]

There are not a few pianists who are prodigies, or even semi-prodigies, who are already performing major concerts in their teens. Most elite pianists achieve their big professional breaks in their 20s, while most doctors don't go into private practice until their early 30s. Why don't you ask Richard Kogan, who is both a concert pianist and a psychiatrist (i.e. fully trained as a medical doctor), this question?

[@AtomizedSound]

Most but not all. You don’t really know the concrete numbers to make a fair assessment of this. Except what you “might” see on the public circuit performing but it’s not a guarantee

[@velcroman11]

Whether pianist or doctor. It is a life time commitment.

[@thomaspick4123]

Not if you are a woman doctor. Women want the title, but do not want to practice. The women want to go into management, so they can be bossy over men doctors.

[@leetingler619]

A good electrician can make 50 -80 per hr. Plumbers 75 -100 per hr. Mechanics well. I pay mine 120. Per hr now. Ouch!!!!😢

[@IvoryMadness.]

It depends..... Are you a prodigy? 😂😂😂 Great video!

[@renny1712]

You know the actual answer!!!😅

[@thomaspick4123]

A ridiculous question to ask.

[@ShaneyElderberry]

It’s for amusement. As a side jest, at least we know the pianist won’t become a glorified drug dealer for pharmaceutical corporations.

[@loveispatient0808]

No pianist or classical musicians take drugs, the music itself has the natural “high “ effect when they are totally immersed into the playing, no need for narcotics!

[@AtomizedSound]

@@loveispatient0808that you know of. Anything is possible in the world

[@AtomizedSound]

Not as ridiculous as your comment to this video that’s fair game to ask and that presents itself to an interesting discussion. Don’t watch or comment if that’s the attitude of yourself