I was curious, as I was perusing the forums. There seems to be a large number of pianists who express that they're better than the others. I would like to host a little rendevous between pianists right here, right now. Who's the best in this 8notes.com website? Don't lie, don't boast without need, and don't be an idiot. I think that to be the best, you gotta prove that you really understand "music". So..prove it to us all, how many years u've played, what you're playing, and what's music?

Okay, me. I don't want to be a prick, but here it is. I've been playing for uh... 22 years. I play piano, oh, yes, of course, lol. I play Daboozy, dear old Rachy, hmm, Tschaikovsky, hmmm, mostly concertos. Uh, what's music...you go first

How about the competing members have to post some videos or recorded work? I mean, skills doesn't prove anything. Is how well they convey the music.

Well, i'm not here to compete since i'm new to the piano. Grade 3 anyone? Hahas, 18 years old... grade 3.... wow.

I am no way "good". If you mean Lang Lang standard, then no.

I don't think I'm better than others. Life isn't about competing. I love music, and I love playing piano for what it is.

Yes you do, including history and theory.

I've played for nearly 10 years. Right now, I'm doing a duet with my sister, Tchaikovsky, The nutcracker suite. I'm playing one of Mozart's Sonatas K.570 composed in 1789. I've played a handful of composers, including nearly all of the famous ones. Recently passed an accompaniment exam with merit. Passed Grade 7 with distinction, and I'm on the way to passing Grade 8.

As of yet, I am no way a "good" musician. I have a long way to go, and music is too broad a subject to fully describe. What music means to me, might be different for you because everyone is different, with their own feelings and experiences.

Well, now that a couple people have replied...I would say, music is the expression that a person feels one point in his or her life, one little window into the vast emotions that flit across time like fireflies in the sky. Music, each different piece, is a different expression that simply tries to capture that moment in time in that moment of heart.

Music, I guess, if you want to be good, you need to understand what music is to you. It has to resonate with the music you hear in your head. That's my humble opinion, lol, I'm no Lang Lang either, I'm just a person out there who enjoys all kinds of music.

While we're at it, do any of you enjoy vocal music? I enjoy vocal more than instrumental, ironically.

Ooh, I can't stand vocals. The human voice is just really irritating, especially the female voice. I love instrumental music. Even then, I prefer the mid to low end of the register, like a cello's range. I love cellos. Not as much as piano, of course.

That's a nice explanation. I would agree with a quarter of that. The bit where you express yourself. Music is different for everyone. Some want to put their emotions and feelings into music instead of art, or words. A way to express yourself. I think that's certainly for the majority of composers out there. People who perform and do nothing but perform... They just want to be a good musician because they want to do the music justice. Music is so vast, with so many opinions, genres, paths etc. Not to mention it gives you a nice feeling if you've accomplished something you've worked hard on.

Yeah... I think understanding the history of music is a good way to start. But many people abuse the term "music".

Music does things to you. It can be a drug, something addictive where it makes you happy, sad, angry, calm.

I enjoy vocal music. I'm not really fussy with music to be honest. I like classical, rock, metal. Not really interested in hip & hop or pop, or what's out there now in the top 20's or whatever. I like listening to unknown bands, especially because some are absolutely awesome. Anime and film music are great as well. You can't appreciate it enough.

I like listening to Divas. Mark Mancina, BLOOD+ has a diva and man is it awesome.

But yeah, I like both to be honest. If I had to choose, then it would be instrumental as there are loads of instruments.

Cellos and pianos are nice together :P

Yes, I, though, I like vocal music, but not just any vocal music. Anyone heard of Andrea Bocelli? Hayley Westenra? Sarah Brightman? I guess those are the ones I like that are suitable for this type of conversation. I guess Five for Fighting, Rihanna, Leona Lewis, etc...are not proper, lol. Music is great. But I believe that the greatest instrument is the voice, because nothing can replace it. Next to the voice, I would say, in instruments, is probably the cello, then the piano.

Bocelli rings a bell. But I don't know the others. Meh, music is vast...

I don't listen to Leona Lewis, Rihanna or whatever.

Hmm.. You have a good point there. To be honest, there are so many instruments that produce a pure sound, the greatest will have to be in your own opinion.

I prefer piano over cello, but piano AND cello is amazing :P

Andrea Bocelli is the tenor that ranks just underneath Pavarotti, I guess. Hmm, he's probably the most famous by now. You never heard of Sarah Brightman? She sings in the Phantom of the Opera. Hmm, that's interesting. Oh, I have a question. Have you ever heard of the theme in Somewhere in Time, by Rachmaninoff? Is there any other pieces like that? They sound like "coffee shop" music. I guess the only other composer I know who makes coffee shop music is Erik Satie, and he's not that good. Take for example Lidzt, his Traumerie, or Ravel's For the Dead Princess or something like that. How come I can't find any more of those? Most piano pieces are violent and crazy emotional, I just want something that's not as abstract as Debussy's work, have a central melody, and still stay lyrically relaxing. Know any?

Well, in my honest opinion, music is more like expressing one's self, just like any other forms of art. I'm the typical kind of player who really doesn't mind if she's a level below someone, or the worst, since I play the piano because I love to, and it's a way for me to express myself.

Anyway, to your questions, well, I've been playing since I was kid (around 4 years old, I think) so. Playing the piano has become a family tradition for us, so we're basically a family of pianists. But sadly, my grade level is stuck somewhere between 4-5, since I had a huge 3 year gap due to studies and competing for honors. Most of the stuffs I play are sonatinas (mostly Clementi), which are requirements (for the past three years I study piano in a music school) and the rest are anime/game/movie theme songs I love. I also play classical pieces that are !****! hard and kills my wrists just for the sake of challenging my skills. They help. XD

Interesting. It's good that you like music.