Robert Estrin - piano expert

Honesty in Musical Expression

Learn how important it is to be "honest" when you perform

In this video by LivingPianos.com, Robert talks about "honesty" during performance. Very interesting subject that can be applied to all instruments.

Released on May 8, 2019

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DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this video are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Virtual Sheet Music and its employees.

Video Transcription

Hi and welcome to livingpianos.com, I'm Robert Estrin. Today's performance, this is going to be a performance for you, is about honesty in expression. How can you be honest in your music? It's so important. What do I mean by that? Well, when you're playing music, there could be so many things cluttering your mind; how people are perceiving you, whether you're going to play well, you might even be distracted thinking about something you're going to do later on. I mean, all sorts of things can enter into it.



But a real, truly honest expression, all that is left aside just to communicate the most intimate inner feelings that can't be expressed any other way except with music, which is what drives musicians to practice, to get to a point of being able to share on that level. That's what we're going to strive for today. It's a lofty goal. I'm well aware of that, but let's see what happens with a free form improvisation. I'm not going to judge, I'm just going to provide music that comes out of me to you without trying to achieve anything specific other than honest expression.



(piano)



Well, I believe there was some honest expression there. I hope you enjoy this. It's a tremendous challenge getting removed from the technology and just being able to express music freely. You'd think with my own studio here at Living Pianos, it would be easy to just come into the studio, but there's always a million distractions, whether it's noises next door from piano work being done, or a squeaking bench, there's always something that can draw you away. I'll try to do more of these, so I can hit the mark for you as often as possible. Thanks so much for joining me, I appreciate the support. Subscribe if you haven't already. Once again, robert@livingpianos.com, your online piano store. See you next time.
Automatic video-to-text transcription by DaDaScribe.com
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Comments, Questions, Requests:

Dr Peter Moss on October 21, 2022 @8:33 pm PST
Hi Robert...thank you for your excellent musical lessons, I listen to most. As an 83-year-old beginner it's inspirational but unlikely to lead me to the concert stage...just yet! Peter M, Perth, West Australia.
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Robert - host, on October 22, 2022 @10:56 am PST
So glad you are enjoying the piano - keep it up!
Richard Blocher on August 26, 2020 @6:01 am PST
Wow! Amazingly Beautiful.I could listen to this music all day.Thank you for sharing,Robert.
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Robert - host, on August 26, 2020 @6:23 pm PST
So good to hear that you appreciate the music! I have quite a bit on my Patreon channel, particularly the Music Lovers' Tier: https://www.patreon.com/robertestrin
Ted Prevatte on May 24, 2019 @10:53 am PST
There's a difference in hearing and listening! Most of who can hear well fail to listen well because we were never taught how to listen. My Mother taught me how to listen. You may have honest expression in a performance, but if the hearer is not "honestly" listening the performance fails in communicating.
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Robert - host, on May 24, 2019 @3:45 pm PST
All too often today, we are surrounded by background music everywhere. So, people have learned to tune out music. When I was growing up, listening to music was an active experience - going to a concert or even listening to a record required a conscious effort. Today, people are used to having music streaming while catching up on news and connecting with friends. You're right - it's tough for people to just stop what they are doing and listen to music!
Tony Lockwood * VSM MEMBER * on May 8, 2019 @11:54 am PST
As always, Robert, you have something interesting to say. It went over my head, I am sorry to say. But your enthuisiasm is infectious and that is a major factor im my watching/listening to you.
Tony
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Robert - host, on May 9, 2019 @4:15 pm PST
I'm glad you enjoy listening and watching! In a nutshell, for a listener to be moved by a performance, the performer must not be thinking about themselves. What is most important is caring about the listener with a vital sense of being able to share the deep feelings of the music.
Rafael Morales on May 8, 2019 @6:45 am PST
A good technical performer is a musician, a performer who bears his soul for the enjoyment of others is an artist who shares the beauty of angels.
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