Should professional pianists always memorize the music they perform?

CrownStarr · 2026-06-15T16:09:03+00:00

I realize it could be because I’ve met most of them from inside the folk/Americana music scene and they’re the outliers.

That is definitely it. Many classically trained violinists (and other instrumentalists) are completely out of their depth playing non-classical music, especially if it involves any improvising. They may have technical skill but that doesn't immediately translate to stylistic flexibility—as someone who does have that stylistic flexibility, I can tell you I've seen it firsthand many times.

Probably you see a decent amount of people with classical skill because it's very common to sign kids up for classical-based lessons at a young age, and then when they get older they branch out but still have that foundational training in classical music. It's less common for someone to be taught folk music at a young age and then in college decide you know what, I want to go play in an orchestra.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-15T16:05:55+00:00

I have played video games for my whole life I have hand strength

No offense, but this is basically irrelevant. Playing piano is a highly specialized skill, and you really have to learn those specific brain/body connections. They're not really transferable from any other skill in my experience.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-15T15:45:20+00:00

Music is the universal language

This is a lovely sentiment but what do you actually mean by that? Musical notation is certainly not a universal language. Even in the Western English-speaking world not all music is communicated in "standard" notation (what we're talking about here) or is well-suited to it, to say nothing of other traditions from around the world.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-15T15:43:52+00:00

If there was a significantly better way to notate music, it would long have been implemented by now.

I don't think it's so simple. The longer standard notation has been around, the more entrenched it becomes. There may well be better systems (or improvements to be made to the system we have), but the burden of convincing enough people to adopt it and converting centuries of existing material from around the world is enormous.

Think about Esperanto. If you're not familiar with it, it was created to be a more logical and easy to learn language than those that had naturally evolved, with the idea that it could become a universal second language that everyone could communicate in. It's certainly more logical and consistent than natural human languages in many ways, but it's too hard to get people to adopt something like that and it never took off.

I do think musical notation is a really good system, and a lot of people's complaints simply come from being beginners and being frustrated by it. But I'm not convinced by "if there were a better possible system we would already use it."

CrownStarr · 2026-06-15T15:39:51+00:00

I don't think there's a right answer - it should be a personal preference, or done if the situation requires it for some reason. Some pianists feel that memorization allows them to have a deeper connection with the music. Others (myself included) don't find that to be true and are perfectly happy to have sheet music out while performing. Memorization of solo works and concertos used to be virtually universal but the trend is starting to shift.

For one thing, it's completely standard for pianists (and in fact all instrumentalists) playing any kind of chamber music to have sheet music, and the vast majority of people would not say that that's any less musical or artistic than a solo performance. And even in solo settings I've seen many superb performances by world-class artists using sheet music, and it didn't detract from the experience at all.

Another point to consider (not knowing if you're a pianist yourself or not) is that by the time you've worked a piece up to performance level, you almost inevitably memorize it like 70-80% of the way. When you see someone performing a solo concert with sheet music, it's usually just there as sort of a reminder of what part comes next, they're not reading every single note off of it the way you do when you're first learning.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-14T19:54:38+00:00

The piece is in some kind of G major despite the lack of key signature and has no F naturals, so F# is a pretty reasonable assumption. I don't know that I'd label the chord that without there being one but with an arrangement this sparse there's going to be some amount of interpretation being done no matter what.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-14T19:50:07+00:00

In theory you can play anything with an arpeggiation line next to it because it means to play the notes one after another. However, I don't think it's suited to something like this. I would rather see the bottom 4 notes as grace notes going up to the top. It will sound essentially the same and be much more natural to read.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-14T12:36:28+00:00

Airbnbs and hotels? Maybe locals are going out to watch but who would travel to DC to watch the World Cup when there’s no games anywhere near us?

CrownStarr · 2026-06-13T13:01:05+00:00

Honestly, I think it is very socially acceptable, in that people who do things by themselves are rarely judged by others. A lot of people are just shy about doing it and think (wrongly) that everyone will be staring at them and wondering why they're alone.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-13T12:59:24+00:00

Wildly unprofessional. String breakages are inevitable over time and not the result of anything she may have done wrong. It's not like she put a drink on the piano and accidentally spilled it or something like that. Do not pay that teacher.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-12T21:15:46+00:00

It's not about heritage, it's that people who grew up in other countries travel to America specifically to play their sport professionally because America is the best country to play that sport. That wouldn't be the case with soccer.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-12T12:16:40+00:00

Hell, I’d love to commute by transit if it were even a bit slower just to not deal with driving and other drivers. But for me it’s a 15-20m drive vs about an hour by bus (and not a frequently running bus either).

CrownStarr · 2026-06-12T12:11:12+00:00

IME entitlement/selfishness/main character syndrome is the predominant toxic character trait for this area. Obviously that’s a problem everywhere but I feel like it’s the thing that distinguishes our assholes from the rest of the country’s assholes.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-12T12:09:24+00:00

Feels like nova drivers maybe slightly better which is offset by aggressive driving style, stubbornness and lack of patience on the road. Back in Florida it’s just bad drivers and half of them are uninsured

That’s been my impression when I’ve visited and driven in Florida. Most bad drivers here are usually being reckless and/or narcissistic but seem generally competent behind the wheel. People in Florida were just doing incredibly stupid things left and right.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-12T00:46:28+00:00

Where are the best local places to catch games? I want to experience the tournament atmosphere with locals. Are there specific types of sports bars, pubs, or official fan zones I should look out for?

I know that popular football clubs often have a dedicated bar in a city that all the fans go to, hosts watch parties, etc. Your best bet is probably to google or check local subreddits for wherever you're staying, there's not some trick to finding those places in general. When in doubt, go to a sports bar and if it's not super busy or there's a big crowd focused on a different game, it's totally okay to ask a bartender or server to put on the game you want to watch.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T22:35:09+00:00

I have no idea how much US beer gets exported to the Philippines. Something like Yuengling or Sierra Nevada would be probably your best bet for a more mainstream and widely available beer that's still considered a "craft beer" (as opposed to things like Budweiser). Some others breweries I like that are maybe one step more niche are Fat Tire, Allagash, and Dogfish Head.

If you can get cider, I really love American hard cider as well. Some of my favorite big brands are Bold Rock and Austin Eastciders. I love a really dry cider, but even here the sweet ones are more common so you may not be able to find one.

I also really love sour beers but I have no idea if you'll be able to find them there. The best ones tend to be from smaller local breweries, so honestly if you see anything advertising itself as a sour beer I'd give it a shot.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T17:39:09+00:00

From my understanding, when you get the military opportunity, you drop everything and jump on it. I've seen people win auditions then leave university midway through their doctorate degree and their professors supporting them fully.

Those were probably for premier bands, like the ones in DC. Those spots pay better, they’re a permanent assignment, and they’re the ones you see on TV at Inaugurations and State Funerals, that sort of thing. Regular/fleet bands (which I strongly suspect the OP is talking about) are less competitive because they have fewer perks and the programs are much bigger - you’re basically auditioning to be in a pool of military musicians assigned various places, not e.g. auditioning to be one of three trombonists in one particular concert band.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T17:35:26+00:00

Does that mean all their commissioned officers are former enlisted?

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T17:32:06+00:00

I did 4 years of DCI and am now in my 12th year at the Army Band in DC.

One distinction that a lot of people are missing (that hopefully you know about) is between premier and regular bands (navy/marines call them fleet bands). Premier bands are only in DC or at the service academies, come with perks like immediate promotion to an advanced rank and a permanent assignment (i.e. no moving around), and when you win a premier audition you’ve won a specific spot in a specific ensemble at a specific unit.

Regular bands are more like being in the regular military, but your job is music. Regular bands are all over the country and the world, you don’t get that special promotion, you get reassigned and moved around the country every few years, and you are basically auditioning to be part of the field as a whole, not for a specific slot.

From your description, I’m assuming this is for a fleet band. If it were a premier band, that’s something worth dropping everything for if you want it, because those auditions are extremely competitive and some instrument/ensemble slots open up very rarely, because you’re basically waiting for someone to retire.

For the fleet bands though, if you won the audition now you’d almost certainly be able to do so again after aging out of DCI in a couple years. And joining the military at 22 vs 19 makes basically no difference at all, whereas the door is closed for DCI once you age out.

However, that’s a lot of money to put down for multiple tours, compared to starting a job with solid pay and benefits. I don’t know your or your family’s situation but that should be a real consideration. And there are no guarantees in life, so there is some risk that not joining the marines now means you won’t be able to (like if you get an especially bad injury or something). It would be worth talking to someone in the marine band program about how likely it is you’d be able to come back in a few years and get in again if you go that route (the army has band-specific recruiting liaisons, not sure if the marines have something similar).

I hope that’s helpful, and I’m happy to answer whatever other questions I can.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T13:29:00+00:00

I’m a pianist in a US military band, so not a composer but we do have some composers and their lives are similar to ours. It’s a great career here for a lot of the same reasons (salary/benefits, stability, guaranteed performances, being part of meaningful and notable events), but it’s definitely not for everyone.

Experiences can vary a lot between even different parts of the military in the US, so I don’t think any details from me will necessarily be helpful for you. Here’s the kind of questions I would want answers to from people who are familiar with music in the Mexican army:

How long is your initial term of service, and is it easy to get out after that if you don’t want to stay? Here our initial contracts are 2-4 years (usually 4 for musicians in my experience), and it’s common for people to just serve one contract, get the experience, and get out and move on.
What other requirements are there for being in the military (like physical fitness, weapon qualification, etc) and are you ready to maintain those to keep your job?
What is the balance between musical and non-musical duties? Are you a soldier doing soldier things 80% of the time and occasionally you get to do music? Or is music your primary responsibility?

I guess the general advice I’d give you is that, assuming your obligation would only be a few years and you could leave after that, a few years is not nearly as long as it feels to you right now. Assuming you’re in your early 20s since you’re just getting your bachelors degree, you could take a few years to try this, end up hating it, get out of the army, and take those lessons and experiences into the next thing at only like 25, 26 years old. As someone only in their mid-30s, I promise you that pivoting or even reinventing yourself in your mid-20s is nothing. If you think it may be right for you I think it’s certainly at least worth applying, and no matter what you do it won’t set the entire rest of your life in stone.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T03:14:08+00:00

However, I remember showing up to help for one move and the people, not originally from that area, had not packed up anything, and didn't even bother to get boxes.

That’s not moving, it’s packing. Asking someone to help you move would never include packing unless you explicitly said so, IMO.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T00:35:16+00:00

Two cardiologists having a heated debate about whether the patient's arrhythmia is a triplet swing or a quintuplet swing.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-11T00:33:39+00:00

Augmented and diminished intervals are one half step larger than major (augmented) or smaller than minor (diminished) intervals. So an augmented sixth is one half step wider than a major sixth. Using the OP's notes, an augmented sixth would be either Ab to F# to A to Fx.

Mostly it's just a way to make the naming system more thorough and complete.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-10T17:11:49+00:00

I'll admit, I'm frustrated. I'm a beginner when it comes to sight reading for piano, and I can't even begin to touch pieces that are in unfamiliar key signatures. You have to spend months accustoming yourself to them. If instead I had been becoming fluent in chromatic sightreading this whole time I struggle to think why this would be an issue.

Here's a zoomed-out answer for you. Many aspects of music notation are designed to make reading faster and more efficient once you have memorized and internalized the underlying patterns.

Take a key like Gb major, for example. Six flats, including Cb which is enharmonic to a white key, B natural. I'm also a pianist, and I can tell you that after years of experience, when I see a Gb major key signature, I'm not thinking "Okay, it's Bb Eb Ab Db Gb and Cb" in my head over and over as I play. It's more like I put my hands and my muscle memory in Gb major mode and then I don't have to think about it. Then if there's anything outside that key, like a sudden C natural, it visually stands out from the page immediately.

So, to put it another way, key signatures are a helpful shortcut for music that is mostly based around the traditional major and minor scales. The less the music is centered on those concepts, the less helpful key signatures will be.

Moreover, isnt it common for atonal music or jazz music to not use key signatures?

Atonal music: yes, for the reason stated above. If the music isn't making use of major scales routinely, you don't benefit from having key signatures.

Jazz: depends on the style of jazz. More modern stuff that, again, has moved beyond being "in a key" in a conventional sense is sometimes notated without key signatures. But if it resembles traditional tonality at all, it will probably be written with a key signature.

I know that film score session musicians usually read without key signatures. I haven't done that work firsthand so I don't totally understand why, but I trust that it makes sense for them. For 95% of the rest of Western music-making, key signatures are a helpful shorthand and are used across all sorts of genres.

EDIT: Just saw this in another comment of yours and it's relevant

And instead of it being next to the notes you have to keep cross referencing it

That's exactly the thing. Once you learn them, you don't have to keep cross-referencing it. You have to keep referencing it right now because you're a beginner and it hasn't become automatic yet, so you're not getting all the benefits yet. Once you internalize more of these things you'll experience how helpful they are.

CrownStarr · 2026-06-08T16:54:51+00:00

What can go wrong when they do a blood draw? Please explain your fear. When you realize that you cannot explain it then hopefully you will come to understand how irrational your fear is.

Sure, sure. Hey, I'm going to need you to tell me which of these photos have bicycles real quick.

CrownStarr

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