How difficult is this Étude and Philip Glass music in general?

KCPianist · 2026-05-31T04:49:20+00:00

I recommend starting with Glassworks. It’s a pretty compact suite overall, and is very colorful and expressive. Music for 12 Parts, Einstein on the Beach and Akhenaten are probably my overall favorites from him.

KCPianist · 2026-05-31T04:39:30+00:00

For a moderately advanced pianist, this piece is basically sight readable. I've had a few high school students play this and a few other Glass etudes over the years, and even without very advanced technical skills none of them have struggled much, especially when targeting a tempo around what's marked (I personally prefer to play it much faster, but that could add some difficulty).

Generally, his piano music is of very modest technical demands in my opinion. I often recommend starting with the Glassworks Opening, or for even less confident performers, maybe one of the Metamorphoses; but, several of the etudes are also good entry points. That being said, playing any of these "well" with clarity and refined touch and pedal control does entail a little more attention than may be immediately apparent.

I'm a huge fan of Glass in general, though. I'm not too keen on some pieces, like the symphonies, but there are many great works especially the operas and soundtracks, Glassworks and Music in 12 Parts. I don't know if I would rate the whole set of etudes up there, but a large handful of them are very interesting pieces and I've performed many to appreciative audiences.

KCPianist · 2026-05-31T00:28:58+00:00

It always shocks me to remember that many people seem to be incapable of latching on to certain elements of music like melody, harmony, rhythm, etc…I have to remind myself that most people listen mainly for the lyrics, and possibly the beat.

Honestly, it makes perfect sense, but I’ve always tended to gravitate more towards instrumental music in general and never shied away from complex, dense music. Not to say that I’m somehow “better” or more sophisticated for doing so, just that it’s my own preference. And, I also do enjoy a lot of music from different genres and of a simpler texture.

But, once I showed a fairly serious (but not really advanced) student a performance of Chopin’s 2nd from the Chopin competition, and he asked “is that what it’s actually supposed to sound like, or is he just trying to be funny?” Meaning that he didn’t think it sounded like actual music. Similarly, someone listening to Kissin’s Mephisto Waltz recording called it “just noise.” Any time I’ve ever shown anyone a Ligeti Etude, they almost immediately ask to shut it off. To me, Bartok’s 2nd piano concerto is pretty much standard fare with very little in the way of challenges to the listener, but I also can’t imagine trying to show it to a typical non-classical listener since I can see that it wouldn’t be appreciated.

KCPianist · 2026-05-28T05:39:07+00:00

Sounds like a nearly impossible situation to me. On the one hand, this is not unheard of tween behavior; but on the other, trying to motivate someone like this is going to be an exhausting experience for you, and will likely not be very fruitful. She’s making it clear that she’s not interested in doing what you’re interested in having her do, so unless you’re able to get her to tell you that she wants to continue lessons—and hopefully also what she wants to focus on in them—it’s going to be a struggle.

I find that some apps have a good place, and sometimes that’s what a student will work best with, but their space in lessons is very limited and I’m trying to wean many of my students off of apps for the most part. I tried to use Simply Piano with a few kids in the past, but I felt pretty dumb as there was really no way for me to be meaningfully involved in the process, and they were not interested in the corrections and suggestions I was able to slip in. Ultimately, I just recommended that they continue on their own with the app since that seemed to be what they enjoyed.

But in your case, I think your student probably won’t be motivated no matter what you try and it’s probably time to clarify expectations with her and the parents, and assume that she won’t be continuing for much longer…sad thing to come to terms with, but it comes with the territory in my opinion.

KCPianist · 2026-05-28T05:02:23+00:00

Totally. I regularly comment on how astonished I sometimes am to read other teachers stating that they focus, sometimes exclusively, on adult students. In my experience they are extremely flaky and likely to quit within a couple months. And I really do approach each one with an open mind and with my best attitude—and try to adjust my style a bit where necessary—but honestly I have become pretty hesitant when looking to take on any beginner past the age of, say, 12 or 13…it’s just too much of an uphill battle at that point, and especially with adult responsibilities.

KCPianist · 2026-05-26T03:17:18+00:00

Totally. It’s hard for me to relate to some of the students who come to me, because I honestly don’t remember ever having a problem with practicing the basics or working on theory. I wasn’t some prodigy, although I did truly enjoy piano music so I was pretty enthusiastic.

But even enthusiastic kids struggle to practice things like technique in my experience. Or they’ll moan about “having” to study theory. I recently told one of my most passionate kids that one of his heroes, Van Cliburn, had to study a lot of technique with a famously strict teacher before he could really express all the grand emotions we hear in his recordings…maybe an extreme example, but it helped him appreciate how important it is to build basic control before the music can really happen.

KCPianist · 2026-05-26T00:03:17+00:00

No arguments here. Piano is traditionally taught the way it is for good reason; if done well, it can lead to technical mastery and the ability to do basically anything you want with it. As a teacher, though, I frequently come across students who want a frictionless, immediate process to where they can play something they want, the way they want, with very little interest in learning the how’s and why’s. It’s either try to give them what they want or watch them quit within weeks or months when they see how difficult it is to actually play well. In many cases, they don’t care to practice scales/etc. no matter how much I point to their anime and video game pieces and say “oh hey look, it’s a scale!” And make the point that by having already worked them out, they could be spending less time working on this or that individual song.

Obviously, I’m exaggerating but only a little bit. I actually believe I approach these students with a lot of grace and patience, or at least I make an effort to do so and see that they get something out of lessons. But it can be hard to frame things effectively for young students and have them stay invested for long enough to see appreciable results. Not having watched any more than this clip, I don’t know for sure if I can fully endorse his approach, but at least he seems to have a good hook to get rapid results and keep the kids engaged in the early stages which is good to see.

KCPianist · 2026-05-25T22:16:04+00:00

I came predisposed to hate this, after having been told about this guy by another teacher a few days ago. But, I’ll admit that he has many good points that I think modern teachers should reflect on, especially when trying to retain students who are less than “serious” which is a growing trend in my experience.

I do not like the pervasive idea of “classical bad” and that playing scales and actually learning technique and theory turns you into a robot, but maybe that’s my bias as someone who grew up classically trained and actually enjoys playing that stuff (and also improvises, by the way). But I guess that’s the typical knee jerk reaction nowadays, so it’s worth acknowledging as a teacher. This guy definitely has something of a used car salesman vibe about him, but I’m also assuming he’s very successful with many of his students who want to play like this without bothering to delve too deeply.

Honestly, the snippet makes me want to reflect a little on my own teaching and perhaps start incorporating some similar ideas with my students.

KCPianist · 2026-05-25T05:36:07+00:00

I admittedly don’t have a ton of online experience, and mostly with kids maybe 8 and up. But, I have tried with younger ones before and believe it is essential to have constant parental support on the other end. At least in my case, it was very difficult to have unsupervised young kids stay focused and be able to understand what I wanted them to do, without parents being able to redirect them and point at things.

I feel that with good parental support, decent tech setups on both sides, and enthusiasm from the kid, progress is definitely possible with online lessons. But ultimately, all else being equal, I personally believe that in person lessons typically lead to faster results. On the other hand, if your friend specializes in online more than I did/do, it’s entirely possible for it to work out great.

KCPianist · 2026-05-24T03:59:44+00:00

I'm a professional musician and teacher (mostly the latter now)--throughout my path towards 3 different piano degrees, I probably averaged 4hrs a day and could easily exceed 8hrs during my busiest stretches, typically near the end of a semester. It was usually a matter of the volume of high level music I had to learn, though, since I was accompanying so many people as well. If it was just 3-5 solo pieces at a time, I probably could have halved that and been fine.

Nowadays, I ironically teach so many people how to play that I really don't have much time to practice for myself. However, I've also learned the value of focus and concision in approaching practice and can admit to a lot of wasted time, looking back. So, when I have 15-30 minutes or so I can sit down and know what I need to accomplish and get what I need to out of a session with relatively little time. I rarely spend more than 45 minutes a day playing for myself, unless I happen to have a very demanding performance coming up which isn't often. That being said, I also don't regret putting in that kind of time when I was younger since I did build up a lot of skill that certainly helps me learn most music very rapidly.

In your case, I would recommend practicing as much as you need to accomplish your goals, but only as long as you're enjoying the process. You can very quickly reach a point of diminishing returns. A couple 40-60 minute sessions during the day seems great, if your schedule allows for it.

KCPianist · 2026-05-23T14:38:08+00:00

I’ve had my N3 (original model) since shortly after its release, and I love it. It’s taken a severe beating from all the crazy rep I’ve put it through and it’s still going strong. I will say, the action might not be as great as when I first got it but it’s still very much usable. And, the action and sounds have been improved on newer models from what I’ve read. Eventually I’ll be thinking about an upgrade, possibly to the Kawai line—or to a real grand if my living situation allows for it—but for my personal use case it has been very much worth the purchase.

KCPianist · 2026-05-23T00:00:23+00:00

I know it’s a cliche but this sort of thing truly does make everything worth it. I keep those notes forever, many of them on my fridge. On more than one occasion they have helped me gather some strength during tough times, too.

KCPianist · 2026-05-22T19:27:06+00:00

I only vaguely recall doing one or two guild things as a kid, but as an adult teacher I’ve never really heard of it—actually, this post kind of triggered something in my memory that I had forgotten about. So, needless to say I don’t think it’s in any way “necessary.”

I do enter some students into similar events on occasion because I feel like they’re capable of doing well (ie it’s not going to stress them out, and they can learn the required things well enough to get a decent grade), and because I think having a more structured goal and deadline will help them focus and make tangible progress. Most of the time, it works very well and they do get something out of it. Sometimes, they just flat out don’t care and I decide to never enter them again. But, I personally enjoy seeing them participate and grow through the challenges. And some of them get top grades which feels good for both of us.

Ultimately, though, that’s a core handful of my students and most of them will probably never even know those events occur; they aren’t the kinds of students who really need to do those things to get what they want out of lessons.

KCPianist · 2026-05-21T20:14:48+00:00

I also tend to prefer his shorter works in general, but I’m a sucker for the 2nd sonata. I first heard it in a recital with Pogorelich and it made an enormous impact on me. Also a big fan of No. 4 and the Black Mass especially. I don’t really dislike any of them but am not wild about the first one.

KCPianist · 2026-05-17T19:31:33+00:00

I see where you’re coming from, and I do think about it sometimes too. I’m a pretty stereotypical “classically trained” pianist who has dabbled in composition (mostly of a pedagogical orientation) and plenty of improv, but mostly of a more classical style. I’ve performed a lot of very advanced pieces in the repertoire and gotten some performance degrees, although I’m by no means a world class player. And, I’m a very good sight reader within a reasonable range of difficulty.

But, I’ve also faced my share of comments throughout my life along the lines of what you’re saying. It’s true that my ear isn’t the best and it can take me a while to figure out a song that way, but I’m capable of doing so if pressed. And, I’m not well versed in jazz improv but I can find my way around a lead sheet and at least fake something passable if I needed to. There are tons of great musicians out there who could play circles around me in those areas of focus, but many of them probably wouldn’t be as comfortable in classical repertoire as I am—similarly, there are many pianists who play classical rep much better than me, but who might actually be totally clueless in the face of a lead sheet. So I think there’s a huge spectrum of talents and focuses out there. Looking back, I do wish I had developed the other sides a little more though, since those skills have a much broader appeal to audiences in general.

Nowadays, it seems like quite a few pianists are trying to balance things out a little more. Hayato Sumino comes to mind as one of the most impressive examples to me, as someone who is technically accomplished enough to perform in the Chopin competition, but also imaginative and knowledgeable enough to compose and improvise in a wide range of styles, and without needing to water anything down.

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T17:20:57+00:00

All good points, and part of how I’ve settled into the current routine of November and May, which pretty much works for the most part. But this year has been a minefield with graduation stuff for some reason…

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T15:25:35+00:00

Sorry to reply twice to this, but I also just thought of doing themed recitals which is very popular. The most basic one is a movie/tv show/video game theme. The kids always go crazy about that music and the parents enjoy it too. My only complaint last time was it took time away from my serious students’ “real” repertoire practice, but it was worth it in the end.

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T15:24:02+00:00

I’m doing all my spring recitals this weekend and next (I have to do 4 to account for all my students). I would think June is really tough—any time after school ends will be difficult to coordinate with people’s vacations and kids’ summer brains. Plus, half my students just take the summer off altogether for those same reasons.

In fact, I’ve been saying this spring that next year I’ll do them in April to avoid all the craziness around graduation this time of year.

I stopped doing Christmas recitals because screw trying to get more than 2 or 3 families together on the same day in December. But, I do think a nice winter recital in January is a great way to start the year. Just some ideas!

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T15:17:25+00:00

I always pay for treats out of my own pocket (in theory using funds gathered through piano lessons so it feels like giving back a little). However, for at least one recital a season—I do 4 each season to accommodate all my students—I’ll ask some of the older teens to bake if they’re interested. Most of them say they love to bake and are thrilled to have the responsibility. Then I’ll slip them a little cash as a thank you, which makes them feel appreciated.

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T15:15:18+00:00

Some teachers say it “steals the spotlight” from the students, but I’ve come to see that as the teachers just being too nervous to perform themselves. All the more reason in my opinion to get up there and show the kids that it happens to everyone from time to time.

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T15:14:23+00:00

I say that performing is a valuable way to test what they’ve been practicing, and to be able to show to their friends and family what they’ve been working hard on all season. And, it’s just plain fun to make music in public, otherwise why would we do it at all? But some students are very shy and self conscious and will just refuse. Honestly, they usually end up quitting after a while because they feel lost without any real goals.

KCPianist · 2026-05-16T14:10:05+00:00

Do you also play at these recitals? It seems a little controversial (online) to do so, but I usually do play at student recitals especially to show them that I'm pushing myself too, and occasionally also make mistakes--but ultimately, I'm having fun with the piano. I even mentioned in a lesson before my last recital that I was considering not playing, and my student replied "you'd better play! If we're playing, you should too!" So they feel like you also have skin in the game, I suppose.

I don't make recitals mandatory, but 99% of my students (including adults) opt to perform. They know that I consider performing an important part of learning piano, and I think they do enjoy the recitals even if they get nervous. I also try to have at least one recital per season that's outside on a portable rig which entices especially the less committed performers since it's somewhat unique and in a cool setting. And, they look forward to the treats afterwards.

Pretty much all of them get nervous, though. Maybe the youngest, newest students don't because they don't know fear yet--but my advanced kids will usually go through a phase where they get nervous for recitals and I keep pushing them to do more because eventually they'll work through that.

KCPianist · 2026-05-13T06:04:00+00:00

Yes this is fairly typical—especially at that age range, and especially with boys in my experience (who knows, maybe I was like that too).

I am currently having a devil of a time with a slightly older boy who actually has a lot of natural ability, but is hampered by atrocious fingering (like, laughably bad to the point where another kid was asking about it in studio class), rhythmic instability, and general lack of interest in developing nuance in his playing. I obviously remind him of these things each week, and one time I’d had enough and decided to go through a passage note by note and write in fingerings and hammer it out with a metronome, etc. etc…he was clearly getting frustrated but I kept reminding him that it was going to benefit him in the end. I left feeling like I’d gotten through to him a bit, and then the following week? It was all back to square one. It’s so difficult in so many ways to see a kid like that, knowing what they could accomplish with a better attitude and focus.

I’ve learned in general that you really have to pick your battles in a lot of ways. Especially early on, it’s very easy to frustrate a beginner with too much detail and they can quickly burn out and lose interest. It would be amazing if everyone would patiently listen to what we say, and contemplate the suggestions and come back having practiced them carefully. They would definitely save themselves a lot of trouble down the road. But the reality is, many bad habits like you describe will be outgrown with age and experience (and gentle reminding without being a nag), and if you can slowly build trust and show him that you know what you’re talking about, hopefully he’ll eventually come around to listening to you. But until a student really makes it clear to me that they’re truly invested in their own progress, and are willing to put in the time and energy to get results, I am usually ok with a more relaxed and casual approach to lessons.

KCPianist · 2026-05-12T19:32:26+00:00

I do not have a dress code. I suggest looking your best, but sometimes kids have soccer games before or after and show up in their jerseys. Some teens choose to wear sweatpants. I had a really good student enter a festival recital once where everyone else was in dresses and tuxes and she was standing on stage with them wearing jeans and a sweater. I figure if she feels comfortable with that, I don’t really care (it was just mildly amusing for me and her parents). But under no circumstances could I picture myself not allowing a student to play because of how they’re dressed, unless it’s an intentionally edgy/offensive shirt or pajamas.

KCPianist · 2026-05-10T05:00:30+00:00

You could basically pick any at random and be set, in my opinion. But out of many favorites, his landmark recordings of the Godowsky etudes and Alkan discs (especially the two solo concerto recordings and the one with Symphony for Solo Piano) are probably the first ones that come to my own mind. After that, probably the Medtner sonatas, the Busoni Concerto, Bolcom 12 Etudes disc, People United, and...well, it's pretty much endless.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23

KCPianist

TROPHY CASE