Listening to piano recordings

[Bernard]

What's your opinion on listening to recordings of pieces that you are working on?

I had a teacher of 10 years who was adamant (as they tend to be) that one should never listen to recordings of pieces one has in the works. I left her many years ago and got over her admonishments.

I don't tend to listen to recordings until I have done some work on a piece. But there usually comes a time when I might ask myself, 'I wonder how Arrau does this?' Or Lisitsa? Or Ohlsson? Mind you, I don't normally listen to just one recording. I find it helpful; often illuminating. One can't practice in a bubble.

Anyway, the teacher of the class I'm taking said today that he generally advises people not to listen to recordings of pieces they are working on. No comprendo.

It appears the fear(?) is that one won't develop their own voice if they listen to others, but I don't believe that would happen unless one is passive at the piano. Artists, for instance, spend time copying the masters... the masters were very good at what they did, why not check it out?

I don't spend a lot of time listening to other's playing but once in a while it really seems useful.

[ShiroKuro]

@Bernard This is such an interesting topic! I don't play classical music, so the issues are different. Especially because for most of the pieces I play, there's a "definitive" recording, by the composer.

Also, I usually have decided to play a piece because I've heard it and want to play it, IOW, I want to play what I heard. So I don't really care if I'm "not developing my own voice." I'm more interested in "developing my fingers" so that I can play the piece!

Separate from that, here is my general approach. 1) I heard the piece and became obsessed with it and decide that I want to learn it. 2) I start learning it. 3) If there's something I can't figure out, I listen to it. 4) Once I get it mostly playable, I generally have a long period where I intentionally avoid listening to the original, partly because I want to play it at the tempo I'm trying to polish. 5) At some point, I go back and listen to it (perhaps for the first time in a few weeks, perhaps a few months), and at this point, it's usually very educational to do that.

[ShiroKuro]

@Bernard said:

It appears the fear(?) is that one won't develop their own voice if they listen to others, but I don't believe that would happen unless one is passive at the piano. Artists, for instance, spend time copying the masters... the masters were very good at what they did, why not check it out?

I agree with both of those points that I bolded here.

[AndyD]

Recordings inspire me to have a go at learning. I mean nothing (or very little) comes from nothing.
And once partially learnt I'll find my favourite version for timing & musicality. I've done this for Tom Lehrer and Rachmaninoff and Art Tatum.

[Axtremus]

"Having your own voice" is overrated when all you do is playing cover.

[CHAS]

So I should quit listening to Horowitz or risk being mistaken for him? Will I be risking bodily injury?

[ShiroKuro]

@Axtremus said:

"Having your own voice" is overrated when all you do is playing cover.

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but in many ways I agree with you....

I mean, if we're playing from a score, and we're not improvising, there's only so much we going to do with the music....

OTOH, changes in tempo, articulation/voicing, dynamics, can sometimes have a huge impact on the musical impression, so how one does that, the choices one makes, are important and impactful.

But, I agree, so what if those choices are similar or the same as someone else's. If the performer likes it, and the listener likes it, what more should anyone want?

[kluurs]

When I was learning Bach's First Contrapunctus from the Art of Fugue, I listened to various recordings - and after I had it in my hands, I started playing the piece while listening to recordings. It was illuminating - and helpful. I learned how different artists phrased and accented the piece - and tempo variations that I didn't fully appreciate while listening to them perform the work. It was VERY helpful.

My teacher who chaired the piano department at the American Conservatory liked for us to listen to performances and recordings of works we're working on. The best it can do is give on some ideas. As for "imitating" a master, that would require having their technique.

On the other hand, one of my favorite pieces is Albeniz's "Evocation". I play it more luxuriously than any recording I've ever heard. Decades ago, I played it for a pro classical pianist - and she told me she loved what I did with it. Nice thing about not having to perform for a competition - is one can occasionally break the rules a bit.

More recently, I learned "Standchen" by Schubert/Liszt. I fell in love with the way that Khatia Buniatshvili plays it. Still, I again have played along while listening to her through headphones - and gotten some ideas. No one will confuse my performance with hers - but I have stolen some of her ideas.

Link to video.