River House Retreat

Hi there!

Got a couple of days left to prepare for a week out of town an an idyllic setting in the woods of NC, nearly to the VA border.Having a sort of piano camp, retreat, you know, seminars, performances, playing together, that sort of thing with some wonderful people who are themselves amateur pianists, or just enthusiasts of the most wonderful instrument ever invented!The place that is hosting this week is called River House,www.riverhousenc.com and is a wonderful 165 acres located on the banks of the New River (which happens to be the oldest river in N America).

Here's a blurb:

Our favorite retreat, River House has combined a beautiful rural setting, incredible dining, luxury accommodations (all rooms have jacuzzis) and attention to detail that serves to refresh and renew their guests. Friendships made are lasting and the creative spirit abounds. Find out why we consider it "our home away from home".

I shall be playing each night on the baby grand in the dining room and taking walks, talking music, and instructing on arranging and playing techniques during the day.

Anyway, looking forward to it, wish you could be there. Read about it at my web site:http://www.emilepandolfi.com/concerts-show.asp?position=1

Till next time have a great day!

performance tips

Recently I was asked by an excellent trumpet player about how I know when a showpiece (technically demanding) is ready for performance on stage. And how long does it take me to prepare a new piece of music.

Here are his questions:

You say it takes 5 years of “visiting’ a tune before it’s ready to perform. How do you know when you are ready before simply playing it for a live audience? Do you make yourself play the piece 5 or 10 times in a row or do you “just know”?

Here is my response:


It ( the time to prepare) varies greatly. As for the piece I mentioned, (a classical show piece called Etincelles) , about the 5 years, it's just because I do not practice that piece enough; and when I started it, it was a bit of a stretch for my technique. I think you are ready when you are ready. Whether that is a month or 5 years. But here's how to know for absolutely sure.

I know when I am ready, because I mentally compare it with something easy for me and I check the mental attitude. If it feels as "comfortable" when anticipating playing it for someone, as it does to play, say, "Beauty and the Beast" - one of my strongest tunes - then I know I am ready. You know that you cannot make a mistake. You know that any outside interruption couldn't make any difference. If you made a small error - that's life! - you wouldn't care anymore than you would if you stumbled on a word when you were introducing the piece. It's just a stumble. It doesn't generate any uncomfortable feelings. NONE. You know it that well. It's like riding a bike - which, come to think of it, I could never do well. Well, then, if I were I, I wouldn't ride a bike onstage until I could ride it as well as I play the song, e.g. All I Ask of You. You just know it. You couldn't get so flustered that you forgot how to button your shirt, could you?

It just has to "feel" easy. You know that I enjoy sleight of hand magic. There's an old saying in magic: "Never perform your hardest trick". You wait until it is just one of your repertoire. You're always working on something more difficult. No one but you knows whether it was hard or not, they just know they enjoyed it. That's way truer in magic than in music, because the actual work is always hidden. In magic, you often weigh how much work it's going to take to get how much result. Some of my easiest-to-perform magic effects get the most wonderful response.

So the deal is, don't make yourself uncomfortable. If you really want to play the tune by a certain deadline, then practice your butt off. But DON"T perform an impressive tune it before it's ready. I've done it and I felt stupid. (Since I am used to feeling stupid in front of a crowd, it wasn't so bad, but it could really adversely affect a man of lesser inner strength than that of which I boast). So DO play it for your friends about a hundred times - whenever you get the chance. Before you perform for strangers.

piano notes intro

Hi, everyone, thanks for dropping by.

My name is Emile, and I my passion is music.

I am incredibly fortunate in that I make my living doing what I love most of all - playing the piano. But not just that.

I love to make people smile, laugh, cry even, by playing music that moves them, reminds them of wonderful times past, makes them remember their dreams and their goals, the loves of their lives, the happy times, occasionally the very sad times too.

In a holistic sense, music reminds us of the precious, wonderful feelings of emotions that let us know with intensity that we are alive, vitally alive, feeling every cell, every pore of our bodies and souls, that feeling that only music can bring us.

That is what I am fortunate enough to do on a regular basis, and I am truly blessed in that regard.

I can sit all by myself on a rainy day (or a sunny one!) and let my heart and mind flow out of my fingertips through the piano and into the world and be emotionally fulfilled. I have this outlet for everything I love, everything I believe, through the language of music.

Pretty cool, huh?

Welcome to my blog.

I have some things that I would like to share on the subject of playing the piano, entertaining people - which is an entirely different subject, and the process of learning new repertoire, and perfecting the music we already know.

Join in the discussion by asking questions or making suggestions of what to talk about.

We'll start with a question that a young musician sent to me not long ago, on the subject of "What to perform and how to know when it is ready for public performance.