Summary of this blog

Hello again, I am happy that you came to visit. This is just another greeting to those of you who have come here for the first time. The entries in chronological order, start at the bottom of the page. So if you want to read them that way, just scroll down to begin. However, the entries do not need to be read in order. You can search for keywords, etc.

I have a lot to say about the subject of playing the piano, which is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. In this blog, I shall try to keep you updated on what's happening in my brain regarding the art and science of playing the piano.

There's a lot to tell and a lot to share after years of performing to thousands of people. I want you to become a better pianist and a better performer - which are two very different things.

So drop by from time to time and see what I have to say. Also , I am very interested in what you have to suggest, or to let me know from your personal experience, what you may have discovered that helped you to perform, or entertain people, to bring them happiness or joy, and to make their lives better for what you had to share from the piano. I believe with all my heart, that the piano is a wonderful vehicle or communicating from heart to heart, from soul to soul. I believe that music can help to heal the mind and soul - and sometimes the body!
So, welcome!! And I hope that you are a regular visitor to this little musical offering. Thanks for stoppng by, and please! ask or make suggestions so that I can make this a worthwhile place to visit.

Very best!

Is music the right career choice for you?

Recently a mother wrote me to ask my opinion about her daughter who wants to pursue a musical career. This has worried her mom, understandably, from a practical viewpoint. And the daughter, as well, is not sure if this is what she ought to do or just what she wants to do. How important is it?

"She's been having such a struggle, Emile, with deciding about her future. She really wants to study music when she goes to college, as it's always been her dream, but is afraid that may just be a dream, and not the real thing."

Ok, listen. I have a strong opinion about this, and - remember - this is my opinion, everyone has one, but in my case this is the RIGHT opinion.

So here goes:

Look, there is a very simple way to resolve this dilemma. Here's the short version:

Follow your heart and the rest will work itself out. Or won't. But you will still have been true to yourself.

Ok, easier said than done? Well, here's the much, much longer version:

If you be totally and unswervingly, unforgivingly, completely honest with yourself, then I am willing to bet - there is only ONE factor that is making this a problem, and that is, "Can I make a living at this?" In other words, the problem is money. Well, guess what! Money is always the problem, for everyone except Donald Trump. And for many people, money is a problem AND they are not loving their jobs.

Now follow this: Are you willing to be sometines starving, but doing what you want? Are you willing to have odd jobs as a waitress, or a cashier just to make ends meet so you can do your acting when it comes up? If you truly want to be an actress, there is always a way. You just have to be willing to starve a little, take all sorts of other work, etc.

AND THAT IS NOT BAD NEWS!!

Look around you. Start asking adults you know if their entire careers were happy and carefree. I am willing to bet that 90% of them will have horror stories to tell. That's just how life can be. Doesn't HAVE to be - you may very well be enchanted (I am not being sarcastic, I mean it) and have a charmed life. But for most people, ups and downs are a part of growing, learning, finding out what they really want.

You are one of the few fortunate ones who know already what you want to do with your life. That gives you a head start on most everyone, because you can devote your life in college to aquiring all the skills and knowledge you need, instead of trying out this course and that to see whether you can spend a lifetime doing it!!

Listen, I am not telling you that you must do one thing or another, I am telling you it is not a hard decision. It really isn't.

Look, if YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY IN LIFE - and there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that goal - then you should look at all the various options, career wise, that are likely to produce that result. You talk to counselors, friends, people you know, find out what's out there. Then it is the trial and error of finding out - of those options - what you are really gifted at, or what you would be willing to do for the next 40 years.

If, on the other hand, the very thought of doing something other than your dream of playing music makes you feel depressed and "accepting" of your fate, well then... you really have no choice. You MUST follow your dream.

THE ONLY FACTOR WILL BE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MONEY, OR ARE YOU TRYING TO FULFILL YOUR HEART'S DESIRE FIRST AND MAKE MONEY SECOND.

Have you any idea how many people tell me every week, just how lucky they think I am to be doing something I really love. Most people have a vocation or a job which they enjoy, or they meet nice people, or they just can't wait till the weekend. They cannot wait to retire.

I, on the other hand, can't wait to do a concert on my hundredth birthday. You get what I mean.

Not only that, but going into an occupation because statistics show that this or that will be easier to get a job just out of college, does not guarantee success. See, success does not depend on the field you are in, but rather, is it the field that you want to be in. You can make money at anything if you really get creative. Some occupations are just more suited to making money in the market place than are others.

I, myself , spent many years living from day to day not knowing how I would pay the rent. I solved that by working as a house painter, a framer with a construction co., a janitor, whatever I could do - I didn't have any clerical skills, so my options were something I could do with minimal training. Also, I would much rather work hands-on - like carpentry, than in an office. There is ALWAYS something you can do. ALWAYS. Waiting tables is not at all bad. And the money can be fantastic. If that's what let's you follow your dream, then that is a gift, not a burden.

So good luck with your soul-searching. There is no right answer. But there is an honest answer, and that is the one you want.

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.