I'm William Leland's son and I remember seeing Jeremy at his place a few times. He was indeed a weird ten year old, but so was I. I never played the piano but I owe whatever skills I have in art and writing to my dad. I learned to swear hearing him practice. He's 91 now and still banging away.
I was a natural singer and so I hated practicing the piano when singing came so much easier to me. I had a babysitter who was also a Conservatory of Music student in San Francisco and we bonded. I would sit and listen to her practicing such things as Debussy’s Children’s Hour; and she taught me how to play some simple chords to back up my singing. Can’t Help Lovin’ that Man of Mine was one song I remember. I still play it. Music is a journey…
When I studied at IU in the late 90s he was teaching there. I will always remember a recital he gave where he programmed a set of Schubert waltzes that were so magnificent in the simplicity in which he played them. The interpretation and fluidity was completely mesmerizing. At that recital I realized that impressive piano playing didn’t always have to have huge virtuosic pieces often found on the stage. In the middle of the set of waltzes he played, a guy with recording equipment entered he balcony of the hall and started setting up his devices as Jeremy was playing. It was so distracting that Jeremy stopped and asked a what he was doing. They proceed to have a full-on conversation about how the guy was lost and had to record a performance somewhere on campus. Jeremy politely informed him that it obviously wasn’t in that hall at that time, and the guy left. Jeremy started exactly where he left off and completed the set as if the interruption didn’t even occur. It was truly remarkable to watch the interaction. I looked over at Evelyn Brancart, with whom I was studying at the time, and she was just smiling. I wonder if Jeremy remembers that…
I like how it comes full circle: starting with a resounding C-major chord (Organ Symphony), concluding with an equally resounding (but more quietly so) C Major Chord (Bach WTC I Prelude 1). Bach’s chord, unlike the Saint-Saens, arpeggiated to let you hear the parts and the whole, and a completion, fulfillment over time: music is a journey. Great profile illustrating this point so beautifully!! Keep practicing everybody!!
Oh thank you for that introduction to Mr. Denk. I had stumbled on him looking for information on Zefiro Torna, of all things, read some of his book, impressed with his intellectual and emotional honesty, then coming here to hear him play. Wonderful! Maybe the best thing is seeing how the development of a musician can be done a myriad of wonderful ways, and for those musicians struggling to make real sense of themselves and their chosen craft, take joy, there are people to help you. Don’t give up hope!
You don't practice, you create music while learning the piece and solve puzzles of fingering, harmonic progressions, ear learning all the while transferring it all to the different layers of memories from conductor memory to muscle memory. That is the real answer. You don't practice, there is no time that you should stop being a musician and a musical architect of your body. You raise pieces like one raises children. Some pieces are more demanding and troublesome but rewards come later. Never practice, always be a musical architect of yourself. If you're doing it right, you are musically studying and managing yourself. You are not studying piano, the piano is studying you. You have to be alert and make continuous learning decisions. Also you must find a balance between being enthralled by the music which will free extra technical skills from your brain and body but also keep rational thinking to find what works and what doesn't. Here there is a risk of overdoing one at the detriment of the other. If you're indulging too much in music sounds your will slow down correct and learning the piece and conversely if you're too rational your playing might become hollow and boringly academic and that will prevent learning transcendental skills passages too which needs both.
I've been a very irresponsible student for years but at this point of my life I decided that I love my instrument that much for practice in a correct way and darn I've improved and still in the grind. I recently took 2 students and they really don't practice that much but at least they are doing enough to improve but I think they are having fun.
His closeness to trying for perfection is all right with . A passion for your creativity is a key you hear when you know that your song is on the right note..
I took lessons on piano accordion when I was 15. I am now 79. I was also self taught ukulele. Since then I have upgraded to a 1927 Gibson UB4 ukulele banjo. I give my parents 10/10 for putting up with my practicing for hours on end, which I didn't appreciate at the time but I do now. Even now I play for 5 - 10 minutes a day. There is a saying that if you don't use it you lose it. I can affirm that it is absolutely true. Last year I was in hospital for about six weeks and I can confirm that in that time I had "lost" some ability. To quote Neil Diamond "When I was learning I practiced every day. Now that I have reached a pinnacle in my career I still practice every day. "
I attended Jeremy Denk's recital lecture in the late 90s at Juilliard. That was when he got his doctorate. He became the accompanist to a famous violinist - Joshua Bell. At least, that's what I remember.
Great story! I love to practice. That's the joy of your instrument. It's the time you have just for yourself and not an audience. That said, I'm a former dolphin trainer and it sadness me to no end the myth of the hard teacher. Brutality is not teaching. That's old school. Positive reinforcement does not mean there are no corrections. I would like to recommend everyone (give this book to your teachers) read the book by dolphin trainer Karen Pryor - Don't shoot the dog: the art of teaching and training. I do not work for them. I have successfully used this book my entire adult life. Let me tell ya - I can get kids to jump off the diving board into the 12' without begging or pleading or saying harsh words. It works. Try it. What do you have to lose?
I find this funny because I never saw him in the practice rooms at school. He was always out in front of the entrance of Juilliard smoking cigarettes and talking with people for hours.
I never practiced because I found it draining and tedious, but my parents made me take piano for 4 years in an old lady's house in the neighborhood. I had no inspiring teachers and I was probably just not cut out for it. Obviously he found what he was meant to do very early on life, which is great.
Both Bach, first one is the Minuet from Partita No 1 in B flat major (the fifth of this suite of 7 movements), second one is the C major prelude from Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 (the very beginning of this large set of 24 preludes and fugues).
Carnegie Hall, named for Pittsburgh’s Andrew Carnegie, and almost nobody outside of Pittsburgh can pronounce Carnegie’s last name correctly … hint, it has 3 syllables, not 1.
nothing at all elitist about wanting your fellows to understand there is more to music than pop....let a 1000 flowers bloom, but dont apologie for the majesty of european classical music...
I would say this: make the parts of the pieces that you are having most difficulty with your morning practice. So for me I have 7 or so pieces that I am playing - and here is me practising the bits I'm having most difficulty with: ua-cam.com/video/h5QeFDRFN0E/v-deo.html
I'm William Leland's son and I remember seeing Jeremy at his place a few times. He was indeed a weird ten year old, but so was I. I never played the piano but I owe whatever skills I have in art and writing to my dad. I learned to swear hearing him practice. He's 91 now and still banging away.
I was a natural singer and so I hated practicing the piano when singing came so much easier to me. I had a babysitter who was also a Conservatory of Music student in San Francisco and we bonded. I would sit and listen to her practicing such things as Debussy’s Children’s Hour; and she taught me how to play some simple chords to back up my singing. Can’t Help Lovin’ that Man of Mine was one song I remember. I still play it. Music is a journey…
You got a great dad 👍
@@kevinanderson967 Thank you. I think the world of him.
Wauw - what a wonderful musician and intelligent human being
A man who's not only hugely talented but also self-effacing and utterly charming. You don't find that very often. Wonderful man, wonderful segment.
As a classical musician myself, this was one of very few interviews of a classical musician that didn’t make me cringe. Good questions well answered.
When I studied at IU in the late 90s he was teaching there. I will always remember a recital he gave where he programmed a set of Schubert waltzes that were so magnificent in the simplicity in which he played them. The interpretation and fluidity was completely mesmerizing. At that recital I realized that impressive piano playing didn’t always have to have huge virtuosic pieces often found on the stage.
In the middle of the set of waltzes he played, a guy with recording equipment entered he balcony of the hall and started setting up his devices as Jeremy was playing. It was so distracting that Jeremy stopped and asked a what he was doing. They proceed to have a full-on conversation about how the guy was lost and had to record a performance somewhere on campus. Jeremy politely informed him that it obviously wasn’t in that hall at that time, and the guy left. Jeremy started exactly where he left off and completed the set as if the interruption didn’t even occur. It was truly remarkable to watch the interaction.
I looked over at Evelyn Brancart, with whom I was studying at the time, and she was just smiling. I wonder if Jeremy remembers that…
It was a great segment. Jeremy is so adept at the communication of music, not just playing it. Also, I have a huge crush on John Dickerson.
If you sing, I bet you’re a great singer!
Practice doesn’t always have to make perfection, but it does make people be at their best, for what they love to do. 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
I like how it comes full circle: starting with a resounding C-major chord (Organ Symphony), concluding with an equally resounding (but more quietly so) C Major Chord (Bach WTC I Prelude 1). Bach’s chord, unlike the Saint-Saens, arpeggiated to let you hear the parts and the whole, and a completion, fulfillment over time: music is a journey. Great profile illustrating this point so beautifully!! Keep practicing everybody!!
Oh thank you for that introduction to Mr. Denk. I had stumbled on him looking for information on Zefiro Torna, of all things, read some of his book, impressed with his intellectual and emotional honesty, then coming here to hear him play. Wonderful! Maybe the best thing is seeing how the development of a musician can be done a myriad of wonderful ways, and for those musicians struggling to make real sense of themselves and their chosen craft, take joy, there are people to help you. Don’t give up hope!
Truly a beautiful story, sharing the love of classical piano to the world 😊
Jeremy Denk's piano playing is soothing. I don't play piano, but I think writing is an activity that I can do every day to keep myself mental sharp.
You don't practice, you create music while learning the piece and solve puzzles of fingering, harmonic progressions, ear learning all the while transferring it all to the different layers of memories from conductor memory to muscle memory. That is the real answer. You don't practice, there is no time that you should stop being a musician and a musical architect of your body. You raise pieces like one raises children. Some pieces are more demanding and troublesome but rewards come later. Never practice, always be a musical architect of yourself. If you're doing it right, you are musically studying and managing yourself. You are not studying piano, the piano is studying you. You have to be alert and make continuous learning decisions. Also you must find a balance between being enthralled by the music which will free extra technical skills from your brain and body but also keep rational thinking to find what works and what doesn't. Here there is a risk of overdoing one at the detriment of the other. If you're indulging too much in music sounds your will slow down correct and learning the piece and conversely if you're too rational your playing might become hollow and boringly academic and that will prevent learning transcendental skills passages too which needs both.
Yes this exactly what i think
I would completely agree with this
Excellent! Thank you for your thoughts.
Yes, yes, yes! That seems to be a hard won lesson though, I look back and see I was blind to that possibility. I guess to each at their own pace.
That’s all very well….try and explain that to a 7 year old.😂😂😂
Wonderful mastery. Thank you.
I have had the joy of hearing Jeremy Denk's beautiful performances. This is a wonderful interview, thank you!
I always tell my students there's one thing worse than practicing; playing poorly
Most still don't practice, but i do my best to be positive
I've been a very irresponsible student for years but at this point of my life I decided that I love my instrument that much for practice in a correct way and darn I've improved and still in the grind. I recently took 2 students and they really don't practice that much but at least they are doing enough to improve but I think they are having fun.
His closeness to trying for perfection is all right with . A passion for your creativity is a key you hear when you know that your song is on the right note..
As a music major, I remember seeing him perform live when I was in college. It was surreal to say the least.
I took lessons on piano accordion when I was 15. I am now 79. I was also self taught ukulele. Since then I have upgraded to a 1927 Gibson UB4 ukulele banjo. I give my parents 10/10 for putting up with my practicing for hours on end, which I didn't appreciate at the time but I do now. Even now I play for 5 - 10 minutes a day. There is a saying that if you don't use it you lose it. I can affirm that it is absolutely true. Last year I was in hospital for about six weeks and I can confirm that in that time I had "lost" some ability. To quote Neil Diamond "When I was learning I practiced every day. Now that I have reached a pinnacle in my career I still practice every day. "
What a wonderful interview terrific and what genius and gentle soul .peace to you
Read his book "Every Good Boy Does Fine." Appealingly written.
I attended Jeremy Denk's recital lecture in the late 90s at Juilliard. That was when he got his doctorate. He became the accompanist to a famous violinist - Joshua Bell. At least, that's what I remember.
Thank you for continuing the gift!! So many don't who have the gift...practice is the key to effortless performance...
He was a weird 10 year old that was partly 50. Now he's a weird 50 year old that is partly 10 years old. Seems like a nice guy to know.
Great story! I love to practice. That's the joy of your instrument. It's the time you have just for yourself and not an audience.
That said, I'm a former dolphin trainer and it sadness me to no end the myth of the hard teacher. Brutality is not teaching. That's old school. Positive reinforcement does not mean there are no corrections. I would like to recommend everyone (give this book to your teachers) read the book by dolphin trainer Karen Pryor - Don't shoot the dog: the art of teaching and training. I do not work for them. I have successfully used this book my entire adult life. Let me tell ya - I can get kids to jump off the diving board into the 12' without begging or pleading or saying harsh words. It works. Try it. What do you have to lose?
A great documentary. And a stunning artist.
I’m mesmerized I love the piano
Hearing the Denk-Bell-Isserlis Trio is a fervent wish.
listening to this rather than practicing.
Lovely.
Genius....his lover is the piano 🎹
I find this funny because I never saw him in the practice rooms at school. He was always out in front of the entrance of Juilliard smoking cigarettes and talking with people for hours.
Glad you posted, I laughed!
@@stevenhaff3332 The truth is the truth. Some of us know cause we were there.
He was learning about music
Beautiful book
Piano very therapeutic.
0:28 piano very dirty
Listening to classical & opera enrich your life but acquire taste for it.
A: Because one improves
7:44 To the Sandhill Cranes of Nebraska when Sunday Morning continues
Practice = zen 🙏🏽
Love this!
4:32 So you want your kid to be a musician? Abuse at any level is wrong and unacceptable.
I never practiced because I found it draining and tedious, but my parents made me take piano for 4 years in an old lady's house in the neighborhood. I had no inspiring teachers and I was probably just not cut out for it. Obviously he found what he was meant to do very early on life, which is great.
Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent. If you practice something wrong you will make it permanent but not perfect.
"video will play after ad"? No way Just hit the back arrow then return to the original page and you can skip the ad.
The interviewer reminds me of Neil Armstrong 😊😊
Who is George Shebook?
George Sebök, a famous pianist and pedagogue.
A nice piece. But it ended too soon! It needed the musical climax of a great crescendo!
What are the piano pieces at 05:13 and 07:23 ?
Inquiring minds wanna know. Somebody has to know...? Anybody?
Not sure about 5:13, but 7:23 is a Bach piece called "The Well Tempered Clavier - Book I"
Both Bach, first one is the Minuet from Partita No 1 in B flat major (the fifth of this suite of 7 movements), second one is the C major prelude from Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 (the very beginning of this large set of 24 preludes and fugues).
@@nickschafer9212 thank u so much!
@@j.j.1753 O my
Er, you get better at something when you practice it. Kind of self evident.
That German cheese was gooood ;)
Carnegie Hall, named for Pittsburgh’s Andrew Carnegie, and almost nobody outside of Pittsburgh can pronounce Carnegie’s last name correctly … hint, it has 3 syllables, not 1.
Billy Joel was classically trained and look what happened to him!
Haha. Holy crap indeed!
Practice matters? Not according to Allen Iverson
That was interesting but he didn't really exactly tell us why practice matters. The title is a little misleading lol
It matters because you are either getting better, or getting worse, IMO. But he did not talk about it.
I did not enjoy practicing. Especially developing sacral ulcers
nothing at all elitist about wanting your fellows to understand there is more to music than pop....let a 1000 flowers bloom, but dont apologie for the majesty of european classical music...
Happy to see CBS allowing White people to celebrate their art, culture, and tradition. Bach is tops.
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Cheese is delicious.
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I would say this: make the parts of the pieces that you are having most difficulty with your morning practice. So for me I have 7 or so pieces that I am playing - and here is me practising the bits I'm having most difficulty with: ua-cam.com/video/h5QeFDRFN0E/v-deo.html
He's excellent, but I just can't stand the silly faces.
Living proof that a decent pianist doesn’t necessarily have to have talent or musicality whatsoever.
?
But can’t play😀😀
I'm curious how Whoopi Goldberg feels about a white man interviewing a white man. 🐸👌🏼
Qrazy!