Robert Estrin - piano expert

How Playing a Second Instrument Can Enhance Your Piano Playing

An interesting perspective for all pianists

In this video, Robert explains how learning to play a second instrument can help with your piano playing. Is that really true? And if so, how?

Released on March 27, 2024

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DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this video are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Virtual Sheet Music and its employees.

Video Transcription

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I'm Robert Estrin, talking about how playing a second instrument can enhance your piano playing.

You know, I grew up starting the piano with my father, Morten Estrin, such a great teacher, when I was like seven and a half years old.

Shortly after, our school offered band and orchestra and chorus, and I joined all of them in the fourth grade. I played in all of them on the French horn. So I had the benefit of playing two instruments, and I can't even imagine what it's like to only play one instrument.

And I can tell you from my personal experience the profound effect it's had upon me from the very beginning years. Of course, the piano helped the French horn because I had a keen understanding of music theory and harmony and counterpoint and all the things that it's hard to imagine on a single line instrument.

But what about the horn and the effect that it has had on my piano playing? You know, on the piano having a sense of a musical line, of a singing line that you're trying to evoke in your playing, once you play a wind instrument, it's an aha moment for you. Just singing can help you with that.

Now, what else is there aside from being able to understand an instrument that is not a percussion instrument with all the notes fading out, where you can get a true legato and true slurs and all of that.

You know, when you play an orchestral instrument or play in the band, you're playing with other instruments almost all the time.

Whereas in the piano, many of you probably play by yourself predominantly, and you don't get that enriching experience of playing with other musicians.

Also, playing to a conductor, you learn how the pulse of the music can be communicated and how to follow other musicians, how to make a cohesive whole with other people, the camaraderie, the entire experience is enriching.

And it might encourage you then to play chamber music or accompany on the piano with other instruments.

So there's so many benefits to playing other instruments, and each other instrument brings a different level and depth of understanding of music to what you're able to achieve on the piano.

So if you play another instrument, or if you sing, consider this a real bonus to your piano playing. And I'm sure you find the reverse is true, to be able to conceptualize the keyboard to have an understanding of intervals and chords that the piano brings, which is why the piano is required of all music majors in colleges, universities, and music conservatories.

How many of you play second instruments, and what is it like for you? Leave it in the comments here at LivingPianos.com. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin.
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Comments, Questions, Requests:

Fulvia %28SnowLeopard%29 * VSM MEMBER * on March 27, 2024 @3:44 pm PST
When I was a teenager I took singing lessons, and tought myself to play the guitar for accompaniment. Later on I tought myself to play the accordion to play with the Washington Swiss Folklore Group, together with a clarinet and a cello. It was a lot of fun!
Steve Borcich * VSM MEMBER * on March 27, 2024 @3:06 pm PST
I played the violin and piano simultaneously when I was in 4th and 5th grade and did find it beneficial. I switched to the trumpet in 8th grade and played it through high school. After being away from music for 20 years I learned to play the alto sax. I can play all of them now. I took piano lessons again for 1 1/2 years until the pandemic happened. I even took some guitar lessons from 2005-07. So I've played percussion, string, brass and woodwind instruments in my 71 years. It definitely helps your piano playing and vice versa when you play another instrument. The saxophone is especially helpful as it gets your fingers moving and helps improve your manual dexterity. The saxophone is basically a vertical keyboard, while the piano is a horizontal keyboard. Playing both of these instruments is a great combination for these reasons as they reinforce each other with their similarities. My advice to aspiring musicians is there is no rule that says you can't be a multi-instrumentalist! Thank you for pointing this out in your video, Robert!
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Robert - host, on March 27, 2024 @6:20 pm PST
Perhaps even more beneficial is being able to understand the concept of a musical line coming from the breath since the piano is essentially a percussion instrument!
Rick on March 27, 2024 @7:23 am PST
Like you I started piano lessons relatively young. By the time I was in 7th or 8th grade I learned to play guitar. I began composing music within months after learning guitar. I'm now 66, just retired, and am about to learn to play the alto saxophone that I just recently bought. I have been singing all my life, either in school or in groups with friends or otherwise. The music theory I learned from piano has helped me immensely in everything else. I sight read music and I also play by ear for a lot of tunes I know well, from contemporary to Christmas music.
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Robert - host, on March 27, 2024 @9:33 am PST
I studied the French horn along with piano for most of my life. Epiphanies in one instrument almost always translated to other instruments!
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