Piano Video Lesson: Can You Be Too Old to Play the Piano?

Hi, I'm Robert Estrin, welcome to LivingPianos.com. Today is a really important question, can you be too old to play the piano? How to play the piano into old age? I had a question from Frank, the aging pianist, potential arthritis issues in my hands and how my muscles and tendons will be affected. I don't know unless they have a way of mitigating age. I'm already wondering about my eyesight too, as I age hitting 60 next year, my hearing is still pretty good. I know Horowitz and Wurzbustheim were still at the top of their game into their 80s. So this is a really pertinent question for those of you who play the piano and wonder, can you keep playing the piano? I remember Horshchofsky, he was into his 90s, still at the top of his game. Can you imagine? Listen to some of his recordings, his last recordings, excellent playing. I have a student who had a stroke recently and she is being told by her physical therapy that playing the piano is one of the best ways to recover from a stroke.

So are there times when you absolutely can't play the piano? Well sadly there are those times if you have severe arthritis and the pain is really excruciating and you might be doing potential damage to your hands, of course you have to lay off. Even somebody young with tendonitis, practicing and practicing preparing for concerts or competitions, it's possible you could overwork your hands. My uncle's wife, who was the principal flutist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, which of course has a very rigorous schedule, she had to lay off for months because of tendonitis. So there are times when you can't play, no matter what age you are, if there are physical problems. But short of that, you might wonder, can you still cognitively manage the demands of piano playing? Well the brain is in some ways like a muscle in that if you use it, it will strengthen. So piano playing is a great way, just like doing other mental exercises, whether they're puzzles or other types of mental acuity tests that actually strengthen the brain. And the piano is one of the most challenging things for the brain to do because it involves so many aspects from the digital dexterity to short and long term memory, the coordination of what you see, hear and feel. So piano playing is an absolutely stupendous activity well into old age. Now I have found that some great pianists tend to slow down in their playing in old age. Now while some of this may be due to physiological changes, there's also a calm and an acceptance of life itself that's reflected in the interpretations as pianists get older. You hear young pianists oftentimes play very fast and can be very exciting. At the same time, the poetry of an older pianist can be quite enriching. So my recommendation is as long as you're not suffering pain, keep playing the piano. I know I'll keep playing the piano as long as I possibly can. It's my life. And I bet a lot of you feel the same way. I'm really interested in the comments here at LivingPianos.com, your online piano store. Again, I'm Robert Estrin. Thanks again for joining me.

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