How to become a successful Orchestral Pianist?

How to Become a successful Orchestral Pianist?

The skills you need to become an orchestral pianist are slightly different from those you'll need to play as a solo pianist, or even to accompany one or two musicians or take part in chamber music. If a career as an orchestral pianist and keyboard player interests you, your piano training will need to incorporate some very specific disciplines. If you are interested in learning to be a great orchestral pianist, here are some suggestions which may help you.

You will need to be able to:

• Follow a beat --- As a soloist, you can set your own tempo. An orchestral player, on the other hand, you need to accurately follow the conductor's speed. It is very important!

• Learn to watch and listen --- You are likely to be 20 feet or more away from the conductor, perhaps even buried in or behind the percussion section. If you make the mistake of listening to the orchestra to know when to come in, you may end up behind the beat. If you can not see the conductor clearly, you should find ways to change your position, also more importantly, you should listen very carefully of how the music comes.

• Accurately count many bars rest --- This may seem like a simple technique, and wind and brass players almost seem to be born with it. However, it's not as easy as it seems. You may be resting for most of a movement, yet have to play a brilliant and exposed solo toward the end. Please don't get distracted when you're counting!

• Interpret dynamics in relation to texture --- You will need to identify whether you are providing orchestral color (and therefore you shouldn't actually be ''heard'' as an individual instrument), or if you are providing a specific piano effect. For example 

• Read an orchestral score --- Your piano training will benefit strongly from learning how to read full scores, as you will learn how your part fits in with the rest of the music.

Although the life of the orchestral pianist isn't quite as lonely as that of the soloist can be, you will still find yourself with a lot more time off than your colleagues. 

Music isn't always easy or necessarily financially rewarding - however, it's a good opportunity to explore the difference of piano training, and see what interested you the most!

Music is a gift, please enjoy Sir Simon Rattle conductes the London Symphony Orchestra in the 1947 version of Stravinsky's Petruhka!