| The Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky once | | | | people. The point is I admit that they shaped |
| said: " A good composer does not imitate; he | | | | my own style. How? Because I liked listening |
| steals."I think what he meant by this is that | | | | to them. It's that simple.When I sit down to |
| it's OK to use a technique developed by | | | | play, I inevitably gravitate towards one |
| another and make it your own. To imitate is | | | | style or the other. I'm fine with that. It |
| to steal a technique or style and, somehow, | | | | doesn't mean that I'm unoriginal. It just |
| not incorporate your own voice and energy | | | | means that I acknowledge reality and don't |
| into it.We all get our ideas from somewhere, | | | | try to come up with "something original." |
| whether by accidentally listening to a piece | | | | What sounds new is 99.9 times out of 100, a |
| of music and subconsciously storing it away, | | | | modification of what came before.The whole |
| or by a conscious act where we say to | | | | point I'm trying to make is this: Don't try |
| ourselves: "This sounds great and I want to | | | | to be original. Instead, focus on what you |
| use it in my own music."Some people have the | | | | like and love and your own voice will come |
| idea that everything created must be original | | | | through in the end. The music may be modified |
| and by that they mean that there must be no | | | | to an extreme (innovation) or just a little |
| outside influences - but this is unrealistic. | | | | (homage). Just don't imitate.Edward Weiss is |
| Haydn taught Beethoven. Italian composers | | | | a pianist/composer and webmaster of |
| influenced Bach and so on. All past and | | | | Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He |
| present composers on this planet have their | | | | has been helping students learn how to play |
| influences whether they admit them or | | | | piano in the New Age style for over 14 years |
| not.Now, most of you know that I have two | | | | and works with students in private, in |
| major influences: George Winston and John | | | | groups, and now over the internet. Stop by |
| Herberman. You may or may not know of these | | | | now at for a FREE piano lesson! |