Every piano player and musician is unique, but there are certain characteristics that the best players, despite their differences, seem to have in common! I’ve compiled some key attributes from my favorite players, or all musical eras and genres, that you can emulate to get better!
For practical strategies for developing these attributes, be sure to check out my definitive guide on learning piano.
1. Control Over the Instrument
This refers to the ability to draw whatever sound of the instrument that the musician intended to. This is not trivial – often times the way the music comes out can be very different from what the player wanted. This not only means the ability to play soft, for example, but the ability to play the exact level of loud/soft that the music calls for. It can also mean the ability to play some notes soft and others softer, at the same time, or even in the same hand! I’m using dynamics as an example here, but this can apply to articulation, phrasing, and technique as well.
The reason why this is so important for a great player is because it allows the player to express themselves in the exact way they were hoping. Playing an instrument is a form of communication to the audience, and communication involves ideas being transferred from the speaker to the listener. A great player can express their ideas without the physical constraints of playing the piano becoming a barrier.
On the other hand, a player that does not have control of the instrument may have great musical ideas that an audience would love, but cannot communicate them because they are producing sounds that they didn’t intend to. For example, if the player wants to play a soft and sad piece of music, but accidentally plays certain notes too loud, the music could sound jarring rather than emotional. I’ve heard this called ‘the instrument playing the player rather than the player playing the instrument’.
Sometimes in my head, I hear myself playing these really blazing fast jazz lines during an improvised solo that I know any audience would be blown away by. The problem is, I can’t actually pull them off in real life. This is definitely one of the things I work on- slowly working out the fingering/notes/technique on the piano for the material I hear in my head. One day, maybe I’ll be able to play what I’m really thinking!
2. Musicality, Phrasing, and Storytelling
A great piano player and musician has something meaningful to say. In any genre and in any situation, they can create music that’s compelling to the audience. This is something that isn’t easily defined, but you know it when you hear it. The greats can draw the listener in, make them feel the emotion, engage them, and prevent their mind from wandering.
The way this is done varies in every single song or piece! A jazz musician may tell a story by repeating a motif in the beginning of a solo, playing it in a slightly different way each time, and eventually using that idea to construct louder and faster lines over time. A classical musician may interpret the piece they are playing as sad, and stretch out the timing to last longer to elicit more emotion on the sadder sounding minor chords.
Again, it’s hard to say exactly what it means to play with musicality, but it’s definitely felt by the audience. You can develop your musicality by listening to great musicians, living life, and being authentic. The best public speakers and comedians are a good place to look for inspiration as well – they are masters at utilizing phrasing to enhance their message.
3. Solid Technique and Fundamentals
I think this is more of an obvious one, but has to be stated. The great piano players did not skip the essential and sometimes boring steps of mastering the instrument. Whether it be learning all 12 scales, ensuring sloppy technique is not permitted, spending time with the metronome, the work is always put in.
When these building blocks have not been but into place, these weaknesses can often find ugly ways to show themselves during performances and other high-pressure situations. For example, if the player really has not put in the appropriate work with a metronome, it’s likely they’ll slow down or speed up during the performance. When listening to a great player, it’s rare to hear these mistakes or mishaps. Mistakes and mishaps aren’t the end of the world for most of us, but they can distract the audience and negatively affect the performance.
4. Left Hand Playing
The left hand aspect of playing piano is commonly underdeveloped by most piano players. This is because the vast majority of the population is right handed, and the melodies and more obvious parts of most songs and pieces are covered in the right hand. However, great players spend a lot of time to develop their left hand, which allows their playing to sound more sophisticated.
In classical music, the left hand usually accompanies the right hand melodies. In some classical pieces, the composers introduce more complicated and difficult left hand passages to add variety to the right hand dominated music. In order to pull these pieces off, a great pianist has to develop their left hand technique.
In jazz, the left hand takes even more of an accompanist role, while the right hand usually covers the soloing, improvisation, and melodies. The best jazz pianists utilize their left hand creatively to play supporting lines, counterpoint, add rhythmic themes, and color underneath the right handed solo.
5. Good Time and Rhythm
There’s a well-known jazz standard called ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing’. This basically referring to the fact that the song has to groove and feel good (in this case, swing) in order for the music to be effective. Good time is emphasized heavily in jazz, but applies to pretty much every type of music.
The first aspect of good time is playing steadily, without slowing down or speeding up. Slowing down causes music to sound lethargic, and speeding up causes a frantic and chaotic sound. In some rare cases, these emotions are intended. In most cases, they detract from the performance. The best players have spent a lot of time with a metronome, playing along with recordings, and playing with other musicians to develop their sense of time.
It’s also extremely important to place rhythmic parts appropriately within the groove. Great players can place every note exactly when it’s supposed to be played, whether on the beat or between beats. A good way to think about this is to think about a song that makes you want to dance – this is a good example of an instance of great players placing notes exactly where they should be. If notes were too early or too late, it would sound uncoordinated and you would lose your urge to groove along with your body.
6. Stage Presence and Performance
This basically refers to being an engaging presence on stage. It’s hard to captivate an audience without creating an emotional connection with them. This isn’t directly related to the music necessarily, but it’s still an important part of being an effective musician.
The great players have various ways of doing this, and each has their own unique style. Some people are more quiet, but still address the audience by explaining their setlist and sharing stories between songs. In certain genres, great players can serve as hypemen or women, getting audiences riled up and excited.
7. Listening, Hearing, Emulating, and Ear Training
Active listening and ear training are some of the most important skills a great player possesses. This is because engaging in active listening, both in the practice room and on stage, is the best way to hear and digest new musical ideas.
A classical musician may better inform their interpretation of a piece by listening to other musicians play it. It takes focused listening, and practice replicating what you heard in order to do this.
Any great jazz pianist has spent an extraordinary amount of time listening to other musicians improvisations to copy and emulate the notes and phrases they play. This is the only way to develop legitimate jazz language, and requires extensive ear training.
In any group setting, musicians must be constantly keeping their ears open for their bandmates to ensure they are being a team player and supporting the sound as a whole. Musical ideas can be exchanged in real time this way, and everyone can make sure their individual part isn’t distracting from the whole. The best listeners are the ones who always get the most calls for gigs and parts!
In any genre, the great players have likely spent a lot of time critically listening to themselves as well! It’s hard to detect what isn’t sounding good in real time, so they’ll often go back to recordings or live performances.
8. Knowledge of Multiple Genres
This isn’t a requirement, but one thing I’ve noticed is a lot of great players talk about being influenced by players in varying genres. For example, a lot of jazz players talk about rock influences. In fact, songs by the Beatles and Radiohead are covered commonly by jazz musicians.
The best piano players often have a wide variety of influences, because it allows them to steal the best ideas from a wider pool of individuals. This could be certain musical conventions, grooves, or songs.
In addition, playing multiple genres can help increase flexibility on the instrument. For example, my classical background makes it easier for me play more technically difficult passages in my improvised solos. Another example is my jazz background helping me play the changes of rock cover songs with my top 40s band. Some of my bandmates have extensive knowledge into eastern music and odd time signature grooves, and this enables them to wow audiences here in the US with their sophisticated rhythmic approaches to jazz standards.
9. Ability to Play Solo and With Others
Playing by yourself and playing with others are two very different skillsets, but both very relevant to becoming an effective performer.
Playing by yourself requires a strong internal sense of time, and requires you to generate all your own creative ideas and inspiration. Playing with others requires great listening skills, and maturity to know how to best support the other musicians in the group.
In both scenarios, choices need to be made about how to play and the stylistic elements that need to be employed. There’s often no right answer either. The best musicians have the experience and maturity to know what to play and what not to play based on the group (or lack of) they find themselves in.
10. Understanding of Music Theory
Especially for piano players that are playing genres that involve bands and other musicians – this one is huge. Understanding music theory, chords, and harmony is essential to creatively add to the song. Great piano players often add their own unique style into the song they’re playing, and it’s impossible to do this without understanding how the song is constructed and what notes belong.
For more in depth dives into various aspects of music theory and how to effectively apply music theory concepts into your playing, check out my blog posts on the subject.
11. Passion for Music
It’s pretty hard to become great at anything without a passion for it, and playing piano is no exception. It’s easy to tell that any great pianist loves their craft – from their endless curiosity about learning music, diligence put into improving their skills and technique, and commitment for years to improve. Their interests may shift over time, but they always follow the path that resonates the most.
If you’re interested in concrete ways to incorporate these 11 qualities for yourself, make sure to check out my definitive guide for getting good at playing piano!