Youtube pianists
So! It has happened: I got sick. But the blog must be posted. I’m sitting in my living room in a recliner under a blanket, eating chicken noodle soup from a can. My head hurts. I’m coughing, blowing, sneezing. I’m so not feeling well that I’m actually listening to Youtube’s auto-mix of piano music. Normally I do NOT turn control of my media consumption over to anyone, even briefly. But most of the selections have been good enough, and some have been stellar. Turns out there’s a surfeit of concert pianists who had lots of time during and after quarantine to post their magnum opi (plural of opus?). Lots and lots of Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, more Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bach—all the Bach’s, Debussy, yet more Beethoven. Plus movie and video game soundtracks. Then there are some original compositions and a variety of mash-ups, where someone takes Carol of the Bells and mixes it with Greensleeves.
I’m trying to tap the thumbs-up button for each one that I like; even that feels like too much effort. And yet… I want them to feel appreciated. I love listening. I’m not willing to pay each and every one of them, but I’m willing to pay Youtube for Premium access, not because I love Youtube but because it has so many ads otherwise. I don’t do advertisements. There are way too many, just in the normal course of my life, without adding them between songs. In some ways it makes me feel like a free-loader, and yet… Most of my son’s current learning is online, Youtube videos on science, history, social commentary, how-to, electronics, comedy, music, discussions on every topic under the sun. The monthly cost of Premium is definitely worth it for us.
Someday someone will come up with a better platform, a better algorithm; someone will out-Walmart Walmart. Youtube and the other big companies will not stay on top forever, no matter how much they try. All we can do is make the best choices for ourselves in the here and now. So I’m encouraging that pianist who taught himself The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, and then altered it to sound more epic. This is an awesome age!
