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Erin Bates Paine's piano playing


hockeymoo

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She's very skilled, but does her flowery, trilly, overdone piano style start to get on anyone else's nerves? Like she has to jam in as many impressive, super-fast, heavy-handed runs as possible into every song, ruining the entire melody in the process. Even the wedding march she played at Jill Duggar's wedding was thundering and lacked finesse. *to the tune of wedding march* IT IS YOUR DAY/ YOUR WED-DING DAAAY/ BOOM BOOM BA-BOOM BOOOM THUNDER AND LIGHT-NIIING...

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  • 3 months later...

I don't know to what extent this is factual, but I've always had the feeling that in fundie circles, more is more. Like, for a romantic gesture, they go all out every single time. It's not sufficient to buy flowers once in a while; it has to be flowers, and a heartfelt card, and breakfast in bed (or whatever). Similarly, it's not enough to have a small registry, it must be HUUGE and contain everything the couple has ever wanted. And with decorations/parties, everything must match and be perfectly themed. Therefore it stands to reason that when you have a pianist at a wedding, the pianist must hit EVERY SINGLE NOTE IN THE WORLD and play EVERYTHING AS MASSIVELY AS POSSIBLE. It's pretty juvenile/unsophisticated for adults, but then again, are fundie kids really adults by the time they're married?

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  • 10 months later...

Erin has a ton of skill but lacks sensitivity and a real understanding of beauty, in my opinion. She has one style - over the top - and prefers "majestic" playing which includes banging as hard as she can and lots of trilling runs. Coming from a family of professional musicians, it's hard for me to hear.

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Sockinshoe that sounds about right. there isn't much genuine in more is more but there isn't much genuine in fundie-land. i'm guessing for Erin if she isn't banging as hard as she can as majestically as she can she isn't living up to God's expectation of her. it would be interesting to know what she'd prefer, but she probably hasn't thought about it!

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  • 2 months later...

I cringe every time I hear her play.  It's pretty awful and immature.  Too bad because she could do way better!

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She has a lot of talent musically but her technique* isn't good and she wasn't well taught originally.  Obviously thumping the keys and adding redundant frills and flashy stuff is much admired in Fundie circles.

* She's already had to have surgery on her wrists because she holds them at an angle almost guaranteed to damage them.  Especially when thumping the heck out of the poor piano.

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26 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

She has a lot of talent musically but her technique* isn't good and she wasn't well taught originally.  Obviously thumping the keys and adding redundant frills and flashy stuff is much admired in Fundie circles.

* She's already had to have surgery on her wrists because she holds them at an angle almost guaranteed to damage them.  Especially when thumping the heck out of the poor piano.

I have decades of experience as a church accompanist (mostly pianist, much less as an organist). Not accompanying anywhere currently.

No, her technique is not good. Nor does her style make her a good accompanist. The goal of accompanying is NOT to make the accompanist the focus of attention. I guess I will leave it at that.

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(took 9 years of piano as a child). 

I know that she went nuts at the keys of Jill and Jessa's weddings.  She also did Josh's wedding too and it wasn't as bad.

I'm wondering if the piano at that particular church (IIRC Jill and Jessa got married in the same church) is out of tune or it has something to do with the acoustics in the building (or if the piano is hooked up to a speaker system).  I didn't notice this during Josh's wedding (the only thing that stood out about her was the frumper and her hair in pigtails).

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The last time I listened to Erin play, the feline headship ran under the bed, and my ears hurt.

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As a professional classical musician, here's my 2 cents. I think it's

1)great that Erin has a career as a pianist

2)whether her technique is good honestly isn't my business. I've learned over the years not to open my mouth about a musician's technique OR musicianship unless it's constructive and called for, because it just hurts people otherwise. I promise Erin's music is her heart and soul. I guess this post just kind of rubs me the wrong way because I'm sure Erin's already a perfectionist, regardless of what her music sounds like to any of our ears. These just seem like kind of baseless criticisms to me.

 

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Unfortunately, however passionate or perfectionist a person is about their art or profession, it doesn't male them immune from criticism.  Especially when they charge money for their services.  Performers simply cannot afford to have fragile egos.

While it is nice that Erin is being permitted to work, this goes for her too.  As it stands and from what I have observed and heard, I wouldn't hire Mrs. Erin Bates Paine to play at an event nor would I hire her to give a child piano lessons.

Bocelli's breath control has improved immensely but he'll never be as good as Pavarotti. 

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6 hours ago, apple1 said:

Aaaand... I have been duly hand-slapped.

Oh, don't take it personally, I think we all were.  For reasons I don't really understand.:my_cool:

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8 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Unfortunately, however passionate or perfectionist a person is about their art or profession, it doesn't male them immune from criticism.  Especially when they charge money for their services.  Performers simply cannot afford to have fragile egos.

The difference, for me, is remembering that musicians, their music, and i guess art in general are not products in the same way that other things we consume are. It's not tasteful to treat your critique of a person and their output of art in the same, unfeeling way that you critique non-artistic products. Of course criticism is allowed and valid, but I think there's a time, a place, and a way for it. I also think it's valid to critique criticisms when they're not in good taste. Remember that most musicians sell their music not because they want to, but because they have to to make a living. Ultimately, they're in it for the spirit of the music, not for the money (lol, we don't get rich).

And, of course, you can feel free to disagree with me. This is just my 2 cents. I don't mean to start a war and I don't want this to be read like I'm yelling at or scolding anyone through the internet... Just sharing my opinion, as someone that does this everyday.

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I think it is fair enough (and fairly mainstream an activity) to critique music and any other art. 

I don't personally think Erin is bad at what she does, in the world in which she operates.  If I pay a lot of money in a concert hall, I have different expectations, but when someone plays at a wedding for friends, I don't judge them by professional standards.

If others do, that is fair game. Art will always mean different things to different people.

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I think it's especially fair to critique her as she's teaching. I took classical piano lessons at a local college for 14.5 years, starting at 4 years old, and stopping only when I left for college. By no means am I a professional musician, but I can play and do well when I compete. She doesn't have good technique and it's fair to critique a teacher about it, no matter how much they love their craft.

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4 minutes ago, FundieFarmer said:

I think it's especially fair to critique her as she's teaching. I took classical piano lessons at a local college for 14.5 years, starting at 4 years old, and stopping only when I left for college. By no means am I a professional musician, but I can play and do well when I compete. She doesn't have good technique and it's fair to critique a teacher about it, no matter how much they love their craft.

I agree with this.  Erin's technique is really what was being criticized.  But, really, I think we critique people's art all the time.  I know I have done so with regards to certain popular singers.  (Miley Cyrus comes to mind, and I don't even enjoy typing her name.)  As long as Erin is happy with her music, and those who pay for her cds or instruction are happy, then I guess that's all that matters.  But I do agree that one should demonstrate the proper technique for one's students.

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I missed that she is a teacher, sorry.  Is she qualified or is it the School Of The Living Room Piano?

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1 minute ago, blessalessi said:

I missed that she is a teacher, sorry.  Is she qualified or is it the School Of The Living Room Piano?

You're on fire tonight!!

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She did get a music degree from that college the Bates go to? I'll let you decide for yourself if she's qualified

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3 minutes ago, Fascinated said:

You're on fire tonight!!

I'll be burning up like the Road Runner tomorrow, trying to find the Easter eggs I should have been out shopping for tonight!

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I gave up on music in high school (I was never very good) but if Clown is like secular colleges, music majors have their work cut out for them.  (I went to a college with a top tier arts/music dept and knew my fair share of music majors).

IME music majors (at least the ones I knew in college) have all their academic work/homework like the rest of the students on top of the hours of music practice, rehearsal, and recitals they have to do.  

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