Becoming a professional pianist varies depending on the type of pianist one wants to be. Classical pianists require a serious musical education, while popular music pianists need high-caliber skills and original music. Studio musicians need a credible performance and networking skills.
The process for becoming a professional pianist will vary significantly depending on exactly what type of pianist you want to become. To be any kind of pianist, you will need a fairly high level of skill to play your instrument, and you may or may not need specific educational background. If you want to be a concert pianist it can be a much more difficult process in terms of education, whereas becoming a pianist in popular music can be based more on pure performance ability. There are also pianists who play in small venues playing covers or work strictly behind the scenes in the recording industry. If you want to dabble in any of these professions, you’ll need an entirely different skill set.
To become a professional pianist who plays classical music, you will almost certainly need a serious musical education. You will likely have to attend a fairly prestigious music school to become a concert pianist. Prestigious music colleges often offer scholarships to people with great musical talent; so it is possible that you can get in without spending a lot of money if you have a natural gift with the instrument. Many concert pianists don’t always earn a huge amount of money, so this is something you should consider when deciding whether or not to pursue this career path.
If you want to become a professional pianist in a popular form of music, such as rock or country, it’s usually an entirely different process. Education isn’t necessarily that important, but you’ll probably need a lot of skill with the instrument. You’ll often need to surround yourself with other high-caliber artists and create original music that grabs the attention of music fans. Becoming a significant pianist in a more demanding field like jazz is both similar and different. You’ll likely benefit greatly from a music education, but you’ll also generally need to use the same work strategy you would if you were pursuing a career in rock music.
Another way to become a professional pianist is to become a studio musician. A musical education also comes in handy here, and you’ll need to be a very credible performer with a high level of skill on the instrument. If you want to play with a cover band and simply make money in clubs and other venues, you’ll need a good knowledge of popular music and the ability to perform consistently nightly. For any of these jobs, you will likely also need to do a lot of networking to establish the right contacts.
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