Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2014-07-20 06:54
I just watched several of the videos of Bliss playing the Bumblebee. Apparently, he doesn't think of this piece as music, just a vehicle for showing off his fingers.
Speed alone rarely impresses in music. It turns out to be a common attribute among high level pianists, violinists, etc. The achievement of high speed is not difficult, it just takes time to develop, straighforwardly, almost stupidly, rep by rep. But other expressive attributes also take time, and musicians presumably devote their time to multiple attributes and their combinations with the goal in mind of making music.
Many great musicians have shown off their speed in recitals and recordings, but almost never just as an end unto itself. Why? Because that way is boring - and, no matter how fast, it actually sounds less impressive, less exciting, than when speed and other expressive attributes are combined, as in the following example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmq5JBpFf9w
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