‘What makes a great musician’ is a question which has been debated so many times by so many ‘experts’ and scholars that anything I could say on the topic would be purely rhetoric.

But I’ll have a go all the same…

There is no doubt that just about any child from the age of three/four can be taught to play the piano and by the age of ten can be really quite proficient; usually motivated by enthusiastic parents.

But along the way the serious aspiring musician has to look at certain factors such as setting personal goals. To push one’s personal boundaries is the one sure way of getting the most out of your abilities – move beyond that comfort zone and focus on what you can achieve rather than what you have achieved. It has to be said that this can be a never ending quest.

It takes more than just a lot of talent to make a great musician; talent is god-given. The musician who stands apart will have that essence of passion – in my opinion it is an absolute necessity. I remember my teacher telling me seven years ago that her decision to become a violist was, for her, a life or death choice. There was nothing grey about it; black or white – play or not to play. And I know just what she mean’t when she said this.

If I could say one thing to a young musician it would be this: develop your passion. Listen to as much great music as possible – close your eyes, imagine, don’t be judgemental - just listen. In this day and age the young musician has a wealth of good music to feed on and a wonderful choice of performers to be inspired by.

The pianist can choose from Beethoven to Mozart to Chopin; but I would recommend highly modern day composers such as Phillip Wilcher whose recording of works, ‘ Into His Countenance ‘ was recently featured here.

Taken from that CD recording are, for instance, piano studies such as E Minor and Eb Minor; Phillip’s music is strong in texture, colour and melody – just perfect ingredients for these scrumptious minor keys. Pianist Jeanell Carrigan is a passionate exponent of Phillip’s music – of any music really – and I would urge not just pianists, but any young musician, to listen to these two pieces and feel what can happen when talent and passion come together.

Think about it next time you prepare to play and start standing out from the rest.

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