MOTUnation.com

As I was playing last night, a thought occurred to me...

What percentage of the U.S. population are working professional pianists?

I Googled every search term/phrase that I could think of.

I'm guessing way less than .1%...one out of a 1,000.

Thoughts?

Just curious...

Buzzy


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1% too many.

I'd put it at more like 1 in 10,000. Maybe even 1 in 100,000. I think I know at least half of them. Ok, that's a joke, but remember, music IS a small world.

Of course, you have to qualify the question: exactly what is a professional pianist? Martha Argerich? of course. You? Of course. MIDI Life Crisis? Well... maybeee.... nah, of course! But what about the guys who work in a liquor store or porn shop all day long, then go play a gig at night? Are those guys professional pianists? Is there a basic skill set where we draw the cutoff? Like knowing your scales and arpeggios? Reading music? Being expert in one or more styles?

I say that anyone who continues to play gigs, regardless of their age or other employment status, is a pro. There are various levels of ability, fame or notoriety, but we have to draw a line somewhere, and I say it's at the working level. What do you guys say?

Shoosh

I draw the line at the guy who works in the porn shop. Shoosh, porn shop, really?

But seriously, I agree. If you are playing for money, that makes you a professional. Whether or not you play in a professional manner - that's a whole different question.

Church musicians, piano teachers, rehearsal accompanists and entertainers in senior homes... My wife does all of the above. There are a lot of pro gigs out there even if the majority are part time.

Some pay much better than others, of course.

So between MotuNation and Facebook replies so far, the consensus seems to be about 1 in 100,000 for, at least, making part of your income from some form of professional piano.


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Well, I have to revise my estimate. In a town of 10,000 people, there are likely to be a dozen church pianists. While many of those are functionally among the most basic of players, they ARE performing important jobs in their communities. (and some are hotshot players!) Then there are usually a pianist or two in any town who can accompany the high school band and choir kids at solo and ensemble contests. In a city of 100,000, you'll always find a few people doing that. Again, they may not be the best pianists around, but they're also performing important jobs in the community, even if it's extremely seasonal.

In any school, there is always someone who plays piano for the choir, for plays, or presentations. I think we have to consider all these people and probably come up with a number closer to 1 in 1,000. The less densely populated an area is, the more likely that the number approaches 1 in 500 or even greater.

But if we're talking about solo pianists, people who take on the responsibility for setting the mood and entertaining large groups of people every night at clubs, restaurants, theater settings, concertizing, and the like, along with jazz, rock, and pop pianists who work in bands, then that number shrinks radically again. These are musicians who must be at the top of the game, at least in their locale, for a general public audience to want to come hear them. That's a very different kind of professional. I'm going to say 1 in 10,000 for those, if not fewer.

How would anyone get accurate figures on something like this? Would the AFM have any figures about that? Probably nothing reliable.

Shooshie

I may need to set a % of income for this survey.

In my case, actual pro piano performing is about 30-40% of mine. Including my 3 nights/week solo and about 4-5 engagements a month with "da band".

Does not include any piano/keyboard work that I might do on a session.

In any event, very interesting comments!

Buzzy




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I'm not a professional; I'm a mercenary. Lol

Most countries run some sort of regular occupational survey. In Canada, it's the Labour Force Survey. It might have changed, but at one point it collected information on a panel of 45,000 people a few times a year, asking them how many hours they worked, what they did, etc. I don't recall the US equivalent, but there was one, and it would have been done by the US Census Bureau.

These studies might not define "professional pianist" they way you want, and probably won't separate pianists from other musicians, but they will have at least one version of an answer.

Honey, we found Jesus.

How many pro pianists in the US?

Three. One to hold the light bulb and two to turn the chair.

Way offtopic, but...
In China there are 66 000 000 people playing piano.
Gosh! Thats the number of the whole french population...

daniel.sneed wrote:Way offtopic, but...
In China there are 66 000 000 people playing piano.
Gosh! Thats the number of the whole french population...

All at once?