Authenticity Over Perfection

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be sharing more of my piano repertoire online. But before I do, I want to be transparent about the approach I’m taking and why it matters.

When you listen to piano content online, you might assume you’re hearing someone’s actual playing. The reality is that much of what sounds like flawless performance has been heavily edited using MIDI technology. It’s possible to correct wrong notes, smooth out pauses, and even change the dynamics and articulation. Essentially, you can transform a messy recording into something that sounds like a world-class performance.

What you’ll hear from me is genuine human performance: the slight timing variations, the occasional wrong note, the natural ebb and flow of someone interpreting music in real time.

The image above this post is a MIDI piano roll, the editor’s view of a recorded performance. Each small rectangle represents a single note: its vertical position shows the pitch, its horizontal length shows how long the note is held, and the color indicates how hard the key was struck. In this editor, a performer or producer can drag any rectangle up or down to fix a wrong note, stretch or shorten it to adjust timing, raise or lower its velocity to reshape the dynamics, and even close gaps between notes to eliminate awkward pauses. With enough patience, every trace of human imperfection can be polished away.

True perfection in piano performance absolutely exists and is breathtaking to witness. Watch the Chopin International Piano Competition and you’ll hear musicians who have dedicated their entire lives to their craft.

If I spent months perfecting each piece before sharing it, but then you’d see far less variety in my repertoire. Or if I digitally perfected every performance like many creators do, it wouldn’t represent how I really play. Instead, I’m choosing a third path: sharing my playing exactly as it happens, mistakes and all. What you’ll hear from me is genuine human performance – the slight timing variations, the occasional wrong note, the natural ebb and flow of someone interpreting music in real time.

Imperfect performances show what piano playing looks like for people who fit music into lives filled with other responsibilities and passions.

When you watch me play, you’ll get authentic performances that represent my current relationship with each piece. Some will be better than others. All will be real. And hopefully, they’ll inspire you to embrace your own musical journey, imperfections and all.