IamA Antonio Domingos, The fastest Piano player in the world, and now Guinness World Record Holder AMA!

Do you only use your fingers and feet whilst playing, or do you occasionally employ other body parts? I sometimes play chopsticks with my penis.

No, I only play with my fingers, but sometimes I have to use my fists on the keys (literally)!

How does it feel doing an iama at the same time as Seth Macfarlane and watching him fail horribly at answering questions?

Honestly, I had NO idea whatsoever Seth McFarlane was set to do a iAMA at this time (apparently it's not even in the schedule), and I guess it's kind of bad karma hehehehe......

It's almost like "Ask Me Anything" is too complicated for Mr. MacFarlane. Be happy that your AMA won't end up in r/AMAdisasters Antonio.

LOL! XD

What does your warm up regimen consist of?

I hold a pen in each hand between my thumb and pinkie, and play on the table for at least half an hour as if I were playing octaves gradually speeding up, until the blood gets rushing and the temperature of my fingers drops. This significantly increases traction and stimulates my hands and fingers.

different animal, same beast

?

You seem to play the piano very fast, have you ever injured yourself?

Yes, once or twice I hit a key so hard, I stowed my finger and couldn't use it for days. And another time, when I was working on a fast piece for my new Youtube channel, I literally thought I was having a heart attack- but it turned out to be just an innocuous breathing spasm!

What was the first piece you mastered playing the fastest at?

Do you feel as though some pieces are improved upon by being played faster or that the original speed is best? And if so, what pieces?

I can't really say, because I used to play TOO fast, but my technique was fully-fledged only when I was 24, and since then it has become more tempered- the speeds at which I play are much better chosen, but nowadays when I need to, I really let loose and go wild. And everything should be played at a convincing speed. It doesn't alwyas matter if it's a lot faster or a lot slower.

So how did you get into playing the piano?

I knew that I loved music when I was 2, had a desire to play it by the time I was 6, and started playing when I was 7.

How competitive is the extreme piano playing circuit? Do you have rivals that are constantly trying to beat your records?

It's brutally competitive, but the best players aren't the ones you hear about often if at all. The piano could be enjoying its second Diamond Age- instead, due to intrigues and petty personal interests, we're in a silver age at best- and a very tarnished one at that. As for rivals, I know there are a lot of pianists who would like to be able to do what I can do- simply I've beaten everyone I've ever heard at speed, but that doesn't mean that someone in the future won't come along and be able to play even faster that I do.

Thanks for doing this; which piece of music would you play if you were allowed only one for the remainder of your days? Personally, for me, It would be Vivaldi's concerto in d major.

It would be «Sonata after a reading of Dante» by Liszt.

How fast can you play "The Minute Waltz"?

I could probably play it in less than 50 seconds- but that doesn't mean it would sound good!

Do you feel the Guinness World Record has helped your career, would you recommend it for people in other professions?

It's gotten me over a million views between Youtube and Facebook, but it hasn't led to any engagements. So I don't know if I would recommend it to people in other professions, except if one's relative competence were partially dependant on his/her speed/stamina.

What were your musical influences growing up?

I used to like Chopin a lot, but then I became acquainted with the music of Liszt, and kind of forgot about Chopin. You can't really compare the two- Chopin is much more introverted, Liszt is more about radiating light, nature, historical events- a totally different caste. My favorite pianist used to be Vladimir Horowitz (and he still is one of them), but I've also been influenced by other pianists such as Artur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Ivo Pogorelich and Georges Cziffra. My all-time favorite pianists, though, are Denis Matsuev and Vazgen Vartanian (unfortunaley he's not well known in the West).

if you could play with one composer past or present, who would it be and why?

It would be Franz Liszt, because to me he was the greatest composer ever- and possibly the greatest pianist ever, as well.

You say Moscow is awful, is it really that bad? When I went it seemed alright

You must have been there after 1999, and yeah, it WAS really that bad!!!!!! I could never do justice in words to the state it was in in the 90's.

which is most beautiful piece of composition you learnt or compose in your life which gave u brain rush when you heard for first time and couldn't wait for try it urself?

The most beautiful composition that I've ever heard, by far, is Liszt's 'Sonata after a reading of Dante'. I think that practically nothing compares to it. Unfortunately, it's not the most 'accessible' piece of music to listen to, so not that many people know about it.

How good are you at piano tiles 2?

I never played it. I trained for my Guinness record at home.

In your opinion, What is dominating in ur success, Ur talent or Ur Hardwork?(Even if it's 49-51)

Both. I used to think think that all you need was talent. Not so. You really need to work 'till you drop.

I get that you worked hard but do you think you are talented than others?

Of course I'm more talented than many but not everybody! Just beacuse you can beat everybody at speed, or almost everybody, doesn't mean you're the greatest player in the world! In fact, I don't consider myself the greatest player in the world, and never will. There are a few who I consider to be better than me. Having said that, I feel I deserve way more credit than I've got, and that's why I resorted to "crazily extreme fast piano-playing".

What is first thing a person need to realize if he wants to learn a musical instrument like how u realized you are good on strings rather percussion or other types?

You have to really love music and kind of find yourself being "hypnotized" by it, in a way. Oh, and you need good reflexes!

Any particular reason for choosing the B7 key?

The further to right you go on the keyboard, the lighter the key. I chose B7 instead of the highest key on the keyboard to avoid accidentally slamming my fingers into the side block.

Do you have any thoughts about Seth McFarlane's new show Orville? What about Rampart?

I never watched any of those shows.... remember, I live in Europe, and I have never seen those shows in a TV grid.

Is there a specific brand of piano you like prefer to play on?

Steinway, of course! Both New York and Hamburg.... But there are other brands which I really hold in high esteem: Fazioli, Kawai, Boesendorfer..... and I've never played on a new Mason&Hamlin, but from the recordings I've heard of them, they're quite stunning.....

Do you possess perfect pitch?

Yes, but don't forget today's tunings vary between A440 and A445.

Opinion on the song Piano Man?

It's a good song, no doubt, very soul-stirring, but I can't help thinking that it might have been ripped off of part of the overture from Wagner's opera 'Rienzi'. I don't know if Billy Joel ever heard that work, but 'Piano Man' sure sounds a lot like it.......

I own it on iTunes but honestly I think it's much better on YouTube where he is actually playing at a bar with actors playing the characters as he sings about them

Yeah, in fact people would understand music much better if it were presented in the context, or in the composer's mindset in which it were composed.

If you could steal a smooch from any guy in Hollywood who would it be?

any GUY in Hollywood??!!! I'm as hetero as it gets......

Don't worry, I wasn't really questioning your sexuality. It's just a question from here.

Well, it would probably be Hillary Swank. Or Helen Hunt, if it were 20 years ago.

Have you ever played Mario Party? This skill could prove useful in that game.

No, I've never played..... funny that you asked, because a LOT of people who saw my Guinness video commented at how great I'd be at Mario Party! I'm not much of a video game person at all, in fact, I haven't played any for years; and I'm sure they're really fun, but I'd probably feel ashamed of myself if I found myself playing one at my age hehehe.......

At what speed do you play the Transcendental études (if you play them)?

You mean Liszt's TEs? The hardest ones, Mazeppa and Eroica, I played really fast. The next hardest ones that I've played, Feux Follets and Wild Jagd, I play at a normal tempo. And the easiest one that I've played, Harmonies du Soir (not that it's easy!) I play really, REALLY slowly. So it turns out the harder they are, the faster I play them!

I play the page with the arpeggioed octaves in Eroica in 30 seconds. Feux Follets at about 10 demisemiquavers per second.

What aspects of other musicians' songs do you draw most inspiration or influence from for your own original work?

I hardly ever compose, but I used to improvise a bit when I was in my early and mid-20s. I can't really put my finger on what it sounded like, but sometomes it sounded like morbid Gothic music, others like 60's hippie music, at times like Celtic-inspired maritime themes, at other times like some ethereal alternative music. It never really sounded "Classical".

Thanks for the great response!

Since you rarely compose, do you ever find yourself pulling styles from other musicians when playing a musicians piece? For example, if you're playing a song by musician A, do you ever find your playing style being influenced by musician B or C? I guess another way to phrase my question would be, do you find yourself playing renditions that pull influences from other artists, other than the artist who composed the piece you're playing?

Or do you find that you are more likely to stick to the original design/style the song was meant for?

Yes, if I've heard the piece before, it's almost inevitable that I'll unwittingly imitate the performance that I've heard, but I do something which really helps to rid myself of other influences and find my own voice- I literally forbid myself to listen to that rendition-it's a question of self-discipline- and almost invariably, after a few weeks or months, or whatever, I end up playing my own way! I sometimes go back to listen to that recording and for the most part, I usually find that I've shed most imitation. I feel that every serious musician should, in fact, avoid imitation to the fullest possible extent and find his or her own voice. As for 'sticking to the original style', we can only get a glimpse of it by either being guided by a master, or, as I would much prefer, researching the historical era and important events that were happening at the time of the composition of a particular piece.

That's a very fascinating response. I would have never thought that historical events, let alone anything outside of notation really, could influence the style in which a song can be played.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to me twice!

Oh yes, and don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise!...... remember, Vladimir Horowitz used to say that in order to find the meaning of the notes, one must look BEHIND them!

If you left piano behind to pursue another instrument, what would you choose?

If I had to leave the piano, the only other instrument I would choose would be a telescope.... I could never adequately express myself through another musical instrument, and I've had a lifelong passion for astronomy........

The go to "fast" piece for most piano players seems to be Flight of the Bumblebee. Is there a better piece for demonstrating speed, or is there something inherent about Bumblebee that makes it easier to speed through?

It's probably the fastest to play relatively easily, and it's continuous and constant.... But trust me: anyone who says he can play all the notes in it in under 20 seconds, or even under 30 seconds, on whatever instrument, is a liar.

There are a LOT of things that are MUCH harder than Bumblebee..... simply Bumblebee has a lot of melodic notes running in rapid succession, that's why it sounds so fast.......

Can you please do a recording of Alkan Le preux? I would even buy it on Itunes
btw after your Tchaikovsky octaves i started to play this passage a lot just for fun

Yes, I'm planning on playing it, BUT not planning on recording it..... I make a pledge to play it if people would just rally together and go to my concerts. I've already started work on it, but it's not up to performance level yet..... I just hope to program it next year, as I really like it and several people have asked me to play it.....

Hey Antonio,

Can you please do a cover of dragonforce's through the fire and the flames? But faster than they can play it?

Only on commission! hehehehe

Whoa whoa whoa.... how much we talking here? Would reddit gold count?

No, sorry..... it would have to be in the context of a concert, and I would have to get literally hundreds of requests to play it.....

At which venue can one see you perform in Portugal?

You'll probably never see me play there- my career in Portugal is pretty much finished, and you can find out more about the reasons for this by reading this article:

http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=199745

Not that I care much, the Portuguese hardly appreciate great music at all these days. :-((

I know someone in Lisbon who do appreciate good music (Portuguese / American couple), and they sometimes create events for others that also like great music of all sorts. If you're interested and feel it makes sense I could connect you?

That and / or grab a coffee downtown Lisbon :-D

Yeah, sure, go ahead! just send me a message to [email protected] and we'll talk about it. Do you live in Lisbon?

But remember, I need a good instrument to play on! Can't play a great concert on a banged-up cabinet grand, etc.....

Do you have a video of you playing Flight of the Bumblebee?

No, I don't.. I shy away from it, because SO many people have played it ad nauseum...... here's the closest thing to that I've ever done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWUy6_CtwXg

Can you play Elliott Carters "Caténaires"? That's a very fast paced piece already and I wonder what it would sound like even more sped up.

Of course I could play it, but wouldn't, unless you payed me 6-digit figures XP XD XD

A lot of 20th-century music sounds the same to me..... just a bunch of rolled fourths and seconds or sevenths.... so formulaic and predictable (no offense intended)

What are your thoughts on minimalist pieces like Music for 18 Musicians? link

That must be a mother of a composition, at about an hour in length...... Basically, my thoughts on such music can be summed up in my reply to the question 'Can you enjoy any mainstream piano compositions such as Einaudi or Yann Tiersen? Or do you find them "boring" because they mostly consist of predictable arpeggios?' on this iAMA. But I do really hold such composers as Wim Mertens and Philip Glass in high esteem, there seems to be another dimension in their music bordering on genius.... I don't know, it's not the kind of music that I would like to perform, because the physical element is really not present; such music is written not FOR the piano, but rather VIA the piano.

What do you think about Lubomyr Melnyk, who is called one of the world fastest-playing pianists hitting 19.5 keys per hand per second? In your Guiness record video you are only hitting two keys in crazy speed, while his style includes playing different keys and actual melody. Have you measured your speed playing arpeggios in a similar to Lubomyr's way? And is there a Guiness record for this type of play style?

That Melnyk guy's claim is nothing more than a fraud, and any serious musician who knows the piano well will tell you the same thing. Beware, there are several impostors out there who claim to be 'the fastest pianist in the world', but cannot back their claims, and prey on unsuspecting people in order to achieve fame by spreading their opportunistic 'feats' of speed and endurance. As far as I know, there is no such Guinness record for 'arpeggios' or 'continuous music'- if anyone wanted to create it, they would have to apply to Guinness- but i doubt such an application would ever be accepted. Hitting one note on a piano so many times in a minute is something that has unlikely ever been included in a musical composition and is an athletic feat, and thus can be objectively measured.

Have you ever played with a fellow famous piano player such as Hiromi?

No, believe it or not......

I believe it, but now you should make that happen!

Yeah, I would like to play duos with a guy named Vazgen Vartanian, one of my 3 favorite pianists, but I'm going to have to find some venues first.......

It's been great to have been able to do this AMA! If you're interested, in the future, please leave a question and I just might get back to you! Thanks!

What advice would you have for someone (me haha) who feels like their progress in music has stagnated?

I can't say off the bat, because you haven't told me what your aspirations are, or what level you're currently on.

Can you enjoy any mainstream piano compositions such as Einaudi or Yann Tiersen? Or do you find them "boring" because they mostly consist of predictable arpeggios?

Abraços da Alemanha!

Sure, I could enjoy them, but only passively. They don't really speak much to me- no doubt people like Einaudi and Tiersen have composed some decent, even good music, but it doesn't speak directly to me. I prefer powerful music- music that 'transmits light', so to speak. For me, no other music than Liszt's does this. But he wrote very little really great music when pitted against his whole oputput, so I often find myself listening to music by other composers- but usually modern mainstream music for the piano is not what I would call top-notch.

How does it feel to know that you're upstaging Seth MacFarlane's "AMA"?

As I understand, it turned out to be his PR people and not he himself that were bumbling at that Q&A. XD XD

Have you been able to make a decent living playing the piano? Or do you also have another job when not playing the piano? Do you plan on staying in Portugal long term?

No, in Portugal it's really difficult to make a decent living out of piano, some years ago, I made pretty good money just from playing concerts, but that's changed. And no, I'm planning on leaving Portugal for good in the near future.

Where do you want to go to? Back to the US?

No, I dreamed of coming to Europe to live ever since I was 6 years old, and I consider it my home now. Of course, I'd like to go back to the States to visit every once in a while, and also to perform, but not to live permanently. As for where I would like to settle in Europe, I'm not really sure, as I really like to travel and there are just too many interesting places and too much interesting stuff to see- a lifetime would not be even nearly sufficient.

Can you play any other instruments?

No. I used to play other instruments, but I had very little skill on them, so I quit. And I'm glad- the piano is and probably will remain my favorite instrument for llife.

Fastest piano player on earth doesn't even play the kazoo? Smh

I could probably try my hand at the kazoo, but I probably wouldn't be much better than Bugs Bunny rsrsrsrs

I have few more questions :)

1. Do you prefer to sacrifice sound quality and dynamics to reach higher speeds when performing fast pieces or limit yourself to get better sound?
2. What's piece would you play if you stumble upon a street piano and somebody asks you to play it?
3. Do you like playing music written by contemporary (avant-garde) composers of 20-21 century? E.g. Schnittke, Xenakis, Finissy, etc.
4. What pieces you've found most challenging for you speed-vise?
5. Any plans on nailing Sorabji's 'Études transcendantales' at high speed? :)

1. No, I try not to sacrifice sound quality and dynamics when playing at top speeds but sometimes it's simpy inevitable, e.g. to meet a challenge to play such-and-such a piece in x seconds.

2. If I came across a street piano, the thing I would feel most appropriate to play would be one of Art Tatum's arrangements, but i'd have to learn it first

3. No, I don't like playing that music at all, but a future project I'd ike to do would be learning some works by Ligeti, whom I really admire. I also like contemporary music with jazz influences or a classical twist. Some of the stuff you mentioned hardly qualifies as music at all to me or sounds like it's more mathematically than musically inspired, but occasionally, if you listen spontaneously and with an open mind, one can actually find some brilliance and purpose to their music. Some modern composers I would highly rate are Rzewski, Pekka-Salonen, Mandon, etc.

4. The MOST difficult pieces I've ever played speed-wise are:

1) Chopin's Revolutionary Etude in Octaves 2) Liszt's transcription of the overture from Wagner's Tannhauser 3) Chopin's Etude #2 in 60 seconds 4) Mozart-Liszt: Don Juan 5) Liszt's Orage from Years of Pilgrimage 6) Liszt's Transcendental Etude #7 (Eroica) 7) Liszt's Rhapsody #2 (Not necessarily in that order, but they're definitely the hardest)

1. No, I couldn't care less about Sorabji, sorry to end on that note!

Hi there! Saw you mentioning Liszt as a favourite composer a few questions ago. I was wondering if there are any "modern-age" composers who you would like to collaborate with? E.g. Hans Zimmer, Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish..

Wow, good choices! Hans Zimmer is a GREAT film composer, beyond any doubt. And Holopainen is an ABSOLUTE GENIUS, in fact Nightwish is one of my favorite bands (when Tarja was singing with them). I wouldn't mind at all doing some collaborations with them.

What's one instrument that you believe you are never gonna be able to play properly?

All the instruments in the orchestra, except the drums, hehehe (no, seriously.......)

how do you play so fast?

How do you keep tempo?

People have asked me how I play so fast, and always say I suppose it's kind of like asking a dog how it wags its tail.... some things just can't be answered adequately enough.... but the closest thing to a good answer I could give you is my reply near the beginning of this iAMA to the question 'What does your warmup regimen consist of?' As for keeping tempo, it took me literally years to learn how NOT to rush, and a lot of it has to do with learning how to effectively increase volume without increasing speed, or decrease volume without slowing down. Eventually, you learn to really listen to yourself, because when you're still a student, there's usually a huge difference between the way you THINK you're playing and the way you're actually playing. With experience, however, this should drop off and your hands and fingers become subordinate to your mind and imagination, and your mind and internal clock no longer remain dependent on the physical limitations of your hands and fingers.

What's your guilty pleasure meal?

What's a guilty pleasure meal? You mean like sweet tooth vice?

Something that is terrible for you but you have no self control over, pretty much.

Like me and Italian sandwiches. I just can't help myself haha

Basically, high-quality sweet stuff- not deep-fried or containing too much oil or seeds hehe

Does it help to woo ladies a lot?

Exactly what?

late to the party, but have you heard of Danny Baranowski? If not, it's cool, but I have wondered if it's possible to actually play his song "Devil n' bass" without using software assistance, and if a keyboard versus a real piano would be a boon in the attempt?

No, I haven't heard of him, but I looked up that composition on Youtube, and I believe that it's possible to play it on a keyboard/synthesizer, but you would have to program it first to the right sounds, and also divide the keyboard in 2 to get the proper independent sounds- kind of like the registers on an organ while playing each hand on a different manual

Have you ever played any of Ligeti's etudes?

No, but I have the sheet music for all of them, and would really like to do them in the future! I have no idea how successful I'll be at that- some of them are really bizarre, but interesting

What do you think about Just intonation and people like Michael Harrison and La Monte Young?

Just watched a video on just intonation and it sounds horrible. I believe equal temperament is the best solution, by far, for keyboard players. Can't say anything about Harrison and Young, never heard their music.

Thanks for the amazing AMA.

You touched on assassinations earlier, was it crime or politically (or both) related?

If you feel comfortable, could you expand on them?

I really don't know if they were politically motivated; but given really cheap zones of the city in which they happened, I doubt that they were. All I know for sure is somebody was shot dead right outside of the apartment building where I lived, and I heard sounds during the night which could have only been gunshots. Remember, during the 90's in Moscow, EVERYTHING was a mess, laws changed daily, corruption, anarchy and chaos reigned supreme.

How do you feel about The Orville?

I've never seen it. Are you sure you're on the right thread?

In your opinion, what is the most technically challenging piece of music to play on the piano?

If you're taking into account pure endurance and accuracy, then Chopin's 'Revolutionary' Etude in octaves is almost certainly the hardest- but it wasn't composed this way, it was simply played like that as a response to a challenge. If you're measuring it by the complexity of mental tasking- such as playing it in the correct rhythm, getting all the notes right, and making sense of it, there's tons of 'avant-garde' stuff out there that could qualify for this title but probably very little of it is of any real interest. Much of the music of Conlon Nancarrow, for example, is simply unplayable by humans- although he's a guy that wrote some REALLY awesome stuff.