Pianist and Composer Mark Pinkus

he was born on the anniversary of
Beethoven’s death coincidence I think
not hi I’m Rebecca Brayton and welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’re
speaking with composer and pianist Mark
Pincus
so when did you first sit down at a
piano tell us about your journey to
become a piano master I have twin
brothers they both were playing the
piano when they were about seven and
they’re twins identical twins Paul and
David and they quit the same day my
parents said to me how would you like to
try play the piano the piano at the time
was very soft yellow piano wooden piano
near the window and I sat down and all
of a sudden there was a rainstorm so I
started playing the rain on the piano
and then a black cat from the neighbor
came over and started crawling on the
window ledge and I saw this cat started
playing the music for the cat so my
first tune was called a cat in the rain
and I’m doing the same thing today that
I did when I was six and a half seven
still composing music out of moments
like that
your original compositions are described
as sound paintings could you expand on
that because I didn’t really develop the
so-called classical conservatory
technique I will always focused on the
feeling behind the music so I ended up
creating pieces of music that involve
color with sound so it’s it’s visual
emotions I see music as a palette of
colors and sound blended together to
create something in into your
imagination
can you discuss the process of learning
your own compositions the things that
are the easiest in life are the probably
the most difficult to explain for me
composing a piece of music is like
turning on a light switch now I have a
blockages of course like everybody else
when there’s you know six month period
of nothing going on and that’s okay too
I believe strangely enough that music
and Composition comes from not doing
music in composition it comes from
everything else other than the music
from life from life experiences
conversations being sick anything is
just this music comes from those
experiences I just transforming from
those areas and into the music
where do you do most of your writing do
you find that the location has an effect
on the final product a composition is
going to come at any unknown moment so
that’s why I learnt the guitar a little
bit because if say I can hear a melody
in my head if there’s no piano around
I’ll go to a guitar write it down in a
quick sketch form and then go to the
piano and then elaborate on it
how important is the instrument itself
do you have a preferred piano I know
within two or three seconds of sitting
down at a piano by the residents if I
can communicate with it it’s just about
feeling and resonance has nothing to do
with what the piano looks like is how it
sounds thank you very much thanks so
much for Becca