That's incorrect.
Chess players have an incredible amount of creative talent. This is what most people don't understand about chess. It's not simply calculation.
The different is, as someone else said above I think, that most people simply don't recognize the creative nature of chess. The qualities of a good pianist are, for many, readily apparent; however, even among top pianists there are a lot of differences.
So, I'm concluding that the prestige is based on appreciation of the art itself, and piano simply puts less demand on the listener to derive some appreciation. Chess demands quite a lot.
amish
Diamond Member
- Aug 20, 2004
- 4,295
- 6
- 81
i would say piano. good accompanists for opera are well paid, can get lots of girls, and can transfer their skills to different generas of music (opera, jazz, pop).
chess does not seem to pay well. i've yet to see a chess groupie. however, the analytical and creative skill do seem to transfer well to politics and other social sciences, natan sharansky is an example.
chess does not seem to pay well. i've yet to see a chess groupie. however, the analytical and creative skill do seem to transfer well to politics and other social sciences, natan sharansky is an example.
I guess you're right, I don't know a bit about either so I should've kept my mouth shut. It just seemed that way to a noob such as I.
re-edit: But doesn't playing piano require eye hand coordination which is more of a right hemisphere type job?
I always loose track of what's right hemisphere, left, etc. Suffice is to say that they are both creative disciplines, and involve both sides of the brain.
But to your question: Yes, piano does require a substantially higher degree of physical coordination. So much in fact, that some people simply never have the physical capacity to play some pieces.
Go to a chess competition and you'll see them
There are groupies for everything. Hell, just look at all the teenage boys (and some ATOTers it seems
) swooning over Shawn Johnson. All it takes is a little media exposure...Then I got ya beat... all I have to do is prime up Chessmasta on my other pc and mimic your moves on it... I'll set the difficulty to 1501
TallBill
Lifer
- Apr 29, 2001
- 46,017
- 62
- 91
Originally posted by: Descartes
Go to a chess competition and you'll see them
There are groupies for everything. Hell, just look at all the teenage boys (and some ATOTers it seems
Yes, but that has nothing to do with her being a good at gymnastics.
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: Descartes
Go to a chess competition and you'll see them
There are groupies for everything. Hell, just look at all the teenage boys (and some ATOTers it seems
Yes, but that has nothing to do with her being a good at gymnastics.
Good point. I fail.
Still, there are a lot of groupies in the chess world. The Polgar sisters, Jennifer Shahade and quite a few others have a huge following from the male population, and not for their chess (they some are exceptional players). Players like Waitzkin (a mediocre player in professional chess but from the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer) still has a following, and he was never even a grandmaster.
The point of all that? You're right. A relatively attractive person that gets to any media-exposed success in their interest will likely attract a fanbase.
Since you used the word prestigious I think the only reasonable answer is Chess. If you were meaning to ask which profession I personally hold in higher regard, I'm not sure. When you say professional do you mean earning substantial income solely through chess/piano? Not knowing enough about how much good GMs make in chess or good pianists make, I can't say. I would guess that there are fewer people who can make a living playing chess than there are people who can make a living playing piano since there are so many different reasons one might need a pianist.
As such, if I met someone who earned their income through chess and it was a middle class income or higher, I would be more impressed with that person than the pianist.
If you mean, whom do I revere more, the 5 best chess players in the world, or the 5 best pianists, then I would say the pianist, probably. While I do appreciate the fact that a great chess player is competing directly with an opponent and has a truly remarkable mind, I think having musical talent at a high level is more impressive.
I don't get the people who say nonsense like there's no perfect way to play chess but there is piano, etc. Great pianists will have their own style. There is no "correct" way to play most piano songs.
Another point worth mentioning is that I do not think a computer will ever be a world-class piano player, whereas computers are very much in the mix as world class chess players. Simply repeating notes does not make one a great piano player, no matter how difficult it is to repeat the notes.
As such, if I met someone who earned their income through chess and it was a middle class income or higher, I would be more impressed with that person than the pianist.
If you mean, whom do I revere more, the 5 best chess players in the world, or the 5 best pianists, then I would say the pianist, probably. While I do appreciate the fact that a great chess player is competing directly with an opponent and has a truly remarkable mind, I think having musical talent at a high level is more impressive.
I don't get the people who say nonsense like there's no perfect way to play chess but there is piano, etc. Great pianists will have their own style. There is no "correct" way to play most piano songs.
Another point worth mentioning is that I do not think a computer will ever be a world-class piano player, whereas computers are very much in the mix as world class chess players. Simply repeating notes does not make one a great piano player, no matter how difficult it is to repeat the notes.
My dad is a professoinal chess player (now retired) - so I'll have to side with chess. And most people don't realize how hard chess is - at the top of his career he probably had to train 5-6 hours a day.
And a typical chess game is about 3 hours of complete 100% mental concentration. A typical tournament is 7-8 days - so imagine taking BAR exam every day of the week, 6-7 times a year.
And a typical chess game is about 3 hours of complete 100% mental concentration. A typical tournament is 7-8 days - so imagine taking BAR exam every day of the week, 6-7 times a year.
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Minor correction: One doesn't hear about professional concert pianists unless one is actually interested in that field. If you open it up to pianists of other genres, then I think they win. Who's more famous? I can only name 10-15 chess players off the top of my head - and that's because I used to study chess a lot when I was in high school. But, I can name dozens upon dozens of pianists (I can't name any live concert pianists though.)
Do you know what your dad's rating is/was? You're in the US, so USCF or FIDE rating would be fine.
As far as which is most prestigious, I would think that a Piano player would live a more prestigious life, siimply because of the type of people he would associate with and the cultural tastes and environments of those people.
Kelemvor
Lifer
- May 23, 2002
- 16,928
- 8
- 81
Piano easily. Who the hell cares about someone playing chess. Whereas piano is something that gets shared to the people listening that everyone can enjoy. You hear piano all the time (TV Commercials, elevators, hold music, etc.) You never see people playing chess unless you go seek them out.
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