Pianist and Composer Mark Pinkus

Rebecca Brayton: 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 Pinkus. So when did you first sit down at a piano? Tell us about your journey to become a piano master. Mark Pinkus: I have twin brother 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 and play the piano?” The piano at that time was very soft, yellow piano wooden piano near the window and I sat down and all of a sudden there was a rain storm. So I started the 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 and I started playing the music for the cat. So my first tune was called “The cat and the rain” and I'm doing the same thing today as I did when I was six and a half and seven still composing music out of moments like that. Rebecca Brayton: Your original compositions are described as sound paintings. Could you expand on that? Mark Pinkus: Because I didn’t really develop the so-called classical conservatory technique I always focus on the feeling behind the music so I ended up creating pieces of music that involve color with sound. So it’s visual emotions. I see music as a palette of colors and sound blended together to create something into your imagination. Rebecca Brayton: Can you discuss the process of learning your own compositions? Mark Pinkus: The things that are the easiest in life are probably the most difficult to explain. For me composing a piece of music is like turning on a light switch. Now I have blockages like everybody else when there is no 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 and composition. It comes from everything else other than the music from life, from life experiences, conversations, being sick—anything it’s just this music comes from those experiences I just transform them from those areas into the music. Rebecca Brayton: Where do you do most of your writing? Do you find that the location has an effect on the final product? Mark Pinkus: A composition is going to come at any unknown moment. That’s why I learnt the guitar a little bit because say I can hear a melody in my head if there’s no piano around I’ll go to a guitar and write it down in a quick sketch form and then go get the piano and elaborate on it. Rebecca Brayton: How important is the instrument itself? Do you have a preferred piano? Mark Pinkus: I know within two or three seconds of sitting down in a piano by the resonance if I can communicate with it. It’s just about feeling and resonance. It has nothing to do with what the piano looks like its how it sounds. Rebecca Brayton: Thank you very much. Mark Pinkus: Thanks so much Rebecca.