Sharing with reporters about the biggest difficulty in pursuing a piano major, artist Hong Thai said: "In my opinion, the biggest difficulty in pursuing a piano is not only students, but also parents and teachers. This is an sport that requires great patience - from all three sides.
The most difficult thing is that no one knows exactly "When to become proficient", so patience is a mandatory factor if you want to follow it to the end. I have witnessed many students with great potential but left them behind just because in the early stages... I did not see clear results. That is the most regrettable thing."
In response to the question of whether being a piano artist is disadvantageous? The male artist responded, "I don't think it's a disadvantage. Each type of art has its own way of connecting with the audience. My job is not to stir up the stage, but to keep people calm for a few minutes and listen.
Piano does not need many effects, but if the player puts emotions into each key, the audience will feel it. I don't have many fans, nor do I have any tricks, but when students sit and listen to me play with sparkling eyes, or a stranger says "those songs are good", I feel enough".
It is known that in addition to being a piano artist, Hong Thai also adapted his compositions into new piano versions and published a book about piano, talking about this, he shared: "I used to have a hard time learning because there was no song that matched my level at that time. Many good versions are too difficult, easy versions are without emotion.
I want students not to have to endure that situation, so I started to adapt familiar lessons into easy-to-play versions, closer to newcomers.
The Hi Piano book series I wrote was also for that reason - so that Vietnamese children have simple, clear, and easy-to-understand learning materials. Learning a piano should not be a pressure, but a fun, easy journey".
Hong Thai also frankly spoke about the prejudice that "piano artists in Vietnam are not valued": "I think this prejudice is real, but not necessarily because people disregard it, but because piano artists rarely appear in the media, and this type is still quite unfamiliar to the majority of audiences.
In Vietnam, people can remember the name of a singer more easily than an artist playing an instrument. But the audience's fault is not. Maybe it is because our piano artists have not proactively brought music closer to the public. I am not sad about that. I choose to continue working, teaching, writing books, and playing music seriously".
It is known that Tran Hong Thai is one of the outstanding piano artists when converting Vietnamese songs into creative piano works.
The male artist has reached out to the world and affirmed his talent on the international stage. In 2019, he won the gold prize at the Asia Pacific Arts Festival held in Singapore.
He is currently the author of the book series Hi Piano - a modern curriculum, designed to suit the learning ability and psychology of young children. Each book is a combination of visual images, music games and easy-to-remember short pieces of music.
