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Alright, I've decided to step up to the plate. Seeing everyone posting their recordings has been very motivating. We have some talented and promising "newbies" that were daring enough to post their recordings, and it seems to leave very little excuse for the rest of us who have been playing well over a year. So I'll take a lesson from their example, and put away my normal shyness and hesitation and post something I'm working on.

I sat down and figured out a way to record my digital piano output (thanks to the postees that shared their methods) and I threw together a quick little "My Recordings" page, which at the moment, should have been entitled "My Recording_"

I used Audacity and LAME to record, but I realized after I exported it as an mp3, that the quality was set pretty low on the recorder. It's a little buzzy, but it hides the couple of goof-ups I made. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have added MORE noise. lol It would sound like a concert pianist with enough noise in it.

Seriously though, there is no doubt it is a work in progress. The dynamics need alot of improvement and after listening to it myself, I think it could be played more effectively alot more slowely. However, I'll never post anything if I don't start with something simple, so here it is, the first part of the first movement of Sonata Pathetique (one of my favorites Beethoven pieces).

My Recordings

Andrew-

I thought it sounded terrific. The sound quality of the file was great, no buzz detected on my end. The playing was terrific-I thought there were some note combinations that sounded tough to me, that you played just fine.

Even though you're now working on dynamics and pace, I think posting for feedback is a really good way to get better. It's a little nerve-wracking, isn't it, getting the recording "good enough" to post? (almost as good as playing for an audience, but isn't it also a good source of feedback and confidence?)

Wow! Extremely impressive playing! You were able to handle the fast runs so cleanly and evenly. And I didn't hear any goof-ups, by the way.

Uh...you don't really think that movement was "simple," do you?

I'm listening to it now. Sounds very good! I amazed at the level of playing of all the so called beginners here - after only a year (or less) of playing!!! Come on guys can't someone post a dud or two - maybe I'll go first. I'm working on Solfeggietto and it's pretty rough.

I've never tried to play this piece. It's lovely and has what sound like pretty complicated runs it. Great job!! Don't forget to post your updates!!

PS. I love your web page. I've been trying to figure out how add a graphic to the background of mine - with no success.....

No, you are absolutely right. I'm in college right now, and because of that reason I don't have enough time to commit to weekly time with a piano teacher. Just getting the little bit of pressure of public performance in this way definetly helps by simulating that pressure you normally receive from a teacher.

Monica:
Thank you for the kind words, but I listened to a pro play this piece and my version is far short of how expressively this piece can be played. It definetly isn't an easy piece, especially for me. As Martin suggested, I had to "get the piece 'good enough' to post". My first attempt was a little rough (that difficult run included). My goof-ups were a couple chords in the middle where the upper two notes were a half step off. They are dissonant sounding chords to begin with, so it's hard to notice unless you've heard the piece a "couple" times before.

Sandy:
Thank you too, you are all too nice, . One of the reasons I posted this incomplete piece was to create the motivation I need to finish it. I started getting a little tired of the piece. Especially the later parts which I didn't get to in the recording. Now that I've commited to it publically, and you all know I'm working on it, I'll have to finish it...

About the website. Thank you, I wasn't trying to brag by saying I "threw it together". Graphic arts are something I've had alot of experience with professionally, so it really was just another little task for me. I just grabbed a simple piano image off of DreamsTime images for a $1 (can't beat that price), and I stuck it in Adobe Photoshop with a faded rectangle on the side, and a rounded rectangle with a 3D effect. Photoshop does the hard part of slicing that up into little images so it becomes a website.

Well, at the risk of making my post WAY too long, I wanted to ask: After practicing this piece for 20 minutes or so to get it ready to post, it reminded me of little piano lesson ritual. Am I the only one that would have three hour practice sections before they left for a lesson? As if you can learn all the technique you're lacking in the few hours before your lesson. The teacher always knows when you do it too... lol

WOW, shortcircuit, very impressive. Hunky likes!! Your runs were absolutelly lightning fast with no mistakes. That sounded incredible and certainly not like beginer music.

Sure, I can improvise crappy easy pieces, but nothing like that. I would really like to hear the whole piece however, based on what you've just played, it will surelly sound fantastic.

I actually find my lessons more successful if I DON't cram right before. I may even skip the evening before practice. I think it's a brain thing.

Really Sandy? That's really interesting, I wouldn't think anybody would have a different preference.

I do it for the physical effect, to get the muscle memory in gear and to make sure I"m completely loose.

Do you at least play scales or loosen up somehow? Or do you find it helpful to completely take a break from the piano for that day leading up to the lesson?

that was really tremendous, beautiful playing!

No. I will try to get a 10 or 15 minute finger warm up in before my lesson. It might be 3 or 4 hours prior, but I have also realized that, for me, this few minutes really doesn't make that much difference. I find that sometimes when I've been working hard on a piece (particularly if it's become frustrating) it helps to take a break. I know I've heard and read that your brain needs time to digest what you have practiced and although it didn't make sense to me when I first heard it, it does seem to work!!

I agree, that's the benefit of these postings. That, and a lot of free advice.

Nice playing, keep it up!
We'll have to come up with a new category for guys like you - Advanced Beginner or Beginning Intermediate maybe.

I'm not qualified to critique anyone, but I can say that I enjoyed listening.....great job!!
For the recordings I posted, I gotta tell you most of them I started and stopped probably at least 20 times to get something I would even consider posting!

WOW!

At least coming from a guy like me that doesn't know Beethoven from Clayderman, I must say you executed that very well, especially the runs!

I agree that you seem to need to work on your dynamics and phrasing for this piece (at least from a purely artistic viewpoint since I wouldn't know this piece if you hit me with it), but overall, I couldn't play this piece anywhere close to that even if I did know it.

Don't quit now! I want to hear the finished recording.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING?????

MinorKeys

Minorkeys:

Obviously, I'm not a first year piano student, but it's hard to give you a straight answer. I took three years of lessons in grammar school of which I gained very little skill and I stopped playing for a few years. Then I took 3 years of choral/classical lessons, which is where I really learned how to play. That was all on a keyboard however, and I quickly peaked out. I bought a digital piano two years ago and have been self taught since.

So... I guess you could say my level is somewhere around a 5-6 year causual player. I really wish I had the motivation and determination that I have now when I was seven, things would have been different for sure.