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Here is my recording of Ballin' the Jack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sUboLFl2rY

This wasn't my finest performance, but was all I could do while the camera was actually recording. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

W

Waltz – Great job on Ballin’ the Jack! This is another on of my favorites from Book 2, but whenever I hear it, I can’t stop thinking of Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise performing it in the movie “Haunted Honeymoon”. Great stuff.

Undone

I agree. Great job Waltz!!!!. I don't think this song is in the Alfred Basic book. It sounds challenging.

Just for you Waltz here is my recording of "Night Song". I hope it works.

http://www.box.net/shared/71lybobjhx

Very nicely done! I gotta get going on recording some of my older (favorite) #2 pieces..

SC

Thanks TTigg. Good luck in book #3. I hope to be there before too long.

Very, very well played. Seriously, great job

Your crescendos were excellent, you have certainly mastered that piece.

Thanks Undone

I liked it as well. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be easier to play than it actually was. It is a challenging thing to play, moderately hard (for me).

I also passed Nobody knows the trouble i've seen. It was absurdly easy, but it did introduce the LH Bb major chords. I don't think there is much of a reason to record it. It really was not challenging, at all.

I'm now on La Donna E Mobile.

Thanks Waltz. I really liked this piece.

Can't wait to hear "La Donna E Mobile" when you are finished with it. I'll be starting "Space Shuttle Blues".

Good luck it's a very nice piece...

My update... with our first public recital now in the rear view mirror, and with summer here (meaning I am taking a break from lessons), I am going to be focusing pretty exclusively on Alfred's Book 2 pieces over the next few months, trying to make some progress. Just started Solace (Joplin's Mexican Serenade), and after an hour or so, it doesn't seem too intimidating.

I would really like to be done with the book by the end of the year, but at this point, that seems a little ambitious. (Mark could do it, and apparently PianoNoobAlexMan did, but I am not sure I can...)

Thanks TTigg and HBG
I have not yet been able to "bring out" the melody in the piece. It's nice to be doing some staccato again

HG – Fantastic job on “Night Song”. I really enjoyed listening to it.

Undone

Thanks Undone. I appreciate the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

OK it's official - I'm finished with book #2
I promise I will try to get my recording of Canon in D done really really soon

So it's and and see you over in #3 soon

TTigg - congratulations - well done - you have a lot to be proud of - see you in Book 3!

Regards, JF

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S TTigg ! ! ! ! ! !

How long did it take you to get through Book 2 ????

Well folks, I’m finished too. Last night I put the final wraps on “Canon in D”. I still have a few small issues with my recording, but enough is enough, it’s time to move on.

Earlier I wrote that I thought “Danny Boy” might be more challenging than “Canon in D”. Now I’d say that “Danny Boy” is more challenging to learn, but Canon is more challenging to “polish”. Maintaining the proper (or at least close to proper) dynamics and tempo throughout while not hitting any wrong notes was the hard part. I kept getting either good dynamics and tempo along with a clunker or two, or clean playing but poor dynamics/tempo. I finally settled on one that had a minimum of all three problems.

Tonight I’ll start on Book 3. But you don’t get rid of me that easily, I’ll still be poking my nose into the Book 2 thread (just as I still read the Book 1 thread), and will continue to post here up until the point where I feel like I’m intruding in “another groups” thread.

Undone

Excellent Undone ! ! ! !

C O N G R A T S ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Yea ! !! ! !

And how long did it take you to get through Book 2?

Thanks As for the time line just under 9mths. I did #1 in 3.5mnths and then had like a little break and then moved onto #2. Next week is my 1yr anniversary



wOoT!! Congrats Undone, so we did end up moving over to #3 together..

Thanks JF, see you guys over there