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Hi Everyone,
I have just finished Book 1 and will be starting Book 2 next week. I know a few people from the Book 1 thread and will try to back read this thread to see who all is here and what they are working on.

Welcome Carl.... Really glad to have you join us here.... Like I said over in the book 1 thread, Ive been kind of stalled in book two. We had a family crisis for the last two weeks but things are finally settling down now. I have been working on Guantamera and the Theme from Raymond. So maybe we can join forces and try to get through the book togeather.......

Carl and Wj3, welcome aboard. I joined just a little over a month ago, and I'm sure you will like it here with everyone being as helpful as possible, me included.

Hi wj3
Thanks for the welcome, glad to be here.I have my AIO book two/cd ordered and should be here next week. I have the Basic Adult Book two and was thumbing though it today. I also have the Basic Theory level two which I will be using as well. My sight reading is improving and I am no longer writing in the names of all of the notes on paper (such a pain & messy). That was a terrible habit to get in to.
"Down in the Vally" first up... more broken chords.

Hi Music in Me
Thanks for the welcome.

I really like that Theme from Raymond but I'm not too fussed on Guantanamera. I'm playing ot Ok but the song never appealed to me. I find that the songs I like are the ones I play best. I wonder if others find this too? I hated playing Amazing Grace from the first book.

angelas. I feel the same way about Guantanamera. It really doesn't do much for me. I did like Amazing Grace though.

Just remember that learning is a process and you have to take the good and the bad with it. Guantanamera is really a fun song to play once you feel it and feel comfortable playing it. With it you learn how the melody melts into the base in a nice way as in the 4th measure. Also, there is a nice chord segment where both hands play the same chords... all sound good and fun to play. Check the link in my profile where I did a crude recording of it, and also hear how others play it.

I absolutely agree and it's only because I'm pig-headed that I'll sit at the keybard and try to 'perfect' a piece that I'm not overly fussed on simply because I know I have to. I must go back and try my luck again with Amazing Grace and Singing in the Rain. Aaarrggghhh

Me too. I spent my whole practice working on Guantanamera today. Its getting better and I am actually starting to enjoy it. It still needs alot of work so I guess I'll continue with it......

I've found that my sight-reading is starting to finally develop but I have to resist the urge to look at the keys. I figured that if I can touch-type, then I should be able to 'touch play'! It's frustrating, but I reckon I can't really move on until I get that right. More aaarrrghhh!

Music in Me...I checked out your recording earlier today..makes mine seem utterly, well, aaarrrghhh. I like the way you made use of the arpeggios (is that right?). It's certainly not in the book so I'm assuming you've added that. Sounds good. I'm going to try that.

Check out some of those (free) web applications for developing sight reading... It takes time to recognize notes quickly on the staff. I still don't do it well, especially with high and low octave notes. A trick is to read by intervals instead of note by note. So, if you see A above middle C (which sits on a space), followed by another note on a space, you know that note has got to be a C, since it's a third apart from A. I'm trying that myself and find that it helps, so does reading chord names and automatically hitting the right notes,etc.

angelas, I think the arpeggios is indicated in the piece. I don't have the book with me here, but if you see a wavy line at the end, that should be it.

Having spent most of July (and the first part of August) working on my ABF Recital piece, I am now returning my attention to neglected assignments in Alfred's Book 2. This evening, I have a lesson in which I play Solace, La Raspa, For He;s a Jolly Good Fellow, Mexican Hat Dance, and Tarantella for my teacher. If I get a blessing on my level of polish on these, we will resume with Festive Dance next week.

Either way, I think my original goal of completing Alfred's Book 2 by EOY is out of the question at this point, but I do hope to finish it before next summer.

Angelas, thanks for the quote there... I always wondered what that guy said. He's pretty clear before and after your quoted sentence, but I've always had a hard time parsing what said in the middle. And until now, it never occurred to me to look it up.

"It's only a difference of opinion, really... good manners don't cost nothin', ey?"

Always Wanted to Play Piano, good stuff on that blog! It's always refreshing to see real people!

What should be the goal tempo of "Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin"?

I stick to the tempo on the CD until I call it done, then play it anyway I like. This particular piece is moderate in speed (I don't think it's more than 100 quarter note beats per minute, but I'm just guessing now).

6/8 timing is interesting..it took me a while to get it "right". Here I'm playing La Raspa a little faster as I didn't like it when I played it at the prescribed speed.

La Raspa

Happy Birthday Music in Me