I just did... and then after it got published I noticed a typo. I hate typos.

Monica,

You warned me and I went ahead and got a copy of "The Best Of" anyway. It arrived last Thursday which co-insided with a 4-day weekend. I'm like a kid in a candy store! 4 days of Einaudi. For anyone thinking about getting a copy read Monica's warning post above and they are available on Amazon for $23 plus shipping.

OK, so many of the songs are way over my ability at this time, but quite a few of them are easily workable (Limbo & Giorni dispari to name a couple). His music echo's my playing style perfectly and sounds great on even my little POS spinet!

Thanks again for the recommendation for my exposure to Einaudi.

Woody
(yet another believer)

Welcome to Einaudi-addiction, Woody. Yes, Giorni Dispari is beautiful. It's one of the pieces I've maintained in repertoire just because it's so pretty. I just love the bridge at the end when you're playing all those VERY VERY high notes. *shivers* I actually think it's harder than a lot of his other pieces, so if you can play that one, you should have no trouble with Nefeli, I giorni, I due fiumi, just to name a few.

I hope this means we can hear some recordings soon.

It will, as soon as I can get my Zoom H2 to make Molly (my spinet) sound like a real piano instead of toy piano. Between Molly, Zoom and I, we have had some really amazing recording disasters! Some of the them were actually quite funny. But we are learning!

Since my piano time is limited due to work (that nasty 4-letter word), I focus more on the playing than on the recording. But I'm actually making progress on both so who knows - maybe in a month or so I can share my recording efforts with the world - we'll see.

BTW, I didn't see Giorni Dispari on your YouTube channel. Some of the other efforts on YouTube are, well, interesting! Do you have a recording of it posted elsewhere? I like to play, listen, learn, play, listen, learn, etc.
Woody

It's on my list to get a video made. (I recorded it before I got my Flip). But here's a link to the audio-only recording:

Giorni Dispari

Wow, Monica, now that's more like it!! Thank you
Woody

At the risk of getting my head over my skis a little...

Has anyone here had any experience learning or trying "Monday" off the Divenire CD?

Guess I could do a search...

I've not even considered it yet. It's got a section of triplets in the right hand with a regular 8th note pattern in the left hand. I'm positive the timing issues on that one would give me fits for now. (Actually, there's a lot of that type of pattern on songs from Divenire.) I've got enough stuff that isn't so difficult that I'll get around to playing first.

I was listening to it on the road yesterday, and thought, "Hey, this doesn't sound so bad." The RH triplets, to my naive ear, sounded as if they followed the same timing pattern as Stella del Mattino, but I guess they don't.

The Divenire book is tough. The easiest selection in it is Primavera, but even that's hard (for me) if you play it at the proper blazing tempo. I've also happily butchered "Divenire" itself but decided to let it drop for a while with an eye to tackling it again next year.

On the other hand, the 3 against 2 is a crucial rhythm/skill to develop, and it's something you'd use in lots of other pieces in the future, so if it's a piece you're hooked on, I'd say go for it. But if it's just one of a whole bunch of pretty Einaudi pieces, I'd suggest working on something easier first.

I ditto to what Monica says. The 3 against 2 is difficult to learn. But having said that, the Divenire book has many pretty pieces to not learn

Here's my recording of "Bella Notte." I wanted to post it here so that I couldn't be tempted to use it for my recital piece. (Which I also tried to record today, to no avail. )

Bella Notte is easier than In un'altra vita, but now that I've played them both, I almost think I like Bella Notte better. The second half is so tranquil and almost wistful.

And, yes, I realize I've got some bobblehead action going with the first half. I did the same thing on "In un'altra vita" and seem incapable of suppressing it.

Nice work Monica. I did chuckle when I saw your recording pop up in my Google Reader and I pretty much said "Well, that's not the recital piece now." even before I came here and read the comment saying as much.

For a little something extra (Ludovico forum readers may already have found it) there's a new Einaudi song on Ludovico's Myspace called "Berlin Song"

This might just be something he came up with while recording the new album or it may be from the album itself. Ludovico posted on his forum when he was in Berlin working on the new album a while ago.

Oh, "Berlin Song" is simply beautiful! Thank you for pointing that out, Anthony; it's been a while since I checked the Einaudi forum. If the rest of the new album is even half as good, it will be stupendous. [Monica shakes her head in disbelief that Einaudi's music can keep getting better and better... but somehow it does.]

p.s. I did get another non-Einaudi pace recorded as a backup, so I'll have *something* for the recital.

p.p.s. Oh, that ending of "The Berlin Song".... such a beautiful low bass that reverberates in the bottom of your heart.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I thought all the cool kids did this. Am I misinformed?

Next thing you're going to tell me is that it isn't with-it-and-hip to lift up your RH dramatically once in awhile.

I kind of hate to be the person who wakes this thread back up (for my first post), but it also seems like the best place to introduce myself.

Working backwards...I first became aware of Einaudi in mid-April 2009 when my wife played for me a YouTube video of a freestyle dog show with "I Giorni" as the background music. We both fell in love with the song, so I proceeded to learn it. I have a somewhat rough video of it on my YT channel (made at 12 days before I noticed where my memory of the notes was a bit wrong and before I cleaned up some issues with dynamics).

After I acquired the 175 pg. 'best of' book I was searching for tips on the infamous measures of "Nefeli" and found this forum. I haven't yet recorded "Nefeli" though I could make a decent go of it now. I've been working on it at the same time as "I due fiumi" and "Stella del mattino" and have audio recordings of the latter two made at the one-week point on YT (hint, they are hesitant and rough and the notes on Stella weren't quite right--fixed now).

I've read all 30 pages of this thread, and it's helped hook me further on Einaudi, and introduced me to some new songs to learn. I think "Giorni dispari" will be next.

Finally...me. I took 5 years of lessons back in the '70s, from age 10-15. We're talking half hour a week, with very little practice on my part. I learned to read sheet music (basics), some simple songs and very little real music theory.

I've never really quit playing, which is why I hesitate to call myself a beginner. I mean, I've been playing for over 30 years. But most of that is self-taught and very part-time around work and life. I got a bit more serious and started to learn touch at the age of 21 after my mother passed away from cancer. Piano was my therapy.

I consider myself very much an amateur hack, with no real formal training. Like others here, it is my love of music and making music that pulls me to the bench. I hope others enjoy my songs but it's mostly for myself.

I don't know how active I'll be here, but I felt motivated to join. Don't worry, not all my posts will be novel-length.

Two other things. Earlier in the thread Danny Niklas made some observations that really seemed insightful to me. I'm only paraphrasing, but the idea was that sometimes playing what seems like simple music can actually be more difficult.

Although the physical striking of the notes on the three Einaudi songs I've learned so far is not the most advanced I've encountered, to make the songs sound good ("right") ranks among my greatest pianistic challenges. Like Danny said, you can't hide behind runs.

Einaudi has continued to build on what Chopin taught me, which is how to play music instead of just striking notes...and how you sometimes have to put the emphasis on one or two fingers, and maybe not the ones that feel natural. Like Chopin, Einaudi has a knack for making simple-sounding music that might not be as simple as it first sounds or seems.

Finally, has anybody else here ever listened to or played any Suzanne Ciani? I refer mostly to her Pianissimo and Pianissimo II albums. Years ago I picked out "Simple Song" and "Berceuse" by ear, and although I currently prefer Einaudi, those looking for a bit of variety in the same kind of family might enjoy some of her work. I think these days sheet music is available.

SwayingTree,

Welcome to the forum!!

I would suggest you start a new topic to introduce yourself though. Many do not not even peek into this thread.

SwayingTree, you not only deserve a huge welcome to PianoWorld, you deserve a medal for sitting down and reading this entire thread!!

Yes, there's something about Einaudi's music that is mesmerizing, isn't there? You've picked some wonderful pieces to learn, and I think you'll like Giorni Dispari a lot, too.

I enjoyed reading your story of how you got into piano. Like you, I started playing piano after my mother died of cancer. (It was the inheritance I got from her that enabled me to buy my piano.) Triryche is right, though; you may want to copy and paste your introduction in the "Tell us about yourself" thread (a link to it is found in the "Important topics in AB forum" that is stickied near the top of the AB forum page). While the Einaudi thread has a devout and loyal following, there are--quite inexplicably--quite a few AB forumites who just don't share our passion. And they'll want to get to know you, too.

Thanks, Monica. I got to read several of your posts in those 30 pages .

I've listened to a couple of your recordings on YouTube (will get to the rest soon) and am impressed that you're self-taught. Very nice work!

I'll get to Giorni dispari soon, maybe this weekend. I took one day (yesterday) to learn Limbo after listening to it in iTunes. That's a pretty little song. I've still got polishing to do on all four Einaudi songs I'm currently learning (first time I've ever done more than two at once but they all grabbed me).

For that matter, I still don't consider myself 'done' with I giorni even though it's been four months and I can play it now without missing a note. It's all about the touch and musical performance, and I learn or notice something every time I play it...which is still everyday.

[Monica blushes] Thank you! I have to clarify that I'm not *entirely* self-taught; I had 7 years of accordion lessons as a child, so I had a nice head start in piano.

I know what you mean about I giorni. I've been playing that piece now for well over a year. Some days it comes out magical; other days it's a nightmare. That last section with the delicate pp right hand arpeggios makes or breaks the piece, imo. It's a constant challenge to me to articulate them cleanly and quietly without skipping notes.

+1.

This is obviously still fresh in my mind. I had a very difficult time striking the right balance on those high notes. I WANTED to emphasize the higher notes, and let the nuance come from the quieter middle notes, where the melody (if that's what you call it) lives. Problem is, I never got to the point to where I could play those notes at a different volume. If I played the highest note (D, I think) at a certain dynamic, the whole RH had to be that dynamic. Which is not, in my mind, the intent there.

So be it, maybe some day.

This is exactly what I meant when I wrote this:



I also cannot consistently hit the little C-D-C trill like in measure 11 and 27 with the exactly timed and delicate light touch. Sometimes it's magic and sometimes it's butchered.

But then my touch varies; I have what I term "Good hands" and "Bad hands" days.

Oh, and if you're learning this lesson of music now, AW2PP, you are way ahead of my pace. I'd played for probably almost 30 years (casually and part-time, with some breaks during my late teens and 20s, you understand!) before I really had that "a-ha!" moment while trying to learn Chopin's Raindrop Prelude.

There are things I'm still relatively happy with in the recording of I giorni I put on YouTube, especially considering it was made on day 12 of learning it...and several things that make me lightly cringe.

I think it was Van who said much earlier in the thread that he had the unfortunate habit of making a recording at the first hint of success. This is also my unfortunate habit. It's why I have very raw versions of Stella del mattino and I due fiumi on YouTube, after only a week of learning. I hope to replace them soon...as soon as I acquire a working camera.

Regarding Exit, measures 7,9,11 when the bass octaves come in.
I found 2 videos on youtube (here's one of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDsunjVkoQ)
and in both videos it appears the person playing adds a rest in the bass clef before playing the octaves. I don't own the original recording (yet), but the samples I have heard do not include the rest.
Just wondering if there's another version recorded by Ludovico Einaudi played with the rests that anyone knows of??

Hey Triryche, I just listened to "Exit" with the sheet music in hand. The sheet music shows rests with fermatas on top on each of those measures. It sounds like the youtube pianist interpreted those fermatas very liberally. (He also put in some very long rests toward the end of the piece, longer than I would have put in myself.)

There's no other recorded version of Exit by Einaudi that I'm aware of (it's not on his La Scala album). But it *is* true that Einaudi always engages in ample rubato. Lots of times when I listen to his recordings and compare it against the sheet music, there's more rests and/or held notes that don't show up on the sheet music.

So I think it boils down to personal preference and playing it the way you think sounds best.

Thanks Monica,
Maybe I have a different printing or something.
In measures 7,9,11 there are no rests or fermatas.
Although there are rests and fermatas in measures 8,10,12....

I will just buy the mp3 of the single to hold me over 'til I get the cd.

Allow me to immortalize my mistakes by linking to these audio recordings I made last night so I could hear where I am on Nefeli (approx. two weeks of part-time practice), and Limbo, which I've been learning for all of two days.

Be gentle, since I'm only beginning to decide how I want to turn the notes of Nefeli into music, now that I know how to hit them in the right order.

Limbo...I just really like this little song.

I appreciate any constructive criticism your more experienced Einaudi ears can provide.

http://www.box.net/shared/d87gc19tj2 (Nefeli)

http://www.box.net/shared/8fiky8uyce (Limbo)

By the way, I will do an intro outside this thread, but first I feel like I need to finish reading everyone else's. Yes...I'm kind of odd.

Beautiful recordings, Swaying Tree! If you're playing "Nefeli" that well after only two weeks' practice on it, I'm not sure I'm in any position to be giving you advice.

In fact, there were only a couple of places I spotted that I might recommend playing differently:

1.) The bridge section starting on measure 69. Maybe it's just a function of the conversion to mp3, in which you're going to lose some dynamic range, but I usually try to make the contrast in volume between the first and second repetition of that melody more noticeable (it's marked pp at measure 69 and then mf at 84).

2.) On measures 68 and 163, it sounded to my ear that you're hitting that A in the right hand again, when it's a tie from the preceding measure.

3.) I think Einaudi holds the rest on measure 115 a bit longer than you do here.

But like I said... I think it took me two YEARS to get Nefeli sounding even close to being that good!

...and then when I heard your "Limbo," which was that polished after only TWO DAYS! It sounded beautiful.