Glad to see you're keeping busy. I also wonder what's happened to PianoAlex, we've overtaken him now (videos that is). Yeah moving here was great and it's fun but I do sometimes (often) very much miss part of England.

I could think of nothing better to do (for example) on Sunday then spend some time with family & friends at the local carvery eating a big Sunday type lunch. then just chill on the lawn (grass) of the establishment until it was time to head back to the village

SC

I have been really impressed with some of the pieces here from Book Three. I really underestimated the Alfred Books after buying Book 1. However, since its my birthday on Wednesday I asked my wonderful wife to buy me Books Two and Three. Can't wait to get into 'A Classy Rag' and 'Shenandoah'.

There is a lot of good stuff in the back part of #2 and some great stuff in #3. #1 was more of just an introduction, basics and some good ground level theory etc.. Glad you're enjoying them mate

Welcome. I think the first few pieces aren't so great, but they're kind of easy as well. Fandango is nice. But, starting with Haydn's Serenade, things are really taken up a notch in both piece qaulity and challenge. Be sure to post your thoughts and progress here, as well as recordings if you wish

I’m back. It sounds like “up north” has been the vacation spot of choice. I wasn’t in Maine, but Vermont is close enough.

Waltz – Great job on “A Classy Rag”!

Undone

Undone - welcome back! How did you like Vermont? My wife & I toured there a couple of years ago and really liked it a lot.

What are you currently working on?

I just finished "Blue Rondo" (a somewhat interesting piece) and just started "Shenandoah" (the beautiful, old folk tune).

I've just decided that I'm not going to work my way thru Book 3 piece by piece (as I did with 1 & 2) - instead I'm only going to do the more interesting & challenging pieces (including several in the "Ambitious Section") - this is primarily because I'm working in several other sources and the pieces in these are for the most part more musically demanding and satisfying - this was my ultimate goal anyway, but I'll just be moving there sooner than planned - the "extra" stuff I'm working on includes Classical, New Age and standards from the Great American Songbook, and it's incresingly pulling me in that direction (not to mention requiring more practice time).

But I'll still be here for some time to come - so fear not (unless that's what you were afraid of ).

JF

Thanks Undone . Glad you had a nice vacation. I bet Vermont is beautiful this time of year.

Vermont was exactly what we were looking for in the way of a vacation spot just now: peaceful, quite, and serene. The foliage was changing but about a week or two away from peak.

Now that I’m back, I’m close to finishing up with Bach’s Prelude in C Major (still need to make copies of the music so I can avoid the page turn), and “Swan Lake”. Two great pieces.

JF - It seems a lot of people are slowly (or not so slowly) drawn to other sources once they hit book three, and it’s certainly true that “there’s just so much practice time in the day”. I wish you well on your move to “all Nevue all the time”.

Undone

My next Nevue piece will be my first Nevue piece! I actually enjoy far too many types of music (and composers) to ever be bogged-down with any "all fill-in-the-blank all the time" schedule of pieces (Nevue or otherwise)

Glad to hear you like "Swan Lake" too - one of my favorites in Book 3 so far. I looked ahead in 3 and tentatively could see maybe 6 or 7 more pieces in the regular section I might want to work on yet - and maybe 2 or 3 in the Ambitious Section.

JF

I finally gave myself the pass on Prelude in D Minor today. I liked the piece very much, being classical and somewhat dark, but I also had certain frustrations with it:

You are doing very similar motions with both the LH and the RH throughout the entire piece but playing different chords with slightly different intervals. This makes it very difficult to have proper "muscle memory", at least for me. The score is difficult in giving the player "quick reminders", because it looks nearly the same throughout (albeit with different chords etc.). Well, then, our old pal sight reading may have use! But, the piece circumvents that by having the RH playing many of the chords deep in the lower ledger lines, with which I am unfamiliar.

I feel the piece wasn't that difficult but for these reasons it took quit a while for me to really "pass" it and it added quite a bit of frustration.

Great job, now where's the vid?
SC

Yea, about that ...

Undone, congrats on finishing Bach's Prelude! That piece, according to
the ABF graded pieces list, and some sources online is rated as a very, very challenging piece to play. Unless I am horribly mistaken, these sources are indicating it to be nearly as difficult as some of Chopin's etudes. Unless I am misreading this? The piece does look challening, but I'm sort of suprised it is listed among the most difficult, so I am thinking I am not understanding something with the listing/ratings. This may seem tedious, but I am curious.

Waltz, thanks for the congrats, but me thinks you may be looking at something else. This is Bach’s Prelude in C from “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (BWV 846) and is only listed as a “Grade 2” piece in the “Graded Pieces” list that I have. I’d say it’s a little more difficult then “Prelude in D Minor”. Still, it’s a wonderful piece and I enjoy playing it.

Undone

Good to hear from you buddy It seems that many of us "#3'rs" are spinning off in different directions, I think its great! I've finished up Star Spangled Banner (love the oh say does our flag part) and am now moving onto Prelude in C Major

I will eventually (soon'sh) get cracking on my Great Great Grandfathers stuff. Been very busy with the "side project" which is going to launch next weekend! After that hopefully things will settle down a little and I can focus on some good practice and "brush up" of my repertoire.

I can see that this one's going to a 2wk'r for sure, maybe 3. Although the patterns are very repetitive so that may help me (memory wise)


SC

Undone,

Got it now! I was looking at some other Bach Prelude in C, not the WTC suffix one. Hmm, I think it should be listed as more difficult than a 2! Maybe a 3. It looks much more difficult than the Bach pieces from Anna's Notebook...

TTigg,

Glad to hear an update from you. I am not motivated to learn the Star Spangled Banner, it sort of reminds me of Pomp and Circumstance from Book 2. I hope the Prelude works out for you, I'm sure it will. The "side project" sounds mysterious... Will it be on youtube ?

Nope but I will have a website up very soon Baby steps since there is so much work to do (inventory wise)
- SC

I've always wondered how to actually build a website from the ground up; I've heard it's not easy. What type of website will it be? Is it piano related?

Well we're using the basic "template" from GoDaddy (for now). Not Piano related but I will have (and currently a few) Piano related products
SC

TTigg – Good to hear from you as well. I’m glad you enjoyed Star Spangled Banner. It took some doing for me to get into this piece but once I did I enjoyed playing it too.

Waltz – if you weren’t working with a teacher I’d say you should “take your medicine” i.e. go ahead and give Star Spangled Banner a try. It employs some techniques that are worth learning.

PS: TTigg – I look forward to seeing / hearing more on your Great Great Grand-composer’s stuff.

Undone

Well here it is, my “time to move on recording” of Prelude in C Major. This one's definitely a keeper.

Prelude in C Major

Undone

Played like a true pianist! Now that's what I call music!

Man indeed, me too! I've got so much to do and so little time. Thus far I've managed to uncover some 200 recordings, not all the sheets for them. Seems he was quite popular in his day!

SC

Totally agreed. Although I'm sitting on the fence as to how the piece sounds towards the middle & end. As the music that is, not your playing LOVE the beginning! and you've played it so bloody well, good job!
SC

My performance of Clementi's Prelude in D Minor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do8BOOG87hs

Not perfect, probably could have had a faster tempo. Took a while to record because I would make random errors over and over after I had played half the piece.

Nice work (as always) Waltz!

Thanks!

nicely done! I just started page one of this this past week

Great job on Cementi's Prelude in D Minor there Waltz. I love the mood of this piece.

Undone

Undone - excellent rendition of the Bach Prelude - very well done! - nice continuing emphasise of the RH with subdued (but always present and heard) LH - yes, a real keeper (and maybe a good ABF Recital piece?) - I wasn't planning on trying this one out (since Bach's stuff generally doesn't have enough melody to keep me happy), but having heard your lovely version I'm now seriously reconsidering.

JF