To all:

Thanks to all for listening to my piece, and for the comments.




ShiroKuro, the backing track was on an MP3 file; I played my Yamaha piano as the backing track played on my computer, and meanwhile I was recording it all, also on my computer, with Audacity. The tempo was fixed.

Normally I use Band In A Box for backing. You can easily control the tempo with Band In A Box.

Thanks for listening, and for your comments.

Ed

19. timmyab - Impromptu op 142 no 2 
I really enjoyed your piece, thank you for sharing it!

20. mattodono - Musette in D Major BWV Anh. 126
Great job! Very nice, I was listening to your recording while walking and it really put a spring in my step! I love Bach!   
 

22. Jazzwee - Stella by Starlight
I am jealous of all the people who're doing jazz. This was really nice to listen to!

23. LaValse - Etude Op 2
I don't remember your previous recording of this, and I'm not all that familar with Scribian, but I really enjoyed listening to you play!   

24. TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner) - When I Fall In Love
 Very nice! I like your "arranging" a lot! Is that improvised, or did youbsort of formally decide how you wanted to play it and then practiced with that in mind? 

25. ddh - Daniel - La fuente y la campana (The Fountain and the Bell)
I have never heard of this composer, thank you for sharing it with us!  

26. Serge88 - What A Wonderful World
This is such a famous song, you do a nice job of playing the melody. The only thing I would suggest is to go back and listen to yourself and think about how you might want to sing if you were in a smoky jazz bar. If you know what I mean! :P  you ply it very cleanly and consistently. Now try to make it a liitle original, maybe don't play such a consistent tempo, things like that.  
 

27. AnotherSchmoe - Eyes On Me
Very nice! Great playing! I don't play video games, but this song was very well known when I lived in Japan, and it would always show up on sheet music collections, so I own at least two different arrangements of it. I really like the arrangement you play!  

28. Teodor Tenchev - The Little Shepherd's Song
Sounds good! I know what you mean about it being hard to concentrate on notes while working on dynamics. That just means that there's another step left in our practice of that piece. After the music is all worked up, we can play with proper tempo etc, then the expressive elements should receive more attention during practice time. A lot of the time people move on to something new at this point, but i recommend that you spend a little more time developing otherwise finished pieces, because that will have an overall positive effect on your playing,          

29. HomeInMyShoes (Aaron) - op. 15, nos. 1, 4 & 8
Very nicely done! 

30. Monster M&H /Les - Misty
ooh! Great! I'm jealous of your tremolos (is that the right word??) they sound so effortless! I worked on a piece with some similar, and I could never get them to sound the way I wanted.    

31. CMohr - Gavotte I & Gavotte II ou la Musette from English Suite #3 in Gminor
I love Bach, and I love listening to Bach after some jazz! Your playing is really great!  

32. NancyM333 - Revolutionary Etude (Opus 10, No. 12)
Ooh, very nice! Great performance! You should be very proud of where you are with this piece! I wouldn't say "20%" above your level, not at all. There may still be things you'd like to improve or work on with it, but it is truly enjoyable to listen to, and that means a lot. I hope you plan to keep this in your active rep, because you clearly enjoy playing it, and I think over time it will settle into your fingers in a really fantastic way. I would to hear you play this live.    

33. Ode2Joy1 - Chopin Mazurka in D Major, Op. 33 No.2
Great job. I am actually not familiar with this Mazurka, so I can't offer any critical feedback, but o sounds great. Good luck at your teacher's recital!    

34. b528nf7 (Bill) - Someone To Watch Over Me 
Very nice! Did you sing while playing, or did you do this in two takes? The last time I recorded
a song, I did the singing in a separate take, because otherwise I couldn't get the vocals audible. But I found it close to impossible to play without singing!!    

35. PaulMac - Minuet in G 
Great job! How do you like the Fundamental Keys book?

36. mahlzeit - Recital 17 
Very nice and interesting. What's
"aether?"

37. Alleykatt - Cathy - Theme & Variations From The Moldau
Don't know this piece, but I really enjoyed your playing of it!  The music is really compelling, and you bring that out very nicely!!

Pssst, hey Monica, see, you're not the only one still commenting!!

TTigg & Shirokuro - thanks so much! I'm very happy you both enjoyed my submission.

And TTigg, thanks for the info about your sheet music, too.

epf - thanks so much for the feedback. I agree with you entirely on the tempo - I didn't even get it to the 110 that was as slow as I would like to actually waltz to. And I am going to keep working on it. I agree about the dynamics, too - I actually tried to get different dynamics, but either me or the keyboard doesn't have the right stuff, and since Rocky gets nice dynamics from the same model keyboard I suspect it's me

The legato is an interesting viewpoint. When I first started it was WAY too legato - because I have to use the pedal, I was really over-pedaling. So I worked really hard on not letting it all run together like that, and to have some sense of phrasing and breathing. Perhaps I overdid it Thanks again - this is another part I'll keep working on, and it's nice to hear it as others do.

Thanks to everyone who has commented. I really appreciate it.

Cathy

Thanks for your kind comments, ShiroKuro.

I just sort of play around with adding things to the written music as I practice. It's not really improvising in the jazz sense in that I never really leave the melody for long, but it's not formal in the sense of being written out, either. It will be slightly different every time I play the piece. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.

 38. Norah - Le Onde
I have come to love this piece thanks to PW! And one o these days I'm going to orde the score. Until then, I won't really know how challenging it is, but I can guess. Norah, you've done a great job! Very enjoyable to listen to. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion... With the latter half (unfortunately my iPhone doesn't give time markings!) work on quieting the left hand and bringing out the right a bit more. Think about the right hand's melody, maybe even play it HS a few times and think about how you would sing it if it was a song with words (or just "la daa daaa" or something. Then, try to bring that out when you play HT. I think you play it beautiully, so these are just suggestions to add to what you've already created.    
 

40. Eighty8 - In My Life
That was fun!! Thanks for sharing it with us!

41. DragonPianoPlayer - Chopin Prelude No 6 
I am finding myself more and more interested in playing Chopin these days, partly due to hearing so many beautiully renditions of his music on ABF!
 

43. Coldsalmon - Preludes Op.28 No. 15 in D-flat Major, Raindrop
This is on my list of pieces to start during spring break. I'm hoping for lots of rain to put me in the right mood!   

44. bluekeys - I Will
I am not familar with this song. Thank you for sharing it. Very nice!
 

45. Quagles - Dear You
I love this music and your playing! I  am not familar with the music or the composer. I can't wait to go home and check out the sheet music on my computer. How did you first hear the music? 
 

46. pianahman (Richard Griffin) - Arabesque
Very nice and enjoyable to listen to! 

47. Inlanding/Glen - Prelude in C Major BWV 846
Very nice! This is the only Bach I have ever played that I've kept in my repertoire. I think you play it very well, but I'm going to blaspheme and suggest that you try adding very detailed pedaling.     

48. Musictuary - Sonatina in C Major - Op. 55 No. 1
Very nice! 

49. Tenolios - Vesper from Casino Royale
I am not familair with this music, but you played it very well.
 

50. Euan Morrison - Opening (from Glassworks)
Oohh, I really like your performance of this! I have been saying I'm going to order some Glass sheet music, but stil haven't, I really need to do thy and order Einualdi!! (spelling?)  thanks for sharing this!!  

51. IPIBAHN Sandy - Consolation  Op. 19 No. 4
I  not familiar with this, but I think you've done a great job with it! What lovely chords/harmony,  you've brought that out so nicely. I especially like the beginning/intro. And if I may say, I can hear that you're playing is really developing!

52. Monica K. - Berlin Song 
Monica, another masterpeice! I've listened to your rendition of this several times, and I like it more each time! What does the score look like for the right hand? there are several parts where the melody comes to the forefront, and you bring it out so well, but I suspect it's not nearly as easy as you make it sound! I also like your dynamics a lot.  My only complaint about your playing of this piece is that it ends too soon!  Put 7 or 8 repeats in there and it would be perfect!! :) 

Thank You

Thanks to everyone who listened to and commented on Danny Boy. I really enjoyed listening to the wide variety of pieces performed for this recital. We truly have an incredible forum and sharing our music and enriching our community is an invaluable gift. Thanks again to Mahlzeit, Monica and LaValse for thier continued efforts in putting everything together. Looking forward to May....

Andy

Thank you very much for your nice praise, Shiro! The right hand of this piece consists of about two pages of big scary-looking chords, which are tough to play legato, and then a chunk of very doable single-note melody lines. It's really not that bad; I'd call it an 'average' Einaudi piece in terms of difficulty.

41. DragonPianoPlayer - Chopin Prelude No 6 This is another good example of Chopin’s variety of style. This prelude sounds quite modern to me; maybe that’s why I like it so much! You do a great job of conveying the tension in the piece.

42. eggsdeee - Alt Wien (Old Vienna) A big congratulations to you on your recital debut! You give this piece a nice quaint waltzy feel. I feel like I should be riding on a carousel.

43. Coldsalmon - Preludes Op.28 No. 15 in D-flat Major, Raindrop And congratulations to you on your AB forum recital debut, too! And with one of the all-time great pieces in the canon. Beautiful job with the dynamics.

44. bluekeys - I Will Maybe this is “lesser known” to the young folks out there, but as someone who can remember when the White Album was released, this is a much beloved song! And this is a terrific arrangement. I like the key change in it.

45. Quagles - Dear You Okay, this is one that’s going on my sheet music pile. What a pretty piece. And you can play this after only 7 months?!?

46. pianahman (Richard Griffin) - Arabesque Great job on an ambitious piece! I think you win the “longest submission” prize this time. And what makes it even more challenging is how the style of the piece changes so much.

47. Inlanding/Glen - Prelude in C Major BWV 846 Very nice! I’ve been working on the Bach-Gonoud Ave Maria arrangement of this with my daughter on flute, so I know just how hard this is to pull off.

48. Musictuary - Sonatina in C Major - Op. 55 No. 1You play this with an admirably delicate touch. Quite pleasing to the ear.

49. Tenolios - Vesper from Casino Royale Welcome to the forum, Tenolios, and to the AB forum recital! And you’ve only been playing 6 months? Quite impressive!

50. Euan Morrison - Opening (from Glassworks) This is one of my top 2 or 3 candidates for “Best in Show.” The piece is indeed mesmerizing. You inspired me to order the sheet music for it, and I’ve been slogging my way through that 3-against-2 now for some weeks. Let’s just say you make it sound WAAAAY easier than it really is.

ShiroKuro, thanks for the kind words
I like Fundamental Keys a lot. The pieces are well thought out and guide you along the right path. If your an absolute beginner it would be ideal. if you know how to read music then the first part will be of no use. But I like the choice of music here.

I apologize for just posting my comments but better late than never! Here goes...

01. LisztAddict - Nocturne Op 9 No 1 Very well played. Sounded very professional.

02. AnthonyB - Nefeli Very well played. The sudden pause in the song was quite effective. When I first listened, I almost thought that something went wrong with my computer! Nice tune.

03. Ken. - Minuet fait par Monsieur Bohm Nicely played. It took me a while to recognize this piece. Then I remembered that I studied it a few years ago with my current music teacher. Thanks for allowing me to be reacquainted with this piece.

04. z32/Ben - Dream Very beautiful tune and very nicely played. I liked the additional sound effects as they really contributed to the piece's aura. When I first heard the song I thought it sounded very familiar and then I remembered where I had heard the tune or at least parts of it. Parts of the song are very similar to the bridge in Madonna's hit tune "Borderline." Nevertheless your playing definitely captured the beauty in this song.

05. BenPiano - Adagio in B minor KV 540 I thought you did a very good job with this piece. Despite your misgivings, I felt that you did capture the overall essence of the piece. It does sound like a piece that I would like to learn within the next year or two. Thanks for bringing this piece to our attention.

06. dannylux / Mel - Intermezzo Op.29 No.4 Very well played. I enjoyed listening to the piece. Keep up the good work with your improvising!

07. ten left thumbs - Slow Blues in G Very good effort. I enjoyed listening to your playing.

08. Peyton - Thoughts of Anne I liked your composition. Very nice and haunting melody. Your playing certainly reflected the mood of the song.

09. Manndrew - Danny Boy Very well played. There were some interesting chordal arrangements as you indicated but these arrangements certainly added a unique flavor to this well known tune. Your playing certainly brought out the unique playing style of this tune.

10. joangolfing - Prelude No. 4 in F Major I'm not familiar with this song but I thought you played it well.

11. John Frank - Ashokan Farewell Very nice introduction. I thought it had a nice melody and you played it well. Very good job playing it from memory!

12. TrueBeginner - Until Dawn Very lovely composition and very well played. I enjoyed listening to it! Changing from minor to major certainly added to the piece. Looking forward to hearing more compositions from you!

Continuing...

13. Riddler (Ed) - On Green Dolphin Street Very well played. I liked your backing accompaniment.

14. Strings & Wood/CarlMc - Prelude in E minor OP. 28 No. 4 Very well played. An enjoyable listen.

15. ladypayne - Canon in D Very good attempt!

16. Schubertian - Variations Hob. III/77 Very well played. I liked the different variations on the piece’s theme.

17. Mr Super Hunky - Waterfalls I enjoyed listening to this piece. Very nice and simple melody. Very good composition!

18. tdvance (Todd Vance) - Sonatina, Op. 13, No. 1, 1st mvt. Very well played especially after one year. Hopefully we’ll get to hear you play all the movements in the piece!

19. timmyab - Impromptu op 142 no 2 Very well played. Very beautiful melody. Sounded very professional!

20. mattodono - Musette in D Major BWV Anh. 126 Very well played. Very good job playing the piece at the tempo. You kept up the tempo from start to finish!

21. mcasl - Erster Verlust, from the 'Album for the young' by Schumann, Op. 68, 16 Very simple and beautiful melody that was brought out in your playing. You played it well.

22. Jazzwee - Stella by Starlight Enjoyed your improvisation. It sounded very professional. Very well played.

23. LaValse - Etude Op 2 Very well played. Very enjoyable listen!

24. TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner) - When I Fall In Love Very well played. I liked the ending!

25. ddh - Daniel - La fuente y la campana (The Fountain and the Bell) You did a good job bringing out the melody. Well played.

26. Serge88 - What A Wonderful World Nicely played! Your changes certainly added an extra touch to your playing!

27. AnotherSchmoe - Eyes On Me Beautiful song that was brought out very well in your playing.

28. Teodor Tenchev - The Little Shepherd's Song Very good playing after three months! Keep up the good work!

29. HomeInMyShoes (Aaron) - op. 15, nos. 1, 4 & 8 Very well played! Good use of dynamics.

30. Monster M&H /Les - Misty Nicely played! Enjoyed listening to your Steinway!

31. CMohr - Gavotte I & Gavotte II ou la Musette from English Suite #3 in Gminor Great job overall. The piece sounded somewhat difficult with all the trills but you handled them very well most of the time! Your tempo was quite good. You kept up even when you flubbed a bit which is very good.

32. NancyM333 - Revolutionary Etude (Opus 10, No. 12) Very good attempt at this advanced piece. I am nowhere at the level to play this piece so I salute you for learning this piece.

33. Ode2Joy1 - Chopin Mazurka in D Major, Op. 33 No.2 Very well played!

34. b528nf7 (Bill) - Someone To Watch Over Me Very nice rendition both playing and singing!

35. PaulMac - Minuet in G Very good playing! You kept a steady tempo throughout. I thought you played the second section a little slower than the first but overall it was a very good rendition of this piece. Keep up the good work!


36. mahlzeit - Recital 17 Very nice playing that was brought out by the sounds of your digital piano and software. Great job!

37. Alleykatt - Cathy - Theme & Variations From The Moldau Very nicely played! It has a very modern feel to it even though it probably was composed many years ago.

38. Norah - Le Onde Very well played!

39. Mark... - Prelude in A Major Op. 28, No. 7 Good job with the piece especially with the arpeggio in the ending. Hopefully it meets Chopin’s approval! You may want to focus on playing it a little faster and more evenly.

40. Eighty8 - In My Life Very well played!

41. DragonPianoPlayer - Chopin Prelude No 6 Well played. This piece is more difficult than it appears but I think you did a good job playing it. I thought your ending was very good. I think that the right hand needs to be softer though. This was the first Chopin piece that I studied and I am yet to master it. I cannot get the right hand soft enough. You are off to a very good start!

42. eggsdeee - Alt Wien (Old Vienna) Very nicely played! Pretty melody.

43. Coldsalmon - Preludes Op.28 No. 15 in D-flat Major, Raindrop Very well played. Good use of dynamics.

44. bluekeys - I Will Very well played. Not familiar with this song. Thanks for sharing.

45. Quagles - Dear You Very good playing after seven months. Thanks for sharing this song.

46. pianahman (Richard Griffin) - Arabesque Enjoyed listening to this piece. Very well played. You varied the playing quite a bit and it sounded as if there was some improvisation on your part which I think was quite good and I’m sure Robert and Clara Schumann would not have minded!

47. Inlanding/Glen - Prelude in C Major BWV 846 Very well played! I liked the way you ended the piece.

48. Musictuary - Sonatina in C Major - Op. 55 No. 1 This is the first sonatina in Op. 55. It consists of two parts. The first part is Allegro and the second part is Vivace. Although I’m mostly satisfied with this submission, I think that I could have done better with the dynamics. Thanks to all who have listened and have commented!

49. Tenolios - Vesper from Casino Royale Very well played. Not familiar with this song. Thanks for sharing.

50. Euan Morrison - Opening (from Glassworks) Very well played!

Finally...

51. IPIBAHN Sandy - Consolation Op. 19 No. 4 An enjoyable listen and very well played. I like the tempo at which you played it even though you said it was to be played at a quicker tempo.

52. Monica K. - Berlin Song Very nice song and very well played. Doesn’t sound like the typical Einaudi song at least the ones that I have heard played on the forums but nevertheless I enjoyed listening to your piece.

53. jotur - Bethena Great job! I enjoyed listening to your piece.

54. MaryBee - Sonata Facile in C, K.545, Mvt.1 Very well played. Now to play it at an even faster tempo!

55. epf - Swipsey Nice piece with a catchy tune which you played well. I’m not familiar with this tune so thanks for sharing.

56. grotrianer - Ständchen Very well played!

57. Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik - Lute Prelude in c minor (BWV 999) Wow! Very well played and at a really fast tempo. You didn’t seem to miss a beat. Great job!

58. TTigg / Steve C - Life & Death Very well played especially after one and a half years. Great job!

59. Bunneh - Valse a minor, op. posth. Very good playing of this piece especially after 18 months. For the most part you kept a steady tempo except during the section where you had the first repeat. That’s a difficult section but I think you handled it well. I studied this piece a while back but I’m yet to master it. Great job!

60. Always Wanted to Play Piano - Sonatina Op.36 No.1 in C major - Movements 2 and 3 Very well played!

61. Mar_red - Kasztany (Chestnuts) & Suicide Is Painless (Medley) Great job with the LH improvisation. I would have played Suicide is Painless a little slower and softer as the melody and the title suggests sadness and despair to me.

62. Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White - E lucevan le stelle You sight read very well as your playing was very good. You can only get better at sight-reading with practice.

63. ShiroKuro - Summer Very well played! Very nice tune with variations within the song’s theme.

64. BB Player - Comptine d'autre ete You made a great return with your playing. Very well done!

65. Copper - When I Fall in Love Nicely played! I liked the extra sound effects towards the end of the song.

66. Augustina - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Nice sound effects with your playing. Well done!

67. EJR (Elwyn) - Solfeggietto Good playing!

68. Sam Smith - Bach Invention #1 Very well played. You kept the tempo even throughout your playing.

69. wj3 - Irish Medley, Wild Irish Rose, When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Londonderry Air Very nice songs and good playing. I had trouble hearing the piece at times maybe because the recording device was too close to the piano.


I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to all the submissions in this recital. Many thanks to everyone who made this recital possible. I eagerly await Recital #18 in almost two months time!

Thanks for the nice comments, Musictuary!

And thanks too, for reminding us that the next recital is only about two months from now.

Last batch:


51. IPIBAHN Sandy - Consolation Op. 19 No. 4 Beautiful job on the Mendohlsson, Sandy. I didn’t hear any rough patches at all, and I think it sounds great at this tempo, actually.

52. Monica K. - Berlin Song The pedal has an "up" position for a reason. Use it.

53. jotur - Bethena This is one of my favorite Joplin pieces. And this was nothing at all like the train wreck all your dire warnings on the recital chatter thread foretold. I thought you did a fantastic job on it, especially in communicating the strong waltz feel.

54. MaryBee - Sonata Facile in C, K.545, Mvt.1 Very nice! You do indeed bring a lot of “joyous energy” to the piece.

55. epf - Swipsey I wasn’t familiar with this piece by Joplin. It’s enjoyably jaunty, and if there are lot of ‘slips, hesitations, and flat-out mistakes,’ in your recording, I sure didn’t hear them.

56. grotrianer - Ständchen Very impressive playing! You communicate well the wistful tone of unrequited love.

57. Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik - Lute Prelude in c minor (BWV 999) I wouldn’t call ANY Bach easy, especially at this tempo. I think your comment about Bach requiring total precision is right on target, and this sounds quite precise to me.

58. TTigg / Steve C - Life & Death This is a terrific example of how a piece of music doesn’t have to be complicated or busy to be beautiful. And I *love* what you did with the video. When you said “blended” I thought you meant just editing the sound onto video clips. What you did with superimposing the two video tracks is even more impressive.

59. Bunneh - Valse a minor, op. posth. What a great delicate touch you have in this piece. I wish I had some constructive comments to give you, but all I can say it that it sounded great.

60. Always Wanted to Play Piano - Sonatina Op.36 No.1 in C major - Movements 2 and 3 You have good reason to be happy with these movements; your playing sounds smooth and flowing.

61. Mar_red - Kasztany (Chestnuts) & Suicide Is Painless (Medley) The two arrangements of these songs work well in a medley–surprisingly upbeat despite the name.

62. Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White - E lucevan le stelle One of these days I hope my thoroughly polished pieces are half as good as your sight-reading pieces.

63. ShiroKuro - Summer You’ve made me a Joe Hisaishi fan, Shiro. And I’m very glad you were persuaded to submit this for the recital. It’s a gorgeous piece.

64. BB Player - Comptine d'autre ete We can’t have a recital without a Tiersen piece. You do a great job of playing this at the intended tempo while still managing to keep the arpeggios nice and even.

65. Copper - When I Fall in Love What a pretty melody. As always, I’m impressed by your fake-book playing abilities.

66. Augustina - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Congratulations on your recital debut! I like the setting you used on your keyboard; it gave the piece a bit of a Tomita feel.

67. EJR (Elwyn) - Solfeggietto You make Bach sound easy to play. Man that’s a lot of notes played very fast!

68. Sam Smith - Bach Invention #1You make Bach sound easy, too! I’m impressed that you figured out some of the ornamentations by ear.

69. wj3 - Irish Medley, Wild Irish Rose, When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Londonderry Air What a great way to end the recital, with a special St. Patrick’s day medley! It made me wish I had a glass of green beer in my hand. Or two.

Once again, congratulations to each and every one of you who submitted a piece to the recital! I've really enjoyed listening to all these pieces. I also want to say a big "thank you" to everyone who commented on my piece.

Thanks, Monica. I still laugh out loud every time I get to the pause. It always surprises me. I've played it some since and some of the transitions are still a little iffy, but it's getting more familiar. When we've gotten past St. Patrick's and have a couple of weeks off I'll probably put some more work into it. But it'll be less stressful than having a recital deadline

Cathy

Thanks


Thanks Monica!
Yeah I can't take credit for the idea, a chap called Caliokat has hundreds of videos like it. He plays mainly TV & Film stuff which is course, right up my alley. I spent way too long trying to sync up the music to the "critical" parts of the video, was chuffed how it came out.

I'm ensuring I get cracking on the next 2 recital pieces now so I don't fall behind !
- SC