ENOUGH sheet music? Whatever could that mean Cas? Driving home from dog training class last night I shared that I was looking for UPS. "What are you expecting" he asks. "Guess" I say. "Must be a book". "Yes new piano books". I ordered two lower grade books from the Celebration series for sight reading and a copy of the theory exam practice samples. Now I have to decode the exam process. It's the RCM exam and I'm hoping to take Level 5. I know some of you have done the exams. RCM or ABRSM? Is the theory exam all written or do I play for them too. Hmmmmmmmm

Spending 6 or 7 spells per day (15-20 minutes each) at the piano over the last 7 days. It's done wonders. I won't have the opportunity again (after Friday) until second week of September, and I'm almost resenting going on holiday now. However, my neighbours will be pleased.

A long, long, long time ago (25 years I guess) I took ABRSM theory grade 5 and it was purely a written exam.

I searched for a song called Dark Eyes Boogie from Gerald Martin. I found the song in the book The Joy of Boogie and Blues. Luckily my library has that book. But it'll be a heck of a search, because the library assorted the piano books no better than 'there with the other piano books'.

So after a long search ... I found that book! Though I always know that songs I find this way, will be WAAAY to difficult for me to play. So I was amazed that the book title said: for easy to intermediate grade. Hah!! That doubled my excitement.

Here is the song. It looks difficult to me though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArYsK_mYI9k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chris

Chris, if you like the song, you will master it. It’s a nice song.


This week I have got to play the Fantasy of Telemann at 130 bpm. It’s still a slow tempo, but it’s enough for me.

Now, I’m going to learn other piece. I doubt between Handel’s Impertinence and some Little Prelude by Bach. It's very exciting to choose a new piece to learning.

Good job finishing your piece, Recaredo. 130bpm is still quite fast. Getting a new piece gets me all giddy.

Thanks Aimee for your kind answer!

Recaredo: Will we get to hear you play that piece? Seems like you've been working very hard on it!

Recaredo
Some of us would be thrilled to get to 130bpm on anything with more than quarter notes. Nothing wrong with that

Lain, thanks for asking!


My playing is still too immature, the rhythm is not firm and I am not able to give a clear version of the piece. I really enjoy playing the Fantasy, but listening to my recording, I know that the result is not very good.


I’d like to participate on ABF recital, but I prefer waiting to get a little better playing.

Cheers!

WiseBuff, thanks for your kind comment.

The music score of the Fantasy only contains minims, crotchets and quavers. If the score contained semiquavers, I wouldn’t be able to play it.

But the problem is maintaining firmly the rhythm. For me it’s really difficult playing at that tempo.

AotW ... finally booked my piano's first (free) tuning ... it's kind of "late" given I got my piano in March but it has stayed remarkably in tune.

Anyway, I'm sure it will glow after Tuesday for a few days

Practiceopedia! Most inspiring book I've read in a long time.

I ordered Practiceopedia earlier this week. I hope to get it early next week. I've love to have a better focus during my practices. (Thanks to whoever mentioned it.)

Went to church early this morning to pick up something out of the kitchen. I sat down and played this old piano that no one has touched in years. I was excited to find out I've been able to memorize a good portion of some of my pieces without realizing it. It was fun to sit and play, then walk away.

I think I've chosen to play "What Child is this" for the Christmas recital. My teacher's husband is going to accompany me on his violin. She says it'll be beautiful. I'll just take her word at that. I think all the Christmas stuff she's had me try was so simplistic and basically empty sounding. I told her I wouldn't play any other Christmas music and I'll work on O Come O Come by Nevue on my own.

Progress is great, and I'm loving every minute playing.

Recaredo, don't be discouraged about playing in the ABF. I played last year and everyone was very encouraging and helpful. I played a basic piece because that's all I could play. Go for it!

I had a tuning scheduled for last week. (It had been over 6 months since the last tuning.). So my tuner came to the house, and after playing through all the notes a few times, he asked me, "How does it sound to you?" "Well, I don't know," I replied. "I'm not good at telling when it's in or out of tune." And then he kindly told me that I should work on that skill, because from what he could hear, it was still perfectly in tune! How embarrassing.

Enjoy your freshly-tuned piano! ...while I enjoy my long-ago-tuned one.

I just got this book a week or so ago. It has lots of good information and tips in it, and it's easy and fun to read. It's funny that many of the recommendations in the book are things that my teacher has already told me to do during my practices. But it's nice to have them all in one place as a reference.

How lucky you are to have the chance to play a duet! It sounds like it will be a beautiful choice. I love the violin. I wish I could play a piano/violin duet with someone.

Thanks GracieCat. I know you all are so supportive.

I was able to record my piece for my second recital here! Not note perfect like I'd like, but it's the best I could do. I'm really tired of playing it. Time to move on.

I practiced 4 hours today - wow, it's an accomplishment for me.

Nothing like notificaiton of next trip... Yes, I have to go to Utah again. Don't take me wrong. I like Utah - It's a beautiful state. It's just I am sad that I cannot practice on my own piano. But I love my job and I am the bread winner in my household. So I won't complain. It's nice to have a job I like to do and pay enough to sustain my husband (unemployed again, poor guy), my two dogs and most importantly, my expensive hobby piano. Besides I now have a place to practice in Utah (thank you Rivertone).

My AotW - I think my Rach Op23 #5 is finally coming. It's the most technically demanding piece i have ever played. The challenge of bringing the melody out which moves around quite a bit, sometimes it's in the middle of the chord.. the piece also tests the limit of my strecheability (i made up the word -a bility to strech oen's finters) and finger tuckability (again my word - ability to tuck the thumb under the pinky). I had a hard time to play with my left hand D with my thumb (finger 1) and F# with pinky. Try that. It should be legato. So you can only release the thumb right before you press F#. If you can do it easily, you have an excellent tuckability. I don't have that gift. I changed the fingering 1 4 (play D with thumb and F# with the fourth finger). It's still hard but manageable. I am fianlly able to play them in consistant Legato. My teacher's hands are a little smaller than mine but she has this amazing tuckability. She can do this 1-5 fingering easily with incredible control (soft legato all the way to bring up the melody and she can emphasize the note if the note is a part of the melody).

I don't think this will be ready by the ABF recital. I have worked on the 2nd movement of Beethoven Sonata Pathetique but I did not have a chance to share it with my teacher at all. I did it all by myself. I listened to many recording and amazed that there are so many different interpretations. I have lots of questions to my teacher.
So, maybe next time:)

I've hardly been on line - I am in Canada now and visiting with family so my Piano World actiivties have been greatly reduced. I am really happy to catch up on what is going on though, ... this and the Recital thread and MOYD are the only ones I am checking!!!!

Recaredo / it would be great it you participated in the recital. Gracie Cat I will look forward to hearing your submission . I see Andy got in first on the program and MaryBee just submitted too .... the AOTWers are making a good showing!

Congrats to all on the new books and progress!

cheers,
C

Kind of week AotW (I did already post one but that wasn't much of an achievement either so I'm hoping two halves make a whole).

The usual guy who turns pages for the music director at church during the anthems wasn't there so he asked me to do the honors. I've done it once before, a few years back, and - to be honest I really couldn't keep up with where he was.

But today, no problems whatever - looking right where he was playing, got setup at the right points, etc.. So, even if I couldn't play the anthems, at least I can now follow along with them well!!!

Eglantine, welcome in this topic. I dont know what spells are on the piano? Do you mean etudes? Anyway, have a nice vacation. Yes, I'm sure your neighbours are also pleased about it.

Recaredo, thanks for your answer. Your speed of Teleman is amazing. I think 130 bpm is very fast. You have done a great job!

Andy, I hope your piano will be perfectly in tune. Your first tune is a little late, but now you have chance to let your tunings in sync with the seasons.

SannM, Graciecat, MaryBee, I hear a lot of good reviews of Practomania. Now I want to read it too. I think I will buy it next time. I ordered The Art Of Piano Playing from Heinrich Neuhaus, but it was out of stock already.

Marybee, lovely to hear that your piano is tune after an half year. What a great piano you have!

Farmgirl, I like your word tuckability! I had to read a few times before I had the picture of your pinky-thumb problem and then I thought: ok, thats really hard....

CasinCanada, have a nice vacation!!!

Chris

Wow. This fell off the first page. Is no one achieving anything?

Well, my piano sounds super great after it's tuning

Well, I'm off on vaca for 10 days cruising Alaska and a little exploring in Denali park. Taking music and a kindle with lots of piano score pdf's, but don't know if I will get any playing time except in my head.

AOTW is actually taking a week+ vacation, which I have not done for nearly a decade. My teacher made nice noises about my progress on the Beethoven, which is in both hands now but still sloooooow. I will miss two lessons due to vaca, so I'm thinking I might actually backtrack on it before I see her again. She also assigned Bach's Prelude in C from WTC (BWV 846). I'll have the score with me but won't start it on a piano until I return.

I'll have a laptop and smartphone aboard, so if there a connection to the ether at a reasonable price I will surely check in here.

Have fun Jim. Sounds like a great vacation!

I've been taking lessons for about 6 weeks and it has been so exciting not only to learn piano, but also just to have somebody to talk with about music and music theory. My main goal is to become a good sight reader, but I also enjoy memorizing pieces that strike me as being particularly beautiful... which leads me to the purpose of this post: I finished learning the notes of Chopin's Eb Nocturne, op. 9 no. 2 this week! I understand now that it's a very popular (maybe even overplayed?) piece, but believe it or not I had never heard it until a few weeks ago when I had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV on and was awakened by this heavenly music playing during the opening credits of a movie called Bad Santa. I knew I HAD to be able to play it one day and now I can, but there is much work to be done. Let the polishing begin!

Aah, what a nice story MichaelF321. Indeed, sometimes it is so beautiful and almost heavenly to be awakened by classical music. I fell in love with classical music by that way. I didn't hear about chopin op 9 no 2 either, until now. Thank you, it's a beautiful song.

JimF, enjoy your vacation in Alaska! I like it too if my teacher makes nice noises. And she likes mine also. If I play my homework for her and afterwards I mumble 'hm...', she knows I'm totally dissatisfied with the result. It makes her laugh.

Chris

I sometimes think that an overplayed piece should be somehow avoided, and perhaps there's a point if it is to be presented before an audience, but why should our hearts not leap with joy when presented with, as you said, "heavenly music"? Enjoy.

I finally have one: I'm able to keep my index finger down on my right hand while doing Hanon exercise #50. Now if I could make it less muddy...