Yup, it's getting close to that time again!

Have your piece selected yet? How's it coming along?

I've been working almost 2 months on two pieces. The piece I decided on for the recital has come along, but there are just those spots that I get hung up on. Since the recital looms, I think I need to spend some time just really focusing on those spots again and try to clean them up the best I can.

You?

Holy smokes!!

Seems like only yesterday I was ill prepared.

Why does this keep happening to me!!??

I'm in a state of barely restrained panic, as usual. I've got the piece I'd like to play (the Lee Galloway arrangement of Canon in D) memorized and about 80% there. The challenge is to play it at tempo without major bloopers... in the harsh glare of the Red Dot. It didn't help that I was on vacation 2 of the last 3 weeks and couldn't practice.

[take deep breath, remind self that four weeks is ample time.]

The piece I want to play for the recital is one I learned a few months ago, but I had set it aside for a while. I started looking at it again this past week and played through it at my lesson yesterday. Ughh. I need to do some serious work on this!

I missed the last recital....hopefully my Venetian Boat Song will be 'submittable' for this one... I'm also away for a couple of weeks and will be unable to practice... :-(((

I'm going to try not to wait until the last mintue to record my piece. Recording is nerve-wrcking enough!

So sorry Theodor. You will soon play again! There is future filled with fun and painfree playing awaiting you, hopefully very soon...

As for my own preparations, I am considering joining the recital this time. I am working on "The Clown" by Kabalevsky. It's huge fun to play, but I'm not sure if I will be able to have it ready on time... and I don't know how to manage to record it. (Have to search for that thread with recording advice)

The unsung heroes recital is coming up in August and my unsung hero's composition needs to receive some focused practice.

I better git'er done! Daily practice is the current prescription.

Glen

I've got a new Vinciguerra underway. I hope I'm ready in time !


(Sorry you're out of the loop this time Teodor, hang in there - you're doing the right thing, and you'll be even better once you start up again!)

Well having wandered (and I do mean "wandered") on the golf course in New Hampshire for my vacation recently and what with weddings we're committed to in August and my granddaughter's 1st birthday I've become a little rusty lately on the keyboard and will be skipping the August recital. I hope to relax and listen in though on all the music you all will be offering. Hopefully I'll be back with a vengeance in November. Success to everyone.

Andy

iffy...

Recital piece is coming along. I've been steadily practicing it quite a lot but I know getting a good recording with the red dot going may be a challenge this time. But, I've always been able to pull it off in the end so I have confidence that I can do it.

I just got done with a bit over a half an hour practice time, now I'll go pull some weeds in the garden before returning to practice some more. I guess the one fun part about this piece is it is one that I've been wanting to learn for a while and that has been keeping it fun and I think it will be heard coming from my piano for a long time to come.

My August piece is in the can - currently working on Nov. Recital piece (among others).

Those of you who would like to have one of your previous Recital pieces heard again can do so here:

The Recital Reprise thread

JF

It will be tough for me this time...hoping to get something up to par for the recital. JF - way to be on task! I'm jealous! Summer is difficult.

I'm working on first mvt of Beethoven's Sonata #8---and it's pretty rocky at the moment, and I don't mean like rock and roll either! I've "test recorded" but make enough catastrophic mistakes (the kind where I've lost the beat and have to start again) so it needs more repetition. Lots more repetition.

I'm taking a gamble on performing an "epic" musical piece this time which means your all in store for a possible epic performance. Then again, it could easily turn out to be an epic failure as well! Possibly a little of both, who knows.

This piece has been voted as both the best AND the worst song of all time! (Depending of your interpretation of the lyrics ).

In addition to the gamble on song selection, I decided to throw an additional wrench into the mix by performing the entiire piece by ear (due to the lack of sheet music available) so the outcome is certainly up in the air.

The piece??.....Macarthur Park. you've been warned!

Me and augustina are going to do a duet this time for recital. We see how it goes :P

should be fun!:)

As soon as you said this, I guessed "Macarthur Park" because of the Dave Barry book about worst pop/rock songs ever (in which Macarthur Park won first place).

But it's a great melody, so I can't wait to hear your rendition!

my oh my does this speed around!

I have not yet fully responded to the last recital inc the nice comments people had to say about my piece.

Of course I am glad has picked up and turned a complete 360 but this also means hardly any time to get other stuff done. Of course it's probably also a good idea that this site is filtered at my work now (all sites are) so my online time is limited..

Gonna have a busy weekend trying to play catch up and get everything else updated..

4wks, so that gives me at least 5 since there is a 2wk time line to get them in..

- SC

love that smilie, TTigg!

...but your math is a bit off. The website will open for submissions Aug. 1, with the deadline being 9:00 pm the night of the 14th, so you have exactly four weeks plus 1 day.

I look forward to hearing what everyone else plays. Sadly, it will not be possible for me to participate this time since I still have a finger cast. I literally haven't touched my piano in weeks. It's frustrating, but far less so than attempting to play with a "missing" finger on the left hand. MacArthur Park is actually a pretty melody - BUT the lyrics are pretty goofy IMHO. So unless you sing it too, I'll enjoy that, S-H.

I had better get my skates on then!

phooey on all of you.



Cathy

This is sad that so many people aren't sure if they're going to be able to participate this time around. But maybe we'll get some new people to join us. Teodor and Dennis, hope your injuries heal soon so you can play with us next time.

Actually Dennis, Macarthur Park is a beautiful love song which is the way the composer (Jimmy Webb) intended it to be. It's just that many people don't understand what he is refering to.

"MacArthur Park" is a real place in the westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. This is where the composer (Jimmy Webb) had a real life infatuation with a girl named Suzy Ronstadt, (Linda ronstadts cousin) years ago.

The song is basically about how much effort and hard work Jimmy had put into trying to establish a romantic realationship with Suzy but it just wasn't meant to be.

The line "Someone left the cake out in the rain......it took so long to bake it, I don't think I can take it because I'll never have that recipe again..." is actually refering to the efforts Jimmy had made trying to establish a relationship with suzy but to no avail. It also refers to someone on that day in the park who actually DID leave a beautiful cake out on a picnic table when it began to rain when they ran for cover.


Jimmy had actually seen this event take place just after being with Suzy and in a way made a kind of connection with the cake that someone had taken so much time to bake and decorate but ended up unattended, just soaking in the rain.

"The sweet green icing is melting down" is sort of a reference to all the hard work and effort he put into his relationship which was all for nothing. Kind of like watching the beautiful cake get destroyed in the rain.

There's more, but that's what the *addl comments* section is for in the recitals.

Stay tuned.

After all these years what a revelation I always thought it really was a song about a cake left to crumble in the rain, which was sad enough. Who would have guessed such a remote but personally disappointing symbolic meaning?

The only consolation was that Donna Summers later recorded it as a disco anthem (which was sort of the "new icing on the cake", so to speak).

And I think he spelled his name Webb (but we know who you mean),

Looking forward to hearing your (hopefully non-disco) version SH!

JF

Is this for some kind of online recital for members of the Piano World Forums?

Mr Linus: It is Take a look through this forums archive for the threads about each recital if you fancy listening to any of the previous submissions, some of which are fantastic!

As for my piece, for a change I've managed to get a reasonalbe recording done today, usually it's the last minute and submitted just before the deadline

There's still several mistakes in it which I'm hoping to get rid of in the next few weeks, but I'm happy enough with this recording to submit it if I can't get a better one.

Jimmy Webb. 2 B's. fixed it!

I have actually been to MacAuthur Park, so this thread stirred up some nostalgia. It was the 70's and I'd driven to LA from Sacramento in my Ford Pinto one weekend on a whim. I saw signs for Mac Park and decided to check it out. Those being younger and wilder days, I hooked up with some locals, and large quantities of wine were soon procured and partaken of. I remember the lake in the park but there were no cakes or rain that day. I remember one of the locals got very drunk and started harassing me, and I vamoosed back to my Pinto and drove up the "grapevine" -- a very dangerous mountain highway out of LA into the Central Valley -- in dense fog and in no condition to be on the road. I'm utterly amazed that I'm alive and able to tell that tale.

Anyway, I think I've done about 13 recitals in a row, but this one is a definite maybe. I was going to do Ballade Por Adeline by Toussant. It was coming along nicely until my hearing problem happened. Now I'm finding it hard to stay motivated. I've gone from practicing 3 or 4 hours a day down to maybe one. I hope I can keep my piano passion alive now that I have to play wearing ear plugs, but I don't know. This hearing thing is some major soggy cake.

Yes, and you are welcome to join us. All skill and experience levels are welcome. Here's a link to the last recital:

Recital #18

Sam

bluekeys,
Not sure if we share the same problem, but I have had a noise in my left ear for about (6) weeks now. It is sensitive to sound and I have had to play my piano with the lid closed, and even then it sounds distorted. It is very depressing.

Possible ear wax buildup? It happened to me once and I shower often...(ladies love the fresh scent!).

Doctor put very warm water in my ear with some squirt gun like thing to melt and dislodge a wax buildup.

It can happen to the best of us! haha.

My hearing afterwards (2 minute procedure) was like going from mono to stereo. Very clear stereo with good reception.

That would be me Had the same problem & procedure. Made a big difference.

But, I thought this was only a "geezer" problem & you're a relatively young dude SH - unless you've been posting someone else's photos!

JF

TMI!

I have a head full of crickets, tinnitus, from too many years of rock and roll, skeet shooting and busted eardrums from scuba diving. After a while I just kind of fit it into my playing.

When is the recital due date?

Recital opens Aug. 1; deadline for submissions is Aug. 14, 9:00 pm.

Hubby and son are leaving on a 4-day trip tomorrow. I hope to put in some solid chunks of time with the Zoom and get my recital piece recorded while they're gone.

S&W - Your problem does sound like mine, and mine is definitely not wax. I've had that a couple of times. Don't even go to the doc for it anymore. Just buy an ear syringe and some drops at the drug store. This is more like Peyton's crickets, but as well as he plays with it, I see no reason to let it limit my playing. I've discovered that putting a slab of carpet behind the Charles Walter has softened it enough to play without ear plugs. So now I only need the plugs for the grand, which is probably a good idea anyway, since it's in a small room with wood floors and VERY loud. I wouldn't be surprised if that partly damaged my ears to begin with and hammering my brick pavers just pushed them over the edge. I still have high hopes for Ballade Por Adeline by the 15th.

So when does Signore Einaudi arrive?

Just kidding - your comment reminded me of a very old joke - sort of like me.

Sam

Unfortunately for any (purely hypothetical!!) Einaudi dalliances, my daughter is still at home. But she is a bookworm, so I can easily banish her to her bedroom with a few books while I grapple with the Zoom. My son is noisy and rambunctious and not easily banished.

I doubt it is wax. It sounds like Cicadas in my head. The pitch and volume varies but it is constant. I have an appointment to visit the ear doctor next week.

I hope it's not Meniers. I had serious hearing problems for a while around ten years ago and got diagnosed with Meniers. For a while I lost all my hearing in my left ear. It turned out to not be Meniers (thankfully) but did leave me deafer and with worse tinnitus than ever. The "cicadas" you describe sounds like tinnitus which can occur with Meniers as well as with hearing loss. As mentioned, I just live with mine. It's most annoying when things quite around me.

*bump*

Six more days until the recital opens!!!

I spent two hours yesterday with the Red Dot and got an okay recording of the piece I didn't want to use for the recital and a sub-okay recording (4 skipped notes, one outright clunker of a wrong note, and no dynamics to speak of) for the piece I did want to use for the recital.

Good thing I still have a while before the deadline...

Same thing here, Monica. I recorded two pieces today, just to get myself in the spirit of things (and to see how they're going to sound at my lesson this week). The one that I started more recently and that I wasn't planning on playing for the recital sounded better than the one I've been trying to prepare. Hmmm... time for a change of plans?

And I have cicadas in the trees outside my house. They were so loud today, I think you could hear them on my recordings. I'll have to close the door next time I record. I'm just thankful it's not a hearing problem like many of you are suffering from.

I got a good enough recording today. It's not the best, but good enough.

Hopefully this will take the pressure off and I CAN get a really good one.

Kinda like fishing in a way. You never really know what your going to have at the end of the day!

Your backup choir?

Reminds me of a CD I bought while visiting the famous black and white striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of NC a couple of years ago - beautiful, original piano music set against a background of the multitude of the sounds of nature (surf, gulls, wind, etc.) pre-recorded in various National Seashore conservation areas around the country. Lovely and soothing listening experience.

There are a number of similar "nature albums" out there and they were very popular for awhile (maybe still are).

JF

Edited for spelling.

Drowned worms?

JF

Has anyone done a study on how a microphone can lower one's IQ by up to 50 points?!!

The Red Light Blues.... once again.

I think I have a couple of those.

I actually got a take of my piece last night. It sucks, but it's a step in the right direction, I guess.

I don't have a piece yet

Congratulations, moscheles!

Cathy

You like living on the edge, Cathy!!

I'm happier with my play-throughs of my piece when I'm just practicing without the Zoom. Now I just need to reproduce that while the Red Dot is on.

Yes, it's that be-brilliant-and-talented-on-cue part that's difficult.

I've decided what I'll submit - just need to find some time to try and record, AND hope I can get a decent take. A couple days ago I thought I wouldn't be able to take part in this recital...I burned my thumb and four fingers on my left hand by stupidly trying to pick up a barbeque skillet without a mitt. A lot of aloe and luckily no blisters, just some red lines on the fingers.

Ow, CMohr. I hope you're OK.

You should leave the hand-related injuries to Murray Perahia.

I've been having trouble with getting a reasonable take of my submission piece, Solfegietto by CPE Bach. But one thing I discovered today was if I play a more difficult piece or a different difficult piece first, after my warmups, then I play the submission piece better. It may have just been a fluke but hopefully it'll work when I try to record it again...

I'm in for the first time in a long time. Was hoping to do Chopin op 9#1 but not ready... so something else.

Yea!

Cathy

I've got a recording of Chopin's op 32 no 1 ready so may submit that unless I make a lot of progress with Mendelssohn's Duetto over the next two or three weeks.Probably not though, it's more difficult than it sounds.

I've not even entertained the idea of getting the camera out let along simply pressing the record button while trying to play my whole piece yet. However, it is still coming along and with some more focused practice on my rough spots I'm sure I'll have it done by the recital deadline.

Yes I'm (my fingers) are just fine, thanks Moscheles! They hurt for quite a while after my stupid stunt, but completely OK now. Now, on to record!

I'm really starting to get bummed out. I don't think I'll have the chance to record before an upcoming vacation, and I'll be rusty after the vacation with very little time to get a recording in before the deadline.

And one spot that I didn't have problems with before now is giving me big problems (I think it's a psychological problem and not a physical one).

Arrrg!

Let's be honest for a moment. Is there anyone who is not sick to death of practicing their recital piece for the millionth time?

Mines now at about 90% (for my abilities of course) and is not budging. No matter how hard I try, (which includes nearly 50 re-takes....honestly!), it's not budging.

That last 10% of polish/fine tuning is just so unbelievably difficult to achive. I swear I am not capable of submitting a piece without at least one honker of a mistake. No matter what.

My piece is hovering around 5 1/2 - 6 minutes now. Yesterday I was about 4 1/2 - 5 minutes into the piece with all the difficult stuff out of the way. Just 30 seconds left of cruise matterial to the finish and as I was playing it, I just knew it was too good to be true and BLEW IT! DAMMIT!, I hate that. I totally had a brain fart and completely forgot where I was.

Piano is going to drive me nuts!

What he said.

The only way I survive is to tell myself that one or two honkers are okay.

With my current piece, the hardest sections are on the last page. The. Very. Last. Page. This means that even if I get through the first 5 pages semi-decently, odds are I'll flub the last line or two enormously. And in this arrangement, the last couple of lines consist of big fat 4-fingered chords played very loud, so there's no way of making an unobtrusive mistake.

Mr. SH - Thought about you and your recital piece last night. Jim Webb was on David Letterman. He can really play the piano - voice is OK, but hey, he wrote some of the best songs. If you happened to miss it, he played and sang Witchita Lineman, supposedly one of the most perfect songs ever written. (Not my favorite of his, though).

Decided tonight after previous post that I would have to resort to recording on my digital in the night-time hours if I'm going to get this done. Tried tonight. Nuttin' worth keeping.

The red dot strikes again. *sigh*

Ben, I'm in the same boat. I'll be leaving on vacation before the recital deadline and it's not looking all that good for getting my piece done in time. But if not, I'll be so close it will be painful to leave it...

Undone

It's all psychological - simply change the color of your dot from red to green - then all systems will be "go"...

My Recital piece is about 3/4 mastered - the piece for the Nov. 15th Recital, that is Sorry. This is the piece I wanted to submit for the upcoming Recital, and which I've been working on for about 3 months now, but because of it's length and complexity will probably not be ready...

JF

Oh, not me! When I get to this point with a piece, I just love practicing and playing it. Maybe because I know it well enough now that I can try different things with it, yet it's still enjoyable to listen to.* And I'm always finding something new to work on with it.

*Can't say that my family is still enjoying listening to it, however! I think we passed that point about 3 weeks ago.

Now I understand why Glenn Gould so loved editing his recordings. (For entirely different reasons from mine, of course!)

One piece of masking tape placed over the light, and one piece of masking tape for each key with the note's name on it.

Glen

What generally happens to me is that once I have recorded it and done that final sigh of relief I sit down (without the recorder going of course) and play it much better. I'm sure there is some kind of law (like Murphy's law) that explains it.

I have recorded mine, an original, and now am suddenly discovering much more interesting possibilities. It's inevitable.

I just recorded a take that didn't suck! Huzzah!!

<-- Experiences enormous burst of envy.

Pianist envy no doubt!

That's awesome!

I got 6 takes tonight of the first movement that are *ok*. (no way in Hades I'm recording this sonatina all the way through in a single take!). Got the second movement in too on a good enough take. The third movement, well... maybe I'll just submit the first two movements.

I think the red-dot-nerves sorta surrendered after last night and moved on to the things they should be worrying about, like family, finances, and cataclysmic asteroid impacts.

I'm definitely tired of practicing my piece, having practiced it every day for almost 3 months.

Yesterday I made my first recording of it.

It sounded so bad I almost decided to give up and not participate in this Recital. But then I realized that quitting is not the type of character trait I want to cultivate.

I made two recordings this morning. The first one was note perfect, but sounded cold and harsh.

The piece is Cesar Cui's Prelude Op.64 No.13 in F# Major. It's a piece that Cui filled with loving thoughts and feelings.

My second recording sounded warm and gentle, but with some LOUD finger slips.

So now that I know what I want the Prelude to sound like, I'll record a few more times this week.

But those days of making 20 or more tries are long over.


Mel

I'm looking forward to hearing this. I know his name, but I don't think I've ever heard any of Cui's music.

Beautiful and difficult sounding piece.Hats off to you if you can get a good take of it.

I am starting to feel despondent. (New word from my dictionary, never needed before...) There is just no way I can get an likeable recording. You will never be tapping your little feet to my playing of The Clown. There is simply to much hand movement for me to get it smooth. First, there is a one second pause as I look at my right hand to make sure it hits the right key, and then there is another second as I look at the left hand. And just when you thought that now it will flow smoothly, there is a huge portion of student rubato when I slow down because I start thinking about the dynamics. I am not used to this much hand movement, and the whole piece is sprinkled with it.

Basia, Aug. 14 is still 2 weeks away. That's a lot of time to get your Clown sufficiently clown-like.

Failing that, reserve The Clown for the Nov. 15 recital and record a backup piece for this recital. That's what I'll be doing if I don't get a better take of my preferred piece...

What backup piece, Monica? It's annoying when I know what I want it to sound like, but don't have enough skill for the jumping around. And it really is such an easy piece. The positive thing is that at least I am having a lot of fun at the piano again. I've had a long break since I don't have the time to practice, but it is hard to stay away now.

That's why I love these recitals. They are such a great motivator to work on a piece until you're (close to) satisfied with it.

25 hours until the recital opens.... I have made no progress whatsoever in the past week on getting a better recital take. Good thing there's a two week submission window.

whew, I think I'm done now. (gotta go back and review some of these takes, eventually) Lots o' flubs, but oh well. This is as good as it gets over here.

Mines ready too. I have reached the point of diminishing returns. It's time to move on to something else.

I am happy with what I've got though and am looking forward to everyones performance in a few weeks.

Early bird gates open in less than 2 days.

Good grief! I hadn't even thought about the recital. Guess I'll submit something relatively easy this time, probably the theme from Chariots of Fire.

Ed

Ooh a recital!

What good timing, I've just started polishing my very first new piece since returning to the piano after a 10 year hiatus.

Now just need to find something to record it on before the 14th

edit: just ordered a Zoom H2! Let's hope it arrives in time

Way cool, HNB!!

Just a short word of advice: The H2 is pretty easy to work with, but there's still a bit of a learning curve in terms of managing and editing the file and working with the recital system. In other words, don't wait until 6:00 pm on the 14th to start recording.

If you do have any trouble with it, just email me the mp3 and I can upload it for you.

Well, I can't believe it's time for the August recital. I may have a new Debussy piece ready
Dot

Where is the list of all the music that has been played for the ABF Recitals. I can't find it.

I just get it from Sam S's siggy line.
ABF RECITAL INDEX

How confusing, 2 threads with the same title, I was wondering what was going off there, for a moment

Thank you for the link to the Recital Index!! After the Denver piano party at S&W's house I can't stop playing the piano...even scales!!