I never open the bar but I just finished this song and want to put it out there. I actually wrote it years ago as a kind of anti war tune but never recorded it. It always seemed kind of long and pondorous but there has also been parts about it that I really like as well. Anyway... It's called "The Color of His Eyes". The lyrics are up on the youtube if anyone is interested.

Wow, Peyton, what a beautiful song! I'll have to listen again though, & pay attention to the piano - first time through, I was listening to the lyrics. "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" - great metaphor!

Peyton~~

What a fabulous ballad! The lyrics are poignant, your voice fits the tone and mood of the piece so very well, the accompaniment is excellent, the solo, all fit together beautifully. Man, you got it going!

A fantastic opening to the June Piano Bar, Peyton.

Thank you for your music

Glen

Great opening to June's Piano Bar, Peyton!

Clocking in at just 12 measures, this one is short, but very sweet; Scriabin Prelude in E Flat Minor, Op. 16 No. 4

A PW member submitted this for the ABF online recital this month. I loved it and started working on it immediately. I don't have a teacher, and didn't know what "sotto voce" was until I looked it up. It's hard on my upright and I just did the best I could. There are some hesitations too, but making those jumps to a 4 key chord isn't easy for me!

On a side note, I'm surprised the screaming kids in the backyard didn't make it on the audio. With the noise and the interruptions for potty breaks and requests for popsicles, it was a little distracting, but I was just happy to have the brief chance to record this short work!

In recognition of contributing towards the required monthly quota of Einaudi ....
This is a piece called Ascolta from the Divenire album.

Many Thanks Jououssong, Ben and Inlanding. Yes that line "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" is one of my favorites in the song too. That's probably why I sing it so many times...

June 1st and already 3 great submissions.

Peyton - really liked your song , great performance of a powerful and touching song.

BenPiano - I understand why you took to this piece , lovely chords, enjoyed it very much.

cgyan - Ascolta - Expertly played and beautifully produced.

Serious red dot problems while recording this, took 5 attempts to get this recorded though a couple of those were but a few bars long before I crashed and burned. Attempt 3 was more or less perfect(for me anyway) until the last 8 bars where I just inexplicably went blank and just stopped lol.

My take on Over The Rainbow:

Ben ~ Scriabin is quite an undertaking! I still have one of his preludes that stares me in the face and dares me to attempt it! Very nicely done. Your repertoire is growing by leaps and bounds!

Iain ~ I liked the special effects you used on Asolta - it helps set the mood for this very serious sounding, ethereal sounding piece of music. Your playing is very smooth. I've listened to it several times.

Jazzpt ~ well, what can one say about a superbly played rendition of such a popular piece of music. Too bad you decided to bail towards the last several measures. However...your playing is excellent!

I decided to try and make up my own arrangement on a song;)
So I thought I would try and make my own little version of Appalachian springs/simple gifts

Some of it I took from my Lord of the Dance piece, then added a few things of my own. It's not quit finished yet. Here's what I have so far:)

http://www.box.net/shared/hry69fklid

Wow Ben, that's pretty darned good considering you just picked it up this month. Looks like you already have it memorized? Will you keep working it?

cgyan..... how did you do that??? Are those effects in the keyboard? You made the whole thing sound so effortless. Really spacey, dreamy and cool. enjoyed the vid as well. Almost seemed in slow motion.

Iain - I love your productions. Very enjoyable, thanks.

Peyton, wow. That is a Powerful song. Very nice.

BenPiano, I've always loved this prelude. You play it beautifully with expressiveness.

Iain, I haven't heard this one before. Your performance is beautiful. I like the way you approached this.

jazztpt, however many takes this is beautiful. A very inspiring performance.

Augustina, that's a favorite hymn of mine. I enjoyed your version.

Wow Ben, very nice! I like it! Solemn yet beautiful at the same time and dramatic with the 4 note chords. I might have to have a go at this one. But first I wonder if I should keep going on the THREE OR FOUR pieces I'm trying to learn simultaneously. Good grief.

Cgyan, awesome, thanks. The synth effects were perfect. Good looking soft B&W effect as always!

jazztpt, what a wonderful arrangement. Listening to it is starting my morning off just right. You play it like a pro. Seriously.

Peyton - Wonderful song. I'm the opposite of Carol though - I was focusing on your great playing the first time through. Will listen again and pay more attention to the lyrics!

BenPiano - I'm always impressed with your control and precision. I don't know the piece, but it sounds great.

cgyan - Very atmospheric, and you have a nice relaxed feel to your playing.

jazztpt - Wonderful arrangement wonderfully played. Is that arrangement written, or is it your own?

Augustina - Great job doing your own arrangement!

cgyan - wow, that was really well done! Care to go into some detail on how you did that? Was the synth just the same thing looped over and over, or was there more to it? Also, if the synth was done externally, how did you manage to maintain strict tempo alignment? Really fascinating!

jazztpt - Great jazz style on this one! I know what you mean about crashing and burning. I've got 4 pieces down that I just can't record without a meltdown somewhere. On the bright side, not recording them keeps them in my rep. On the down side, everyone is getting sick of hearing them.

Many thanks for all your kind comments they are really much appreciated.

Larry B - yes this is my arrangement, glad you liked it.

Augustina - well done with the arrangement, keep working on it.

Thanks BenPiano - funny that , when I have recorded a piece I also stop playing it, must be a relief for my wife :-)

Peyton, that was great! Your Young Chang still sounds wonderful too!

Very nice, BenPiano! Smooth and calculated!

Sounding good, Iain… love the reverb!

Jazztpt, I enjoyed your rendition of “Over the rainbow”!

Nice piece, Augustina!

I really enjoyed listening to all the great submissions to the June piano bar! Wow, doesn't time fly! I didn’t post anything to the April piano bar… I must be slipping.

Anyway, I haven’t recorded anything new in a while… guess I’ve lost my mo-jo for writing new songs lately. I went back in my YT archives a pulled this little gem… I had forgotten how much fun I had writing and playing this song… of course, it was not exactly a mega hit, but fun still.

"Google my name if you want to know who I am" :-)

Take care,

Rick

Rick, you da man! I enjoyed that gem.

Peyton, excellent playing and singing, as usual; and there is some real profundity in those lyrics!

BenPiano, love those chords! Very well done. Looks like the kids know good music and respect it!

Iain, well done. Very professional.

Jazztpt, I have always liked that song and I find your arrangement very intriguing harmonically. Nice intro, and nifty left hand work on the bridge! And of course I always like a cool ending like that! (Some jealousy here - I have tried to arrange that song myself but I have never been satisfied with my efforts.)

Augustina, love that piece. Glad to see you creating your own arrangement. Fun, isn't it?

Rickster, very clever, and well sung/played as usual. Just out of curiosity, I googled my own name, and was suprised to find that a patent I got 20-some years ago is now online. It's something I haven't thought about in years. Our memories fade but the internet remembers forever. I think there's a song idea in there somewhere, just waiting for you to tap into it.

My piece this month is an arrangement of Round Midnight which I wrote away from the piano while traveling. Some of it I did on a laptop while riding on a train, reminding me of the old photos of Duke Ellington writing arrangements as he and his band traveled the country by rail. Of course, I reworked it a bit after I got home and played it and found that some of it was pretty thin soup.

Ed


http://www.box.net/shared/4xt5lihfxk

A great one Rick. And so true...

Ed... You WROTE this arrangement while AWAY from the piano? Man am I jealous. That is such a nice smooth arrangement and such sweet playing.

Augustina ~ very excellent original arrangement. I look forward to hearing more as you continue to add to it.

Rick ~ You never cease to amaze. Such an upbeat, fun tune. I am always impressed by your ability to create! I couldn't help but tap my foot, and smile the whole time. Fantastic!

Ed ~ most excellent arrangement of 'Round Midnight. The fact you arranged it away from the piano adds another dimension to your talents. I really like how you tied both hands together to form the melody. As usual, very great musicianship!

Glen

Good Morning! I can't believe how fast each month goes! Here is my submission for this month's piano bar. The piece is by Michele Mclaughlin, the same composer that wrote the piece I submitted for the recital. I first heard her on Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio and just fell in love with her music.



Have a beautiful day!!!
AK

peyton - yes, well worth more than a couple of listens. I really liked the concept and was going to say that the "If his life was worth a dollar, then he was down to change" was my favourite line but since everyone else has, I won't bother ....

ben - another nice Scriabin Prelude, I thought this one was quite moody and dark. I wonder what the motivation behind the composition was.

jazztpt - great rendition of Over The Rainbow, some nice jazzy embellishments too. The thing about the red dot for me is, once conquered, it's the sweetest of victories!

augustina - pretty cool, I find it really hard to arrange things but you did it nicely here. Will look forward to the finished version

rickster - very entertaining, such a great idea for a tune.

riddler - a sophisticated composition that drew me in made all the more impressive that it was borm away from the piano ....

alleycat - you introduced me to Michelle McLaughlin in the recital and I loved your work on this piece, very beautiful. Your piano sounds very rich on the recording too, nice!

Allykatt, what a pretty piece. What's it called?

AlleyKatt ~ very excellent rendition of Michele Mclaughlin's music. It is clear you are connecting with the music and listening to what you are playing. I like her music a great deal. Thank you!

Glen

Hey, thanks everyone for your comments. Ascolta was always one of my favourites from that particular album but since it was composed by Einaudi with the intention of adding the post-processing, the solo piano arrangement sounds a little incomplete to my ears hence my motivation for trying to recreate the whole sound.

In response to the questions, everything in the recording was performed at one stage or another, The lead piano is just from the official sheets, the pulsing hum is a midi electric piano playing a series of chords throughout using the metronome to keep time. The inverted piano effect is my favourite bit and am so pleased that I got it so close to the original. I basically just listened to the reversed version of the original to hear what was being played and I then tried to play and record something similar onto a separate track which I then reversed and synced up. Last stage was some creative mixing to make it all sit together and sound nice.

Really enjoyed the work on this one, it was really good practice on triplets too. BTW, I am a recovering reverb-aholic and project by project I'm cutting back and trying to be more subtle with it so hopefully these days my stuff doesn't sound like it was recorded in a tunnel .

Ed, that's a very nice arrangement of Round Midnight. I fully enjoyed listening to it. I'm certain that if Thelonious Monk were able to hear this he would be quite pleased with your arrangment. You have some "innovation" there, but not so much as to make the melody unrecognizable. Of course, I know a felonious drunk or two who would enjoy it as well.

Cathy, your Fairies Dance is beautiful. You play it with a wonderful touch, and your piano has just the right sort of wistful tone for this piece.

My early contribution to June's Piano Bar is a free-play tune called, Sun Up. I hope you like it and find it somewhat relaxing.

http://www.box.net/shared/6g112ld9cp

Glen

Inlanding - Sun up, outstanding , I thought I was listening to Keith Jarrett there for a minute, your classical techinque really shows through, great playing , great piece.

Rickster - Brilliant song , brilliantly performed , love it.

AlleyKat - lovely performance of this relaxing piece.

Riddler - very good arrangement of Round About Midnight , not a tune I play much , mainly because its one of the most difficult to play , you ate it up.

I haven't yet listened to this month's piano bar - I am looking forward to doing so as it is one of my favorite Piano World activities. Before I do, however, I'd like to add a tune I recorded today.

This song is a bit unique for me for two reasons:

- this is the first time I've tried to add whistling to a song. It was a spur of the moment decision and sadly, it turns out my whistling is as bad as my singing and piano playing.

- the birds at my feeder outside my window added a somewhat appropriate soundtrack at the end of the recording.

I hope you like it.

Peyton - terrific song and (another) great vocal. I must admit I'm partial to your non-classical submissions and this one is one of your best. Excellent work.

BenPiano - I heard no kids, screaming or otherwise. A beautiful rendition of this short but elegant piece. Well done.

cgyan- you are becoming the George Martin of the ABF. A wonderfully creative piece. Love the effects.

jazztpt - you have quickly become one of my favorite ABF/Piano World pianist. Your arrangements and performances are always first rate. This one ended too soon for me.

Very nice Glen! And yes it is relaxing. Kinda reminds me Vince Guarladi. Thanks.

Bill, your comments beg the response... no, your singing is not "bad". It's always rich and wonderful. And your chops are fantastic as always. Great rendition of "Dock of the Bay".

and the whistling... hey... not bad!!

Glen, I like your improv. At some points it reminds me of Keith Jarret.

I'm really enjoying everyone's renditions so far in the bar this month!

Peyton; That was so beautiful and inspiring, both your playing and singing!

Bill; One of my all-time favorite songs - You did it great justice! I wanted to whistle at the end of my song, too, but I can't whistle (or sing!) half as well as you!

Here's a song that was written in the 30s, done also by the Mamas and Papas:

Dream a Little Dream of Me

BillM ~ That was a spectacular opening to, Sittin' ! Your singing is superb on this first posthumous, number one on the charts, Otis Redding classic. You never cease to amaze! I regularly stop by your YouTube channel - so much good music there.

Elssa ~ As a child, I remember my parents playing this tune, then a bit later on, my sister played the Mamas and the Papas rendition quite a lot! Your playing is spectacular, so smooth.

Thank you so much, Jazzpt and Peyton, for listening and commenting on, Sun Up.

Augustina - I like the way your arrangement starts very simply and then grows in complexity. I think this is going to be very cool when you finish. Please make sure to post the finished product.

Rickster - I've missed your songs here in the bar. I remember this from last year - I loved it then and love it now. You have such a unique voice and original piano style. Great fun!

Ed - now this is authentic Piano Bar music. I can picture you wearing a tux and playing this on a highly polished grand in an upscale K Street restaurant surrounded by pretty people sipping martinis. Great arrangement.

AlleyKatt - Just perfect. The tone of your piano complements your beautiful playing - the accompanying artworks completes the package. A real treat.

Glen - I like this very much. It is relaxing but not in a Musak kind of way. I find the melody to be thoughtful and interesting - You have created a pleasant place here with your music. Do you write down the charts to your songs after you compose them?

Elssa - this is one of my favorite Momma Cass recordings. Her big voice really soared on the bridge. Your arrangements always put your unique spin on these classic songs. When I saw the title of your selection I thought you would do a slow, romantic rendition but you successfully jazzed it up. Such a nice arrangement warranted a repeat of the verse at the end but it looks like your cat wanted to use the piano.

Thanks BillM for your comments, you are always so gracious.
Another great entry this month, you really know how to put a song over and the playing and style is perfect too.

Elssa - lovely version of one of the old classics.

Thanks, Bill, and all for your kind comments! I had fun with it but almost got thrown off track by Gwen's suddenly swishing tail!

Here's a cute clip I found on YouTube:

Mama Cass and Tommy Smothers (Smothers Brothers Show)

Boy, did THAT bring back memories.

This is a bit of a cheat because I already posted a version of this march for another Piano Bar. BUT it's a duet and the last time I only had myself playing the first part. This is the recording of the full duet with my teacher that was played at our adult recital this evening. Mistakes are mostly mine

Schumann - Geburtstagsmarsch Opus 85, No 1 for Two Hands

Peyton - Beautiful, and such great lyrics. It reminds me of late nights in college listening to songs with a similar feel. Nice little solo too!

BenPiano - You always impress me with how quickly you seem to pick up these pieces. It would take me months to get that. There was a great simplicity that you brought to this piece - very enjoyable!

cgyan - Required quota huh?! The atmosphere you generate with some very simple effects is amazing - I sense it took quite a while to put together. I thought it brought a lot of life to this kind of piece. There is some lovely chord playing too. Nice job!!

Jazztpt - All those recordings were worth it because this is a lovely version of the classic. It made me feel very content inside!! (And yes I sung along in my head). Some lovely little jazzy turns and twists too!

Augustina - I always love this tune. You are definitely on the right track with this - it's sounding great.

Rickster - You got my foot tapping from the very first note. Good ol' fashioned R&B with a modern twist. Nice playing, nice singing, great song!

Riddler - No thin soup there. I thought that was a nice arrangement and it impresses me no end that you started it away from the piano. I can't jot down a note, it seems, unless I'm write there behind the keys.

AlleyKatt - What another lovely piece Cathy! You have a lovely sound with this and keep it progressing where it could get stuck.

Inlanding - Sun Up - a nice, smooth, enjoyable performance. It certainly is, as you say, a free-play tune and I enjoyed listening for where it was going, taking a breather, moving on. Very nice!

BillM - Very nice version of Dock of the Bay. Stop downplaying your playing and singing because you know we all love it! I particularly liked the jazzy entry to the piece. And the birds made a nice touch - but next time, perhaps seagulls?! P.S. The whistling was fine!

Elssa Very nice version of this classic - and you captured the old time feel perfectly. I loved the bass notes coming through and some of the runs were just great!

That was so lovely ... Yes very relaxing - even better than meditating IMO.

Wonderful arrangement and playing, jazztpt!

Great spirit and dynamics!

glen - your free playing sessions always produce such astonishing results. My mind literally gets boggled trying to comprehend that you can make up this kind of quality on the spot. Nicely titled too, the music really does paint a picture of dawn.

bill - man, that rocked! You know I always like your contributions and you delivered yet again, making a classic track your own with your unique style. The piano solos and vocals were wonderful as usual and loved the whistling!

elssa - I've always liked Dream a A Little Dream for as long as I can remember and the Mama Cass clip was excellent. Hope you'll re-post your version soon (it said you had removed it from your account when I tried to view it). Off to YouTube now, I adore California Dreaming and haven't heard it in a while!

andy - I remember the last time you posted just your part of this piece and your Schumann is very good. I can hear the attention to the detail in the piece and you and your teacher did very well performing in front of an audience.

Hey, happy 100th post to me!
(Only took about six months to get there but who's counting!)

Thanks for your comment, Bill, I'm not sure George Martin has any serious competition yet from me, though .

Andy, yes, we absolutely have a required quota to maintain . Thinking about it, can you remember the last month when there was no Einaudi in the bar? We Einaudites on the forum want to make sure you're all never left wanting! Thanks also for your comment, it took about two weeks to put together, about two or three days to record everything, about a week to mix it all together and then, after I thought it was finished, another three or four days when I re-recorded the piano and worked more on the mix. I was pretty happy with the result and was a fun little thing to put together.

cgyan, congrats on the 100th post :P

This is only singing (I didn't play the piano part myself) and it's quite old but I wanted to share. I don't remember if I did post it somewhere around here before but here it is.

Seriously Teodor!! That's you??? That's awesome! I love this song and your voice is beautiful!!! Do you by chance have the piano music? It would be great to hear you play it too!

AK

Hi Peyton, sorry I'm so late in commenting but I'm finally getting a chance to go through the piano bar stuff. I loved your video! Your voice is just gorgeous and perfect for this song. Your playing is really great too!! You have incredible talent!!!

AK

Thank you, AK! Unfortunately there is no sheet music, this guy who I took the music from is playing it by ear. He's pretty good

Cgyan; Loved your playing and all the cool keyboard effects!



Sorry about that.. here it is again. Hope you enjoy it.

Teodor- well done with the singing, I am not familiar with this song, where is it from or did you write it?

It's by Joe Romersa and it was written for a video game called Silent Hill. Joe Romersa commented on my video himself a while ago said he liked it he was just being too kind of course.

I have been sorting through my old files and I came across this which I recorded about 15 years ago (eek! where did the time go). Recorded using a Yamaha SY35 synth and an Atari computer with 1 meg of memory ! It was my introduction to computers - we didn't have them when I was at school.
At the time I was messing with midi and recorded a walking bass part and added a muted trumpet solo (played on keys though)The beginning is missing for some reason , no idea what happened but as I say it was early days as far as my computing was concerned. The recording quality is not too great either I am afraid.

Anywhere here we go , Waltz for Debbie by Bill Evans.

Waltz for Debbie

Teodor ~ Very nice singing. You have a good strong tone in your voice. Excellent music

Jazzpt ~ I so very much enjoyed your rendition of one of my favorite Bill Evans pieces. You play out some fantastic ideas and are in the groove of the music. Fabulous, fantastic, playing for sure! Thank you for your music.

Teodor - What a cool singing voice you have! I'm not familiar with this tune but absolutely love your voice and your performance.

teodor - that was really great, Teodor, your vocal style was perfect for this kind of track. Reminded me a little of Tony Kakko of Sonata Artica from one of their slower ballads. Cool video too, great job, man!

elssa - ah, that's better, thanks for reposting. You are very good, your style and posture is so relaxed and your fingers just glide up and down the keyboard making it seem effortless. I could tell you enjoyed playing it because at about the two minute mark I could see your own tail wagging .... !

jazztpt - really enjoyed that, jazztpt, I've heard this piece performed by a few different members on the forum now. I remember back in the late eighties messing around with midi on a 1mb Amiga in a piece of software called Ocatamed! Although admittedly it's only recently I realised that's what it was, at the time I was just thrilled to be making the computer play simple melodies .

Teodor,

You have a great voice. Enjoyed the video too.

AlleyKatt- Many thanks for your kind comments.

Wow Benpiano! For being a short piece I think this one really "packs a punch". I thought you played this beautifully, especially since you haven't been practicing it very long! I can see the difficulty and importance of the chords you mentioned. This piece reminds me of something I would sit down and play when it's raining and I'm in a somber mood. It's a very evocative piece. The more I hear Scriabin the more I really like him. Thank you so much for sharing!!

AK

Thanks, cgyan! Not easy for me having a tail, you know, always trying to keep it from wagging at inopportune times, finding appropriate clothes to wear, etc...

Wanted to share a Bulgarian piece with you. It's a live performance so there are some mistakes but it's mostly ok. Take a listen. (this is not me playing)

Awesome job on this Cgyan! The sound quality is exceptional and your playing was just beautiful. I really enjoyed listening to this Einaudi piece.

AK

=

Only five attempts, lol. I think that's pretty darn good! I really enjoyed your playing this song. It flowed nicely and the melody really came through. In fact, I was singing along with it! This is also a really beautiful version of "Over the Rainbow". Thank you!!

AK

Andy Platt - How cool! What a grand and uplifting piece. I like the way you two are not afraid to play it loud and proud. Well done!!

jazztpt - I love your walking bass. I was listening wearing headphones and it really cleared my sinuses! I am really enjoying your jazzy submissions to the piano bar. The trumpet solo is terrific.

Glen, nice piece. Very peaceful. Sunup is a magical time.

Bill, Excellent! I truly enjoyed your performance - the whistling was a nice ouch.

Elssa, I was looking forward to your Dream A Little Dream, but it says video has been removed by the user. I guess I'm too late.

Andy, that is wonderful Schumann. Very nice dynamics. You and your teacher play excellently together.

Teodor, that's very good singing, and a haunting song. You should consider posting your singing more often. Great job!

Elssa, so, there it is again. I'm not too late this time. Very enjoyable. I was never fond of Mama Cass, but I do like this song.

jazztpt, I love Waltz For Debbie, and this is one of the better versions I've heard. Superb!

Teodor, the Bulgarian piece is beautiful. Thanks for sharing that.

Disclaimer: This piano is very out of tune (sorry, it was either this or nothing)





I think the out-of-tune piano combined with the poor recording quality really hurt the sarabande. Also, the score I have calls for pedalling, which I did not bother with. But now I am thinking that maybe I should have, for the sarabande at least, because as a solo piece without the strings (which it was written to accompany) there is simply too much empty space. However, I think both variations work excellent without the pedal.
Oh well, excuses, excuses, excuses.

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I last posted on this forum. I had a little brake from my piano. I bought myself a mountain bike and devoted all my free time to either riding or reading about riding And now I am trying to start playing on a daily basis again.

First of all, a great collection of pieces and songs in this month's bar! I haven't been able to listen to all, but those I have heard were great! Everyone is progressing so nicely! I need to spend more time on this forum so I won't lose my motivation to play that easily

Anyway here is a new piece from Masterwork Classics level 3 book that I am playing through (very slowly may I add). Its one part of a sonatina in C major.



Enjoy! And keep up the good playing

I made a little piece for you guys.

Here's another tune for the Bar. This is one of my favorite Van Morrison songs, Tupelo Honey.

BillM - that was fantastic , a really heartfelt performance of a beautiful song. Top notch singing and I loved the piano arrangement.

Hi everyone,
it has been a quite some time since my last post in here. I've been through some changes in my life which unfortunately affected the time I was able to spent with my piano. But the things start looking up for me. I see that there's many great recordings posted in here. It's great to see this little community in such a good shape. I hope I won't ruin it with this little piece.
I rarely take time to learn to play my own compositions so this is kind of an exception.

David Ruzicka - Lonesome Carousel

David - I have missed your always excellent videos. Your original composition is both interesting and entertaining. The quality of your video and audio is outstanding. What type of camera did you use?

Another singing cover:

Bill ~ What a great way to start a Sunday morning! What a repertoire you have. I loved your opening and solo that compliments your wonderful delivery of a beautiful Van Morrison tune. Simply fabulous. It brings up so many memories. Thank you!

What a super rendition of a terrific song. And your piano accompaniment is wonderful - delicate and nuanced and a terrific complement to your singing.

Jazzpt
What a beautiful arrangement and improv/composed melodic lines. It's always a pleasure to listen to your songs.

BillM; Your "Tupelo Honey" was sweet! Terrific singing/playing, as always!

David; I enjoyed your "Lonesome Carousel" - wonderful composition and playing.

David ~ I very much enjoyed Lonesome Carousel - excellent story you tell there. Beautiful melody and accompaniment in the left hand. It is good to see you back!

Here are a couple of standards and a free-play to add to the June Bar - so much good music this month!

I Remember Clifford

A Taste of Honey

Endless Possibilities

Glen

Inlanding (Glen) - Your Piano Bar postings were put to get use here at the Moore house - I played them through the speakers in my kitchen while I was preparing my world famous grilled chicken salad for dinner for my wife and I.

Your Taste of Honey arrangement was beautifully phrased and played - not at all what I was expecting being more familiar with the upbeat Herb Alpert rendition. I liked yours much better.

Did you use your digital for Endless Possibilities? I love the tone and texture of this recording - I detected a hint of echo/reverb. In any case a wonderful composition and recording.

I know I say this every month but you really could make a good living in a real Piano Bar.

Glen: That is just so beautiful. I used to play that on electric organ with pedals and sing it (not good)- don't worry, won't post it. I really enjoyed that and your others.

Here's another one of my favorite Platters' tunes:

TWILIGHT TIME

Been a while since I've been here

just loved that Tupelo Honey, wish I could sing half as good as that


Lee

Here's the theme song to the tv show Dr.Quinn Medicine woman:) There's a few mistakes towards the end. Anyways Enjoy!

BillM I forgot to ask you before, but could you please tell me what settings you were using on your Roland for this song? I especially liked what you used for the intro and middle section.. so delicate and pretty. Hoping I have these voices on my Roland, too. Thanks.

Augustina - I've not seen the movie, but I do like your playing. It is a pretty melody. Interesting camera angle you have there!


Bill~ Wow, thank you! I have that same Herb Alpert album where he plays a very up-tempo version. It was not clear to me they were even the same tune at first! It is thrilling you played some of that music through your home speaker system. Very generous compliment! Endless Possibilities was recorded on the same acoustic piano a few days later. Any reverb you hear is either from the room or from the piano's 94 year-old soundboard because I had the sustain pedal pushed down. As for a regular gig playing out somewhere - I will take your suggestion under advisement and once I am back on my feet, I think I will make that happen. In fact, I might already have a solo piano gig that is really close to my house!

Elssa ~ Thank you for listening to A Taste of Honey. I am glad it brought out fond memories. Now...you are in that same category of someone who can sing and play at the same time! Let's hear it!

Your Twilight Time brings back some great memories when my sister used to play and sing it. I like how you changed voices - most excellent, indeed!

Elssa - Twilight Time is also one of my Platter's favorites. As usual, your rendition was first class.



I used the Tremolo Dyno voice for the intro and instrumental break and the Grand Piano1 voice with a little Dome reverb for the vocal accompaniment.

Augustina - Interesting new camera angle. I never saw Dr. Quinn but thought your performance of the theme song was very enjoyable. You have a knack for movie and TV songs (and River Dance).

polyphasicpianist - nice job on both the Bach and Handel, particularly on the Bach as I just don't feel comfortable playing his style. Actually, neither sounded particularly out of tune to me but I'm a digital guy so no expert on acoustics! The Sarabande has crossed the line into popular culture here and for years has been used as the theme tune to a windows or carpets tv advert, can't just remember which one.

rozina - no harm in having a break away from the piano but glad to see you back, rozina! Very nice work on the sonata, your finger technique looks excellent to me.

teodor - (1st piece) very nice, teodor, some really interesting and unusual chord changes made sure to keep it interesting for me. I hope you'll do more improvs for us!
(2nd piece) you have a really great voice for this kind of music, the layered vocal effect added greatly to it. What game is the video from? Looks like a Silent Hill or Resident Evil kind of thing.

bill - great job as always, bill. Your arrangement was brilliant and loved the switch to the other voice for just a great piano solo in the middle. Nice reverb too, brought it all together.

David - far from ruining anything, you've certainly enhanced this month's bar with a little beauty! Loved the little enhancements on the right hand, just brought it alive. Hope to see more from you soon.

Hi, Seaside! (insert jumping-up-and-down-and-waving icon here) Nice to see you!

Cathy

Great piece Teodor. I kept waiting for you to sing...

Nice playing polyphasicpianist. The out of tune didn't bother me at all but I would go with pedal on the sarabande. It really seems to need it in my opinion.

Something new.




cgyan, it was from Silent Hill, thanks for the compliments ^_^

Very excellent, Teodor!

Teodor - Very well played. Not being familiar with this song I kept waiting for your excellent vocals to kick in.

Thank you. You are too kind to say such things but one day it will really be good ^_^

Hi Everyone,

First of all, Congratulations to all of you, the talents around here is really impressive. Really.

Well, here's the situation. I know I am not at the right place because I should use the 'Members Recordings' thread but there is not much going on there.

I have been working on Bach's Prelude No.1 in C for the past two weeks. I plan to play this piece during a family reunion for my sister's birthday. It's her favorite composer and this is one of her favorite piece.

I see my deadline coming and I am freaking out

I REALLY need honest feedback on this, I know it will never be perfect, but I do not want it to sound like crap.

Tell me what I need to improve, I still have two more weeks ahead of me, even if it's been crazy at work recently, I will find the time to make the adjustments.

Here it is : http://www.box.net/shared/nzapr0ihejyi79qxti6v

Thanks in advance

Regards

Inlanding (Glen) - this is exactly what I do with your music as well. I love to have it on when I need to get in a more relaxed mood. You have just the right touch. I couldn't agree more with Bill when he says that you really could make a good living in a real piano bar!!!

I just loved Sun Up. It brought to mind the peaceful feeling I have when I am outside on very early, sunny mornings watering my flowers. It was a really, really wonderful piece.

I also really enjoyed your more sultry arrangement of "A Taste of Honey". You truly do have a gift and I'm sooooo glad you share it!

Cathy

PS. Sorry it took me so long to comment but I like to wait until I truly can take the time to listen well and enjoy! Thanks again!!

Inlanding's original contribution, Sun Up, was a great addition to the bar this month and inspired me to go back and work on a piece that I first looked at way back when I first started learning. It was too difficult for me then and I kind of forgot about it until hearing Inlanding's piece this month. For me, they both paint a vivid picture of daybreak, the sun peeking out over the horizon, new beginnings and possibilities. I was surprised how quickly it came together this time around so hope you enjoy ......

David Nevue - Waiting For The Sun

cohenfan... quite your worrying. It sounds great! If you can play this well at the reunion you will be a big hit. Just lay back and enjoy playing a piece you obviously love.

The way you were talking I expected to hear a mess, but it sounded great.
Seriously. I actually leaned back,closed my eyes and enjoyed the piece as it flowed nicely by.
Your sister will be very surprised, especially if she doesn't know you can play this at all.
Good job.

Peyton and Sparky,

Thank you, I appreciate that, It helps to have some feedback.

I know I must be over pedaling again, I just do not want it to sound too blurry.

Thanks again

Hi Cohenfan,
You play it very well and smoothly into the recorder, which, in itself is no easy task.

You keep a fine tempo. It does take a certain amount of discipline to refrain from pedaling - be patient there. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to bring a bit more dynamics into the piece. There is a kind of ebb and flow to the dynamics - does your music show notations suggesting pp and ff for a few of the passages? It takes time to get the transitions of the dynamics and over time, you will find yourself doing that.

Good work!

Iain ~~ you played Waiting for the Sun marvelously! At no time did it ever seem like you had a difficult time playing through it, so any doubts you had about learning it, or other more difficult ones, you can throw out the window - it was very nice to hear, very well played. Thank you so much for saying Sun Up was a factor in helping to motivate you to play your music!

AlleyKatt (Cathy) ~ I so very much appreciate that you enjoy some of my music. Your suggestion to play out and about I will take with Bill's, for sure, and once I am back on my feet, I will pursue investigating the local piano bars nearby and see if it is possible a few nights per week for me to play. This kind of encouragement is very motivating coming from you and Bill, to say the least

As well, I very much appreciate all the comments jazzpt, Peyton, Elssa, Dennis, Andy and Steve! This is such a great place to exchange our music! Thank you!

Glen

Here's my contribution to the June piano bar...My (not so) little girl playing Beethoven. I was able to sneak in a recording after work today.

Bravo!! A most excellent player of Beethoven you have there. She is great! Do the two of you have to draw straws as to who gets piano time?

Glen

Hi guys!

I wanted to say I enjoyed all of your performances till now Since I have very little time to even visit the board, it's next to impossible for me to comment thoroughly on each one of these music gems, but I listened to all of them and it felt great

I wanted to share something form me as well



Hope you enjoy


Mateusz

cgyan - Your videos are such a pleasure to watch and listen to. I love the film noir motif and the high quality of your audio. As usual, your playing is excellent.

CebuKid - A very impressive performance. You daughter has a strong and independent left hand and seems to play with real spirit. I was equally impressed that she memorized the piece. Yours is a talented family.

Hi there piano worlders, it has been many months (maybe a year?) since I posted here in the piano bar. I'm more usually trying to jazz, but I recently decided to revive some classical playing. I thought if I post here it would give me an incentive to get a decent recording of each piece.

Here is some Bach for starters:
http://www.box.net/shared/gsskczabs2jye7rrq57k

polyphasic, the piano is not that far out of tune. I think the Bach is fine without pedal. In fact, I think most Bach sounds best without pedal if one has the skill to pull it off. You got your fingers tangled in a place or two(not difficult with Bach), but overall quite nice. The Handel, I agree, would benefit from judicious pedaling. Nice job.

rozina, very nice job on the Duncombe sonatina.

Teodor, that's a nice dark sounding piece. Good work.

Bill, believe it or not, I have not heard this before. Nice!

David, I really like this tune. It has a distinctive feel to it - almost a Klezmer or Gypsy sound to my ears. so much fun to listen to!

Teodor, I don't know the song, but I quite like your singing. Great job.

Glen, your selections are quite the treat. I Remember Clifford is terrific, and I haven't heard A Touch of Honey in years. I totally enjoyed both. Your Endless Possibiilities is nice, too. Nice bluesy sound to that one.

Elssa, I really enjoyed your Twilight Time.

Augustina, great job on the Dr. Quinn theme.

Teodor, another great piece. Good job.

Cohenfan, your Bach prelude doesn't sound like crap. You're good to go for your sister's birthday I think.

Iain, it's not too difficult for you now. It sounds like Nevue. Great job.

Cebukid, your daughter sounds terrific, and she's obviusly enjoying what she's doing. Nice!

Mati, that's terrific as always. You have quite the knack for this style of piece.

ten left thumbs, Bach inventions are tough to play well. You played this one nicely.

Mati- very pretty piece! I love the melody and you play it with such feeling. Great recording too.

Mati - This is beautifully played. I also enjoyed looking at the art. Your piano sounds terrific. I'm glad you decided to post a piece to the piano bar.