Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Achievement of the week - what got you excited?

If that were my AOTW it'd be a major step forward So I think it wasn't an insult

Andy - nice going - sounds like you have "competency" as an attribute, and the coolness to do performances well. Good for you.

Cathy

Congratulations Andy! Two major pieces in a recital is quite an accomplishment. Very impressive!

She probably did not mean it so bad. It is a rude remark but it sounds like something some Japanese people say when they try to make point in English. I am assuming that your teacher is not fluent in English. If he/she is fluent, well, then they have no excuse. I don't know what I would do in that situation as a student. My implies is to start humming "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto.." but it's just me . I used to get into so much trouble when I was in school in Japan - Japanese Catholic School that is. Can you imagine anything more scary than that?

Andy, congratulations. it sounds like your teacher is always having recitals. I am jealous.

Sam, I heard about Piano Row in Manhattan. Had no idea where it is though. I go to NY quite often and stay in Lower Manhattan. I sometimes venture out to midtown around Juilliard & Carnegie Hall. Is it close to any of them? Just curious.

Paperclip, Ricardo, SwissMS - impressive achievement.

My AoTW today - none really. I just want to my make up lesson. I played the duet piece that I have to play in February with my teacher. I was shamelessly sightreading it and the lack of practice showed... My day was consumed in shopping, heavy jackets, sweaters, etc. I am going to very cold part of Japan for a couple of weeks. Ok, that's my excuse.

It sure is! It's on 58th street right near Carnegie Hall. Look it up next time you're in Manhattan. It's a real treat

SeanC - I don't know Bethana , I'll have to check it out - but congrats on your progress!

StarrKey, - good work on the transitions!

DMT3339 - It must be very satisfying to have the Tempest under your belt!

FarmGirl - you make me laugh..... My teacher is really working on getting me to work on my volume. Forget about PPP - she says my MF is P!!!
(I can't get domo arigato, Mr. Roboto out of my head!!) - Are you going to visit your parents?

Bessel- congrats on the Minuet - I really love that piece - and Clementi too! Delightful

Sam Rose - good for you for conquering the anxiety. I can just imagine you in the shops- like a kid in a toy store!

SwissMS - well, I think it is too bad your teacher withholds praise - personally I think it can be motivating... but congrats on finally getting some! and Prosecco. yum. I actually prefer it to champagne.

Paperclip - good for you on getting the relaxation sorted out. That is one of the basics you can't afford to let slide.

Ricaredo- I can see why you might have felt challenged by the Prelude!!! I felt confused just looking at it! Good for you!

Andy - Congratulations on your recital!

MaryAnn - sounding less like a robot,... well, it is sort of a left-handed compliment, but it does sound like progess.


My AOTW is to have made a bit more progress on my Christmas carols - not enough that I feel they're good enough to post, but I am enjoying them. Also I have had great fun playing around with the bass line my friend taught me last week. I've now added 3 variations.
I do the "blues bass" he showed me, a 1-2-3, 1-2-3 oom-pa-pa and a series of arpeggios. Good fun.
A couple of weeks ago my neighbour downstairs knocked on the wall while I was playing. They've NEVER done that before and I wasn't actually sure if it was a knock for me or just doing something in the house. I went down to check and turns out the daughter had a bad headache. I was really upset - not because they wanted me to be quiet- but because they didn't phone or even just knock on my door. They have my phone number for pete's sake.
Ever since I feel really uncomfortable playing and have been using the headphones a lot, which I hate.
I've missed 2 lessons too - and that always leaves me feeling at a bit of a loss......ah well, I'll see my teacher this week.

You poor delicate flower! What would you do if she suggested you had played A WRONG NOTE!!!? Run away screaming?

Seriously, so your playing was rather mechanical. Now it's flowing better. That's good.

casinitaly, don't be upset by the behaviour of your neighbour, if the knock was from the daughter. If somebody is sick, he or she will act less social. It's not personal, it just means someone is real sick and is occupied by it.

If you don't use your headphones, it will be easier for you to let it go.

Recaredo, congrats on that big achievement! BWV 926 is a beautiful piece. Those bars are really difficult. Kudo's for not giving up.

Andy, well done! I agree with Cathy. It seems that you play your recitals very easily without getting blocked by nerves.

MaryAnn, I don't know how your teacher said it on what tone. The words are a bit unlucky choosen. But I assume she means that you sound more musical which is in fact a compliment.

Farmgirl, I hope there is a nice piano waiting for you to warm up when you arrive in Japan.

I was once playing a section of a Mozart sonata, where there is a back and forth between high and low phrases. After I finished my teacher said that the soprano part sounded like a lovely young girl was singing it, but the bass section sounded like a drunken uncle singing! I laughed quite a bit over that description, but replied that maybe that's what Mozart meant for it to sound like. He didn't agree, and convinced me that it should sound like two lovers singing to each other. I ended up laughing all the way home from my lesson, and even now, months later, I still think of that part as the "Drunken Uncle" section.

Farmgirl,



As already mentioned, yes, very close. W.58th Street between 7th and Broadway is home to Faust Harrison Piano, Allegro Piano, and Beethoven Piano. The first two have new and used pianos from most of the best makers - Bosendorfer, Bechstein, Grotrian, Bluthner, Estonia, Mason Hamlin, etc. Beethoven has hundreds of used pianos, including many vintage rebuilt Steinways. Of course, Steinway Hall itself is just around the corner on the next block.

You will think you died and went to piano heaven.

I finally did it I managed to post one of my videos to the ABF December piano bar forum! It took much battling of the red dot and all the associated techie steps afterwards over 2 and a half days but I finally did it. Now I have to try and get some of my Christmas songs up.

Thanks to everybody for your kind comments!

Andy, Impressive achievement! I like to read about recitals, I find them very inspirational.

MatyAnn, I think Exalted Wombat is right. You are playing the correct notes, and you are getting a more fluent playing. That’s very good.

FarmGirl, have a very good trip! I hope you can post from Japan.

Cheryl, if I was you, I would not be worried. That girl had a headache, and that’s just circumstantial. Enjoy those little steps, which are the most important ones.

MaryBee, I loved your anecdote about Mozart’s sonata.

Zoe, I’ve listened to your rendition on that Fantasia by Telemann, and I’ve loved it. Very well done!

Cas, I missed this. I hate that kind of behavior. I can relate. When i was in uni (long time ago:) I lived in a duplex apartment. That was when I first returned to piano for a while. I had a very old upright piano equipped with hand made devise called snake - a removable silk screen placed between the keys and hammers - to quiet down the piano sound. Behind me a male college student was living there. At the beginning, he was very cordial and said nice things about my piano. He told me he loved music and wanted to listen to my piano in my room. I said "(heck) no!". One day he asked me out and I turned it down as nicely as I could. He looked like a loner and sickly. Then he started getting mean. Whenever I practice, he used to bang the wall between us. I was so annoyed. So I remember ripped the snake off and started doing scales up and down, up and down... I wasn't afraid of him. I wasn't thinking, I was pure plain angry and reacting to the situation. The situation lasted until I met my husband. He was bigger than now in those days and looked stronger than my neighbor. I explained the situation to him and asked him to walk me to home a couple of times. The next door neighbor finally moved out. Like your situation, I really did not appreciate my neighbor's passive aggressiveness. I would have negotiated practice hours if he had come to my door and complained.

Sam and JimF thank you for the information on Piano Row. I cannot wait to check them out next time when I am in NY. I had no idea such place was hidden there.

Paperclip, Recaredo and cAS

thank you for your kind words. My parents bought a new house and I am going to help them move from the quake destroyed house to a new one. I hope at least one of the pianos survived the quake, I will see. My mom used to run a kindergarten - that's why we have 2 pianos. 1 is for business and 1's ours. I am planning to log on to PW as much as I can in Japan.

YES an accomplishment this week!!! Invited piano friends over and we played Christmas music for one another. Then played name that tune for just Christmas music. Good laughter, good food, and good music. I played David Lanz's version of Christmas Waltz/The first noel. Also accompanied my husband singing Gesu Bambino. Looking forward to the PW Denver group coming in January...gotta have something to play...better get busy

haha exalted wombat. I am thick-skinned so my surprise was more that she would ever say anything vaguely mean. She was absolutely right about it sounding robotic before--I go through that phase with every piece where my biggest concern is playing the right notes, and it is completely un-musical.

I might be away from PW for awhile. I just got some new kitties and they hate when I play the piano. I really hope they get used to it, otherwise I'll have to use the headphones. They're really eating into my practice time.

Have a great trip to Japan, Farm Girl! There was snow in Shikoku this week, so I imagine it's really cold up north.

ZoeCalgary, congrats on winning your battle with the red-dot! I loved both your Christmas carols and your piano bar piece.

CasinItaly, sorry to hear about your neighbor's complaint. I'm sure it was just because she didn't feel well. This is the first time I have lived in an apartment so I live in fear of that kind of incident. I can understand how it could cause you to be nervous about practicing.

Farmgirl, enjoy your trip to Japan. I hope you find a surviving piano to play!

MaryAnn, I think most people go through the "mechanical" stage with a new piece when they are just assuring that they play the correct notes at the correct rhythm. Maybe your teacher was just saying you were at the point of adding your own expression to the music.

My achievement this week- I successfully played Clementi 36.1 from memory and my teacher was satisfied with my interpretation. We decided that I should keep polishing it, but also add a Mozart Sonata to learn. So, I am beginning Sonata in C Major K545. I think I will be working on the Bach prelude (851) forever. I have half of it hands together now. I just discovered the LH voice (Hello?). One of those lightbulb moments!

I have no great achievements to report this week, having had my nose to the grindstone, but glad to read of others - it's inspiring. Sorry to hear of your neighbour issue, casinitaly. I feel for you.

Next week I shall hopefully have more to report, as client h**l will be behind me until the new year, and my first ever harpsichord arrives this weekend.

Just to clarify about my neighbours - they are super nice people and we get along really well - it just bothered me that they banged on the ceiling instead of calling - . Yes, I realize the daughter wasn't feeling well, but now I can't help feeling uncomfortable about the sound levels.
I'll get over it, I'm just laying low for a bit... Thanks for the encouragement.

AOTW: my teacher says I have good technique and really understand the piano! I joked that I wouldn't be able to get out the door of the studio, what with my swelled head.