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Ahhhh, Jim, I know that piece well!!! Are you going to begin working on it? Granados wrote it for his son. I think that it is remarkably beautiful and bought the music for it immediately after hearing it. It is on my "soon" to do list along with a return to Chopin's prelude in E minor and Kabalevsky's Novelette (I have a long/later to do list....both in terms of length and amount of time before I am able to attempt).

How is your MacDowell piece coming along?

Jotur: I love the expression "vanilla." Next time my teacher suggests a boring predictable or ugly piece I think I might say something like "This piece strives to be vanilla but has no chance of success!!!"

Cheryl: Philip Glass wrote a piece called the music box. Have you ever heard it? I think it may have been used in a film called "The Candyman." Sometimes it is also referred to as Helen's theme. Check it out on youtube. I LOVE IT!!!! Might this be the piece you are playing?

I finished Fantasia in D Minor this week. Just in time for the recital. I still need to polish up the Presto sections but it is Recital ready.

Awesome.

What a great idea! What do you think, bessel? Should we try to put something together?

FarmGirl - I'd miss you at the recital! Add my vote to the others asking you to consider reviving an old piece.

jotur - I've seen some of Anderson and Roe's videos online. It must have been great to see them live!

Ok, I feel the pressure now. I will record something. This time not classical. Since I don't have so much time to practice (i only have about an hour), it's not realistic to think that I can revive my old pieces within a week or so.
so it's gotta be something I can sightread. Someone in the forum suggested a Super Mario's Galaxy piece arranged by Aivi Tran. I might give it a go. It's a very fun piece to play. This girl Aivi is extremely talented. I also found very interesting Japanese piece in my music cabinet. It's called "Haru no Umi" which means Spring Ocean composed by Michio Miyagi. I started reading it and realized it's too long. Anyway, I will try to submit something. Thanks.

Recaredo - There are many of us in the same boat - we play music we love, to the best of our ability - and that ability doesn't always satisfy us - but we are all getting better, note by note!!

Jotur - a musical fundraiser? That must have been a FUNraiser too! What a great way to spend your time!

JimF - well, it seems that not too long ago anything other than quarternotes was a challenge! lol.... But yes, the syncopation and rhythm of these jazzy-bluesy pieces was really hard to get into. However now that I have I find that they are really very relaxing to play and have helped remove the tension from arms and hands - I tried playing a new piece yesterday, which is usually a tension trigger-but NO! I was relaxed, dare I say..."mellow"? It was a great feeling. I feel like I've overcome a major hurdle.
As for my musical friends not getting how hard it is - in this instant it isn't the case, they do know and they are terribly encouraging (they even pick pieces in the key of C and write simplified lead sheets for me, bless them)... I'm just terrible self -conscious.

The Granados piece is Dedication(in my book it is in English as this book came from the UK. I think the Spanish title is more elegant) I can't wait to get started. I have to work up to the idea of holding one note down while playing 2 others, that's a tension trigger too. As a way to lead into this I'm working on Burgmuller Limpid Stream (Rusciello Limpido!)

GlassLove, Christine, I've been playing a bit of Kabalevsky too and quite like his music. I will check the Glass Music box piece, but I know what I'm playing is by a Mr. Samuel Maykapar.
This isn't a vanilla piece. It is butterscotch with chocolate sprinkles.

Broken Chord - I will look forward to hearing your piece in the recital!

MaryBee, you didn't post here, but I see you're in too - wondeful!!!

Farmgirl -- hurrah! We convinced to you play! Relax and have fun with it!


Well, time to get the workday rolling - cheers everyone!

MaryBee - I'd be interested in attending, but couldn't host (no reasonable piano) and am pretty constrained by 2 kids (3 and 7)... but think it's a fun idea! [But would probably explode from nerves trying to play at such! I assume the idea is that everyone takes a turn at the keys at some point?] How many Cle-region folks are on PW, especially ABF, do you think?

http://youtu.be/0oFoNFVB4IA

This is the piece, right, Cheryl? Very beautiful. And thank you for introducing me to a new composer. If you will notice, the UIPianoped channel features quite of few of his pieces (expertly played). I love the Autumn piece too!!!! Do you have the entire collection?

Okay, anyone care to guess which website I intend to visit next? Sigh. Here goes another sheet music purchase.

Yes, that's the piece. However, I can't imagine playing it that quickly! Frankly I think it sounds better a little slower (though not as slowly as I'm currently playing it lol). I only have one other of his pieces in my books It is called the Sheperd's Flute


Happy Shopping

Christine - No, I wasn't planning to start on Granados' Dedicatoria/Dedication...... I was just guessing that would be the Granados piece Cheryl and her teacher had chosen to work on later. However................

Cheryl - After my last post I was listening to Dedicatoria again and decided to look for the music..... by the way I guessed that one because last summer I told my teacher to put it on my wish list and she said ok, that one isn't too far off... anyway, up pops this book and next thing you know my music collection has grown by another 1/4 inch. So now I have some Granados music to wish upon and stick under my teachers nose from time to time, asking "are we there yet?" Oh, and thanks for the intro to Samuel Maykapar. I will keep an eye out for his music now.

The MacDowell piece is coming along and I've been working on dynamics for the last two weeks. It has a wide range from pp to ff and back several times. Unfortunately, my technique seems to have ff, something less than that, and then missed/silent notes.... not exactly the broad range I'm looking for. When I record it it sounds much flatter than I imagine I am playing. Oh well, no one ever said it would be easy. It is actually at the point where a lot of times my teacher says OK, lets move on. This time, however, I've really grown to love the piece and I may insist that we go the extra distance to get it over the last hump. We'll see at lesson time tomorrow.

The Ravel 1913 Prelude is going to be my recital piece this Spring. I cannot believe she wants to tie my hands up in knots like this piece does in front of 100 people, but I guess she knows what she is doing

Jim

That is the same collection that I have, Jim, and stuck it under my teacher's nose, I have!!!!!!
I have another piece by Schumann (foreign lands and people) that is at that same level (as the Granados) and another Schumann,Mignon, that is a wee bit more difficult, all on my "let's try it pretty soon" list. These, along with my first Chopin (a return to something that I tried a few months ago), along with a beautiful piece by Kabalevsky called Novelette round out the list.

My teacher is really big into theory the past few weeks. She gives me the melody and asks that I fill in the chords by the next lesson. I find the music pretty "vanilla" (heheh Jotur), but the exercise is rewarding (so far I have done Greensleeves and Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head). I continue to work on my Clementi (finally started working on the 3rd movement) and the Linn piece in my signature. I think I will get a pass on the Vandall piece this week, I like Vandall, but for some reason this piece did absolutely nothing for me. I suspect it is that I cannot play it as musically as my teacher. She plays it and I think "Hmmmm.....it sounds like something I could work on." After about three weeks under my fingers, it still sounds "yech" to me.

Oh, I should add, it is really hard to find a collection of Maykapar opus 28 (you are all too far away to hear it...but trust me, a great sigh of relief could be heard from my husband who cannot believe the amount of money that I have spent on sheet music the past year. Just between you and me, I sometimes order things from Amazon instead of sheetmusic.plus just so he might conclude that I have ordered an academic book or something when he sees the bill ). You can find a smattering of Maykapar's pieces here and there, but I have yet to find the complete collection. I went to the music store tonight and found a collection of pieces that included three of his, but most of the others were repeats of others that I have (and the collection, with CD was 25.99). I passed because (well, see above).
I listened to many of the pieces. So far I love the music box, the orphan, and autumn the best.

GlassLove - yep. Vanilla. My go-to alternatives

Anderson and Roe - yes, they were really dynamic as piano players, and very personable in their interactions with the audience. I was amazed at their communication when they were on two pianos - I couldn't figure out how they communicated, in fact But obviously something was in sync for them. And of course, on ONE piano they were simply astounding. I can hardly cross my own hands, let alone someone else's :\ But they do it easily. Their selections ran from bombastic to lyrical - there were sure no boring moments! It was worth the price of admission

Cathy

I finished Learning "leader of the Band" and started "Maple Leaf Rag". I still regret failing at violin lessons when I had the option to take piano lessons now 6years later I decide to take piano lessons starting my Jr. year in highschool. So far I have been taking lessons for a little over 6 months. I'm glad that I have the teacher I do. Too bad she wont be able to give me lessons anymore after may this year, she got hired to work on a river boat in Branson Missouri she has to work for 6 months.

I started two new pieces at my lesson last night -- Erik Satie's Gnossiennes #5 and Mussorgsky's The Old Castle from Pictures at an Exhibition. Starting new pieces is always a thrill, but I'm especially excited about the Satie because the rhythms are going to be a great challenge, and I'm also kind of in love with it right now.

I've been teaching my grandson to play the piano, and the other day he asked me to record a piece that he wanted to play. So I turned on the recorder and he proceeded to improvise for about 4 minutes, using just the lowest octave on the piano, and including some hilarious sound effects. We edited it last night to delete some sections where he inadvertently added comments like, "press the pedal down", "let go of the pedal", and "Ow!" (I don't know what that was about.) He named the piece Ghosts Booing, Zombies Chewing. You can imagine what the sound effects were.

Jim - we are all becoming music collectors, aren't we? We should have a survey - how tall is your music collection? lol

I understand what you mean about brining out the range of your pieces - I am starting to feel that LACK in mine! I'm really itching to start making more use of more of the keyboard. I listened to the Ravel 1913 Prelude on youtube... I have to say that I couldn't play that. Nothing to do with the difficulty - it is the sound of it! ouch. It gave me shivers!!! I really didn't like it..... I'm sure you'll do a good job on it, but if my teacher asked me to play it I'd rebel!

Christine -that's an interesting exercise your teacher has you doing with theory/chords! That is going to be great for helping you do some improve and just noodle about playing songs by ear! What fun!

Amateur Rebuilder - the Maple Leaf Rag! Good for you! That's such a great piece. I have it on my "someday" list.

MaryBee - I listened to the youtube of Satie's Gnossiennes - very pretty indeed. I also checked out the Mussorgsky's The Old Castle from Pictures at an Exhibition, because I wasn't sure what part of PAAE it was.... As soon as I heard the first few notes I recognized it. Also very very pretty. (Mind you I'd love to play the Promenade part too......)
What a great set of pieces to be working on . and I just LOVE your grandson's title..... You'll have to make a recording some time.

My AOTW was that I really did a good job on my blues piece for my teacher -she was thrilled!
I also played the music box for her (from memory, with a few glitches) she thought it was hilarious (the piece, not my playing).
We played 2 jazzy duets which were splendid fun, and she invited me to a piano party in March! I'm very UP UP UP.
Another bit of fun is that I'd sent a recording of my blues piece to a friend in Tennessee last week. It was a bit wobbly, but I was showing him my progress, not showing of a completed work.... He made a second track and accompanied me with his electric guitar. What a hoot.

Do I sense another imminent submission to the recital? Or is that piano bar material?

Love the title!

Marybee,
Here is a nice CD for you, if you don't already own it. I had been under the impression that Pictures was originally written as a set of orchestrated pieces until my husband bought this for me for Christmas!

http://www.amazon.com/Mussorgsky-Pi..._1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328815939&sr=8-1

Delightful recording.

Gnossienne # 5 is one of my favorites!!!! When I read your post I cried out loud "Lucky Duck!!!" I am only qualified to satisfy my Gnossienne cravings with my Aldo Ciccolini collection. A few more years before I can do anything like that on my own. It will be worth the wait though. I cannot wait to hear your piece when it is done!!!

Jim--I love Ravel. The 1913 Prelude is extremely beautiful and I am impressed that you will be playing it in the Spring recital. I am sure that many of the audience members will love you for providing respite from the Bastien primer songs that many of the students will play.

My first exposure to Ravel was with his violin music. I didn't listen to much of his piano works until I started playing myself. I definitely think that it is something of an acquired taste.

Do you like this Ravel, Cheryl?

http://youtu.be/Imu8Qx-QHcM

Congratulations on playing your blues piece well!!! Is it the same one you recorded for the recital? Can't wait to hear it!!! And do record your music box. I love that piece.
Another beautiful piece that you might enjoy is The Song of Twilight by Y. Nakada. Beautiful!!!!!

My achievement of the week is really kinda silly given how long I have been at it--but I CAN FINALLY HEAR MY OWN "MUDDY" PEDAL. My teacher often points it out to me in lessons, but I just couldn't hear it well enough to do anything about it. Finally today I was playing a piece that I don't especially like (it is acceptable to my ears when my teacher plays it ((no great love affair with it even then)), but I have never liked my own playing of it. I finally figured it out!!!! It is my muddy pedaling. I can't wait for her to hear my less muddy sound tomorrow at my lesson!!

Christine, compliments on hearing your own muddy pedal! That's an achievement.
I'm listening to the Ravel link you provided...... overall, no, it isn't grabbing me - there are some parts that are ok, but ...nope, wouldn't go out of my way to hear it again. (But I like it better than the piece Jim "has to" play

I was surprised to see the album too! I never realized they were recorded for piano! woohoo... I feel a shopping spree coming on!

As for my recital piece... no it isn't my blues piece. I didn't think I'd have it ready for recording in time.
I spent an hour trying to record it tonight, figuring I would forego being in the 11th slot and go in later with a more interesting piece... but I don't know.. .I just couldn't get a good recording. My hubby says to just plug in and record every night and I'm bound to get over the jitters of being recorded and to get a good version. I'll try again. It is such a wonderful piece. I bounce all over the bench when I'm playing (hey maybe that's why I can't get a good recording lol!

Cheryl, I'm really surprised you were repelled by the Ravel Prelude...... in fact, I'm thinking it was the quality of the youtube versions that was responsible. I was repelled by them too. None of them that I found are any good except this one link which is beautiful but can barely be heard (turn your volume up). I don't particularly like his interpretation and I also like the tempo a bit slower than his pace, but it is miles better than the others on youtube.

The prelude does have some unexpected tones, but I think they really add to the ultimate resolution in the piece.

Okay, Cheryl. I know you will LOVE piece by Ravel.

http://youtu.be/PuFwt66Vr6U

True??