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Jim F...that is a nice compliment from your teacher to have her appreciate your effort. Don't they say something about talent is 1/4 ability and 3/4 perseverance? Ah...maybe it was inspiration and perspiration...don't remember but do know that EFFORT makes a difference.

Ragdoll...let me know how you do on the Vivace (what composer or book?). You'll achieve the 100 bpm on scales once the fingering is ingrained. Real speed seems to be beyond my reach although I'm faster this year than last with daily work on scales and chords. I'm glad to hear you find the scales "fun"...I'm enjoying the accomplishment of making them solid and smooth.

Well I've printed it out 'cause the book won't stay open @ the piano, but I think it's from Faber's Piano Adventures Level 4. I began initially with Snowflake Rag (also Faber's) because I was/am intimidated with classical (no experience). I found Vivace not to be so hard the few times I've taken it for a test ride. Of course I'm not even this > < close to cut-time but around 80 = d. I'm not really a fan of classical but am willing to try whatever my teacher suggests as she's the expert and receiver of my $$.

Thanks for your kind words re: my scale work. I remember when I first learned them in parallel for 2 octaves but this contrary motion is really a challange for me and I can't imagine what use it will ever be to me <shrug>

My understanding is that contrary builds new brain pathways that make it easier to play difficult and complex passages. We can only hope...

I did contrary motion for Grade 2 and it was easy for me to do. I like a challenge

I should've working right now. Good thing no one knows my name (well not explicitly anyway). Instead I was playing the piano this morning. It was fun. I could play through the Brahmes Intermezzo now with so many things to fix. I recorded myself yesterday and noticed that was very sluggish around the middle section (the famous repeat section before the church organ type passage). So I'm speeding up the section a little bit. I'm playing the repeat with left hand louder second time around. But it doesnt sound natural when i do it. So I'm gonna emphasize the held notes and keep the rest of the left hand notes a bit muted while I play all the notes a little louder than the first time. Anyway that's the plan. I don't have so much time until I have to play this for the studio class on 1/5. Bach is another story. Prelude was fairly easy and fun to play with different dynamics. But oh, the fugue is hard. I am not sure if I can ever memorize it. Somehow the subject keeps appearing in different voices! I suppose that's what a fugue is. Anyway it's my first time. I do my best to emphasize the subject and then I encounter spots where I should be using terraced dynamics etc. it's a busy piece many things are going on simultaneously. I feel like dealing with 3 opinionated singers. It's nice to practice during the day. Ok I have to check email now. Happy holidays.

Folks,

I really like this thread. It's a constant source of motivation for me. Thanks to everyone contributing to it!
As of me, well, today I've got to 400 practice hours milestone. I've met my best option in my plan for 2012 where I expected to achieve around 200 hours but kept 400 as a very nice milestone. This is done, but honestly speaking a *lot* is still to be done and to be played -- which is very nice on this live-long piano playing adventure, isn't it? :-)

Karel

So at your piano party, everyone will have to call you FarmGirl?

Andy, of course not. People who will come to my party know my name addresss and telephone number. Some even met my husband (yes, the same who starred in his own 'moon'light sonata). It will be fun. I may give people option to attend via Skype (lol). Well it's a joke but one ABFer who comes to the party is a retired engineer and taught me how to do Skype. I wish you could come but, seriously, if you or anyone else want to say "hi" via Skype, we will include it in the program.

Bob (I don't even remember your login name any more!), if u are reading, what do you think?

Oh, I've fallen behind in replying .... I don't have time to write individual comments - but I'm delighted with everyone's updates!!!!

My AOTW is that my German Dances are starting to sound like music. I can't wait to get them to a good enough level that I can leave them!!!!!
lol.

FarmGirl - if you are doing skype during your party, I'll be there!!! (well, it depends on what time your party is.... but I'll do my best!)

I won't be on line much over the next while (I imagine none of us will!)

Let me take this moment to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2012!
May your holidays be filled with contentment and beautiful music!

I love milestones like that

Cathy

I have friends from another forum whom I know in person, and we still call each other by our forum IDs. It just seems like who we are.

Everything new thing you do makes new neural pathways.

I love that 'starting to sound like music' phase!

At my last lesson, my teacher was encouraging me to pick more pieces to work on, so I am in the exploratory stage for a few things. I think I want to play the Radetzky March.

I don't have any achievements this week, as have been ill with a really nasty cold, feeling like crap, lost voice, choking cough etc and as crazy as this probably sounds, I have not wanted to play my piano - because it's such a beautiful, perfect thing that it feels wrong to put germs all over it. I wash my hands obsessively anyway before touching it, but playing it while ill just seems evil.

I did offer not to go to my lesson later to protect my teacher from my germs, but she said I should still come. Perhaps she's used to people turning up and coughing all over her and the piano. I'm not sure what she's going to think of my lack of practice and I hope her immune system is strong, as I think if it was me I would have told me to stay away with my germs.

Toastie, I hope you are getting better. Honestly speaking I agree with you that illness is not the right time to put pressure on yourself and do any intensive practice. On the other hand, if you do have Yamaha U3 which looks really like a nice instrument it would be a waste if you even in illness do not play a chord or two, hear the resonance of the massive wooden body, meditate and enjoy the harmony of the sound...Such think usually inspire me and I continue playing for a little bit more just of the joy of playing nice piano and feeding myself with chords harmonies... Isn't this also a good medicine? Don't worry about your piano and germs, germs can't do any harm to it anyway. :-)

Well I did a bit of practice in the end (after thoroughly washing my hands before, during and after, with a scarf over my face etc). Went to lesson, as I did try to spare my teacher the germs, but she insisted she never catches these things anymore and has seen worse. By the time I arrived it was evident I should have stayed at home really and I fumbled through my homework, feeling so feverish i forgot how to operate my hands and then we just talked about god knows what and then I realised 45 minutes had passed instead of half an hour. I can't even remember most of what i said, as I was that out of it. Strangest lesson I've had, I must have seemed either very odd or very ill.

Toastie, I hope you feel better too. I was horribly sick a couple of years ago (chest cold to bronchitis to neumonia). Initially I did not stop practicing. I stopped only after it got worse. Best to stay in bed. I could not see how it was possible to compose when Chopin was so ill. I tried but could not play very well when I was coughing. My body was shaking with feverish chill and each voiceless cough ( I lost voice) seemed to jolt my body. Get well my friend.

Toastie, being sick saps a person's energy. Good for you that you still made some time for piano. This year, I've been wearing a mask a lot, and I have stayed healthy. Most years, I have some kind of cough or congestion by December.

KarelG, 400 hours for one year is a good number. At my anniversary in March 2013, I might have half that many hours.

Week 41: I ran into a friend who is a musician and songwriter. He is recording his songs in studio to release an album of sorts. 25 years ago, he released a CD with the dream of making a career in music. These days it is a legacy project, just to have the songs recorded in studio with full backing. My friend is a much more accomplished musician than me (he dreamed of going pro as a pop musician). I enjoyed talking music and songwriting. For both of us, playing and writing music was a way to get through some very difficult, very dark times. I find that the tribe of songwriters is relatively small. I estimate that I meet 10 to 20 competent amateur musicians for every competent songwriter.

My piano week is stagnant. Christmas is here, and I am disappointed that my two Christmas songs are not performance ready. I lamented to my friend that 15 minutes a day translates into very little progress. I am still reclaiming Ashokan Farewell. Some here might remember my crash and burn when I performed it at Songmakers in September. It will be nerve wracking to try it again.

Another long time favorite of my mine is Pachelbel's Canon in D. I first heard it performed by street musicians on the Santa Monica 3rd street promenade. I am thinking I will make that the next big project. As I often do, I'll probably want to do my own arrangement. In the new year, I'll have more time, and hopefully my hand issues will stay under control. I am also hatching a plan to keep the keyboard setup, instead of having to move it from under the bed each time I want to play. I want to do that before thinking about upgrading my Yamaha NP11.

So not much progress, but I am still at it every day for 15 minutes or more. I see many others are time challenged this time of year, so that gives me perspective.

There was no reason to begin learning a new piece because I was reviewing 4 pieces daily that I could play, but they were at the stage of my brain and fingers were on high alert to keep it together for no mistakes. That was up until today when I played the pieces and I could play them slowly and relaxed. Lots of things to do to polish them off but it was nice to see my fingers and brain working together in a very relaxed fashion. It is almost an out of body experience. when the fingers and the brain work together in a relaxed fashion.

What a lovely Christmas present to myself from myself!

Sending another load of get well wishes to Toastie!

Participated in a recital. And did very well. There was depth to the music for the first time ever on stage and I wasn't bothered by the audience at all after the first 2 minutes. Played 3 pieces and by the time I was done I didn't want to have to step down from the stage.


Last week I also had a concert with the academy choir and we did amazing. We were dressed nicely and our singing was beautiful. Everyone was following the conductor and each piece was conducted by a different person from the choir. Maybe next year I will volunteer to conduct one of the pieces myself, seeing how fun it was. Same thing after being on stage for 10 minutes I didn't want to go home, it was intoxicating, there was no feeling of insecurity and no worries about the audience. It was in a huge concert hall which was full of people too

Thanks for the sympathy everyone, have been feeling very sorry for myself. Much better today and capable of staying upright at the piano again, so that's where I'm going now.

In case I don't see you all for a few days I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I am very excited that for the first time in my life I will be able to play piano on Christmas day. I always had an image in my head of doing that, not sure why. It will be like being in a Christmas card! Tomorrow I plan on playing as much piano as I can, then I am going to have lunch with a friend. Then I will play piano again when I get back and it will be really nice, beause I always find a Christmas a bit strange.