Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital #28 --- Call For Submissions

Recital #28 is now open for submissions!

Believe it or not, our 28th quarterly Piano World Adult Beginners Forum recital approaches! The recital will be posted some time on the 15th of November, which means that the submissions must be in by 9:00 pm Eastern Time, November 14. Please note this deadline is very firm; I cannot start working on the recital until it is closed, and once it is closed, no new entries can be added.

While any and all styles of music are welcome, we do ask that it be piano related. Only one recording may be submitted per forum member (although that recording may consist of a medley of two or more very short related pieces).

If you are fairly new to the piano, please do not be intimidated by some of the talent here in the ABF. We all consider ourselves to be beginners even though we may have been playing for some time. And, we LOVE to hear recordings from folks new to the keyboard. So even if you’re on your first Alfred’s method book, we would *really* enjoy hearing from you.

Recital submissions must be in MP3 format. The maximum size of the file is 20 MB. We recommend encoding the recording at 192 kbs with a constant bitrate, as that works best with the online streaming player. At that bitrate, a 20 MB file works out to be about 7 minutes in length. Your recording will be normalized when placed in the consolidated zip files, but your original link will still be available for those who want it.

If you are new to recording your music, there are several threads in the forum archives that address the ways and means. See the "Important Topics in the AB Forum" thread stickied at the top of the AB forum page. Audacity is an excellent free recording application that can be used.

Submitting Your Recording:

We will be using again the absolutely marvelous automatic web-based recital program that mahlzeit wrote for us. You will upload your mp3 file to the recital server as part of the recital submission process.

When you have your mp3 file ready, go to:

https://recitals.pianoworld.com/

and follow the instructions there. Please note that this URL reflects our new permanent home for all the recital files. Once you have uploaded your info to the automated recital software, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You will have the opportunity to revise your submission any time up until the deadline. If you have any problems at all using the new website, or if you do not receive a confirmation e-mail within a few hours, just PM me. If you have not participated in past recitals using this software, you may want to submit your recital piece at least a day in advance in case you run into any problems with it.

The recital website uses the following submission template to be filled out along with your attached music file. You may want to have your responses to these fields prepared in advance so all you have to do is cut and paste:

Performer's Name: {forum ID and real name if you’d like}
Where you are located: {optional}
Avatar image link: {optional}
Experience: {Yrs/Mos of piano playing experience}
Link to YouTube or other video: {optional}
Home page link: {optional}
Title of piece/composer:
Source of music: {sheet music, improvised score, play-by-ear, etc}
Instrument used: {Piano make, keyboard model, etc.}
Recording method: {audacity, Zoom, digital to PC, etc.}
Constructive technical feedback wanted: {Yes/No}
Additional Info: {Your thoughts on the piece, what you had for lunch, etc.}


The due date for all submissions is 9:00 pm US EASTERN TIME on November 14, 2012.

Did I mention that the 9:00 pm deadline was firm?

Think "consistency of concrete."

Please note also that the countdown clock on the recital website was acting up in the last recital and should not be relied upon as your sole time-keeper. Sam S. put in some heroic hours debugging the code, and we believe the problem is fixed, but (just in case) you should be aware that the deadline will be measured by "real" time. (Do not, I repeat, not, get all philosophical or physics-y on me and start debating what "real" time is.) In fact, do yourself and me a favor and don't put off submitting your piece until the last hour. Pretty please.

By submitting a piece to the recital, you are certifying that it is a recording of your own performance.

Again, the recital order will be presented in the order the pieces were received, so the sooner you send in your piece, the higher you will be on the list! You can revise your entries on the template (e.g., thoughts about your piece, adding YouTube links, and the like) any time and not lose your place in the recital queue, but if you resubmit your recording at any time, for any reason, you will be bumped to the end of the list.

Should anyone have any questions at all on what to do or how to do it, this is the place to ask. Remember, there are NO stupid questions, as we have a steady flow of new members in AB forum for whom this is their first recital, so your questions will probably help to eliminate other members’ problems. Please ask away!

Let's all go out and brave that Red Dot and share a lot of beautiful music!

Well, I'm in #1 this time...
I went to check if the recital was already online before I left for my tennis match ... And it was!

Thanks Monica!

We're already up to 10!! Time to get serious about putting in some Red Dot time...

Well I'm in at # 12. I would have made the top 10 but just as I went to record using the Zoom I noticed that my RCA to 1/4'' plug adapter was broken. I needed this piece to record directly from my digital piano into the Zoom using the line level input (as well as a 2 into 1 "Y" stereo mini adapter. (I didn't move the mighty Mason this time. It's getting way to expensive and I'm having a ton of fun whipping around the Roland digital.)

I got through that ordeal thanks to a somewhat nearby Radio shack. A little pricey though!

Anyway, I usually end up dropping a few places by recital time as others below me question (and re-question) their submitted performances...(post submittal dissonance)? but this group seems really strong and committed so I may end up at an even dozen. Lots of great performances to look forward to.

Funny you say that ... post submittal dissonance. I had a strong leaning towards re-recoding today, but then thought better of it. The thing is ... will I ever be completely happy with it? I think not.

Kind of a double edge sword isn't it? On the one hand with a recorded piece we can take as many tries as we want to get it right. But will it ever be right? Not for me I don't think.

I've resigned to settle for ... this was the best I could do on the day I decided to record. Too bad I didn't record on a better day ...

I am in at number 15. Its been awhile since I've participated. Its good to be back.

Greener, always wanting to do better is not a bad trait to have. It's part of our human nature. You seem to have it. That's good.

You and people like you are not slackers. Just the opposite. You are always looking for ways to do better and improve.

I'm similar in that respect but I've also been accused many times of not stopping and smelling the roses.

At some point you have to step back and be proud of what you have already accomplished even if you know there is still more to come.

It's time to smell the roses; at least for a little while.

Note to self: finish recital piece instead of posting pictures of large decorative swine - that may or may not house functional pianos - on pianoworld.

...and I will add this. You can always do better but sometimes you just have to say "OK, enough, here it is!" I think the day we say "This is perfect, I can't make it any better." is the day the work starts to lose it's spark. It's the drive to "make it better" that keeps the work interesting. Plus, if we keep waiting for the "perfect work" we'll probably never finish anything.

Man, I'm deep!!!

Spent a couple of hours with the Zoom and got a take I could submit, yay!

...but then I committed the fatal mistake of listening to a recording of the composer himself playing the piece.

sorry can't help, but can sure relate. I think if I go back and listen to Carl Seeman one more time, I may be inclined to take a sledge hammer to my piano. So, I'll try to hold off on doing that.

You may want to reference the last few posts on this thread, Monica. They were of help to me. I think I'll be going out to see if I can find some roses to smell tonight

I think this is the best antidote to our anxiety:

"The primary purpose of the recitals is to allow AB forum members to provide a snapshot of where they are in their piano journey at that particular point in time. The goal is not perfection but rather to share with one another our current projects." source:recitals.pianoworld.com

Never forget the spirit of it.

Been waiting for this! Now I've got to choose something to submit, lol.

>It's time to smell the roses; at least for a little while.

Not yet! Smelling the roses is for Thursday, November 15, 2012 :-p

Just submitted mine ... well, the upload is going anyway. It's been a while ... might not get there first time.

Anyway, my composer has been dead for over three hundred years so I'm safe from comparisions with him!

It's going to be a challenge for me this time with only ten days left. We moved this summer, I found a new piano teacher in September. We had a new baby born in October. And I started all new pieces in September instead of continuing where I left off with my old teacher. I've got 4 things brewing, two of them are short, maybe things will come together. Oh yeah, and I don't have my borrowed Zoom anymore. Need to order one of those! As you can see, factors are conspiring against me for ABF Recital #28.

Ah, I want to submit something but I don't have anything long enough that sounds decent. These little pieces we've been learning take about 20 seconds to play once I get them up to speed. :P

the length is not so important, it's about how nice it sounds and how much fun you have with it. Maybe you can add a repeat if you think it's too short

I'd rather listen to an interesting, well played short piece than a boring long one....

I agree - and Wouter is right too - add in a little repeat.
Or string a few of your pieces together as a little theme.

Several of my submissions have been under a minute :J) This time I've got 2 little pieces and I'm still under 2 minutes


I'm in now at 26,right after Andy Platt.