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I usually ignore what you say, but this is not funny and in extremely bad taste.

That's a seriously sad situation here. We always know there are going to be. Don't know how many. One year we lost 8 bikers in one accident. They ran into a herd of deer.
This Rally only actually started on Monday. Last week they were really showing attitude. We had four deaths by Monday. It's up to Six, last I heard. Very sad. The bikers, for the most part, lost their attitude when riding. They are much better now. How many more? Don't know?
I used to drive a Taxi here. The Organ Donor people were very busy during rally. They would fly in on private jets in the middle of the night. Tell the jet Pilot to be ready to leave at 6am (or whatever time). The taxi drivers would think they're big studs because they pull the taxi out on the tarmac and up to the jet. They would leave with stacks of coolers. You know what was in them.
Interesting that the apparently best people would be so laid back. Want to talk about the weather and the Hills. Then we'd get idiots who had this big attitude. Like a nurse that tells me: "The hospital is over there. Why are you going this way?".... Because I can't cut a road through that neighborhood. That's why.
They usually have one helicopter at the hospital. During rally.... They bring in a second helicopter. Have at least one crew on site, ready to go 24 hours a day.

It's a very sad situation. Especially when these people come here to have fun. Sad...

I've found the same. For the very best, being so is normal for them, they have nothing to prove.

I work in healthcare as well. The best indicator of insecurity? Doctors who insist that they be referred to as "Dr. So-and-So". Most only reserve that for in front of patients, in surgery, etc. Behind the scenes in administration, it's virtually all first-name basis. Depends on the corporate culture, but this is getting more and more common.

I missed this completely lol, seems the piccy I posted was not the exact one I played after all >.> unfortunately I did not have a camera at the time some didn't have pedals and some had knee pads under the keys but it definitely had pedals haha.

In the end I played 7 grands, 9 if you count the upright cabinet styles :P the one I tried posting a picture of and failed was an 1800's broadwood and son concert piano cannot remember the others off the top of my head, all I remember is that apparently Franz Liszt played on one of those in the museum (whether or not it was THAT one is questionable)

Big achievement this week in that I got my fist Grieg piece re-recorded, the new video made, wrote my little blub and got it all submitted to the Opus leader. Darn if you don't forget some of the technology stuff when it's been a while since you've used it!! But then to cement the process in my head I made a video of my August Quarterly Recital submission and got that posted on YouTube too. I hope I'm on a roll and can get the second Grieg piece recorded very soon!!

My achievements this week have been getting more control over things that are difficult for me and improving focused practice.

I asked for some help on my Grieg piece and have had a lot of great replies, so that will be my focus over the next few days. It is coming together quite well except for one small part...I hope to conquer it soon!

AOTW! More like an AOT year.
I survived the rally. No accidents. No problems. No fights. I'm happy and relieved as I can be. Only one day left of the rally and I can sit at home. This is more serious than you might think. There are people here who leave during the rally. Schedule their vacation then. It is always a complete pain.
To let you know just how serious my AOTY was. News just came in that the Sheriffs departments said there were an unusually high number of deaths this year at campgrounds and other places related to the rally. They are not releasing full numbers or details until all family members are notified. But so far...fatalities: 6, Accident fatalities: 6. Last years total was 8 and 7. Yes, I do agree it is in poor taste to flaunt that common phrase of health care workers. I hope you all see why the rally is such a pain to us.
EDIT: To be fair. I must confess that we make a ton of money off the rally. We need to be nice hosts.

AOTW... I'm making headway on training my autonomic mind. Things with my fingers are taking a little shape. Also realizations on fingering that is the best for a particular passage are occurring to me to be obvious. Basically....the coordination and nervous system are starting to respond. Very happy. It's been drudgery working this.


Cas....Congrats on your 42k ride. Keep at it. I bet you got yourself one of those nice Italian bikes. Don't you? We really should talk more about exercise in this forum. It helps all of us too much.

Ron - glad everyone made it through the rally unscathed!

And it sounds like you are making a lot of progress with figuring things out. When you realize something is obvious... keep in mind all the work that went into understanding that it should be obvious!

I like my bike, but it is not that special. It is called a hybrid - not quite a mountain bike but not really a city bike either. It has 21 gears, of which I tend to use 7 (n2 on the left and the full 1-7 on the right -- the terrain around here is pretty flat), it has shock absorbers on the front, which took me a while to get used to. But it is not a famous brand - it is one of the Decathlon store models.

We'll be heading out again soon Probably we won't do as much as yesterday but I'm aiming for at least 25k

That's more of an accomplishment. Doing those distances on a hybrid. I got one in that type. It's a Cannondale. To be honest, I'm not that crazy about everything giving. It's not real stiff with any parts. I keep it. I'm no great bike rider.
I"m not sure what you're riding on. Not sure your roads locally are good? Either way. Just for the experience. You should try out a high end road bike. It's like riding a razor blade. Makes it easy to go long distances. It's quite an experience just to try one out.

We ride on bike paths, and off-road on dirt roads and on paths through the local woods. Depending on the route. If we want we can stay on asphalt. I won't ride on roads except for very very short stretches - I'm too nervous!

-- we could make an OT cycling thread - or start one in the "just for the fun of it" forum!

I have done my own mad dash yesterday. It sounds like I am also expected to perform something for a local piano party. It's not a piano party for the forum. My friends and I were introduced to people who run the club in my city recently. The club has been in existence for 14 years and I had never heard of it before. I thought I will just go and listen since there are 25 members. But I just got an e-mail that they are looking forward to hearing us.. I decided to complete Summer's eve from Grieg really quickly. I will continue to prepare Puck but not for the crowd. It's a simple piece but too well known. I should have speed and fast / almost snapping pedal release to convey the sense of humor buried within the piece. I'm not there yet. It will take time to get the speed I like. So i will see it may or may not be ready for the party.
I can play Bach book 2 f minor prelude from memory. The fugue, I have to read. The memory is gone. The piano party is 22nd. I recorded the f minor prelude for the forum recital but had do much recording issues. My Zoom Q3HD has been skipping and making Brrrrrrrrrrrrr sound all over the recording. I cannot submit this. The picture jerks and jolts... with the strange barking sounds. I ordered a new one yesterday. I need a recorder for my Maine trip too. It's very disappointing that I have to buy exactly the same thing. But it was not the same since my dog dropped when he was a puppy. It's been dying slowly.

Mozart is going ok. I'm learning tons of things. It even made me realize how to play the scales properly. Trills and pattern recognitions etc. I'm now starting to like Mozart.

Awww she is sweet- I am glad this dear old piano has come to you who will care for her.

A belated happy birthday to CarlosCC.

Week 74: I work with the metronome for my recital piece, now named Avenue D. I have been recording. I will do a few more takes, then pick one, with the understanding that none may be all there. It feels like so much effort for what seems like a simple original piece. I explain to a friend why I am still a piano beginner, even though I have already performed on stage on a grand piano (live recording is at my blog: One Year and the Passage of Time ). The word beginner has different meanings to different people.

My new bike is also a hybrid, a Diamondback Insight. I had another hybrid bike many moons ago, and it was a relatively fast bike on the flats. I no longer have the desire or the body to go fast, or to do long rides. Ten miles (16 km) is a long day for me now.

Have a good week everyone. Cheers.

Yesterday my husband came up to me with a guilty look and said he had to tell me something, because I was going to find out anyway. I was pretty sure it had something to do with spending too much money, because that's what it always is. I was right, but the reason why just blew me away.

For my birthday present, he has asked my piano teacher, who is a composer, to write a piano piece for me. They have been planning this for several months, all without me knowing. I don't know if it's going to be for my birthday this year or next, but it doesn't matter. I can't believe my husband came up with that wonderful idea -- I am just amazed at his thoughtfulness!

Anyway, I had to share this exciting news with my friends here. I'm sure once it's finished and I've learned it, you'll be hearing it at a future ABF recital!

SandTiger- I hear you --- I often hesitate to say I'm more than a beginner - and we can see from the posts here, how many interpretations of "beginner" there are!
What kind of mood does your Avenue D piece have? The title makes me think of some snappy uptown New Yorker piece with a sassy attitude. Am I even close?
I googled your bike - it is much sleeker than mine

Mary Bee -- that is the coolest gift (well, your clarinet lamps come close, but ....) Your husband is amazing to have thought of that!!! I'm blown away!

I even thought of an exercise for pianists thread. I have a hard time thinking it would go anywhere. Here, exercise seems to be something to mention now and then.


EDIT: Farmgirl: I'm wondering what you think about Mozart and learning. I have heard he is great for learning. What are your thoughts?

since we are mentioning cycling I completed an 80Km ride with friends (people who don't get the whole piano thing) yesterday. Finished the ride off with a ferry ride back to the start,you can see some of the pictures here

click on the picture to advance to the next

It seems like that facebook album might be viewable by friends only.

An exercise thread might be an interesting idea. They say that exercise is the most amazing of "wonder drugs" when it comes to facilitating learning. I do a lot of walking in everyday life (interspersed with short sprints to catch elusive public transit), but currently that's about all.

Earlier this spring I had started jogging a bit and found that it was great for my concentration & outlook, but then that got cut short by another extended recurrence of my migraine issue. But now the headaches are somewhat under control, and the neighborhood I'm in the process of moving into is quite close a really nice riverfront bike/multi-use path.

Back on topic, I'm considering it an achievement when I make it to the piano at all. I've left it set up as i've been packing up everything around it, but I've been having a hard time transitioning back into a musical frame of mind. My brain is obsessed with frantically running around stuffing everything into boxes, then shuffling through stacks of boxes to find the correct box for stray items (because, at least in my life, once something gets stuffed into an odds&ends box at the back of a closet, it may not emerge for years...)

It is true. I'm glad you asked. Because I'm happy to share my recent findings. My teacher says if you want to get certain finess Mozart is the best. I agree with her now after a couple of months of struggles with this piece. His deceptively simple looking music seems to relentlessly expose pianists weakness / lack of skills. I never knew I had so much room for improvement in my technique. From alberta bass to four note trills, things I thought secure and learnt long time ago crumbles miserably when played with right dynamic, rhythm and speed. Also studied a new skill called leggiero (not sure the spelling). The reward is big. I noticed improvements in my scales last night. Since hitting the right notes at the right time alone is not enough to play Mozart enough, you will learn various touches. Mozart won't sound good if you don't have the finess required for. It's not like Chopin or Beethoven, there is very little drama in the piece where pianists can take refuge in (figuratively speaking). There is nothing to hide in Mozart. I thought about relearning Beethoven's Pathetique for the exam but rethinking it now.

Earlofmar: 80km. wow. That's about 30 more than I've ever done, but it falls into my target for what I want to be able to do. I couldn't see your pics either.

Here are some pics of one of the paths where we cycle - if you click on any one of the photos you can get a better resolution. This one is all paved and runs along the Naviglio Grande, which basically runs parallel to the Ticino River.
http://www.saltainsella.it/VisualLight/Naviglio%20Grande/Naviglio_Grande_foto.htm

Tangleweeds: I do not envy you moving. I have moved 11 times, once internationally! My hubby I think has moved more than 20 times (his dad was in the forces) We've been living in this place since 1999, that's the longest either of us has stayed in one place. I loathe moving. It would be nice if your piano could be a haven from the stress of moving - focusing on a piece might just give you a mental break from the hassle of packing and organizing.

Farmgirl: I think we may be working ourselves up to starting an exercise thread. What will it be? W.O.Y.D - (work-out in your domain? ) lol....Ron (rmaple) gave me some interesting links and info on mobility exercises - I've been working primarily on my neck, arms and shoulders and wrists - they are not hard and I am seeing some little results. I've been watching Scott Sonnon videos for them.

As for your Mozart -- I am fascinating to hear how you are working at so many fine details and nuances - and I look forward to the day that I have enough control over the piano to get into such detail!