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So funny! Thanks for sharing this.

My teacher frequently tells me to stop talking, but he hasn't transcribed me yet.

Played in my first recital today. I was nervous and started to bomb but recovered and finished good per my instructor!! My song was the Shepherd's Song. Had fun!!

There is nothing wrong with "bombing" at first, as long as you CAN recover, which, alas, sometimes I fail to do.
Nervous = cold, sweaty hands, which are veery slow

Anyway, I'm thrilled about the fact that I finally found a way to do some trilling, which is not with finger 2 + 3 (I tried for years) but with fingers 1 + 3

Congratulations Warlock214, that's a big achievement

Congrats warlock! Thats a big achievement indeed!

Sideshow, thats interesting, I found trilling 1+3 more difficult than 2+3.

well, last lesson with my teacher, while my "analog" piano is waiting for a hammer and shanks transplant and we where working on the digital... he made me pick up the book of chopin ballades, open page #13 and start the "presto con fuoco" section... start slow, get the base movement under the fingers... but that is the next "short" work we will work on.
I'm still speechless... we started working together 2 months ago and he already made me learn more than I did learn by myself in the last year... I was totally stuck at a plateau and he just pulled me out in less than 10 lessons.

I'm happy.

Sounds very encouraging Ataru074 and one more good reason to have a teacher in the first place

I'm about two hours early, but I can't stay up that late for the occasion, so...




Happy 3rd Birthday to AOTW!


Mom must be very proud... I know there are pics of her on PW somewhere, can't seem to find one right now though.

~Congrats Warlock124 that first recital is terribly nerve racking, I remember my first recital/piano jury I played a Rondo by Purcell, and my hands were shaking so badly I messed up the opening notes, resulting this werid cacphony of sound. After that not so auspicious start I managed to pick up the pieces and made it through the piece without any more grevious errors.

~Ataru074, wow that's an achievement! I can't wait till the day I can open a book of Chopin's ballades and start playing one of them. I am working on his post. waltz in A minor, the ballades seems so far off sometimes.

My highlight of the week, was with Bach. I had been working on Chopin's Waltz so much during the week, getting the pedaling just right etc... so in need of a different piece I decided to dust off my copy of his Prelude no. 1 in C major. I hadn't played for ages an suddenly I was playing them at a faster tempo then I did before and I was really happy with how the poco a poco cresendo sounded; it sound much more individual than ever before. I quite chuffed, this how I want to play this piece, my interpretation of this piece. I felt so connected to the music for the duration of the piece, completely obsorbed in it. I was playing it not learning or critiquing it, but simply being in the music letting the glorious music flit around me. After the Bach piece, I went and played some of the Waltz and it improved measurably, now if only the rest of the waltz would sound like those few measures.

Love, love, love that feeling!

JimF - Happy Birthday! I appreciate how you always bring a note of cheer to this forum.

Cheryl - love the video! Here's another fun one too: [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GvXazJiAEIA[/video]
But maybe it should be saved until December.

Maybe post this in the Tuner-Technicians forum, and see what they have to say.


AOTW:
I learned three things this week while I was re-recording my recital piece:
1) I perceive my pauses as much, much longer than they actually are.
2) When I'm performing, I need to forget all the little details that I've worked so hard on during practices, and just trust myself to play what I know.
3) Relaxing really does make it easier to play. (Well, that one I already knew, but I hadn't learned it.)

Yes, it's been pretty bad lately (for newer folks reading -- dynamobt and I live just one town away from another... plus, I just get a kick out of repeating that because I find it so extraordinary that in a world of 6+ billion people we would bump into one another in this humble thread, of a particular forum of mutual interest, in this little corner of the internet).

We don't have central A/C, so I don't know that the timing will make such a great difference. I really wanted to get it tuned before the recital, but that's turned out to not be so useful after all.


This is only the 2nd tuning since it was neglected for 10+ years. I will definitely say something to him, and pass along the YouTube video.


Thanks, nice to hear that! I truly am just a beginner though... aside from Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are, which is getting rustier by the day from not being played, what you heard is pretty much it for what I know!


I don't think it's that... he played it before he left and it sounded fabulous.


LOL... I like the logic there. It's not my wife that needs to be convinced, it's my 9-year-old youngest daughter, the one who grows attached to cardboard boxes, names every single toy, etc.

It isn't *that* horrible though. This is what it sounded like 5 months ago before its 1st tuning:
[video:youtube]dR6gezYWBXs[/video]

BTW... my daughter learned to play on this for two years and it never seemed to bug her. Appeals to musical rationality (or any other form of rationality) are ineffective with her.


Thanks... this is the sort of feedback I was looking for. Having come from the place in the video above, it's hard to be objective. I don't know if I'm being too picky, expecting too much, or what.


I've discussed this with him rather extensively, particularly around getting it back up to concert pitch. I'd like to get it there, but not at the expense of having it sound horrendous in the interim. He says that he's going to move it very slowly -- for my ears' sake, and to avoid breaking any strings. It's not helping my ears though.


There's a saying here in New England: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute. It will change."


Will do, although I'm not expecting it to stick this time either... and I don't think it's his fault. He's been doing this for a while, so I don't think it's that he is incompetent, by any stretch.

Very cute TallGuy! Wow...3 years! I noticed last year but missed it this year. I'm so glad that there are so many regulars, and that there are always new comers, who drop in to share their experiences here!

Thanks to all our contributors!!!!!!!!!!

(btw there are NO pics of me on PW, barring videos which show my hands).

And here I am, catching up while drinking my morning coffee.


Manyhands, I'm not familiar with either of your pieces, but I do know that it isn't easy to get used to working with a metronome! Good for you!

Jim, you're welcome

Saranoya: Missing a lesson is always disappointing, missing it because you've had a seizure needs another modifier I think. I had to look up the 2nd Movement as I have never, to my knowledge, heard it before. I'm listening as I type. It sounds like it would be fun to play!
The Burgmuller Op100N15 is a meaty dramatic piece isn't it? How are you doing with your Grieg pieces? I'm in love with mine

FarmGirl - you make me laugh. You should record yourself while you practice and thenlisten to what you are saying! lol. There are quite a few PW folks going to the SummerKey camp, aren't there? I think that would be so much fun!

TallGuy - sorry to hear you are having so much trouble getting your spinnet tuned properly. That's very frustrating. I'm glad you got a good take of your piece for the recital though! It will be fun to listen to your piece. What's the name of the first piece you played in your sample clip (not the octave plinking, but after that I really liked it! )

Warlock 214: Good for you - being able to recover from a flub or lapse is really important - Glad to hear you had fun and this was a good experience for you!

Sideshow: congrats on the trills. I'm just wondering though.... I don't think it is "written in stone" that you have to use particular fingers for your trills - I believe (could be wrong though) that it depends on the general fingering for the specific part of the piece that has the trills and you can in fact be called up on to do trills with any combo...?

Ataru74: wow, you're flying now! How exciting!

IreneAdler: Now that is a major achievement. I've had some positive experiences going back to a previous piece, but nothing that compares to what you've described. What tremendous satisfaction you must be feeling!


Marybee: loved the video - those guys were great! I was laughing out loud a couple of times. Your three AoTWs are great ones - (unfortunately in my piece the pauses actually ARE longer than they should be and I think glaringly obvious.. maybe those who don't know the piece will think they qualify as dramatic effect ....:) )
Trusting we can actually play what we've been working on is greatly influenced by the pressure of the red dot or an audience, don't you think?...and relaxing...ah yes, well "knowing" something and "believing it, doing it" are different, aren't they? Good for you for getting it sorted out and put into practice!


I don't think I've got anything new - just cruising along making general bits of progress on my current pieces and loving them.
I'm delighted with how quickly the Sicilienne is coming along - and I was really surprised to hear Mr. Casinitaly humming it as we did the dishes the other night. Before I started piano he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Since I've been playing I have noticed his ability to hum what I'm working on has improved vastly - quite an interesting phenomenon.

Practice trilling with 4 and 5. 2 and 3 will feel so easy in comparison!

Seriously - you need to be able to trill with any fingers. Hint - trills aren't always fast. Particularly when you start practicing them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AOTW
wow, has it really been three years?

Warlock - Great job on your first rectal. Don't forget to grab one of those piano icons for your sig line.

Farmgirl- please stop cursing while you are f#&@$ing up!!

Funny that trills should come up now... this week my assigned exercise is Hannon #46 The Trill - two pages of nothing but trills, all fingers,both hands. Guess that will be my AOTW because it has given my 4-5 quite a workout.




oh, and thanks again everyone for your kind birthday wishes in the past few days.

JimF - Thank you. Where do I find the piano icons?

MaryBee - Have fun with Raindrop! It is on my wish list, but probably not this year.

Manyhands - Working with a metronome is not an easy skill to learn, but it really pays off. Sounds like you are using it well!

Saranoya - You will get Moonlight Movement #2 to come together. Somethings look easier than they are, but your perseverance will pay off. Sorry to here about a seizure pre-empting your lesson. It takes a lot of strength to live with the ups and downs of a chronic disease, and you seem to stay very up beat and positive.

FarmGirl - You made me laugh. Your teacher sounds like a slave driver! She sees your potential, and won't let you off easy. I am sure you will do great at Summer Keys.

aTallGuyNH - Sorry to hear your piano is sick. Hopefully your tuner will make it right for you.

Warlock - Congratulations on your first recital. Recovering from a troubled start is really an accomplishment!

Sideshow - I have one piece that I have a long 1-3 trill, and it took a lot of work. I am surprised that it works better than 2-3 for you. Congrats for finding a trill that works well!

AtaruO74 - It sounds like you have found a great teacher who takes and interest in your progress.

IreneAdler - That is great that you discovered you could play Bach Prelude 1 better than ever, and really put yourself into it and make music. Congrats.

MaryBee - I like the thought "just trust yourself and play". I am still working on that one, but I think it is the key to the red dot or performing!

Casinitaly - Sicilienne is such a pretty piece. That is really neat that your husband was humming it. It means he is appreciating your playing!

My AOTW is working through both of my Grieg pieces. The 3's against 4's are going surprisingly well. I guess all the polyrhythms in the Arabesque and Liszt Consolation #3 are paying off.

The second AOTW is recognizing how valuable hand separate practice is, even after putting hands together, especially with pieces with polyrhythms. Once I have the notes down HT at slow tempo, I have started bringing each hand up to tempo HS. Then when I put it HT it automatically flows better at a faster tempo.

Yes, Happy Birthday AOTW. I don't post often, but I read them all - Thread of the Year!

Cathy

Congrats on the recitals, Warlock and Malkin. Happy birthday to JimF and to AOTW. Cheers everyone.

Week 61: Highlight of my week is attending a concert by Christopher Goodpasture. As one person said when walking out, "he is a helluva pianist," and has the contest wins, awards and resume to match that statement. Holy cow! I also watch a bio of Jake Shimabukuro, the ukulele virtuoso on TV.

I record many takes of my recital piece, Canon in D. I decide to record over the course of several days and then listen to all the takes and pick the best one. It seems unlikely that any of them will be perfect, so this kind of process gets me something, without the frustration of wanting a perfect take, and falling short time after time. I started on Canon in D around week 46 so it is 15 weeks working on my level one arrangement. My upload is at position 45.

I continue working on My Favorite Things. My simple arrangement is starting to feel like music, though there are still some hesitations. After four months of owning my Casio PX-150 I finally took the time to figure out how to set the tempo and volume on the built in metronome. Someone on Youtube suggested doing scales at 60 bpm, slow and loud, so I am trying some of that.