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This sight reading app sounds interesting malkin.

I didn't have a lesson because there was about 1cm of snow so the roads turned to chaos and the lesson got cancelled. Have gone onto the next piece in the book on my own and about to start another. The stuff in the book is starting to seem quite easy now. This might mean that soon I will start to play music that doesn't have the little mouse pictures on it. Although I will miss the little dogs a bit, haha.

Farm Girl - I know what you mean about adding in Una Corda, which I've just done in parts of Moonlight. Kind of throws off your coordination with the sustain pedal. Plus, I feel a little...I don't know how to say it..... unbalanced, I guess.... when I have both feet so close together. This is probably a bad habit, but I usually have my left foot on the floor at least 12-18 inches left of the pedals and right foot resting on the sustain. Bringing them together feels like I might just tip over!! (obvious posture flaw I guess)

Sandtiger - As far as I know "comping" is indeed short hand for accompanying. Have not heard it used for anything else. In a piano context I would usually take it to mean playing mostly harmony and little or no melody, but I'd sure be interested to hear what our pro's have to say.

Cheryl - Sounds like you are smokin', both piano-wise and business-wise. You have a right to feel "chuffed." LOL, that phrase always makes me smile....I have no idea why and don't even know the derivation of it. is the title a secret? Curious minds want to know?

MaryBee - Isn't it nice to nail down what you are going to work on in the coming year? I had the annual talk too. Most of mine though is the same weaknesses I've had all along, except that this year I'm going to retain/develop a little more semipermanent repertoire of pieces I can play. Toward that end I'm trying to ressurrect my recent Pucinni, and plan to do so on one Chopin and a couple jazz pieces. If I can pull that off I'll be as chuffed as C!

Wisebuff - What great advice to just focus on our own learning. My biggest probem continues to be just getting out of my own way.

Andy -
Yep. I've heard that. Of course, unlike you, I was actually TRYING to play something at the time


I don't really have an AOTW. I'm kind of struggling with this new Beethoven minuet, trying to get a smooth legato with melody topnote on a string of thirds and sixths. Its just a matter of slowing down and being real careful with finging, but so far it doesn't quite feel or sound right. I'll have to see tomorrow what teacher thinks. Moonlight, although far from finished, is sounding pretty good. Now if I could just focus for the whole piece (it is the longest thing I've ever played) I think I would be double chuffed.

I was working on Molly Malone from Alfred's. I now have to work on the Dvorak Largo I was given before Xmas- that is a lot harder- about a grade 3 level and I'm scraping to get to grade one lol. Teacher was away for Xmas and got first lesson after Xmas this Friday. Tried playing this BHT ..just about managing it, but I'm certainly playing wrong notes and note values in places. I don't work Thursdays so will do a fair bit on it then.

Glad work is booming for you in these times Casinitaly. You are an ESL teacher right? Did you do the MA? I am qualified in that (Trinity TESOL) but not worked in it for awhile as there are no long term contracts to be had in it over here. I do learning support instead.

Canterbury sounds nice! Not been there.

You folks are doing so well- if I don't comment it's cos most of it is beyond me- for example I don't even know what polyrhythms are!

Wisebuff, I missed your comment earlier on learing to actually HEAR what we're playing. I find that that at a certain point of the learning-a-piece process I start to notice what I'm doing wrong, but it isn't consistent, and I certainly can't hear it until I've basically got all the notes and fingers sorted out and somewhat under control.
I find that the only way I can realy consistently hear what I'm doing is when I record and listen while reading the sheet music.

Malkin, it will be my first trip to Canterbury - mind you I still have to get a full load of students signed up! I'm quite excited about it. Good for you for finding such a good way to improve your reading skills! That's something that certainly takes practice, but wow, is it rewarding when you glance at a note or a chord and just immediately know where to put your hands!

Toastie, I'm surprised JimF didn't provide you with some wee animals How wonderful to feel the progress your made and find that things are easier - it is so much more relaxing- and more fun!

JimF, I don't know the origin of the word chuffed. My Irish friends introduced me to it, and I use it once in a while. It somehow seems to strike the right "sound" of being justifiably pleased
You have my sympathies on struggling with Beethoven. I'm so glad to have him out of my hair for the time being. Mind you, if I were able to work on the Moonlight, I'd feel pretty chuffed! As for focus... I lost mine playing scales for my teacher today ! Mamma mia, how sad is that? lol.
My jazz piece isn't a secret - but it will be in the recital!
It is a Dennis Alexander composition and it is called Sneakin' Round.

EdwardianPiano - I love the Largo!!!! I have only played simplfied versions, but I just love it! I do hope you'll let us hear you playing it!

As for my ESL qualification, I did the DELTA from Cambridge. It was a slog, but also tremendous fun. Work has been in extremely short supply since Dec 2010 for me but I'm just about running at full capacity now. It is extremely satisfying, and especially splendid that ALL my contacts now have come to me via word of mouth from satisfied clients in the past. (did you guess... yes, I'm really chuffed again!)


I had a good lesson today, my teacher was pleased with my jazz, offered some suggestions for jazzing it up even more, and said the next week should just be getting comfy with the adjustments I've made to getting the dynamics down pat. He also seemed pleased with my work on Melody, and I seem to have corrected my hand positions for my scales, so I think I'll be starting to add to my scale repertoire now too.

Cheryl, I don't know so much about Cantabury except for I vaguly remember we were forced to read a book called Cantsbury's tale. I'm glad your lesson went well.

JimF, thank you for your kind words. You would laugh that I actually move the piano while playing with two pedals. My butt would have been completely fallen of the bench if the piece was longer. I had move forward as the piano moved. This was fixed immediately after my performance.

Is that the Largo from the ninth symphony? Such a beautiful piece. I didn't know there was a piano arrangement. Can't wait to hear you play it, EdwardianPiano.

Allard, you made me curious. I know Largo as being from the New World Symphony..... a google search showed me:

The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor From the New World, Op. 95, B. 178 (Czech: Symfonie č. 9 e moll „Z nového světa“), popularly known as the New World Symphony.

So yup, it is the 9th! I had no idea

Aaaacck! I made a flesh and blood sacrifice of my R thumb slicing beets on a mandolin Saturday. Guess a couple days (weeks?) of L hand practice are in my future. I had a rather bad lesson Tues because of this. I will work on sight reading and theory in the meantime.

Slicing beets on a mandolin? No pictures come into my head -

Cathy

mandolin. It's similar to an egg-slicer.

But the musical image that comes to mind first is much more interesting .

But much messier.

I confess to a moment of confusion myself on reading about a mandolin being put to such use

Ragdoll - I hope you heal up quickly!!!

This week I have two achievements: the first, I managed to play a bit every evening in a week much busier than usual; nice to have also a digital piano. Still, I miss my upright but I live in a flat and I can't play it late.
Second achievement: after several months my modified-by-the teacher Czerny study is at least decent, so I hope that in the next lesson (skipped this week and scheduled for Monday) the teacher will appreciate it!

Torquenale - good for you for keeping to playing every day - that can be a real challenge sometimes.
Playing late at night really is the upside of having a digital.
I've just been pounding away for about an hour (it is now 11.30pm) on my upright-with the digital (silent) option and having a BLAST.

I'm feeling quite "high" on my music right now and it is amazing how relaxed I feel after just throwing myself into the music and rockin' with it!

I see - yup. I only knew mandolins as something friends pick

Cathy

Quite messy so you have to cover the f holes with saran wrap to keep out the juice, to say nothing of the blood

Thanks Cas, I tried to play pp just now but it just is much too painful, hopefully when the stitch comes out it will be possible (3 more days)

Ouch! Ragdoll that sounds painful!!

AOTW- I have my Arabesque cascade polyrhythms working! However, I am dreaming in polyrhythms now!

Cathy