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Umm, you mean like Bach's (really Petzold's) Minuet ..

... Schumann trips me up. I've only played a couple of his pieces - one a duet, the other is Melody which is also from "Album for the Young.". Had my fingers in knots at times ...

Oops, right! Bach! (corrected above.)

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who trips on such things. I looked at Melody today... I really like the sound of "The wild Horseman"... may try that next (and probably regret it!), provided I don't get too deflated on "happy farmer".

I thought of exactly the same expression for what Schumann does to me: fingers in knots. I'm still plugging away at Melodie. I still can't play the RH perfectly every time (darn tricky fingering), but I'm trying HT now anyway. I've seen Melodie on lists of easy pieces to learn. I'm not finding it easy at all...

Funnily, another piece I'm working on is the Bach/Petzold Minuet in G. Those of you with good memories may remember that I've worked on that already. But now I'm adding in the notes I missed out before. I needed to leave it long enough that I had essentially forgotten it, so that I didn't revert to the old way of playing it. I've more or less got the first page down (up to the first repeat). The second page should be easier, since we didn't really change much there.

I think it's interesting how different people find different things difficult. I remember working on a Mozart piece, and I was having real troubles with one section of it. Yet I came to another section and just flew through it. About that, my teacher said, "Funny, but that's the section most of my students have trouble with". So I guess we need to be grateful for the things we find comparatively easy, realizing that we'll have to put extra effort into the things trip us up.

Was that the concert at the Breen Center? I'm jealous! Sounds like it was a wonderful evening of music.

Yes, it was! We bought tickets to the whole series - two events left, at http://clevelandpiano.org/ . The three so far have been great, in very different venues. Let me know if you decide to attend one!

I don’t remember where I read this, but it was something like “the slower you practice, the faster you learn”. This week I’ve been patient, and I’ve played my Beethoven’s piece very slowly every time. I think it has worked, and now I feel more optimistic about my possibilities on this piece.

MaryAnn, I know exactly what you are talking about. That Schumann piece Melodie drove me crazy too. It goes like "Mi Re Do Si Ra Do Si Re Do So..." in the right hand as I recall. I felt like my fingers got entangled. I still remember wanted to chop up my piano books into pieces. I thought the composer was so mean to compose something like that. Ok, I was not an adult, so please don't think I am crazy. Anyway, the more I practice, the more I messed up either in the left hand or right hand. Arabesque by Burgmuller was another one. No matter how many times I practiced, it did not get better. It's such a lovely piece but it sounded like hammer beating when I played. I remember crying saying that I got enough and I would quit. The funny thing is that these are the pieces you remember for ever. What MaryBee mentioned above is true. Many people seem to have similar problems. Hope it helps.

Oongawa, congrats on the new Kawai cx-4 piano.

Xiaojing11, welcome to the forum and this thread. Some like to introduce themselves in the “Tell Us About Yourself” thread.

As for my week #13, I continue working on Ashokan Farewell. I am making progress but still do not feel close, even though I did some things to make the left hand parts easier. I have been working on this piece for five weeks now.

I continue working on my new composition in A major. Stumbling upon a nice sounding phrase can be a sublime experience. What I have now is a few nice phrases, but I feel like it needs something more. With five compositions on the books, I would like to raise the bar, but we'll see if that happens or not. I do enjoy playing what I have.

Someone posted a link to a Yale course on music appreciation. I am not doing the homework, but I am finding some value in listening to the lectures. I downloaded some of them, and had to use a converter on the files to get them to play correctly.
http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112

On two days, I went over my self-imposed one hour practice time limit and the hand discomfort became worse. Soaking my hands in warm water is another thing that seems to help (as well as wearing gloves, taking breaks and limiting practice time). I've managed years of minor aches and hand pain related to whistle and computer use.

I related to another forum thread by another three-month beginner about sliding back, and the frustrating lack of progress. I tell myself, that I can't control how fast I learn, that different people learn different things at different rates. What I can control are my effort, and my attitude towards the effort. I remind myself that the high achievers tend to be more active on the forum. The folks that are struggling have less to post about. At the extreme, there are those that have given up and no longer visit the forum or play piano.

Thanks to all for reporting their progress, even if it may seem like not much, like my week 13.

Sand Tiger - I like your philosophy!

Mary Ann & MaryBee, .. I haven't really played any Schumann yet... from the sounds of it, I can hold off for a while longer

Recaredo - I'm glad you're feeling optimistic about your Beethoven. That in itself is great progress.

I had a funny experience --- I've been having some trouble memorizing Fly Me to the Moon LH - because the chords are 7ths and odd combinations compared to what I am familiar with. I don't have trouble memorizing baroque pieces (ok, please keep in mind that mine are still simple baroque, but still....)

My teacher gave me a few suggestions for the FMTTM and she found it a bit funny that these "simple" chords were a stumbling block, but not the baroque pieces. Don't get me wrong, she was by no means laughing at me, just intrigued at what trips up different students.


I think I "click" with baroque becase I can find the patterns and I feel there is logic. I haven't yet figured out the logic of the other piece.


I'm now working on improving the dynamics of my Leopold Mozart piece and doing some good focus work on the tricky parts of my other piece.

You all know how nervous I get when playing in front of others...but I was on vacation and really MISSING my piano. We had dinner with friends in VA south of D.C. and yes they had a piano and a talented daughter who wanted to show off her music. We played for each other and I had to sight read because she didn't have any of the music I'm currently more comfortable with. A good night.

Wow, so many stories since my last visit...
I did not know that this post was so rich and interesting. I've to visit it more often.

My AOTW: Despite my lack of time this week to play, my first Helen Jane Long piece is almost 80% studied. It has sample chords but it is complex enough in terms of details, so I have to be full concentrated to play it. I'm happy because it's a very sensitive and delicate piece but I think I'm getting the right sound of it.

Today I participated in my first recital!! Ok, well, not really. I was in Manhattan for a friend's graduation at Avery Fisher Hall, and of course they had a beautiful piano there which I couldn't touch. So, after my friend finished giving his valedictorian speech, I headed to piano row. It was 5PM, and it's Sunday. I went to Steinway Hall first, but they were having a recital and wouldn't let me in. Then I went to Allegro, and they were closing. Then I stopped by the next shop over (I think it was Faust Harrison) and they were also prepping for a recital, but they let me hang around. The teacher was practicing the accompaniment which one of her students would be singing to. After she finished, she let me play the piano, which was a GORGEOUS rebuilt Steinway C from the late 1800s. I played with almost no fear at all, and it was just an incredible feeling. Then she had to kick me off so one of her students could practice the Mozart Sonata which she would be performing. They let me hang around for the entire recital, which featured all sorts of adorable playing by adorable kids, and singing accompanied by guitar and piano, too. Then when the recital was done, I got to play more Chopin on the piano, and I thought I played really well despite the fact that people were listening (except parts of the coda which I had trouble with because the action is much heavier than I'm used to). All in all, my first "recital" was an amazing, amazing experience, even though it wasn't really "my" recital.

That's a great story, Sam! Sounds like you were looking for a fun time, and found one. Awesome.

Sam Rose, what a great story. I (still) can see a huge smile in your face.

Good for you Sam. I'm smiling with you.

I can see the NY Daily News headline


Mystery Chopin Crashes Recital


Good for you Sam. The Fausts are really nice people. Great store.

Love that Sam but your first recital was really right here

Not a piano related AotW for me but a singing one. I was at our annual church retreat this year without our choir director who is away studying (organ) improvisation in Paris. So I volunteered to organize the usual sung compline (a beautiful service by the way) with whoever was there who could sing. Well, without anyone else volunteering I ended up as the "officiant" (cantor if you like) so I had a lot of solo a-Capella singing to do ... I got a lot of compliments so hopefully it wasn't too torturous!

Wisebuff, that sounds like a lovely evening indeed!

CarlosCC, I've no doubt that you can catch the delicate tones of that piece - I look forward to hearing you perform it!

Sam- what a great adventure! Talk about seizing the moment! Good for you.

Andy - that sounds like a wonderful experience - We attended a sung ceremony at King's College in Cambridge a few years ago, and it was very moving. It helped me imagine what your ceremony would be like.

Maybe for the next recital you should do a piece where you sing and play for us!

Sam, that's very courageous. Good for you.

Andy, it's impressive that you have done solo a-Capella singing! I sing in my church too but I am barely keeping up with the accompaniment. My challenge is to read the words as correctly as possible with speed. This is not easy for a non-native speaker. I have no problem getting the pitch. I sometimes make mistakes.. mixing wealthy & weary, HE-LL (I put the dash because it was edited by the forum) and Hill, etc..

I think church music is great for sight reading. When I receive the music package for the week, I run through it on the piano. Most of them I have never seen it and don't have any accompaniment. Instead it comes with chord suggestion (A minor, C major etc) above each measure. So I've been trying to play through a piece with accompaniment using suggested chord either in broken or block formats. It sounds okay. The difference between our music director (who play the piano) and me is that he knows how to break those chords in more complex way. For example, when one of the song in D major used lots of perfect 4th, I noticed the director was using basically the movement from cannon on D and it worked beautifully. I would not have thought of it and not sure that i could have done it on the spot - well probably not (LOL). He is a piano performance / music education major and I learn a lot from him by listening to his accompaniments every week.

Cas, I want to make a record of it to the next ABF Recital... Let's see if I can work enough to do it.