It is absolutely beautiful Allard. You probably won't sleep tonight, will you?

Wow!! Last year, when my 30 year old upright was to be delivered I couldn't sleep...

You can Allard! What make is your lovely new piano?

That's nice re the tip! I hope your knee gets better soon.

It doesn't specify that but probably easier if one lives in Britain..enter it anyway Sam! I'd love it if a PW person won it!

Will have to see if the library can get it!

I've had a bit of a hiatus from consistent practicing. I had a crazy month of school in January, and I let it get the best of me instead of finding time to play.

But, I'm back in the swing of practice and weekly lessons again. As of today, I can play each major scale in parallel motion, hands together up to four octaves in 16ths (one octave in quarters, two in 8ths, three in triplets, etc). I'm really excited about this, because it took longer than I had hoped so it is very nice to be "done".

I also passed off a piece I've been working on for ages that isn't difficult but I just never could quite get it. But I did!

Next step is moving on from Baroque into Classical pieces, and going through each major scale to add hands together contrary motion ("Grand Scale" form), hands together arpeggios in 2+ octaves, and I-IV-V(V7)-I cadences. Going to be crazy but I'm ready for it!

The thought just occurred to me. Sleep, nor get any work done until (nor after) it's delivered.

Wow, lots of posts tonight!

Ragdoll – I find that videos or recordings help me too. I can’t always evaluate what I’m doing while I’m playing. My teacher reassures me that this is normal and that I’ll get better at being able to do it. I want to believe him 

EdwardianPiano (I think I’d like to call you Eddie ) That was a great video – very inspirational. I’m very curious about the book. And hey! I’m not yet 56…there’s hope for me! (And as I get my books from Amazon UK I don’t have to wait for it!)

FarmGirl – loved what you wrote today – and I love your English. The errors you make in English, I compare to the errors I make in Italian. We do our best – but even though we’ve lived in our adopted countries for a long time, it is hard to get everything right! You are a great communicator though, and I always appreciate your posts.
SwissMS – celebrate and commiserate! Exactly – I think the majority of us here really do “get it”!!!

Eddie A whole hour! Woohoo! Were you tired? Did you play after you got your blinds? I find it interesting to go back to older pieces too. It makes me feel more accomplished !

GlassLove - It’s my pleasure! I had no idea when I started this thread that it would run for so long and develop such a great bunch of regular contributors. It is my favourite thread too, but I supposed I’m biased

WhizBang – sorry you are laid up with a bum leg on what I imagine is meant to be a lovely holiday –but how incredibly nifty to get a tip for your piano playing! I agree- frame it!

Saranoya – thanks so much for your insight as to why this thread is important to you – you brought up some wonderful points that I think are relevant to all of us. (And did you think our critic was talking about you? I thought he was talking about me! Lol…could have been one of several of us – but do we care? Nope!)

Allard, if you aren’t excited …what’s wrong with you? I’d be jumping out of my skin with giddy delight if that baby were coming home to me. I can’t wait to hear a recording of you playing it. I bet you won’t sleep tonight! What a fabulous deal!!!!

Sam Rose – if anyone here could get that Chopin piece together it would be you!

Torquenale – I had the first Czernyana too and as I said, I really liked it. I haven’t seen any of his other books though, and just the title “School of Velocity” terrifies me!

JaredM2012- that is a great accomplishment with the scales- and you’ll really find a stunning difference between the baroque and classical. Personally I’m not that thrilled with classical. Somehow playing classical pieces, I end up with too much tension. Other periods and genres just don’t create that stress in me. I will have to figure out why at some point I suppose!

I did some work on fine tuning my baroque piece tonight and I think I'm hearing a difference...but I'm too tired to judge properly.
We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

Have we all got piano fever LOL!! I've got Schumann fever currently- got an mp3 of the first movement of the A minor concerto and can't stop listening to it! It's wonderful.....



Jared- sounds like you are doing really well!





You will you will- you are dedicated casinitaly!





Glad you liked it- he inspired me today to get on with the Handel- I think I'm getting better at it. Are you getting the book then? I will when I have the money.






Yes, played a whole hour after I came back from the blinds shop. The blinds are not up though ( got one from same shop for my kitchen yesterday)- I'm not tall enough to put them up and hopeless at that sort of thing- will have to ask someone to help me.

Funny, no, I wasn't tired. I could have played on but had dinner to make. I plan to do another hour tomorrow whilst I wait for the veg man to come. My friend is coming later on tomorrow as we are going out to a Verdi concert early evening. It will be a musical day!

I realised I really need an hour a day on Piano to progress. I am going to aim for this from now on.





Hear hear!

Allard,

That's awesome. Congratulations. There really is no better feeling than sitting down to your newly purchased grand piano.
Enjoy!!!

Thanks! I'm really stoked about the scales, but the work doesn't end there!

I too think I won't be thrilled with Classical. I've liked Baroque so far, but I'm ready to expand a bit so I don't get tired of it. I'll revisit it in the nearish future as I get better to learn some more complext pieces (inventions, etc). But Classical-era music never was a favorite of mine, but maybe I'll like it! I just can't wait until I get to Romantic and Contemporary music!

Classic!

Sure! I used to touch my piano all the time when I got it.

Nope. I'm positive that he was talking about you; but as you say, he was way off the mark with that 'one particular contributor' remark, because it could just as easily have been me, or FarmGirl, or any number of other consistently supportive contributors to this thread. That was the point I was trying, but apparently failing, to make (also, that your input here is about as far from 'worthless' as it could possibly get).

I've been watching this thread for a couple of days and it seems there's a critic lurking? Any who, I just played Eine Kleine Nachtmusik without an error! This maybe the piece I play at Spring Recital!!

Jim- where do you manage to find this stuff? You always give us a good chuckle with your little treasures!

Warlock - If you already have your piece under your fingertips now, by Spring Recital you'll have it beautifully polished and ready to present. Did you mean the ABF recital or one at your school --- or both?

Sayonara: I think I was the one who was mixed up, and thanks for your kind words.

I woke up this morning, opened the shutters and what do I see...... snow. bah humbug.

Warlock - note perfect is not an easy thing to do. I think I will have Accuracy one of the next year's goal.

JareM2012 - How about Heller? He is a classical composer but influenced romantic composers. I heard 24 melodious studies. They are very beautifull. You won't feel like playing a classical.

Cheryl, didn't work on Heller's piece?
Thank you rveryone for your kind words for my English. Believe it or not the forum is helping me to improve my writing.

I have worked on my Bach pieces today. I can play through both prelude and fugue but cannot memorize. My teacher asked me to play in the community college students recital as a guest. It's going to be in one of the auditorium = big stage with audience. Its kinda scary but I'm very excited. I would like to polish my Brahms piece and Bach prelude and fugue. The date is March 6.

Allard, what a beauty you got! While attending my very first piano concerto last Sunday (Rachmaninoff's 2 played on a huuuuuge Steinway) I suddenly decided that when I will upgrade to an acoustic, it won't be an upright, it will have to be a baby grand. Then I had a look at prices and well... not sure anymore

No, I didn't work on it. Yesterday I was too tired to start something new, my brain just couldn't do it. I worked on improving the articulation and phrasing in my other pieces. TODAY I will plunge into Heller!

I do believe that participating in the forum helps with your English - I tell my students that the only way to improve is to USE their English (ie not only do grammar exercises - Italians love grammar exercises). By participating here you are both reading and writing -so you have a two way stream of training going - input and comprehension - output and expression! woohoo!

Is it important to memorize? Do you feel that you must perform without the score? I think it is a great compliment to have been asked to perform - in your shoes I would be feeling both proud ...and TERRIFIED! You'll have to get your hubby to make a video of you ---and you will also be able to put one of those pretty grand pianos in your signature line

There's a contributor here (maybe more than one, I tend to notice content more than author) who has taken on the role of "encouragement lady", posting a daily composite message with a kindly comment on EVERY announcement! I wish she was my neighbour. I'd probably get apple pie brought round every day :-) But I fear that, after a while, I'd stop appreciating it.

Was it here that we met the lady who was married to abc notation, despite having apparently grown out of it? That was one of the few times I've seen mild disapproval - equating I suppose to a full-out flaming anywhere else on the Internet!

Nevermind.

Well I love all the encouraging posts- this thread is a source of warmth and genuine interest in our progress. It's worth gold.

EP. This is a great video for bashing the naysayers. So many of us on PW have started back at piano later on in the middle of careers and children and other lives. Clearly we'd let it go if we couldn't improve at all.

Just thinking about the positive comments on the recital thread. We already KNOW what glitches we have. It's motivating to have someone say it was good to listen to anyway. My teacher gives me plenty of specific feedback on where I need to improve. My me the purpose of the recital is to decrease performance anxiety and not to have a critique. When my teacher's adult student group has a piano workshop we give each other applause and praise...we got up and performed for each other and lived to drink the wine afterwards. A toast to the positive encouragement

+1 to Wisebuff
Most of adults beginner / returners are very critical to ourselves.
During my recent piano party, we had to listen to most of participants speach why he or she may not perform well before they sat down and perform. Everyone actually performed very well. Children would never do that. Some performers (me) went into describing where he/she could have done better.

So we need encouragement. At least I do. Encouragement is food for "can do" attitude. After you practice / memorize a piece, I dare say it's all mental whether or not you can perform as well as you practice.

Allard - Congratulations on your new Grand. It looks beautiful. I bet you will have a full day at the piano when it arrives. I remember when I received my Grand when I lived back in Oregon. I couldn't go 10 minutes without touching it or sitting down to play a little.

JimF - I love your cartoon. I think we will all stay "nice".

FarmGirl - Good luck with your upcoming guest performance. That is exciting!

I had a second lesson this week, since I missed one last week. We spent a whole hour and a half on the Nocturne, and it was really helpful. My teacher was very pleased with how it is sounding - so that is my achievement of the week. We worked on the parts that are not flowing, and I learned a lot. I am getting very excited about how this is coming together. It feels like a milestone of sorts, that I am consolidating my skills to advance. Because I am working on a lot of repertoire, she said I could start doing two lessons/week if I wanted. I am thinking about it for a couple of months anyway. What better way to spend my retirement than to study piano!

Oh, my other AOTW- I posted to the piano bar for the first time!

SwissMS - Two lessons a week! That's sweet. I have to work at least 10 more year or more to get to the state of nirvana. Now I have to check out the piano bar too. I also have to listen to the remaining recital pieces this weekend. I finally have time and am looking forward to it. I cannot promise but I need to make another recording of Brahms and 1st recording of Bach. I will post it to Piano Bar as well once it's done.

It's here! In fact, it has been here for almost three hours now. I tried to do some more work and finish my task, but I couldn't resist and had to play! Apologies for the excessive light in the pictures. My apartment is that sunny.

Excited? Absolutely, excited for such a beautiful piano. OK a couple questions. It's now the tomorrow you mentioned soooo...
What time did you wake up today and start to watch the street for the truck to bring it home? Or did you sleep at all? Any dreams? kidding of course.

You may be poor financially for now; but think how rich in enjoyment you'll be! I'm excited for you.