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Beautifully played, Carlos. Must be awesome to play on such an instrument. I found the moving images at the start of the video a little distracting. Fortunately the camera guy focussed on you and the piano soon enough. A little more hands and a little less face would've been awesome for us piano players, but I understand it may be the other way around for 'normal people'

PS: fixed

Great! I love the sonata. How exciting!

How cool, Carlos! The video turned out great, and the piano sounded beautiful. Was that a look of relief on your face at the end?

Thanks.
in fact, I was pretty tired because I had to play the song a few times during the day ... But yes, it was the feeling of accomplishment.

And I agree with Allard: the video producers had little experience with pianists. They usually make videos for bands and singers.

Carlos, Congrats! I've never listened to Einaudi before. It is beautiful, haunting and peaceful - and you really played it beautifully. Thank you.

Great Video, Carlos! I could see you were really into the music as you were playing, and the result sounded fantastic! Congratulations on making the finals!

My AOTW is finally figuring out how to improve my hand position. This is a big deal for me, because it has been a limitation for my technical ability. I tend to play my thumb too open and too far out on the keys. As a result I end up reaching for the blacks. When I returned to piano as an adult, my first teacher taught me to play the thumb at the edge of the keys, and I have had a hard time changing that. That results in a flat hand and tension. After a year with my new teacher, I am still doing it. So- we chose pieces specifically to address this flaw.

Working on the Kuhlau Sonata and the Heller etude ultra-slowly, I have developed an awareness of where my thumb is playing at all times. Both pieces have Alberti base lines, and are in the key of C with occasional accidentals. By playing at the edge of or within the blacks I am developing a higher bridge and a more relaxed hand. They are easy pieces to play, but not easy to play well. I am learning a ton from them!

Congrats Carlos!! I hope you win it all!!

That was a great performance!! Was this video aired on TV? It looks like a TV studio setting to me.

SwissMS, it sounds like you've got a great teacher (I think we arrived at that conclusion a while ago though!)


Great job Carlos!

I was thinking (as I was looking at your hands) that you made it look easy. Then looking at your face and body language, it's plain to see how much of yourself you are putting into this, both in terms of emotion and level of concentration. It really shows through in the outcome.

BTW... what was messing you up on the preview is the "#t=10" at the end of the link. For whatever reason, you can't embed a video with a defined start time. You have to either do it as a hyperlink, or start at the beginning of the video if embedding.

Congratulations Carlos...

I hope this somehow turns up you being able to make a living at piano.
I haven't forgotten your boss and getting you on the show. A good story for TV.

Wish you the best.

Thank you Palmpirate, SwissMS, Amaruk, aTallGuyNH and rnaple

Now, testing the preview without the "#t=10" at the end:



Great! It works.

That is so great, Carlos! I loved the music, and as others have said, you so obviously feel it and love it. Way to go.

Cathy

Congratulations Carlos. Wonderful performance. It's a beautiful piano too.

CarlosCC that is an inspiring video. It is a wonderful legacy piece. Even though you appear to be a young man, and may do many more such videos, this is one that you and your family will always have.

Sinophilia, I'll congratulate you here on ordering your new upright piano. You are already a solid pianist. The new instrument will help inspire you to bigger, better, higher, faster, whatever-er.

Week 78: I arrange John Denver's Annie's Song. I do four versions before I settle on something. Annie's Song is a short piece, 18 bars in my arrangement. It is remarkable how one short song can have so much impact. Even as an instrumental, the melody is remarkably simple, and yet packs a powerful punch. The lyrics are to die for. What else this week? Not much else. I continue maintaining some old pieces.

I rushed my recital piece, Avenue D to meet the deadline. I recorded about a week after the ink was dry on what notes I was going to play. In the weeks since, I have really taken to it, and am enjoying what I see as an elegant simplicity.

As an aside, there was a guy on local talk radio talking about the topic of CarlosCC's signature, don't play what's there, play what's not there. The space between the notes. The radio guy is doing some lectures on sculpture, how some greats talk about taking away everything that is not the sculpture. How the greats and see [and hear] so much quicker, so much more encompassing a vision than most others.

To me, it is the zen aspect of music. I get glimpses of it at times, and am grateful for that. I can see why the video producers spent so much time focused on Carlos' face. The fingers could have been any good competent pianist. The face, that could not be reproduced easily. I can understand why the one judge asked which conservatory Carlos attended (even though he is self taught.) The depth of emotion and expression is remarkable. At times the tune comes back to haunt me, and that is a credit to both the performer and the composer.

I don't know if this is an achievement but it definitely got me excited. After some time off from learning to play, I got out the books and started playing yesterday. I noticed I read and played differently. I comprehended and played the notes faster! Actually played the notes correctly without guessing the note locations (1/2, 1/3 up or down) if that makes any sense. I didn't have to guess the notes my fingers actually played it before knew it! Hope that made sense!

Something has obviously "sunk in" to your head during the fallow period! Learning often happens like that, doesn't it?
It's like learning to read. You're not spelling out every word now, you can read the story. Well done! Onward and upward!

This has made me quite excited. This week's comment in my book after I played what I had been working on:

"this is fantastic! Astonishing progress over this year"

Nothing makes me smile like a nice comment does. I worked really hard to make it as perfect as possible. I have the warm and fuzzies.

Now I just have to make next week's piece excellent. Let the practice commence.

Ciao a tutti! I'm back! Nice to see I was missed

Welcome to Rik51 Jaymes and Jessiebear, hope you enjoy the AOTW fellowship!


Farmgirl your experience at SummerKeys sounds delightful!
Everyone seems happy and back to lessons - except me --- boohoo sniff, ....but I start up again next week!!! I can't wait !

Carlos - your video was wonderful! It was easy to see how "in the zone" and focused you are - I loved watching and listening - thank you so much for sharing this very special adventure with us!

Giacomo... can I have pink booties please?


I have no piano achievements to report - in fact it is the first time since I started playing that I have gone a full 14 days without playing....wow

Today I will sit myself down and get some work in - I want to be properly ready for my first lesson!

Cheryl, welcome back! We missed you.

Thanks FarmGirl --- it was good to have a break (total break, - no internet, email, cell phone, piano - zip, nada, niente!) but is is good to be back too!

Welcome back, Cheryl! You were missed. I hope you had a great vacation.