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For those thoughts musical or not. Things you want to share but don't necessarily need a thread for....because we all have one or few of those a day

So since I started my piano journey, I've been listening to classical piano music a lot but have only been exposed to Bach, Chopin, Beethoven and Burgmuller. I really want to see a good pianist perform live so I was looking at ticketmaster and this guy Christopher O'riley comes up and looks like he's performing in New York City in May performing variations of Liszt. I don't know anything about O'riley and I don't know anything about Liszt's music. Honestly don't know what to expect but I am excited!

On the 12th of May in the Highline Ballroom on 16th Street?

Yes that's it!

Elle...Monday evenings on PBS, "From The Top". Christopher O'Riley hosts the show and it's an hour of young musicians. He is an excellent classical pianist and , among other thngs, did a whole series of his own transcriptions of Radiohead pieces that were just amazing.

Awesome! Thanks for that info. Now I'm even more excited to watch/hear him play!

Mozart! Listen to Mozart.

Everything by Mozart...piano music, concertos, symphonies, seranades, operas, chamber music...everything. Mozart is the main course...everyone and everything else are just side dishes...Mozart was sent to Earth by the music gods to teach people how to know and love great music.

Mozart! Listen to Mozart.

Get some piano solo recordings by Martha Argerich... especially Schumann, Ravel, Debussy. And also concertos, like Beethoven and Prokofiev. Some will not agree, but when I listen to her I tell myself, this is how piano music should sound like.

Random musical thought of the day: Why do I keep buying music sheets when I positively know that I won't have time to learn them in 10 lives?

Why would the thought even occur to me when running into this clip that the way this guy moves can teach something about playing the piano, and on the heels of that, it's time to go out and buy a watermelon.
The watermelon guy

For the same reason I now have both volumes of "Piano Classics", and "The Standards Real Book" (fifty years of pop/jazz lead sheets) and all 3 of Tim Richards' blues and jazz books.

That's a lifetime of music playing and learning, and I'm not young enough to master it.

But one can dream . . . .<g>

. Charles

He's a master! I'm surprised he didn't slice his hand off somewhere along the line...

He cuts watermellon like i play scales... :-)

For all the music I buy that's at my current level, I rationalize that I'll be able to use it for sight reading practice when I get better.

For music above my level: if civilization collapses, at least I'll still have sheet music to grow into. Not sure what I'll be plugging my DP into though...

Boira: I am always looking for the answer to that question as well! I remember when I had to go to the music store, over an hour drive, to look for sheet music. There was never much to choose from, and the books were so pricey. Now just log into music notes or whichever site you like and buy nearly any sheets you could ever want! Somebody stop me I'm out of control!

The week I got my DP and before I started taking lessons, I purchased several sheet music from musicnotes. I have yet to play any of them though I'm hoping one day I'd be good enough to do so.

If you are going to buy a ton of music way above your level, make sure it's crazy hard so you can just casually have it propped open on your piano should visitors pop by. "Yeah, I'm toying with La Campanella but it's not quite speaking to me yet ..."

Hmm, perhaps not.

I keep picking up way more than I can ever use on Freecycle. At least I'm not paying for it!

I'm getting my piano tuned for the first time (a "free" tuning that was included with my purchase). Is there an etiquette as far as giving (or not giving) the piano tech a gratuity? and how about if I'm paying for the tuning myself...do I have to give an additional $ for gratuity?

Ah........ the American gratuity debate, I find this whole subject so confusing as a European/Australian visitor. Ask him where his last holiday was, if it was New Jersey he needs the tip, if it were Hawaii, the he probably doesn't need it. If it was overseas holiday ask how hard it is to become a piano tuner, I am looking for a new career.

ElleC, I have read your post, here:

I'm getting my piano tuned for the first time (a "free" tuning that was included with my purchase). Is there an etiquette as far as giving (or not giving) the piano tech a gratuity? and how about if I'm paying for the tuning myself...do I have to give an additional $ for gratuity?

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Adult beginner since January 2013. My only regret is that I didn't learn sooner.

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When the sales person heard of a private sale of an awesome piano, I gave the salesperson a finder's fee. I called the salesperson for the name of a good tuner. The salesperson said, no, no, I am paying for the tuner for your piano because you were ...whatever she said.

I tried to give the tuner a tip because he really was awesome and did a great job, fussed over checking everything like nuts and bolts, screws were tight. He said no, but for a cup of coffee, if you insist. So, of course, I will see him for the annual tuning, budget permitting. I have never ever paid a finder's fee in my life, and am not big on tipping except waiters, etc., but I realized how awesome it was to find the piano and nothing less than tip/finder's fee was appropriate under the circumstances.

Oh, ElleC, on your closing comment ----> Adult beginner since January 2013. My only regret is that I didn't learn sooner.


I respectfully disagree. Discovering the love of playing the piano at 63, now 64, knowing that playing the piano is the greatest joy in my lifetime, and I have had a humble but awesome life. The ability to play the piano at any level, is the greatest priceless gift except for living life itself.