Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Grieg recital: Proposal.....

4 days before I return home and can get back into a practice routine! I've been able to sort of maintain my pieces that I started before leaving a month ago (65/1 & 71/5). I have not yet started on Homeward (62/6), but I think I will be able to take care of that in August. I'm hoping to get my pieces pretty much taken care of before I move back to FL for the school year in Sept. However, I'm only working on my digital piano in WI, so most likely I'll be doing the VST thing for recording, or going to the local conservatory and borrowing their Yamaha C7 if I can work that out somehow.

I use a USB microphone connected to my laptop and the Audacity recording software. I have done 19 ABF quarterly recitals that way. It's a cheap and relatively easy way to record audio. Quality is not great, but neither is my playing! If I really want a video of me playing then I use a camera that does video. Then I have to use imovie to sync up the audio recording with the video - that's cumbersome. Usually if I make a video I use screen captures of the sheet music as a background, then I don't need a camera and I don't have to sync up the audio.

Other people use the hand-held recorders, some of which do video. They are very popular in the forums and easy to use - someone else can fill you in I'm sure. And some people just use their smartphone...

Sam

Sam S, what software do you use to combine the sheet music images with the recorded audio to make a video?

I just use my iPhone to make my videos, and a borrowed tripod. I'm not sure if the iPhone smushes out the dynamics or not, though. I should do some sound tests.

So I did audio and video separately... and there's no way I can sync them in a satisfactory way. I think I'll make another video of myself playing while I listen to my recording... Playing while listening... ouch! That won't be easy.

I sense a lot of feverish recording activity out there!
That delight awaits me, but since even an excellent quality recording can't 'make a silk purse out of a sow's ear' (to use an English expression), I'll need to work on my pieces for a while yet. My fingering is still not embedded and I'm in too much of a rush to push ahead at the moment.



Thanks for the helpful suggestions Sam. When the time comes I'll see what equipment I can muster!

This might be helpful to someone:

If you have a digital camera that takes videos, there's an adapter cord that you can get to connect to the zoom recorder to sync the video to your audio while getting a better sound. We have one but haven't tested it yet. (I'm hoping to for this recital, however!)
Ours is from Sescon. I don't know anything about cameras, so I don't know anything about the specs. But the option's there!

I'm using a mac, so I use imovie. First I download the sheet music from imslp, then do screen grabs of the music. Those are loaded into iphoto (which makes it easier to get them into imovie). I load all the music screen grabs into imovie as a slide show. Then load the mp3 as the background music. I have to adjust the length of time each slide is on screen to coincide with the music. Then export to youtube.

If you are using a PC, I'm sure there is similar software.

Sam

I'm using my little zoom Q3. It's Inexpensive, and works fine if you're fairly close to it (and using a tripod).

Then you have no audio/video sync issues.

If I want really good video quality, I use my Canon SLR. But I actually prefer the audio from the zoom.

Windows Movie Maker(!#$@%$@$!!!!). You can insert images at different points. It is straightforward, unless it decides to not cooperate. (I am still struggling with Post Traumatic WMM Disorder from last recital. The first time I used it, it was a piece of cake. The second time, it was out to get me. I promise! I have a new computer with Windows 8(#^&#%^!), so I should have probably started last week to put it together.)

I am soliciting last minute pedal opinions on my piece, if anyone has any thoughts.
It's Arietta op 1 no 1, on page one of your Dover Book. I wish I was savvy enough to post the chunk in question.

Measures 5-8 can be particularly muddy, if you're not careful. How would you do it? Hold for 2 measures? After each quarter in the bass line? Half pedal? Whole pedal? I've even considered after the first quarter of the melody in measures 6 and 8.

Just curious!

- in 5-8 it's best to change with the chord movement, so that's every 1/4 note duration(twice per bar).

In my cheapo Schirmer hard copy there's a pedal mark at the very beginning and no indication for pedal off (that should a be new pedal for each measure - I'm sure you know that).

Such a pretty piece, a perfect start for the recital!

Looking at the score I would try pedalling on the quarter notes. I'd try actually playing it to test my theory, but I'd be doing it so slowing it wouldn't sound right anyway.
I listened to a few recordings by some very proficient pianists and it sounded to my ears as though the pedalling was very light- "on and off" -- but ...I could be mistaken.

Thanks for your thoughts! I really hope I can live up to it.. it's so pretty!

I wanted to add that my cheapo Dover edition and every thing I'm allowed by law to look at on imslp has the same marking!

AimeeO - Arietta isn't it? It's my favorite. I only heard of Arietta and Butterfly of all the lyric pieces. Looking forward to it. This is definitely a life time keeper.

Yes, Arietta- It's a great one. Not only is it one of those that are worth keeping up forever, you can spend a lifetime perfecting it. I've learned a lot from it, and I'm still not tired of it!

Hi folks,
There has been further progress since the last list of confirmed pieces, so here's an update:

Firstly, GREAT NEWS! Beric has now taken the last remaining untaken piece: Op 68:6 Melancholy Waltz. Thank you.

Secondly, there are still 3 people who have not yet confirmed they will be doing their piece(s). So if this applies to you, think of it as a 'final call'!

If we don't hear from these people very soon, their pieces will be offered to others, and we need to think about understudies. We'll let you know what happens in a couple of days or so, so watch this space! In the meantime, please ask yourself if you would be willing to help by being an understudy, if this were needed.

WE NEED YOU ALL -especially RagnHild and niluh01!

Sadly ElleC has had to pull out of the recital and we have yet to hear from RagnHild and niluh01 to confirm that they will be doing their pieces.

So, the pieces listed at the end need 'forever homes', like in this video!



The pieces are:
43:4 Little Bird

Now taken by peterws


57:6 Homesickness




62:1 Sylph




62:4 Brooklet

Now taken by Beric

and finally:
68:1 Sailor's Song
(Note- its only the first 1min 20s of this clip)




Please consider giving one of these pieces a 'home'

- I'm happy to take on Sylph, but in order to encourage as many participants to this recital as possible rather than a few of us monopolising a selection for themselves, if a newcomer should want to grab it at any time in the next couple of weeks (before I start working on it!!) – please do help yourself.

Of course, I’m only acting as understudy (as would anyone else at this stage) we’re all counting on niluh01 to make a dramatic entrance!

Well damn! Excuse my language, but. You know how playing a second piece by a composer will give you insight to another piece by them? Yes, learning Op 38 no 8 has changed my outlook on Op 71 no 7. I was so nervous about creating a video for the first time that I rushed to record the Op 71. And now I am so very not happy with my submission.

I think I am going to brush Op 71 no 7 back up and do another take. I hate how not having played it, it has decayed under my fingers. But, it's short and fairly easy. So, I have no excuse. I won't delete the original recording and link to it until I have a recording worthy to replace it. But, pretty sure I'll be making that happen. I have really enjoyed working on Canon Op 38 no 8! It's a very pretty piece that I can't get out of my head most times.

Well, yesterday's recording of the August Quarterly Recital went well. I hope I can get these two Grieg pieces recorded quite soon. Not quite the rush on these as with the August 15th deadline. Good practice today. So, I have hopes to have a better Op 71 no 7 in me.