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ElleC~ Nice go at this little Prelude. Accompaniment in the left hand does have its own dynamic, but it should be somewhat more in the background than the melody - there is bit of interplay there, for sure. Delicate use of rubato and pedaling will come to you soon - you are well on your way. Over time this magical piece will become part of you and it will mature under your fingers as you continue to internalize it. I look forward to hearing it again.

mattroilanh_tt~ My preference is for the first take as it has a distinctive pulse. I like the idea you tried playing it the second time with more freedom, but it is a bit harder to follow. Controlling dynamics is hard to do when trying to play f to p. You are getting the idea, for sure. Keep up the good work!

Amaruk~ I am with Bill on this one! The drone of repetition has its own mesmerizing effect. I always enjoy your multimedia presentations. Most importantly, it is clear you are listening to the melody as you play, connecting with the music - fantatsic!

Glen

Matroilahn...tt.... The right hand are his thoughts and hope for her...it is her....
The left hand is his innermost being....facing the truth of her...the hurt
The two come together at times. Then fail and separate.
If I were to start adding words....
No it can't be true....
Too much love for her....
I can't explain....
What's to remain....
Think of what I said and play it....

Oh BillM..... Can't you dance for us? I bet you'd put Fred Astaire to shame. But there's no Ginger Rogers for you? How about a nice easy....Singing in the Rain? I had written an improv on that one... "Driving in the Snow".....oh...what a wonderful feeeeeeeeeeling...I'm sliiiiiiiiding again!

Amaruk...Really nice...seriously.... I don't think you have enough pianos.

ElleC....nice Chopin....

Rickster....nice fun piece... you remind me of BillM ...

Newman.... great as usual with your own personal touch of professionalism

Riddler.....gotta love da blues....fun....

Ladypayne..... very nice .... had a friend who lived in the NW Territories .... said when it got to 50 below, before wind chill.... They would just give up and not even bother to try to start the cars.

Rickster - I am a big John Denver fan and wasn't sure I'd like an uptempo version of this classic, but as with everything I've heard you do, I loved it! You play with such obvious joy that just watching you perform brings a smile to my face. Thanks!

Thanks Inlanding. Yes, I totally agree with the left hand! That's something I've been practicing...playing a little softer so it's not overpowering. Definitely not an easy skill. Same thing with the rubato. This piece certainly needs more time to mature, will re post another (hopefully improved) version in the future

Here`s one everybody knows. . . play it any slower and I`ll topple over . . .

https://soundcloud.com/peterws7/gymnopedie-1

Excellent fun stuff Rickster - enjoyed your laid back playing when you were singing. super contrast with great vocals too!

Wow, Riddler - never heard that before! Real Bluesy feel and super complex chords . . .who could ask for more? And you gave it!

Eh, Bill - Ya get better and better man! Y`had to dig deep for this one ha ha (bit before my time . . .)

Newman - Penny Lane next! Great atmosphere of the Beatles at their psychedelic best. One o` my faves. Well done, young man! (d`ya like the "young" bit? ha ha)

ElleC - That`s progress! could see you swaying to the music. You feel it, that`s real good! All the best pianists move to the music . .

MattroilanhI preferred the first version; it was precise and steady. But don`t stop fiddling around for variations as you see fit. It will expand your interpretational skills and, well, make life more interesting . . ! Have fun!

Very nice set up and sound, Amaruk Your piano is worthy! Well done!

Ladypane: Great performance and improvisation! I like it how easy you make it look to play like that. The glissando was a great treat too.

Rickster: I always love to hear your pieces here in the piano bar and this piece was no exception. Great singing and your playing is top notch as always! Thanks for sharing!

Ridler: I loved it! You really bring out the 40s feeling in your performance here. Great job!!

BillM: Another great performance from you Bill!! You have performed so many great pieces here and this is for sure no exception. Speaking of hats, do you pull your songs from a magical hat? Ridler plays a piece from the 40s and here you are with a piece on the same theme. You are incredibly talented and it is a true please to listen to your musical journey here in the bar. It is players like you that make this bar so great! Thanks for sharing!!

Newman: I am lost for words… you seem to be able to cover any Beatles song and you do it amazingly well every time! We are all very lucky that The Beatles is as far away from a one-hit wonder that you could possibly get. Your voice is spot on as always and your playing is really good!

ElleC: I loved it! Tell me you are joking… since January 2013? You are on the same path as our extremely talented Sam Rose. He also plays Chopin and I am looking forward to listen to more from you here in the bar. Thanks for sharing!

Mattroilanh: First time with the pedal??? You are also a very talented player!! Both are great performances. However, I liked the first one the best. I sounds very dream like and the B&W image you laid over your video fits the piece perfectly. Great playing and a great job on the video too!

Peter: That was a fantastic performance of a true classic! Great job and thanks for sharing!!

Peterws - Ah, Variations on a Theme by Eric Satie from the second Blood, Sweat and Tears studio album. I remember it well. It seems you left out the slamming door at end. I am deeply impressed with your pianist skills. You, like Riddler and a few others here seem to be able to play any style of music at a very high level. Nice!!

peterws~ Right from Gymnopedie 1 to French Suite 5 on your page! I like very much your interpretation of Satie's work. It is motivating me to learn one of his pieces in the future. Thank you for your music - such a fine, wide range.

Glen

Peter --- wonderful performance of Gymnopedie. I really like the sound of this song and you certainly brought the elegance out of it....so Parisian

Amaruk --- I've watched a few of your performances before and I loved each and everyone of them including this soundtrack for Sunshine (good movie btw!). And thank you for the compliment...i have lots to learn and I certainly can't wait to have skills parallel to the quality of piano performance you and other ABF pianists possess.

Mattroilahn --- I like version 1 better. The 2nd seems a bit choppy but I can certainly appreciate wanting to change the dynamic a bit...I applaud you for having the guts to have more freedom with this piece especially as a beginner. It's hard enough to learn a song the way it's supposed to be played. Keep up the good work!

Me and Augustina finally got to play a duet!. She is up here visiting me in Alaska for the week:) We only had a few days to practice so it's not at its best but not too bad. I played the base clef and she played the treble clef. I also did some improvising in the base clef :P

Beauty and the Beast Piano Duet

Did a bebop tune called Joy Spring at a gig tonight. Tough tune and I've never tried it before and neither has the band so here's the result. Not bad, I thought for a band that has never rehearsed.

Joy Spring
https://www.box.com/s/l3aqg2i37ovoibhio14t

Rickster, that was wonderful, more John Denver please!

ladypayne, I loved both your submissions, especially the duet with Augustine (I'm a huge fan of everything Disney)

mattroilanh_tt, I will go against the flow and say I like the second version better, much more moving and emotional.

Amaruk, I could listen to that for hours, your arrangement is superb.

peterws, isn't this the perfect tempo? Any faster and the melody will sound rushed. You're so good.

ElleC – Good work.
Mattroilanh – Definitely the first version. It sounds more together/musical.
Amaruk - This really suits what I hear as your style. As Glen said, very mesmerising. And great video. Oh, your room and pianos - such envy on my part.
PeterWS – Can’t say I’ve heard this one before. In fact from the opening bars I thought it might be theme to Dr Kildare! You play so well.
Also, thanks for the feedback. Young man! Ha! No longer.
BTW I did Penny Lane a while back Penny Lane but should do it again and see if I can add more left hand)
LadyPayne - a duet! Very pretty.
Jazzwee- I enjoyed that the most of your postings to date. Great swing. If that's unrehearsed I say jam more often