Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Achievement of the week - what got you excited?

If adding pieces to one's learning list is an achievement, then I am a super-achiever!

I'm learning the Grieg piece, the ABF recital, a Bach's bourrée, and a Diabelli piano/guitar duet, but I just added a nice swingy beginner piece from an old issue of Pianist magazine. In spite of the long list I feel focused and somehow out of the rut I was in; all of my goals are medium to long-term now and I kind of sorted out priorities, so I know what to work on if I have few time, and I have plenty of different pieces to switch between if I have a lot of time.

I thought I was ambitious! It made me quake just to hear your list of to-dos Good luck though as I know we're all different in what we attempt and succeed at. Good for you.

Ragdoll, my "deadline" for the Diabelli piece (2 pages) is... December
The hardest part will be to force my guitar player to practice with me, poor woman!

Lots of activity here again, this week! So great, that.

I don't really have an AOTW. A rather unpleasant phone call right before my lesson on Wednesday messed up my playing during the lesson -- although, I could just be *telling* myself it was because of the phone call.

To be fair to my teacher, when I finished playing, what she said was "that wasn't bad". To which I replied "no, *bad* it wasn't".

She said I have to learn to be satisfied more easily. It probably won't surprise most people reading this that she isn't the first person ever to have said something like that to me. But, as I told her, too, there is always room for improvement. And if that's true for everyone everywhere, even for those who are at the top of their field, then it is doubly true for those of us who are basically still on the bottom rung. I'm also just a little scared that once I start patting myself on the back too often, I will basically stop making any significant progress at all.

I do have something I got pretty excited about, though. I went to see the international piano contest 'Queen Elizabeth' live at the concert hall last night. The performances there are always pretty darn impressive regardless of which night you pick ... but, I do believe I got to see the winner of this year's edition, yesterday. And in spite of the popular assumption that there are us Westerners, and then there's a whole separate category of piano performance ability, reserved exclusively for Asians ... this one's an American, folks!

His name is Andrew Tyson. I encourage you all to go listen to his delightful performance at Koningin Elizabeth Wedstrijd.



As others have said: go with what your heart dictates! . And congratulations on getting through the first screening.



Good for you!

My personal opinion is that if you're having trouble executing the dynamics as written, you should probably just forget about what's on the page, and do what feels right to you. You will be corrected by your teacher at some point, but by then you'll actually have a 'feel' for the piece that fits with your personal, spontaneous interpretation of it. And it's easier to play a piece you can already 'feel' quite well in a different way, than it is to start from scratch and do whatever some dude from two hundred years ago, probably playing on a different kind of instrument entirely, thought you should do.

Just my two cents!



And that's the point, right? As long as we can all remember that, it doesn't matter where we're at, and it doesn't really matter where we're going, or how fast we are getting there.



I think it's great already that despite work and family obligations, you've been able to stick to the twenty minute a day routine for over five months now. Don't fret over the fact that you won't always have more time than that. As I wrote above: as long as you remember that the point is to be making music, it doesn't really matter where you're going or how fast you get there. Progress is nice, but not the main purpose of playing.



I'm listening to it on SoundCloud as I write this, and that's not bad ... not bad at all . Quite an achievement, indeed!



Yeah, I'll bet it was fun! Congratulations on your grand public performance!



Your persistence and determination are a great inspiration to me, Sand Tiger. Thank you!



Ah, that mother of all AOTW's again. I hope it's a good one, 255!



Good luck with the exam tomorrow, WiseBuff! I'll be thinking of you. By the way: the key to hearing intervals is making a list of songs you know well that start with a given interval, and then finding a song on your mental list that fits with the interval played.

Or, well, that's how I do it, anyway .



Two recitals within the space of a week. And with two different pieces, no less. W00t! Guess I'll be rooting for you and WiseBuff simultaneously, tomorrow .



Congratulations on conquering the tech demons!



Nice! You've just done something I've been dreaming of for years!



And quite a big achievement for anyone! As for your performance (that makes three people I have to root for tomorrow!), just think of it this way: you already nailed it in front of 'the former piano teacher', and as I can attest, piano teachers are very careful listeners. They are professional musicians. They hear *everything*. And trust me when I tell you, half your audience tomorrow (even if they're all music students) can't even hear the difference between an A and a C.



... which I think means you must be very well prepared for it. An achievement all by itself!



Good for you for finding the fun in it! I always have trouble finding the fun when I start a new piece (starting a new piece is hard work! :p)



I don't really see the point of the chart, but I'm glad it's useful to you .



Indeed it is. It's also one of the best ways I have found to make great progress. So three cheers for you having figured out a recording system that works for you!



Yay! I'm learning to love Bach despite my youthful aversion to his music. In part, it's thanks to you!



Yeah, Barnie, when do we get to hear it? Have you posted to the Ecco Fatto Café yet? If not, hurry up and do it already!



Nice! I wish I could say the same thing about my current Burgmüller piece. Almost there, but not quite ...



Yay for the ability to sort out priorities and translate that into smooth time management! After a good teacher and good technique, this must be the third mother of all AOTW's .

I've been watching the performances online! I have a crush on conductor Marin Alsop already

I haven't listened to Andrew Tyson yet, so I don't have the whole picture, but I must say that Zhang Zuo conquered me with her smile and her confidence-but-not-arrogance.

I played at the recital and I survived!

It started at 9 this morning; unusual time, I think, but in the end nice because I woke up and told myself: in a few hours it will be over!
Very long, about 20 children and teens, mostly pianists and several violinist, performed; a lot of duets, also, and one trio.
I was terrified, and so was my younger son (the eldest a bit less); they played perfectly, I didn't.
In the middle of the recital I played the first duet, it was almost ok (only a minor slip that passed unnoticed); towards the end of the recital I had to play with my first son and then alone... the duet (a nice and easy arrangement of Scott Joplin's Entertainer) was a quasi-disaster, at a certain point I completely loss my way and skipped several measures until I could start again; fortunately my son went on. After that I messed up my Scarlatti sonata, but I played well the two Chopin preludes.
It's funny that last Thursday we had a sort of general rehearsal and I played well Scarlatti in front of three teachers, and also The Entertainer, while I couldn't make justice to my Chopin; and my teacher had told me, a couple of weeks ago, "I hope the rehearsal will be bad".

I'm really sorry because I messed up the duet with my son, and of course I did not like to have played badly Scarlatti, but in the end I'm happy to have participated in the recital; even if I worried for weeks and I was a bit out of place, only adult between twenty youngsters...

Now I feel sooooo lighter!

And thank you to all of you for the support!

Good going torquenale!!!! I too survived my recital and being the only adult playing. One performer to go and I was still toying with playing from the music, I was so nervous!!! But, I played from memory and did well. One minor flub that I played through even though it got my hands shaking a bit. OK, a lot!!!

I really don't have the temperamet to be a performer. But, I do like to share my music, so somehow I just do it anyway. Glad this one is done. Wednesday night I play a different piece with music. That should be a snap compared to today!! I feel totally wasted because I got so wound up before and during. Glad it is over!!!!

Well done dynamobot!
Until yesterday I was sure to play the first and third pieces from memory; I decided to take the scores with me, and I used it for Scarlatti, after the duet disaster I had to use it! I played from memory only the Prelude in c minor.

torquenale and dynamobt, congratulations on successfully playing at your recitals. Yes, successfully. You went on stage, you continued on after any slips that happened (this is a major skill), and you shared your music. Well done.

Congratulations; tourquenale and dynamobt! You people got guts! Gee...playing amongst a bunch of children. I can only imagine doing that with Rod Serling standing in the corner!
I better be careful. It might happen to me. Doh!

I am humbly greatfull for my tiny shack on any level but especially because I can play the piano. I have had low energy since 2006 so only cut the lawn at best. Now for the first time since 2006 I am in better shape. What was funny was I was thinking of the piano all day like a soldier would think of his sweetheart when he was fighting in a far off country. It started to rain when I woke up so I was happy because I thought I could play the piano. I uncovered my piano and I stoked/ran my fingers across the last 5 keys high end of the piano like a human would stoke a pet as a form of affection but in my case when I got my second hand piano with 3 legs, it sounded beautiful but except for the last 2 or 3 notes at the high end - when I got it home - I wondered if it was good or bad because I took the chance of buying the piano because it seemed awesome but what do I know. As as a beginner I can only play around middle so I never even thought about checking anything else. So when the tuner came in the fall those 3 keys were all it took to make the difference to those keys. So I often lift the keys' cover and expose the keys - and as a form of affection and to check if the piano is holding its tuning still and it is - I stoke the last 3 highend keys. So I had a nap to boost my energy to play and woke up at noon only to see the sun. I headed out doors for the last time 2 days in a row so the tiny lot looks more civilized and - what gets me excited(!) - is I can spend rest of my life playing the piano except to run the mower over the grass every Monday for 15 minutes, with earplugs, to protect my ears.

Congrats Torquenale and Dynamobt! Live recitals are no fun especially the first one. I remember clammy/shaky hands, heart pounding and at one point completely forgotten what I was playing. Sounds like yours went very well with only minor flubber. Bravo!

Glad to hear that you made it through, both Torquenale and Dynamobt.

Sorry I couldn't make it to hear you -- that is for Dynamobt, although for Torquenale I'm sorry too, the difference being that it would not actually be feasible to go to Italy for a recital. I'm glad it went so well, and best wishes for Wednesday!

I've never performed for anyone aside from my family, and at that (very) informally. I'd like to some day, so I sometimes try to imagine that I am, to really put myself there mentally. Sometimes when I do this I make a flub that is bad enough that my hands just aren't at all in the position that I should be, and I have to come to a full stop, gather myself, and figure out where I should re-start. For memorized pieces this can involve losing several measures, since I rely so much on the flow from one position to another.

If this actually happened to me in a real performance situation, what would I do? I have no idea... I don't think it would be pretty, so I have a lot of admiration for Torquenale and others who have related their adventures in this regard, having been able to "suck it up" and soldier on.

Meaning, you already know this stuff and it doesn't add anything? Or you don't know and it doesn't help?

Based on your description of the music education system there in Belgium I'm guessing it's the former?

At any rate, for those of us that don't know how to put together a decent chord progression (i.e. one that is interesting, not discordant, nor nonsensical), I think it's really helpful as a visual cue re: which chords are common to each key's neighbors on the Circle of Fifths.

I was able to use it today to put together a chord progression that went from C to G to D (i.e. reaches a chord in D that is in neither C nor G) and back again by using PaperClip's color coded chart.

My little progression is nothing that will make grown men weep or women swoon, but it sounds pleasant and there are no jarring gear changes. Before today I had absolutely no capability to make a nice sounding chord outside of the key I was playing at the moment -- to say nothing of making two key changes and then back. Zero.

So, I know we're supposed to report on our own AOTWs, but PaperClip -- this one is all on you!

Here's the progression, for anyone who might be interested. The numerals in parentheses indicate inversions:

C
C7
Am(1)
G(1)
G7(3)
Am(1)
Em(2)
A(1)
D
D7(3)
Bm
F#m(2)
A(1)
D
G(1)
Csus4
Csus2
C

@aTallGuyNH: yes, meaning the former. Though I don't think it's because of my theory background. That might play a part in it, but it's not all.

I'm one of those people who walk around with entire concertos in their heads (well, not really entire concertos, that would be a bit much, but let's just say, melodies with accompaniment). I have major trouble physically playing all the intricacies of what I can mentally produce, but I never have trouble figuring out where to go next.

In truth, I don't think I could *name* the chord progressions I play the way you just did above, unless I sat down with music paper and actually wrote them down. But "discordant, nonsensical" chord progressions are just not a problem I've ever needed to solve.

Hence the 'unusefulness' of the chart, to me.

Congratulations on your recital successes, torquenale and dynamobt! Well done!

Ah this was nice. In my lesson I was told I'm at Grade 2 level now. This was unexpected for two reasons: 1) because I haven't taken any exams so I didn't really know what level I would be at. 2) because of not doing the exams I thought maybe I wouldn't even be at Grade 1 yet, so it was a nice surprise to find out I am past that. It has been 10 months since I started, however I am only counting it as 8, because I lost 2 months when I had some personal problems, had to leave my home and couldn't practice. I am pleased with this because I think that's quite good progress, and this is because I have worked really hard at it. And if this sounds like I am showing off, then it is, because I am. I spend AGES on piano and I am just really pleased that I have made progress. And when you try to tell regular people this stuff they just look at you like "who cares?" I am so grateful I have piano in my life. <3 <3

Good for you Toastie on the thumbs up from the teacher and your ability to work through some difficult life situations. Congrats to all those that did the live recitals. It takes something extra special to be the only adult in a recital of kids. Like I have written about my own live performances, I lower my standards. Any time I can get through to the end of a piece, I count that as a minor achievement. If I can play with only minor flaws, I count that as a success. The perfect live performance tends to be a rare thing for amateurs, especially beginners. I lower my standards so my performance can rise.

Week 64: it is a lazy week for me. I do keep to my schedule of about an hour a day. Most of the time is spent on improvising, or trying to find phrases for two pieces that are under construction. Sometimes a new piece that I think it is all that, falls flat. A new project is A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, from the Twilight movies. As is often the case, I want to do my own simple arrangement, and enjoy that part of the process.

Toastie --- you should be proud of your accomplishment. You've worked hard and your teacher recognized that as well. Wtg!

Sand Tiger --- can't wait to hear your rendition of A Thousand Years. I walked down the aisle with a violinist playing that song....i never get tired of it (and plus I'm a big Twilight fan)

Wisebuff--- I hope your exam went well!

Ragdoll - Congrats on your progress with Lunar Eclipse

Paperclip - I haven't really studied your chart but I get the idea. Frankly I think that even if you never looked at it again, the simple fact of having put it together has probably already helped set things straight in your mind.

Palmpirate - congrats on your progress with Bach!!!!

Andy - another Bach Invention - Wonderful. Thank you for anticipating my obvious question

Barnie - recording yourself is always a good thing. I find that even with I'm not satisfied it helps me understand what I need to work on!

Toastie: Literally with your eyes closed? Cool. I can hear how happy you are with your recent recognition of how much progress you've made, that's wonderful!


Sinophilia - it sounds like you are really on track and beautifully organized! What a great collection of pieces you're working on!

Saranoya: It is hard to shut out things that have upset us. Most of us just aren't that good at truly compartamentalizing our lives.
Maybe your teacher and other folks have it right when they tell you not to be so hard on yourself all the time?
It sounds like your evening at the piano contest was superb! Don't you find you have a different perspective on listening to piano music now that you play too?

Torquenale: Well, your recital didn't go as well as you had hoped, but you survived and chances are you'll do better next time round. (Especially if you can perform in front of people during the year).
Congrats on taking on that challenge and getting through it.

Dynambot: Congrats to you too on your recital! Oh, look at that little collection of baby grands in your siggy line

Sand Tiger : again with your own arrangements! I think that is so neat. I wish I could do that. Maybe someday!!

I was going to say I had no particular AOTW but then I realized that something has "clicked". My teacher was showing me how to "set" my fingers to be ready in formation for chord jumps in one piece and I have been able to transfer that new concept to another piece.
We had friends over for dinner and music on Saturday and I was a bit lowered to find I could not for the life of me get through a single piece without flubbing. sigh. I am now racking my brains for ways to get a regular audience I can practice on regularly so I can get out of the live performance panic mode!! However, I brought out the guitar and played that instead and had lots of fun. We had a ukelele and an accordian and singers.