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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
Here is the video. [video:youtube]XFJ6nzBs9eA[/video] PS: The preview is not working... sorry.
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
Last edited by Allard; 09/05/1307:10 AM.
David Lanz - Skyline Firedance Suite Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy 7 Main Theme
Just wanted to drop in this morning and say "hi". Playing the Grieg pieces so they sound musical to me is my achievement this week...now if I can record one that captures that this weekend. My work life is super busy this fall and finding any practice time has been tough but I've been up at 4 to squeeze some in before heading out to the highway. I've been fairly ambitious working on several pieces at the same time. Some (like the Debussy Arabesque) are a measure or two at a time. My teacher has assigned us all some Beethoven for our next piano sharing. I've got a movement (maybe two) from #14 Sonata in E Major. Three lines so far. Any mountain can be climbed a step at a time.
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!
SwissMS, it sounds like you've got a great teacher (I think we arrived at that conclusion a while ago though!)
Originally Posted by CarlosCC
Here is the video. PS: The preview is not working... sorry.
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.
"...when you do practice properly, it seems to take no time at all. Just do it right five times or so, and then stop." -- JimF
Working on: my aversion to practicing in front of my wife
1978 Vose & Sons spinet "Rufus" 1914 Huntington upright "Mabel"
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!
Casio Privia PX-150 Started Playing: November 2012 Completed Unit 6, Faber's Adult Piano Adventures Book 1
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!
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!
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
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!
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook