Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital 32 --- Call For Submissions

Well mine's finally in at # 20 (although that could change). and you know that's killing me! I always try to be completely ready to submit on opening day to avoid panic ,frustration and negative energy all over the place.

This time I screwed up (although, I ultimately got it fixed).

You see, I WAS completely ready weeks ago. But that was after playing for 6 straight months on a slower, heavier acoustic.

I discounted the amount of 'transition time' it takes to go from a slower, heavier instrument to a lightning fast and light (crisp) digital.

The difference is literally like driving a ford F-150 Super crew (great truck btw) for 6 months and then jumping into a souped up Smart car. I'm not kidding.

This is not a 'good' or a 'bad' thing as they both factually have there pros and cons. It's just something that takes getting used to. For me it usually takes 3-5 days of playing a few hours a day but this time I condensed into 2 1/2 days because I was sweating bullets. Just waiting until the 3rd full day could have cost me another 10-15 spots or so down the list.

Like Sweet Brown on YouTube says....."I don't got time for that"!.

Mr. Super-Hunky, why didn't you record then 6 months ago on the acoustic? You could have been spending 6 months on the next piece ...

Out on the rough & tumble highway those F-150s gobble up those silly, casket-like Smart cars, where "souped up" means you don't have to pedal to get them going... Vroom! Vroom!

Mr. Super-Hunky, why didn't you record then 6 months ago on the acoustic? You could have been spending 6 months on the next piece ...

A couple of reasons. 6 months ago would have been 4 months earlier than I even started to learn about this piece. But the REAL reason is that although the sound that my Mason & Hamlin makes is absolutely incredible...(it really is!), the fact is my acoustics at the lodge could not be worse.

It's funny Wouter because as I was practicing my recital piece for the past couple of months on the big acoustic, I was honestly thinking of several members who would like this dramatic type of music. In addition to them, I was thinking to myself that you (Wouter) would not be able to listen to my piece since you can't stand listening to digital s.

I can't blame you for wanting to hear specific sound signatures if that's what pops your cork. All I ask is that you understand that with some other people, (me), what pops there cork is simply the beautiful melodies that are being played. Even if these melodies are being reproduced on a cheapo transistor radio, you'll still catch me humming along.

I realize that if an acoustic performance is performed under fairly decent conditions, it will sound much more impressive than any digital performance simply due to the incredible 'presence' and resonance an acoustic can create that you can literally feel. Unfortunately, when an acoustic piano is not placed in a setting that is compatible acoustically, it ends up sounding muffled and boomy in the recordings. In this case it will actually make more sense to submit a better sounding (although limiting) recording performed on a digital as opposed to the mighty and powerful acoustic. This is why I did what I did.

The Llama lodge is a log home with very large round logs that comprise all the walls. Their rounded shape does incredibly funky things to the sound waves as they bounce off them ultimately creating a boomy-conflicting mushy mess.

The good news is while playing the piano, I don't really hear all the acoustic nonsense going on because I hear the music coming from the soundboard before the sound waves start pin balling all over the room. So I have no problem playing and enjoying the mighty Mason. Recordings are a different matter however.

Wouter, if you are literally skipping my performances due to the dislike of the sound of digitals, then I will literally make a separate acoustic recording just for you. I don't mind doing this because I have observed over time that you are serious about your music and appreciation for it. It shows in your own personal performances and your attention to detail.

I really do get 'different strokes for different folks' so I'll do whatever it takes for you to give my music a listen. If you don't like the content, ...well then you just don't like it and move on. I would! But I'd hate to think that you may have missed out on a really beautiful piece just because too much plastic was being used. If that really is the limiting factor, it can easily be changed.

Looking forward to everyones submission in the upcoming recital.

Wow ladypayne, is that the song from Mary Poppins?!? Can't wait to listen to it!

(and of course many other submissions... but I have a weak spot for Mary Poppins!)

Mine`s in somewhere . . . it`s about the only piece of music I`ve been really pleased with. Mainly because I no longer have the piano!! I miss it . . gone forever!!!

Wow that's nice

If it's not too much work, I'd love to hear you on an acoustic. If the acoustics are really that crappy, it may help to put the mic really close to the piano. Or put some thick carpets in the log

I didn't notice that bad acoustics in your last recital? Or did you move the M&H ?

Nice list of submissions everybody!

This time I'll be at the bottom side of the list...
I've my "Two Trees" ready to play and record, but I'm quit busy next days so I think I can't do a record till next weekend. The backup is "Discovery at Night" which is recorded and ready to send.

Well, I DID record on the Mason without moving it, ...but..., I took the comforter off our bed and stapled it onto the log walls next to the piano. (insert pissed off wife here!) That helped a lot in reducing the pin-ball effect of sound. In addition to stapling my bed comforter onto the wall, I stole the comforter of the bed in one of the guest bedrooms and placed that on the floor beneath the piano itself. (wife is now double-pissed btw!

I've noticed that if I'm playing slower pieces that don't have lots of overtones competing with each other then I can get away with the bed comforter method without too many problems. It is when I play faster pieces (especially using a sustained pedal) that the accumulation of sounds building up start becoming an acoustic recor4ding nightmare. It is at this point where to many corrections (acoustically) are needed to correct the problem so instead I just play and record the piece on my digital. This way, all is calm and good and I tend to throw less stuff around which always seems to end up costing me money somehow!

I put a fairly high value on my sanity. Especially when it concerns a spare time hobby.




Okay, I'll admit it, that was a lie. the fact is, I spend WAY too much time agonizing over my hobbies. Even the slightest hiccups drive me nuts and make me want to correct them. That's actually the truth. I just act like everything is going smoothly. To be honest, I'm still a bit frustrated with my hyped up recital performance because I actually managed to 'clip' the recording twice! ....and it's recorded on a digital!!!!. How pathetic is that?, I didn't even know it was possible to clip the levels on a digital instrument!

(I have a nearly full size inflatable referee that I blow up and then whack about a few times just to vent my built up physical frustrations. It actually works pretty well. Sometimes I even throw in a roundhouse karate kick to the inflatable refs inflatable head. The problem with that though is there is very little resistance to stop the forward momentum of your foot once you hit your target (the refs inflatable head) so you ultimately end up falling to the ground and landing on your sore hip. That sucks!

I'd put the bed comforters on the ground next to the inflatable ref before I kick him to help break the ensuing fall which occurs next, but I can't because I used them all up stapling them to the wall to help muffle the funky sound waves pin balling all over the room.

Recital time really is pretty hectic around here!

In at 22. This was the most difficult piece of those I have recorded to date as far as just getting it recorded. There are mistakes in the final version. But, I erased so many earlier efforts that by this take, what I got sounded pretty good!! I had almonds for a snack before recording. Nearly choked to death!!!

LOL I think I'd make a few wooden boxes the size of a matrass, fill it with glasswool, cover it with fabric and staple that to the wall. The wife should be happy if you use her choice of fabric?

And I suggest to keep 12dB headroom in your recordings on what you think will be the loudest volume.

Do they have inflatable pianos?

Have you upgraded, downgraded or taken up ukulele?

Yay, I did it! Despite having work eat my entire schedule, I got something in. I looked over the rest of the list so far and I'm already looking forward to several of the selections - it looks like a great mix of things.

I think you ought to use that for your accompanying video.

Good thing we have another weekend to go, because I'm going to need it! It's been awhile since I've had so much difficulty with a piece. Oh well, that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger...

Sam

Hunky, are you serious? Tell us you're kidding, please.

How many other recordings will you make to pander to or satisfy the personal preferences (no matter how arbitrary they are) of others who will be participating/listening, and who are equally serious about their music and appreciation of it? How about a harpsichord recording of your piece in a bat cave during a thunderstorm for those of us who like the weirder stuff?

Do you really, honestly believe that anyone can tell the difference between an acoustic and a good digital (given enough random test samples), except by a lucky guess?

You were pulling our legs, right?

Good point, TrapperJohn.
I never understood the point of view of Wouter... maybe I missed a thread where he explained why he comments (and listens?) only pieces played on acoustics.
Anyway, I love to hear all the submissions. I know everybody is doing their best and working hard for our PW Recitals and, for me, that's the point. Acoustic or Digital, it's not an issue. What does it matter?

woo-hoo, I would love that!

I'm sure of one thing: oftentimes recordings from digitals sound better, because recording an acoustic is not so easy, and not everybody has the perfect equipment. And then, you're creating a compressed digital file in both cases! But in the end it's not much about sound quality, but about the time and effort devoted by the performer, isn't it?

Well put Trapper. I for one could care less if someone is performing on acoustic or digital. This is not a Berkley School of Music recital and none of us are professional music teachers.... we are all amateurs here and I would never think to judge anyone on the sound of his or her piano much less refuse to even listen... Could you imagine what a snotty cluster *&%^ this recital would turn into if we all did that?

What happened ?