Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum 2013 in review: how was yours?

After reading FarmGirl post in AOTW thread, I started thinking about my achievements in 2013:

- February : ABF Recital #29;
- April: I sent a 3 minute video of me playing "Indaco" for my company music contest (BESTalent);
- May: ABF Recital #30;
- June: BESTalent - I was qualified to do a live show. I'm in the finals;
- July: BEStalent - I was doing the video for the finals;
- August: ABF Recital #31;
- September: Starting to organize our European Piano Party 2014;
- September: BEStalent video was shared on YouTube;
- October: I wasn't the winner of BESTalent;
- November: ABF Recital #32;
- November: A TV channel invites me to enter in a episode about amateur musicians;
- December: Filming with the TV crew for the show.

Now, how was yours?

Mine was fantastic. I was able to start playing again after nearly two years of injury. I never thought I could be so happy just to play a major scale and work out of a level 2A book.

Kurt

CarlosCC quite the achievements you got there my friend! What a wonderful year for you!

As for my achievements, nothing too big but it is s gonna be my 1 year pianoversarry as of January 2014. Quite happy to report that I still love my piano and I think i'll be sticking with it after all =)

As for what I've been able to do for this year...

*2 ABF recitals
*2 live recitals
*teacher posted a video of me playing Prelude in Em on her website
*Burgmuller Op 100 1-9
*1.5 Chopin songs done(cause my Waltz in A minor still needs some work)
*5 songs from Anna Magdalena's notebook completed
*my aspiration song by Yiruma (River Flows in You)

Great - I finally broke 80 by shooting a 77 and then later a 79 during the warm fall season on 2 rather difficult courses - this portends well for my future golf endeavors...Oh yea, I submitted pieces to several ABF Recitals too...and just took up target shooting with my S&W 9mm...Zoombies, be aware!

KurtZ - That's wonderful! I can't imagine being two years without playing. You are a hero!

ElleC - Wow, lots of achievements for your 1st year! "River Flows in You"? Oh, I have the music printed to start working on it this weekend.

Carlos - I would give u the achievement if the year award. As mentioned in the achievement thread I went through many changes. It's nice to see many of my friend had a great year. It's certainly worth celebrating considering how rare those moments are in life. It's a shame u don't live here or I am not there. We could talk about this all night with wines and spirits.

Carlos - wonderful list making a great piano year!

KurtZ - wishing you many more happy piano years

ElleC - congratulations on your 1 year, and your recitals and pieces

TJ - and zoombies beware of your piano, too! It's likely to bring them back to life.

FarmGirl - yup, the piano life for you



My year was kind of rough, non-piano wise, so although my piano goal was to average 2 hours a day of practice, I'm not going to even get as much as I did last year. Amazingly enough, tho, I think I actually improved *more* than last year, as I kept reminding myself to focus - yea for FOYD!

Actual events:

I play 3 to 5 times a month at assisted living/memory care residences

January, played for Scottish dancing at Burns Night with the band

February, Music Marathon (my third year), a fund raiser, and played with the band at a band member's memorial service

March, played at another friend's memorial service

April, first time playing as a sub at a good-paying assisted living unit, and the band played at a food coop and a contra dance

August, Denver piano party

September, another new assisted living and another contra dance with the band

October, with the band for Scottish country dancing Halloween party

December - to come - my first out of state gig at a senior center in Colorado

and 3 ABF recitals

So it's actually, piano-wise, been a good year.

Cathy

January: played the entire first movement of the Moonlight Sonata for my teacher for the first time, after having dreamed of learning to play it for years; changed jobs; lost roughly twenty pounds (welcome change); had 57 seizures and survived.

February: my first ABF recital, number 29, for which I made my recording at a local pub due to being in the middle of a move to a not-yet-finished apartment.

March: had my Boston GP delivered to my still-unfinished new apartment; had an operation to remove a brain cyst, which failed.

April: second live recital since starting piano lessons; moved one member of the audience to tears.

May: ABF recital #30.

June: got 90% on my piano exam.

July: hosted European Piano Party 2013; had my epilepsy medication changed; experienced unexpected side effects; almost died, but didn't.

August: learned BWV 930 in a little over two weeks; recorded two Grieg Lyric Pieces for the Themed Recital.

September: went back to school for teacher training, partly inspired by my amazing piano teacher.

October: injured my back during a seizure; had to severely reduce my piano practice schedule for three weeks.

November: broke my collar bone during a seizure; had my medication changed; experienced some serious side effects; was in the hospital for three weeks, and had to stop playing the piano for four; almost died, but didn't.

December: third and final live recital of the year; did well; fought the principal of my music school for the right to sing with my fellow students in an on-stage concert, despite the wheelchair and the seizures; won the argument.

2013, in a word: victory! (or in my darker moments: f*ck you, universe).

2013 has been a strange year. I found the courage to leave a bad relationship and start afresh on my own, moving to a new area and making a new life. I adopted a cat from a rescue centre, received treatment for a long standing medical issue, confronted a lot of problems, and generally started living life instead of surviving it.

I'm an entirely different person to who I was a year ago, and I credit my piano lessons with seeing me through all of it. Me, my cat and my piano are very much looking forward to 2014.

Merry Christmas to you all xxx

Saranoya - you get the award for just - staying alive! Will somebody play a special Bee Gees song for ya . . . .I `m sure we all wish you the very best for `14 . . .

Wow! Nice thread! I think I had some sort of breakthrough this year, during the summer. I dropped Alfred 3 and started working on classical music more. I'm quite happy with what I've learned so far, even if I am keenly aware that I'm still a very slow learner. I think my goal for the next year will be to push myself more, and not be afraid of at least trying some harder stuff, while continuing with my easy pieces.

I will just copy and paste my practice list, with the end date for each piece.

Long-term
Schumann - Melodie (Op. 68 no. 1) 20/12/13
Tchaikovsky - Italian Song (Op. 39 no. 15, ABF recital) 29/11/13
Jazz Ostinato in C#m (Alfred’s AIO 3) 31/08/13
Grieg - Op. 54 no. 6 Klokkeklang (ABF recital) 23/07/13
Cole Porter - So in Love (ABF recital) 30/04/13

Short-term (< 1 month)
Bach - Musette in G major (First Lessons in Bach 11) almost done!!
Bischoff - The Industrious Student (Op. 31 no. 3) 29/11/13
Haydn - Gipsy Dance in Cm (Pianist 71) 29/10/13
Mozart - German Dance in F (K605, Pianist 71) 22/10/13
Mozart - Allegro in F (K1c, Pianist 74) 09/10/13
Telemann - Gigue à l’anglaise (Pianist 66, ABF recital) 14/10/13
Czerny - Study in D (Op. 187 no. 49, Pianist 66) 30/09/13
Attwood - Minuet from Sonatina in G (Pianist 73) 25/09/13
Corelli - Sarabande in Dm (Pianist 73) 28/08/13
Clementi - Arietta in C (Pianist 73) 18/08/13
Bach - Minuet in Gm (First Lessons in Bach 8) 18/08/13
Bach - Minuet in Gm (First Lessons in Bach 7) 23/07/13
John Kember - This and That (Pianist 66, ABF recital) 1/07/13

Sight-reading etc.
Improve your Sight-reading vol. 1 17/12/13
Hannah Smith’s Progressive Sight-Reading Exercises 2/08/13

[this might help if anyone is looking for grade 1-2 pieces, also to supplement method books]

2013 has been a wonderful year for me, I found my passion for piano again in July after a 17 year break. I'm so happy to be playing again with a composer I really gel with.

Wow, everyone! What complex years we've all had! Wishing everyone a good new year, overcoming difficulties, growing, and playing piano -

Cathy

2013 was the best year yet. In March I started learning with an Amazon package consisting of a keyboard and emedia lessons for, I think, $140 or thereabouts. In August I bought a Kawai ce220 which I love and in September a Stratocaster guitar. Today I just signed up for lessons from a real hot chick who plays in a rock and roll band and graduated with honors from the Berkeley School of Music. Did I mention I am 6 decades old? Life is great!!!

2013 is made of awesomeness

1. Took piano lessons from an awesome friend who is studying in her 3rd year Bachelor of Music degree.

2. Recorded 10 pieces! Also participated in 3 Quarterly recitals.

3. Went to various piano shops during the breaks and experienced some quality piano brands for the first time: Bechstein A190 (gorgeous, focused, powerful, bright icy tone!), Estonia (rich, mellow and singing), vintage Steinways (very very sweet tone), Stuart and Sons (Uniquely rich and complex. A rare gem), Grotrian (extremely powerful), Shigeru Kawai, Petrof Mistral P284, Schimmel, Mason and Hamlin B, Bluthner, August Forster)

4. Performed two pieces in front of a small live audience.

5. Discovered numerous new piano music through Pandora and Youtube.

6. And most importantly, passed all exams in 3rd year Dentistry! Next year in 4th year I'll probably be too busy to spend as much time on piano

I've had better. My Dad died. My parrot died. Our entire air conditioning system had to be replaced. The clutch went out on my truck and my computer caught fire. On the plus side I learned Chopin's 28/24 from scratch and recorded it. Have made good progress on the 9/3 nocturne as well.

You say in your signature that you have a very high handicap. So which is it?

In 2013 I learned piano. Haven't decided what to do in 2014 yet!

2013 gets a mixed review from me.

Some difficult changes, but I just got a brand new grand piano, so certainly no complaints in the piano department.

Haven't had a very good year, have you?

Oh Trapper.... Playing from the ladies tees on a par 3 course doesn't count. Doesn't matter how difficult they were.


I have to say it's been a good year for me.
I actually started learning piano with a good teacher.
(yes it was rough just trying to get started)
I now am the proud owner of a VPC named Ingrid.

Are there such things as ladies' tees on a par 3 course?

yes

2013

Musically: I've gotten a little better at playing by ear. I can 'find' most notes/sounds pretty quickly now even though it has taken me nearly 9 years to do it. I have 'found' some pretty neat melodies and rhythms that I worked into new original tunes. I'm happy with that as this is what I really love to do.

My weakness is still control. I find it very difficult to play delicately even though I am trying very hard to. The melodies and sounds I hear in my mind are incredible but it is still difficult trying to squeeze them out. I am just starting to scratch the surface as to what they sound like but in time I think you may get to hear them. It's just going to take a bit longer than I thought but, oh well.


Health: This year has been very difficult as the symptoms of having chronic Lyme disease have gotten worse. In the process of looking for any possible way that exists to improve my immune system, I am very fortunate to have discovered the two most powerful foods you could possibly ingest to improve your overall health.

1.) Kefir (a fermented drink with the strongest amount of digestible probiotics you can get).

2.) Raw milk. (Pasteurized/homogenized milk is 'dead' milk. All the good bacteria and digestive enzymes have been killed off.

If you Google 'Kefir' or 'the benefits of drinking raw milk', you will be amazed at what you find. You simply cannot get a better, stronger and more digestible form of probiotics and digestive enzymes. I can't emphasis enough how important it is to keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy as it IS your immune system.

Anyway, I hope to continue to improve with my nonsense 'noodling' or whatever you want to call it technique as well as try even harder to use more control and sensitivity in my playing. At this point, I really need to focus on that more as it is kind of holding me back but remember that I have large rockem-sockem hands and it is not easy for me to play soft and gently.

Work-wise 2013 has been the best year since 2010. Lots of new students and groups, all in the town where we live, no commuting to the big city

Participated in 4 ABF recitals and the Greig recital.

Started my first truly long piece (Sonatina N2 Op 36 Clementi)

Went to the Brussels Piano Party!

Have reduced tension while playing dramatically.

Have (mostly, not 100%) gotten over the problem of not playing as well as I'd like in the lesson. It happens a bit, but not as much as in previous years.

Started ball-room dance lessons with my sweetie.

Kurt, This is wonderful to hear! I know how great it feels, having come back from injury myself a few years ago.

Meanwhile, all the 2013 accomplishments make me feel like a piano slacker!

Hope your husband doesn't find out!

What - no new succulent Italian dishes concocted or delectable wine tasted?

Both...the devil helped me do it...you have to be a player to understand why I'd sell my soul so eagerly...and cheaply

I love this thread! 2013 turned out to be a very good year for me in lots of ways.

Healthwise: In the fall of 2012, I had an MS relapse resulting in partial paralysis on my right side. I missed the November 2012 quarterly recital because of it. By February I had regained full use of my hand and played a Bach piece in the February recital. The fatigue issues lingered through the summer, but in the fall I began working out for an hour at a fitness center daily. Now, I am stronger and more fit than I was before the relapse, and have no lingering symptoms. As a plus- I believe the fitness has greatly improved my piano playing.

Piano journey: I played in each quarterly recital, two pieces in the Grieg recital, and a piece in the Chopin Mazurka recital on PC. In addition I have posted to the Piano Bar 8 times.

I started hosting "Piano Parties" for my teacher's adult students and have become very comfortable playing in front of others. I attended the European Piano Party and had a ball! And, finally, I played in my first formal live recital in front of about 50 people that was live streamed to friends and family. It was a blast.

Skill-wise I believe I have made a big improvement in relaxation, and greatly reduced the time it takes me to learn a new piece. I am adding one major piece a month at this point.

On the personal journey side, after three years of living abroad, Switzerland has become my home. I have mastered German well enough to make German speaking friends, and I have made friends through the Piano Parties. i love it here!

2013 was terrific! It started out, like each of the 25 years before it, pianoless, and ended playing piano again!

A lot changed this year and as exciting as those changes are I'm even more excited to see what I have to say about the end of 2014!

28 years married and a few before that....my hubby is still my sweeetie

LOTS of recipes and wines....probably too many to list.
Tonight will be salmon and rucola risotto with a nice crisp White from Sicily

Unanticipated year here. End support on an ancient piece of software caused my most stressful work year of the last 11. I survive 70 hour weeks, but the resulting hit on piano studies has been most annoying.

At home front we're ending major renovations on our five-year project list and now get to clean out a metric cr@p-ton of accumulated saw/grinder/sander dust from every nook and cranny instead of "just wipe what guests can see".

Finally this week I was able to set a retirement date. Can't wait! Will be able study piano "for reals" starting next May instead of 15 minutes "whenever" grabbed from diurnal 2013 random space-time.

My best wishes for a bright 2014 to all.

Happy New Year!

Is there an equivalent term for "sandbagger" in piano?

Wow, how interesting; lots of stories. And lots of achievements, too!
I really enjoyed!

Before I decided on piano last year, I was also thinking if taking guitar lessons but I didn't think I could manage both. So for 2014, I'm going to learn how to the play the guitar. A friend of mine is giving me his old guitar and since my teacher is officially on maternity leave, I asked if her husband can teach me guitar on the interim (her husband is a jazz guitarist and also gives lessons). I might be biting too much here but at least the guitar is free

ElleC, if your accomplishments on the piano so far are any indication, I'm sure you could learn to play an entire Jazz combo's worth of instruments all at once, and not even really break a sweat .

Just kidding, of course, but I'm sure you'll do great. Do not hesitate to post on SoundCloud when you manage to play something worth hearing on the guitar (which I'm sure will be soon)!

Do you believe I'm learning guitar? Yes, it's true. My kids are having guitar lessons, and they are teaching me... at home - which is always weird, but fun!-. With just 2 "lessons" I'm able to do the C, the E, and F.
ElleC, try it!

2013 was my first full year back at taking lessons. I've really enjoyed lessons with this new teacher. Lessons are actually fun. I think she enjoys teaching me.

2013 was also the year I joined Piano World. Needless to say this has was a good decision. I've enjoyed the online recitals. I'm recording myself because I wanted to participate. And I know I wouldn't be otherwise.

All in all a good year.

Rucola? This time of year we have Lactuca virosa or wild lettuce in the yard. Saute it and relax without the wine.

I had a busy year. I "retired" - actually went from full-time to half-time at work. But I don't seem to have more time for piano!

Four ABF quarterly Recitals:
1- Schumann Arabeske
2- Norton - PS, I Made This
3- Chopin Nocturne 37/1
4- Debussy Sunken Cathedral

Two pieces in the Mendelssohn Recital:
1- 38/6
2- 53/5

Three pieces in the Grieg Recital:
1- 57/2
2- 57/6
3- 62/2

One piece in the Chopin Mazurka Recital:
1- 6/1

Live recitals - I played the Arabeske twice:
1- teacher's recital in the Spring
2- Summerkeys in June

At our piano/Xmas party I played the Debussy Cathedral and the Chopin Mazurka. I also accompanied Laurie in two clarinet pieces - a Baermann piece and Elgar's Salut d'Amour.

So when I write it all down it does seem like a lot more than I remembered.

Next year? There's Joplin and Tchaikovsky that I already signed up for. Another Debussy prelude is in the works, and also another Schubert impromptu. And I'm going back to Summerkeys again!

Sam

Wow Sam
I would be happy to complete so many wonderful pieces you did in 2014.
I would love to do an impromptu in g flat by Schubert as well. My teacher says I have to complete 2nd mvmnt of D 960 before I can move on to impromptu. Likewise I have to do Chopin op 25 no 1 before I can move on to op 10 no 3. So I donno when

Saranoya you're too kind! Thank you and I shall dedicate my first guitar song to you

CarlosCC do you feel it's distracting to piano or just adds to your musicality? I mean, I'm still a beginner at piano so I am a bit cautious.

Three major things in 2013:
1. My older daughter started her first year in Primary School,
2. I bought my first acoustic piano,
3. Started preparation for ABRSM Jazz Piano grade 1, after one year not really knowing which way I should develop my piano passion.

I hope 2014 will be as generous as 2013.

All the best!
Romek

2013 was a real mixed bag. Best thing of all was finding Piano World, well second best - I had just returned to piano at the end of 2012 so it only almost counts for this year! I signed up for the MOYD, third best thing. It meant I kept track of what was going on in my life. Lots of travel and time away from the keys , but without the vow I would have just 'let go' and not returned each time.
So I am no longer afraid of touching those black and white things under the lid, in fact I rarely close the lid anymore. I play nearly every time I go past the piano, even just a study.
I've regained confidence about playing. I know I've forgotten lots but strangely its slowly coming back. I did one of the Bach's very easy inventions to start, and looking through my old music, found it again - I'd learned it as a kid but only when I saw the old book did I remember it at all! Scarey!
Now I'm remembering theory lessons and chord sequences aren't so bad!
Sounds like I know a lot but not, 1, !V, V, is about it!
Then another magical thing was not stumbling around finding the keys anymore. They really are in the same place every time, its just my fingers that move around - fancy that! But lately they hit the right note when there's a big leap more often than they used to. So much less frustrating! I throw the books aside less and less frequently - do you ever fell like doing that!
I've found some great apps on the iPad which means I can take my music scores with me ' in case' I find a piano and can sneak in a play. I did photocopy stuff and brought it with me a few times , but that's too impossible to keep up carrying around on the 'off chance'!
I love reading the Forums, it's my therapy time. I admire you all so much.
I don't know anyone else other than my teacher who plays so you are important virtual friends in my life. Who leas really know what it is to learn master and eventually really play a piece than someone who has also tried.
I have the greatest respect for creative artists of all genres.
I listened to one of the on-line recitals to discover what it was all about. The November one.
Now I understand what Piano World is all about!
So next year I shall actually record something,probably on my iPad! Ecco Fatto Cafe, is one of my goals.
Personally, the year has been the depths of despair and yet soaring with the eagles.
You wine-lovers - celebrate with me, we have just heard, in New Year we will be announced as receivers of the Platinum Best of Show award for our white wine - don't know which one yet(!) - at the World Beverage Show in Geneva, the biggest competition in the world... beat out France and Argentina.....little ol' us in Kelowna B.C. Our labels got bronze as well. They got silver last year. One son is the winemaker and one son is the artist. So we thought this competition was just about labels!
What a way to end the year - guess we won't be selling up after all - and I can play Claire de Lune again!

This year I had a change in my career, which meant a pretty horrible schedule and too little rest, but thankfully I didn't give up practicing daily. I've had moments of despair, but last month or so has made me think that I might actually be able to play properly one day. I've made a huge leap forward in the physical side of my playing. Learning pieces has been very slow, but maybe a demanding work is a good excuse for having mushy brain...

Congratulations on your wine, Palmpirate!

And to everyone on their piano years.

Cathy

Palmpirate I love wines! Message me with the names of your award winning vinos, I would love to try them out.

I forgot to mention the ROOF ----

No, no distracting at all. It's just another instrument with a different approach. I'm learning it just for fun
It's a good way to be a couple of hours with my kids talking about music

Edit: Btw, I'm still a beginner, too!

Wow congratulations, but I don't envy you

Kind of shitty--except for the piano part.

In February, my wife tells me she wants a divorce and we only just recently agreed on a settlement. Things were getting pretty ugly for a while there... What kept my sanity was piano! I started lessons for the first time in April. Piano was something I had always wanted to do, but I feared that I would have no musical talent and would just get frustrated. My experience has been quite the opposite! Piano is an absolute joy! I sat down the other day to noodle on some chord progressions "for a few minutes" and and hour vanished!

2014 is going to be my year. I'm already shopping for a grand piano...and a girlfriend!

You all learn music piece much faster than I do thats for sure. It takes me a lot of time to really learn one piece. Everyone has some really impressive material.


I have to say. I'm very thrilled with how this year went. I started off this year not knowing where middle C was. The yamaha p-155 my dad gifted me (after telling him i always wanted to learn, he was upgrading) had been sitting in the corner of my room for over a year.
March this year, I say [censored] looking at this thing. I emailed a teacher I found online met with him, did a first "free" lesson and have been going ever since, 1 hour weekly, haven't missed one. Probably the best decision I have made with my entire adult life (25). That kind of sounds sad, but I think its totally true. It has taught me discipline, it has taught me soooo much about myself and how I work. Really worth more than anything you could put a dollar sign to. Best of all I can look back at this year and say holy crap! I can kind of plunk away at the piano now! I can really say I did something constructive this year and something tangible even after this year.

I have learned video game songs that bring back incredible nostalgia and feels great to play. I have learned more about music this year alone than my entire life put together. I even used to play violin for almost TEN YEARS!!! I have learned two beatles songs, a pop song, an entire method book worth of material, how to improv (albeit not well), all my major, minor chords with all inversions, my maj7 chords (few inversions due to learning them on the fly via lead sheets), learned how to read lead sheets, can play an easy version of requiem for a dream, star wars. I learned how to read music really, it had ALSO been ten years since I played violin, and i wasn't very good @ violin, think small kid is big orchestra with not 1 hour of 1on1 teaching in my entire life. I can put some decent dynamics into my music, nothing impressive, but decent non the less. I'm really understanding what another member posted about sight reading: "I see the notes, not as notes but as words and my hands respond appropriately.". I'm starting to get that and I'm noticing im letting myself not think about things that don't matter, IE "that octave i just played is a G". Nope, I don't care, I see the octave, then my hand makes the octave "position" and I hit the note, who cares what the letter is while sight-reading.

Importants I've learned. The value of learning something and to always be learning something in my life. The value of getting real life reward for time put in. What it is to be dedicated to something and maintain consistency. Understanding this is a lifetime "hobby" with no REAL end goal.

Big revelations: keys are more than just a signature on the staff to make reading easier. they are tonal centers of a piece. Thats the big piece of knowledge I was missing in violin, I'd always get so annoyed, now I get it.


Ultimately, I'm just proud to say, this year I accomplished something very near and dear to me

A mixed bag, for me.

Family: this year we started again traveling all together, after several years. We had great fun.
The children are growing fast, they are nice little boys.
My husband is still working abroad and commuting on weekends, but since the kids are older it is easier for me to manage everything during the week like a single mother!

At work, not a very positive year (not so bad either, it could be much worse).

Piano: ups and downs and plateaus in my second year of my second piano life. Played in a children and teens recital, submitted in Ecco Fatto Cafè.
Learnt nice pieces, even if I'm still a slow learner.
MOYD gave me motivation for practicing more (thanks, Cheryl!), even when time is scarce and I'm really tired.
This year my piano passion is really grown, now I think it will be a lifelong affair.