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Congrats, Malkin. I'm sure you are going to get used to the Estonia very quickly....before too long you won't be able to even imagine playing on another instrument.

Is it a new 168 or "seasoned"? We want PICs!!

Ragdoll is interviewing teachers … Malkin has a new piano … Carlos is going to be a TV star … adultpianist is making great progress with exam pieces … That’s why I love this thread: all sorts of exciting news. I don’t post here a lot but I do try to stop by every so often. It’s always good for a pick-me-up.

Today, I’ll join in with some good news: Yesterday, I surprised my teacher in the nicest possible way with the progress I’m making on Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor (posthumous)!

At our last lesson, two weeks ago, I’d told my teacher I wanted to play the waltz for her holiday “piano party” in December, and we both knew it would require a LOT of work. Considering my very inconsistent practice habits, the idea was a bit reckless – but, as I told my teacher, sometimes the best thing for me is a big challenge and a hard deadline. I was able to work up near all of the right hand for her yesterday. Not perfectly, of course – but we were both pretty darned thrilled with how much I’ve achieved so far. We spent the rest of the lesson sorting out few timing issues on the RH and then worked on the LH and discussed practicing, performance, etc.

FYI, the party will be a small affair as my teacher is semi-retired and teaches only a handful of students. She hosts a couple of lunches a year, and it’s about as low-pressure as any “public” performance can be.

Congratulations on your progress with the Waltz. It is such a lovely piece. Piano parties are a great way to debut playing for others. I started piano parties for my teacher last year, and they have been a wonderful experience. The low key setting makes it a whole lot less intimidating that a formal recital. You meet other piano enthusiast and everyone is supportive. Like this forum!!

Happy Birthday, piano_deb! Great news on your waltz.

I'm just the cheering section for the odd accomplishment here and there these days... I've got a lot of life to juggle these days and lack much of time or energy for accomplishments. But I can still say "Yay!" for my friends here.

I missed the birthday cake! Happy Birthday, indeed piano_deb!

happy birthday piano_deb! and also congrats on your progress with the waltz...I'm currently working on the same piece. I'm hoping to get it to a decent level by December as well although I don't have the pressure of getting it "performance" ready by then. Good luck with practice and pls post your version on the piano bar when it's ready. Looking forward to hearing your interpretation.

SwissMS and tangleweeds, thanks very much for the support and birthday wishes! My lesson yesterday was quite a nice gift to myself, I suppose.

ElleC, the great thing about piano parties is that a piece doesn't to be performance-ready, only "the thing I'm working on now." My teacher and I discussed a great many aspects yesterday, and I know that I won't be pedaling (hip problems and general lead-footedness), plus I'm only aiming for a tempo somewhere north of 50 bpm. While I have a ways to go, I will continue to prepare hard and do my best. I love the piece so much that I do intend to continue working on it well beyond December. It's the first piece I've worked on that I want to absolutely polish, and memorize, and make mine forever.

I want to hear yours also, so please post it when ready!

happy birthday piano_deb!!!!
And congratulations for your achievement with the waltz, and enjoy your party!

And the first went off into a ditch festooned with red flags the first 15 minutes. The guy was/is a real arrogant A$$hat. I'm surprised he can play piano what with those chip laden shoulders, to say nothing of teaching someone else. Not a chance!

Next one set for Saturday morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY piano_deb

So true!
Thanks everyone for the grand wishes.
I do love to read all the accomplishments too! And birthdays! I'm planning on birthday mileage for the rest of my life with this piano!

As we slowly put the house back together, it is interesting to hear how every change affects the sound of the piano. Moving a chair here or there or hanging a couple pictures on the wall make a noticeable difference. The room is still quite acoustically live; it is half empty as much of our stuff is in the basement, the door to which is blocked by the refrigerator, which won't be moved until the kitchen floor is finished, which won't happen until the tile arrives, which won't happen until whenever it happens. But who can complain when there is such a piano in the house?!

Oh no. But I laughed at your description. Better to know now, rather finding out after you sign up with him. Better luck with the next interview.

And happy birthday to piano_deb!

malkin - sounds like things are a mess in the house, but you're keeping a good attitude about it all.

Ragdoll--I found looking for a teacher to be surprisingly awful and it took me the better part of a year!
I took a few lessons from a guy who was fine, but not a good fit for me. Several people didn't return calls, and a couple others stated that they had a waiting list, but didn't offer to put me on it (I can take a hint!)

All's well that ends well though, so hang in there with the teacher auditions and you'll end up with the right one for you.

Oh, my! More happy birthday wishes from Carlos and Ragdoll ... and a yummy looking cake. Thanks, JimF! That was a total surprise.

----

Oops, missed some posts ... Ragdoll, at least that teacher showed his true colors fast. Good luck on the next.

Malkin, MaryBee, thanks for the well wishes. And Malkin be sure to post photos of your Estonia (wow!) soon.

That's the thing about this thread. It's hard to keep up with all the news and updates. But very fun when I get to.

Malkin - congrats on the new piano and I hope the kitchen work gets wrapped up soon! (But at least you have a lovely distraction from the chaos). Looking forward to seeing pics!

Piano-deb - belated happy birthday - hope your day was great! I love that Waltz! I've been puttering about with it on my own for a while and hope to be able to play it sometime this coming year. Even at my wobbly stage it makes me happy to play that piece.
Have fun at the piano party!


Ragdoll - yikes! That doesn't sound like a nice experience at all. At least you found out right away and didn't have to waste time with him. Better luck with the next try!

My ATOW is that I can really see how much better I'm playing with my teacher this year. I can feel a new level of being in control, being able to recover while being watched. I have also pulled out the Christmas carols and it is really nice to see how much easier they are to play than last year. This is the third year I've had the book and it has been a bit of a benchmark from the start.

You found the perfect teacher eventually though?

Don't be too hard on the ones with a waiting list. It's GOOD that they have a full schedule, and don't anticipate many of their current students leaving in the near future. Would you prefer one who said "You're #10 on the waiting list, that should mean 3 or 4 weeks..."?

But is it possible that you came across as fussy, knowing EXACTLY how you were prepared to be taught..? :-)

My teacher is wonderful!



More likely that I came across as an adult student with a random mishmash of piano background. Hardly ideal fodder, I gather.

Thanks MaryBee. I'm looking forward to Saturday.

@malkin Well I hope it doesn't take that long but I do know what I need/want in a teacher so whatever it takes.

@cas Exactly I knew almost immediately. I've also received another potential candidate from my tech, so things are looking OK.

@EW to malkin You say that like it's a bad thing. It's only right to get what you pay for; if a person knows what they want then why settle for less?

Indeed.
I don't presume to tell my teacher what to teach me -but the "how" of teaching is certainly an important factor.

Sometimes a teacher's choice of method teaching doesn't match a student's method of learning. A good teacher will adapt to work with the student and approach the subject from different angles (in fact teachers are TAUGHT how to do just that). The thing is that many teachers get locked into their pattern and won't look at any divergence from their "norm" or "standard" regardless of how well it is (or isn't) working for the student.

I stopped working with an Italian teacher because her approach was completely unsuited to my learning style and she drove me crazy! She may have been a great teacher - but not for me!

Fortunately I haven't had this sort of problem with my piano teachers!

Well, several people here at the ABF have made me laugh this week, some in this thread and some in others. The ABF is great

Cathy