Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital 34 --- Call For Submissions

Recital #34 is now open for submissions!

Believe it or not, it’s time for the 34th quarterly “Beginners and Beyond” recital hosted by the Piano World Adult Beginners Forum! The recital will be posted some time on the 15th of May, which means that the submissions must be in by 9:00 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time, May 14. Please note this deadline is very firm; I cannot start working on the recital until it is closed, and once it is closed, no new entries can be added.

While any and all styles of music are welcome, we do ask that it be piano related. Only one recording may be submitted per forum member (although that recording may consist of a medley of two or more very short related pieces).

If you are fairly new to the piano, please do not be intimidated by some of the talent here in the ABF. We all consider ourselves to be beginners even though we may have been playing for some time. And, we LOVE to hear recordings from folks new to the keyboard. So even if you’re on your first Alfred’s method book, we would *really* enjoy hearing from you.

Recital submissions must be in MP3 format. The maximum size of the file is 20 MB. We recommend encoding the recording at 192 kbs with a constant bitrate, as that works best with the online streaming player. At that bitrate, a 20 MB file works out to be about 7-9 minutes in length. Your recording will be normalized when placed in the consolidated zip files, but your original link will still be available for those who want it.

If you are new to recording your music, there are several threads in the forum archives that address the ways and means. See the "Important Topics in the AB Forum" thread stickied at the top of the AB forum page. Audacity is an excellent free recording application that can be used.

If you’re new to the forum and the recitals, I encourage you to browse through a few of the past recitals to see what they’re like. An easy way to find past recitals is to use Sam S.’s extremely helpful recital index, located here:

http://recitals.pianoworld.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page


Submitting Your Recording:

We will be using again the absolutely marvelous automatic web-based recital program that mahlzeit wrote for us. You will upload your mp3 file to the recital server as part of the recital submission process.

When you have your mp3 file ready, go to:

https://recitals.pianoworld.com/

and follow the instructions there. Please note that this URL reflects our new permanent home for all the recital files. Once you have uploaded your info to the automated recital software, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You will have the opportunity to revise your submission any time up until the deadline. If you have any problems at all using the new website, or if you do not receive a confirmation e-mail within a few hours, just PM me. If you have not participated in past recitals using this software, I strongly encourage you to submit your recital piece at least a day in advance in case you run into any problems with it.

The recital website uses the following submission template to be filled out along with your attached music file. You may want to have your responses to these fields prepared in advance so all you have to do is cut and paste:

Performer's Name: {forum ID and real name if you’d like}
Where you are located: {optional}
Avatar image link: {optional}
Experience: {Yrs/Mos of piano playing experience}
Link to YouTube or other video: {optional}
Home page link: {optional}
Title of piece/composer:
Source of music: {sheet music, improvised score, play-by-ear, etc}
Instrument used: {Piano make, keyboard model, etc.}
Recording method: {audacity, Zoom, digital to PC, etc.}
Constructive technical feedback wanted: {Yes/No}
Additional Info: {Your thoughts on the piece, what you had for lunch, etc.}


The due date for all submissions is 9:00 pm US EASTERN TIME on May 14, 2014.

Did I mention that the 9:00 pm deadline was firm?

Think "consistency of concrete."

By submitting a piece to the recital, you are certifying that it is a recording of your own performance.

Again, the recital order will be presented in the order the pieces were received, so the sooner you send in your piece, the higher you will be on the list! You can revise your entries on the template (e.g., thoughts about your piece, adding YouTube links, and the like) any time and not lose your place in the recital queue, but if you resubmit your recording at any time, for any reason, you will be bumped to the end of the list.

Should anyone have any questions at all on what to do or how to do it, this is the place to ask. Remember, there are NO stupid questions, as we have a steady flow of new members in AB Forum for whom this is their first recital, so your questions will probably help to eliminate other members’ problems. Please ask away!

Let's all go out and brave that Red Dot and share a lot of beautiful music!

Monica, does it matter that the rules for this recital seem to include some from the previous themed recital, namely:

I'm in at NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!

I'm number one! I'm number one!

*refreshes page*

...I'm number two! I'm number two!

Dagnabbit. I forgot to change that back from the Tchaikovsky recital!

It should be fixed now. Sorry about that.

I'm number three! I'm number three! Unless I decide I get a better recording a few days later and change my submission.... Although being in the top 5 is definitely a first for me, which is its own motivation for just keeping this recording.

No worries, I just listened to dynamobt's recording and I think the audio file must be badly corrupted. It probably needs to be updated

Wow, y'all were fast! I just got back from dinner and I'm already at number 5.

I'm in again!

But the title looks quite crappy :-(

Monica, it seems the webpage throwing up over the "ä". Will it turn up ok in the final page? Or do I need to use a special code for it?

I am in at 9. Here in Switzerland we have to get up quite early to compete with US evening time zones! I am happy to be in the top ten. This will be my 10th recital! There is already some wonderful music submitted! I cannot wait to hear it.

Maybe just edit by substituting ä with ae.

Sorry for the questions. I'm new to the QR. What happens next? How do I read / listen to the entries that's there?

Well, today Mrs Hunky and I entered our 'transition period'. This is a time when a lot of things happen for us. For one, I leave 100* + daytime temps and enter below freezing night time temps due to being at nearly 8000 ft elevation.

I leave my okay sounding digital piano and get absolutely blown off the bench with the ridiculous power of the Mason & Hamlin BB. Seriously, the difference is just crazy. Lets just say I'm glad the roof shingles on the house are screwed and not nailed! WOW!

This is also the time of year my internet connection gets to the point of near unbearability! My current satellite [and only available internet connection] is so pathetically slow, it rivals the speed of my reverse osmosis water filter! Actually, I think the water filter is faster. Not kidding!

I just played the mighty Mason for the first time in nearly six months and while the experience was almost spiritual, I came to the conclusion that I need a few more days of 'acoustic re-acquaintance' ....along with a tuning! [I got a twangy key somehow].

So, it may be a bit longer before I'm able to submit; but I'm working on it.

My piece will be a 'double cover' which means it will be my cover version of 'The Coors' cover version of R.E.M's tune "Everybody Hurts" Hunky style. That should be easy to remember

You can't listen until after the recital goes "live" on the 15th. Then Monica will start two new threads, one for listening, one for commenting.

Sam

I'm in at 11.

I'm in. I promised something different -it's a piece for clarinet and piano - I'm the one playing the piano!

Sam

Thanks Sam! I will wait eagerly.

Yes, the software has conniptions when you use fancy characters. It won't turn out okay on the final page... I usually have to go in and laboriously edit out miles of weird html (or whatever all that is) from the copy and paste file on recital night. So it would be much easier for me if you (and anybody else who has fancy characters) edits them out of your submission on the front end. Just changing the description won't make you lose your place in the queue.

Thanks!

Not so!! I just listened to the full recording. It's long. But all there. I just think you wanted to be #1!!! LOL!!

I can't completely tell where the encoding is being inconsistently handled on the server, but you may be able to enter the title with the a-and-umlaut replaced (encoded) as "ä"

Von fremden Ländern und Menschen

which would then appear as:
Von fremden Ländern und Menschen