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Sennheiser HD560 attached to my apple retina macbook pro

And it's also my humble opinion. I just wondered if you tried different possibilities here as in some places the LH has some nice stuff that was hard to hear due to some middle voices at same loudness. I realize this would be very hard to pull the outer voices up while softening the inner voices.

I didn't mean slurs from the beginning but from the whole piece, maybe that's because of my terrible English...


It's an opinion you asked for. Remember that I liked your performance and you did it well. Here is more critique:

Introduction:
I prefer this version with slurs, but it's your choice. At the end of introduction (bar 5) you took of the slur in right hand with accent and started left hand with accent.

First phrase (bar 9-21):
I don't like your right hand at the beginning of this part. You play doubtfully, your legato doesn't sing (later it's better). Legato in this piece should be very "sticky" from the beginning. You can show more directions at the slurs endings (for example when it's F G Ab, that it's ascending or D F E that it's descending).

Second phrase (bar 22-29):
There should be a connection between the first and the second phrase in your thinking (compare bars 20-21 with 28-29, play them once or twice right after each other to hear a connection). From this phrase you started to accent the first beat in bar, but you shouldn't. There will be more flow when you don't play this accent. In bar 27 you played accent at the end of slur in right hand, but you shouldn't.

Third phrase (bar 30-coda):
You can show more colors of keys: Des major should be played in different color, I think it should be warm. You can show more the sevenths in bars 34,35,36. Don't accent the first beat in bar even if it's crescendo. Before climax in my edition there is a stretto and I think you can do it more. Don't play diminuendo right away after climax, take your time after it. Before coda also take your time - it's mainly change in thinking.

Coda:
More colors, stickier legato.

It's a good performance but you can always find spots to improve.



If someone played a classical piece and wants detailed feedback send me PM.

My last 10, great recital!

51. Copper - Album for the Young 1. Melody This is such a simple melody but I know from experience it's not as easy as it sounds, good job bringing across the sweetness, the beauty of it. You never say much about your performance, I'm wondering if you were reading it because there were some small gaps I wasn't sure if I was hearing deliberate pauses or not? Effective anyway.

52. dynamobt/Marilyn - La fille aux cheveux de lin Beautiful, beautiful. I think you captured this Debussy very well, delicate where needed but forthright in other spots. And you and Jim brought different things to the piece so no comparisons needed. Lovely!

53. ElaineAllegro - Mozart Sonata K332 2nd movement-adagio Very nice performance, great shaping of the phrases and the overall piece. I would work on trying to get the left hand a little quieter in points and perhaps making the right a little more legato in others before your live recital? But it's in excellent shape right now. Oh, and nice tempo!

54. ajames - Special Moments This is a beautiful piece, not one I've heard before. You do a nice job shaping the arpeggios and phrasing the melody. There were some spots you need to watch the pedal - some bleeding of harmonies and, possibly (depending on what's written) raise it earlier on the endings of phrases? But overall I really liked it!

55. Mar_red - Adagio in G minor This is a beautiful version of this adagio, I think you did a good job with the lead sheet. And there's no "authentic" transcription anyway! I think, just like I wrote for Mar_red's piece, you are a little too heavy with the pedal. But you really brought the melody out and shaped it beautifully. Oh, that ending was a surprise - I'll be honest, it doesn't really fit!

56. TrapperJohn - Waltz in B Minor, Op.18a No.6 This is a nice piece, always reminds me of Chopin waltz's - I'm sure Chopin knew of it! You do a nice job with getting the melody but the left hand is a little too obtrusive in parts. Where they flow, it's very nice!

57. jamie_vt - Elite Syncopations Wonderful rag, very well controlled at quite a fast tempo (I prefer my rags a tad slower). You phrase this really nicely and there is a good change of mood between the sections. Excellent!

58. TX-Bluebonnet (Linda) - Prelude in F Major Repeat after me, "There's no such thing as an easy piece!" It was fine as it is, try to shape the left hand a bit more (though I'm not sure how much control your piano gives you on that.) Obviously the middle section slows a bit, so take the first section slower to match. It's a great start though!

59. MaryBee - Arabesque I It seems such an age since I tackled this piece. It was perhaps a little too advanced for me at the time, I think you bring more experience to it (particularly with Debussy) and it pays dividends. It's a really beautifully shaped performance, great dynamics. I love the tempo (I prefer this piece on the slower side!), you have the Debussy pedal nicely done and each section is different as it should be. Wonderful!

60. Giancarlo Robles - Evolution (from Big O anime) Amazing for a seven month player! You really shaped the phrases nicely, you made the whole thing sound great. If you had said seven years I would have believed you! Awesome end to the recital!

How about a Polonaise?

59. MaryBee - Arabesque I
piece: Debussy, Arabesque I
technical:
clipping: no
balance L/R: ok
noise: good amount of white noise
bass: fair
depth of field: ok
piano sound: the piece could use a piano with better bass

musical:
overall impression, like: really very nice! And I didn’t even hear one wrong note, quite a feat for a 6 minute piece! I’m going to give some detailed feedback but these all are really small things.
Phrasing: overall good. Some places could use longer phrases. Some places sound a bit blocky, like you take the phrases too short. In some places the tempo is just a little too slow, leaving you too little room for rubato or ritenutos or missing a bit of excitement.
rubato, speed changes: good, I think it could be exaggerated even a bit more.
Dynamics: good. But I’d like to hear a bit more dynamics here and there.
articulation: Mostly pedal, fitting the piece. Pedaling was good overall. In the section 2:30-2:45 I’d like to have a little less pedaling. The ‘risoluto’ section could use a bit more contrast I think, maybe a little more articulation.

11. Greener / Jeff Green - Medleytango
You've really got the feeling down for this, Jeff. The first 30 seconds are difficult for me to get hold of. I feel a bit like Ahmet Ertegun listening to 'In the Air Tonight'. It would really help to set a strict beat until the main rhythm comes in and leave the rubato and the Latin lilt until then. In a trio there's going to be a guy on brushes doing that for you but in solo mode you have to add the beat yourself. Very nice construction, though and an enjoyable listen. Well done.

28. earlofmar - Gnossienne No.1
I sincerely hope you change your mind about keeping this piece in your repertoire. You really do play it well. You have a fine control over the lines, got all the dynamic markings, breathed yourself into its sentiment - another fine example of thoughtful realisation - and created an atmospheric performance. For two years, this is really, really good. Actually, for four years, this would be really, really good.

08. JimF - La fille aux cheveux de lin
Your pace is still in the investigative stage but there's a surety of touch you've not exhibited before, Jim, and a deliberateness in the control of the dynamics. It's clear your know how you want it to sound and you're becoming more familiar with the keyboard. This is a landmark piece for you, too, and one you can keep for as long as you play piano.

14. jotur/Cathy Turner - The Shadow of Your Smile
You've a solid handle on the piece, Cathy, and you know its anatomy. I don't know how much is to do with the recording and/or the piano but the bass comes across overly strong compared to your other recordings and as you're mostly in the song business I'd like to hear the melody as the main feature but there's no doubt this is going to go down well with your audiences.

17. Anne H - Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
This is a lovely piece and you've got it to where it's starting to flow. Once your hands can anticipate the rolled chords a bit sooner you'll be flying with it - and on your new Ritmueller, too! Health to enjoy!

11. Greener - What a great medley! This tango reminded me a bit of the El Tango de Roxanne from the movie Moulin Rouge. One things is for sure, you ain’t green when it comes to playing the piano!! Great job!

12. Mr Hunky - To listen to you play the piano is always such a treat! Fantastic playing as always! Your playing is on a pro level and to hear the (rough) cut in/out at the end of the recording is actually refreshing as it shows the raw talent you have.

13. Monica - Absolutely lovely! You really add a dramatic effect and almost like soft sweet touch to this piece. Very well played indeed I know you play this piece because you love the music as I can easily tell that you are ready for way more difficult pieces. You look so relaxed while playing!! Great job and thank you for pulling together this recital!!

14. Jotur - Great playing! This piece is new to me but I really like it. Your Casio sounds great!!

15. PikaPianist - This has to be one of my favorites so far in what is already a great recital! I love the music and your playing is absolutely fantastic!! The way you master the dynamics here is amazing. This is how we all want to be able to play one day. By the way, your piano sounds like a $100K acoustic piano… Is this one of the built-in sound or a software piano? Great job on the video too! It always nice to be able to see the hands of the person who plays as I think it adds another dimension to the music.

16. Riddler - Loved it! The opening is very dramatic and you pulled it off very well! This piece is sounds very difficult but you play it as if you had played it a million times before! Great job!!

17. Anne - What a cute little pice! I have never heard it before and I liked it right away. I think you managed the large chords just great! Great job!

18. 8 Octaves - Fantastic is all I can say… Your playing is flawless and I really like how well you have managed to record your Yamaha piano! To play without pedal like this piece calls for is always harder but you deliver in every measure of this difficult piece! Bravo!

19. Alux - This piece really stands out in a great way! How did you add those strings in there? Did you get them by combining two sounds or did you add them afterwards in a separate track? At first I thought this piece was from the 1970’s TV series (Michael Strogoff) but although it is from the same era and has the same name it is a different song. Your playing is great! I really liked it! What a great start you are off to in the recitals!! Looking forward to hear more from you in the future!! Great job!

20. Barbara - I really like Einaudi’s music and I am so glad that so many of you play his pieces here in the recitals. Your playing here is very good as this piece sounds quite difficult. You really managed to capture the feeling in the music which always is the hardest part! Great job!

wouter79 - KV570, allegretto (III)

I used this score: http://imslp.org/imglnks/usimg/f/f6/IMSLP70215-PMLP01857-KV_570.pdf - I will refer to certain pages from this score.

Generally:
Your main problem is an articulation. The portato notes should be different from the staccato (for example in bar 2). In scales there is also a problem (for example in bars 13-14), sixteen notes aren't equal in length and volume.
When the slur is on the weak part of a bar you sometimes play an accent on it, but in Mozart you can't just start the slur with accent, especially if it's on the weak part of a bar (example bar 3). You sometimes take of slurs with accents (example bar 5).
You have problem with playing different articulations in your right and left hand (example row 2 at page 304, right hand should be played legato and left staccato).

You have also problem with ornaments, but it's because of not proper articulation. I think that the problem here is a tension. It's better not to play ornaments in this way.

Double notes - you should play the upper note louder than bottom (example last bar at page 302). And sometimes they doesn't sound together (example last row last page).

You don't listen to your left hand - it's good that you want to show the melody, but the part of left hand is also important. You can show more directions and harmony (from the beginning), connections between chords also.

You are changing tempo in spots where are more notes, for example (first bar in penultimate row from last page). You can add more dynamics also, because from the recording it's hard to tell if you play piano of forte (example: first bar is in piano, the last bar on 302 page is in forte).

And the last thing: contrasts. The contrasts are very important in Mozart. In this movement there are contrasts in everything: articulation, dynamic, key (Bb major and Bb minor), texture (main theme, and theme at the beginning page 304). You can show them more.


I would recommend: playing slowly without tension but with counting aloud (not metronome) and practicing sixteens in staccato. You should also pay more attention to articulation marks, maybe it's better in your final version.
Playing Mozart is very hard, because of all this articulation details...

It's very good that you memorized this piece, the repetition notes are good and I think you understand what you play. The mood is very good. It's a pity that you couldn't post your final version. I hope you'll understand educational purpose of my comment and tommorow you will not be angry at me.

Thanks again for the listeners/commenters.

As for the bass

There's probably 3 reasons for it being noticeable -

1 - I'm partial to bass
2 - indeed, my keyboard, when it's played thru any kind of sound system, is bass boomy. We always had to deal with that with equalizers when I played in the band for dances.
3 - I'm trying to not be a wimp when I play Coincidence? I think not.

So I'll try to be aware of it as I play. But with just the onboard speakers it's not bass boomy, and when I record with headphones the output is pretty one-sided because of parts of the connection being warn out after years of use, so I can't always tell.

Thanks for the feedback. It's great to other perspectives.

Cathy

Hi all,
My first batch of comments. Please note that I know beans about piano playing and can only say how much I liked a piece and the playing. I didn't realize how truly little I know until I read some of the very knowledgeable comments :-(

01 Amaruk: Very very pretty piece, the video is on my playlist now. And what nice work on the video work too. Very cool.
02 SwissMS: Nicely played Doris. And thank you for your comment on my piece. I had to play it tensely many times to get that relaxed feeling :-)
03 Wouter79: Nice piece. I read some of the comments on your piece and it made me realize I know very little about proper piano playing. All I can say is it sounded fine to me.
04 Peyton: Very pretty piece, and you played it soothingly.
05 Jazztpt: What a nice piece, well played and composed and I loved the accompanying scenic video of England. Watched your other vids on YT and enjoyed them all.
06 RedKat: Nice piece.
07 Zrf90: I don’t know classical but I always like Mussorgsky, very nice.
08 JimF: Very pleasant piece.
09 Inlanding: A different version of Einaudi than I’m used to. Nice.
10 newbert: Great song. Liked it and your playing a lot.
11 Greener: Nice piece, really liked the way you fit Libertango into it (my favorite tango after watching the hot Anderson and Roe performance).
12. Mr Super Hunky: Still don’t get how you can play these tricky pieces by ear with such rhythm and expression (or is playing them by ear the secret?). Very nicely done, very much enjoyed listening to it.
13 Monica K: A different sort of Einaudi piece. Very emotional and expressive, your usual great job.
14 Jotur: Very nice song and liked your playing a lot. Right now I’m stuck on easy piano pieces but someday I hope to play the type of piano pieces in the Digest series (I think I have them all). They’re still too much of a reach for me.
15 PikaPianist: Lovely song and you brought out the emotional content so well with your dynamics and tempi. Nicely done.
16 Riddler: Really cool rendition of a great piece. Liked it a lot. And thanks for your comment on my easy piano piece (one of my favorite songs); maybe someday I’ll play the Warsaw (yeah right :-)
17 Anne H: I think I’ve liked everything from Ravel including this one. Lovely piece and played well. Re your comment on my piece: Yes, playing vocal songs on piano is tough. They just aren’t pianistic. Although I love the old standards, in the future I think I will only do piano pieces when I’m playing solo piano. I will do the vocal pieces with a simple piano accompaniment to my vocal. I don’t sing that well, but hey, I'm the only one listening :-)
18 8 Octaves: Haven’t heard this composer before (I mostly only know “pop” classical) but it was interesting and your C3X sounded very good and well played.
19 Alux: How nice to hear a very pretty piece around my level. I liked the way the layered strings filled out the piece.
20 barbaram: Love this piece. I hear nothing to criticise in your playing (we are so critical of our own work :-)

19. Alux - Nadia's Theme Welcome to your first e-cital - that is fantastic! Like you, every time I hear this piece, I always think a soap opera. I like your electric keyboard voice choice with the strings - they add a bit of drama and depth to the theme. I notice the tempo speeding up a bit, then slowing according to the mood. Look forward to hearing more from you!

20. barbaram - Barbara - Nefeli You are clearly listening to the music as you play, which adds a great deal of empathy to the result. The drone of the left hand is all too common with many of these new age pieces, but you control the dynamics well on the electric keyboard and give it life.

21. outo - Keyboard Sonata d minor K9 I, too, like Scarlatti. Those parallel runs are quite difficult to put into practice and do a great job. I very much enjoyed listening to you play.

22. Daren - Pavane This is a very calming composition played the way it is intended. You did a great job of bringing out the song with your dynamics. Very pretty selection, played very well.

23. Ganddalf - Intermezzo no.2 Thank you for introducing Inge Skauvik - this is a first time hearing this composer. You play so very beautifully.

24. Ohio_Mark - Adagio in A Major I’ve not heard of Alexander Morovsky before now. You have good control over the tempo and dynamics with this very pretty melody. Good job!

25. peterws - Jamrock Lots of musical layers coming from one guy, Peter. You are very creative in your approach to music and I always enjoy what you submit.

26. chopinoholic (Paul de Koning) - Trois Novelles Etudes no. 1 and no. 2 I love Chopin’s music and rarely do I listen to Trois Novelles. Your playing is superb. I just leaned back in the chair, clasped my hands behind my head and enjoyed the music. Thank you.

27. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Pastorale / Adagio con espressione Sarabande Cheryl, your playing improves with every e-cital. Also, you pick music that is a bit more difficult and intricate each time. I was really looking forward to hearing these and I am thrilled.

28. earlofmar - Gnossienne No.1 I played this same piece in the August 2013 e-cital and I am glad you brought it out again. Your interpretation is excellent and I enjoy where you decided to bring out the dynamics where you were moved to do so. I very much enjoyed your take on this.

29. Alexander Borro - A sort of ... Mission Great to hear your improvisation on that Mission theme. It’s fantastic. Playing all those different instruments growing up has contributed greatly to how well you interpret, then play, your take on music you hear.

30. AZ_Astro - Andantino or Ivan Sings I don’t often hear Khatchaturian. You picked a beautiful piece of music and you play it so very beautifully and sensitively.

31. pianonewbie1 - "Pilgrims' Chorus" Congratulations on such a wonderful milestone in your playing, that you recognize the changes and progressions in the music as you play. The dynamics are dramatic and fantastic. This is a pretty piece of music and you bring that out.

32. WimPiano - C.P.E. Bach - Marche (BWV Anh. 122) Good hand independence as indicated by the voices you express with this music. That fact you have been playing for just over a year makes this even more of an accomplishment.

33. Sand Tiger - Between Raindrops Thanks for sharing your original composition. I hear the struggle of someone trying to make their way through the rain. You bring out the struggle portion very well. Thank you for sharing your music.

34. joangolfing - Funeral March Mozart requires exacting execution of his notations for the music to sound the way it does. Your delivering such music as a tribute to her, then playing it in a piano festival is further testament to your admiration and respect for her. I very much enjoyed this music.

35. CarlosCC - Sky Carlos, this is so good you are sharing your own compositional ideas as entire musical pieces. I can imagine the sky, clouds form, then move on - wind blows in one direction, then another. I like how you naturally felt the need to modulate from one chord to tell your musical story. I am very impressed.

21. outo - Keyboard Sonata d minor K9 That was a fun piece. I hope one day my fingers will be that nimble.

22. Daren - Pavane Very pleasing piece to listen to. Loved it.

23. Ganddalf - Intermezzo no.2 Glad you had a backup piece. I found it delightful!

24. Ohio_Mark - Adagio in A Major I agree, it's a very likeable piece, and I think you did a really nice job with it.

25. peterws - Jamrock Fun times. Had me jamming along with it, and I'm not exactly a jammer.

26. chopinoholic (Paul de Koning) - Trois Novelles Etudes no. 1 and no. 2 Wow, this makes me want to look into etudes for beginners.

27. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Pastorale / Adagio con espressione Sarabande Enjoyed the contrasting moods, especially the lighter one.

28. earlofmar - Gnossienne No.1 I thought it sounded great, really enjoyed hearing it.

29. Alexander Borro - A sort of ... Mission That was awesome... mission accomplished!

30. AZ_Astro - Andantino or Ivan Sings I can see why you'd play this daily, it's beautful.

31. pianonewbie1 - "Pilgrims' Chorus" Congrats on your musical milestone. Enjoyed it very much.

32. WimPiano - C.P.E. Bach - Marche (BWV Anh. 122) That was wonderful, and playing just over a year, wow.

33. Sand Tiger - Between Raindrops That had an interesting sound to it, a pleasure to listen to.

34. joangolfing - Funeral March Seems weird to say I enjoyed listening to a funeral march, but I did.

35. CarlosCC - Sky Delightful! Thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

36. Andy Platt - Liebestraume No. 3 Sounds pretty darn impressive to me.

37. torquenale (Alessandra) - Le Petit Negre Great fun to listen to.

38. (Was)TrueBeginner - Footsteps on Autumn Leaves That was wonderful, really nice!

39. BrianDX - Lunar Eclipse Very impressive, I really like the way it flows. Would love to hear the full duet version.

40. Joybug - Nearer My God To Thee Sounds wonderful, with nice, calm pacing.

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate any advise for improvement. I understand what you're saying about the tempo. I was trying to get the slower middle section to match the parts I'd gotten faster at, instead of the other way around. As for your other suggestion, I hope you won't mind explaining what it means to shape my hand?

Check!


And thanks Verqueue. Your critique is useful!

TX-Bluebonnet(Linda) and Inlanding, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind words.

Thanks! My fingers are still far from nimble, but a year ago this would have been impossible. I suddenly noticed a change in my finger dexterity after about 2.5 years of playing. So just stick to it and it will come. For some people it comes soon, but for others it may take longer it seems.

40. Joybug - Nearer My God To Thee - nice, listenable first effort here with good pacing & soulful feel.

Really nice hearing a classic hymn for a change here!


BTW - if you're looking for other really good sources for beginning/intermediate level arrangements of hymns check out these 2 from Alfred's (both of which I've used and recommend):


Sacred Piano Books

Trap

10. newbert - Baby Grand - Newbert, I don't know the original version, but I think this piece can be a good push if you want to shift to blues style. Good rhythm, good control; well done!

perterws, Peyton, and Andy, thank you for your comments.
(Peyton, coming from the composer of the Message From Space series this means a lot.)

11. Greener / Jeff Green - Medleytango - Jeff, I remember when we talked about our plans for this recital. This medley show us that you can pick up any pieces you want and do an interesting and good mix, even if they aren't at the same style. I can't forget your relaxed style when you are playing - everything seems easy - and I'm "seeing" you playing this, which means that you are doing it at the right way: enjoying. Congratulations my friend!