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You have exactly the same issues I have had to deal with! Comparing your progress with others always guarantees dissatisfaction. There will always be those more 'gifted', with more time, or coming from a different musical background than you who will progress faster. IT DOESN'T MATTER. Rest assured, You are completely 'normal' and will make lots of mistakes, struggle and wish your progress was faster but if you are truly committed to wanting to play, you will, given time become an accomplished pianist. Try to enjoy the journey.

The other problem you have is also common. As soon as you try to record you want everything absolutely perfect and the slightest mistake, (think wrong note, lifting the pedal early, striking a key too hard etc) will mean you must start again. I too suffer from this perfectionism but am working to live with a few flubs. You are never going to play a more complex piece 100% to your satisfaction. My teacher taught me that during a recording or live performance to keep going and never admit to yourself (or your audience) you've made a mistake. Try not to make a face, say sorry or swear. Do your best to stay relaxed and carry on like everything was OK and probably no-one else will notice. With this attitude I'm starting to get much better at 'live' performances.
Sorry for the wordiness. Hope that helps. Good Luck!

Wow amazing recital everyone. So happy to be a part of it.

Thanks to everyone for listening to my submission and to peterws, PianogrlNW, zrtf90, barbaram, piano primo 1, Sam S, SwissMS, BillM, MaryJ, Riddler, ajames, Underconstruction, TX-Bluebonnet, never2old for your specific comments. You are all so encouraging and generous.

peterws, glad you liked the sound--you asked what kind of piano--it’s piano software actually--Galaxy Vintage D.

Richard, thanks for your comments and yes my hands are a bit better but things are still up and down that way which gets frustrating. It is possible that I am in the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis however I’ll try to keep playing as much as I can no matter what.

Thanks so much for the kind words and great advice!

At last - but not least - my final group of comments:

01. wouter79 - Etudes Tableaux Op.33 no.3 - Grave A great opening piece, beautifully played on a wonderful piano.

02. UnderConstruction - Impromptu Op 90 no 3 Just amazing, particularly given the few months’ experience that you have had since returning to the piano. (Are you SURE you didn’t mean 24 years experience with 11 months’ absence? )

03. earlofmar - Largo in Eb Major Your piano, and your rendition, both sound wonderful. (You clearly had a lot less trouble than I did, transitioning from digital to acoustic piano!)

04. MarieJ - Passaggio Me. BrianDX and never2old have described exactly my problems - comparing (unfavourably) my progress with others, and trying without success to get a ‘perfect’ recording. But I’m not going to give up!

05. PikaPianist - Prelude in B major, Op.11 No.11 That was a gorgeous gem indeed. Congratulations!

06. johan d - Menuet in G minor, BWV Anh.115 Nice work - controlled and delicate!

07. CarlosCC - La nascita delle cose segrete Carlos, of course I loved it! Just out of curiosity I went back to your 2010 rendition and this time around you REALLY nailed it - Einaudi would be applauding. As I am.

08. AZ_Astro - Just a Day Away I haven’t come across this composer before, but if your lovely performance is anything to go by, I’m going to have to check him out. Terrific!

09. Pavel.K - Prelude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 - Lento assai Quite a melancholy piece, played with great sensitivity. I really enjoyed it!


What a marvellous Recital - I’m thrilled to have been part of it (and I’m looking forward to many more). To everyone who made it such a success, both as participants and as behind-the-scenes enablers - THANK YOU.

I'd be curious to learn more about the pedaling issue and how others address it; a quick search show there's no one answer. The Henle edition has no pedal marks for this waltz; Henle typically shows pedal markings only where there is good evidence that the composer had written them in. For some pieces, Chopin seems to write them on almost every measure, even when they would be common sense; for others, he writes them in at the beginning of a section and again where there is a unique situation. In the absence of markings, I've been told that means to use "common sense." It's clear you don't want to hold the pedal into the next measure. The challenge is to figure out exactly when on/around/into the third beat to lift, and how long you can sustain the sound with finger legato so there is not so much blank space between measures. That's what my ears seem to be listening for, and my two cents, anyway. This was/is a challenge for me with the waltzes I've learned so far. Your teacher is definitely the #1 authority at this point, but maybe tinker with ways to sustain the sound a bit longer and see what you like best.

35. jotur-Cathy Turner - The Entertainer

You play fast enough. I think it was a very good performance. And it is not an easy piece to play. It is nice and enjoyable to listen to.

36. Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White - The Young Prince and The Young Princess

You manage to express some of the “Russian” character of this piece. I never heard it before, but I think it is very beautiful music. Thanks for sharing!

37. stumbler/Dave - Mr. John Begg's Favourite

Your choice of using broken chords against the melody was very effective.It was a short piece, but a nice listening experience.

38. Piano_Primo_1 - Menuet 116 and Aria 115

Using the harpsichord sound for this music was a good choice. It was nice listening to your performance.

Both my Schirmer and Paderewski editions of the Chopin waltzes indicate lifting the pedal after playing the 3rd beat chord in the LH, then depressing it right before playing the 1st beat of the next measure. These pedal markings are consistent for the 8 waltzes that were published during Chopin's life so it should be safe to assume that he wanted the same pedaling for the waltzes published posthumously.

John, I listened again to your your A minor waltz and I'm hearing inconsistent pedaling. Sometimes you lift it after the 3rd LH beat, and other times too early or too late. It's a little hard to tell without actually seeing your feet, but I think that is what is happening.

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I remember that recital- it was preceded by one those long threads on editing (aren't we about due for another one of those) - so I remember thinking no one could possibly accuse me of editing . I had several bobbles and I think I even repeated a measure toward the end...

Thanks, PianogrlNW for taking the time to listen to my piece again and giving your feedback. You are absolutely right. My pedaling is inconsistent and something I must work on. I'm having a break from lessons at present but when I resume I'll ask my teacher to help me with it.

31. Alexander Borro - Canzone Popolare (Ludovico Einaudi): I’ve never worked this one up, for the very reasons you note: The simplicity and dynamics make it a challenging piece to play with the musicality Einaudi brings to it. But your arrangement is beautiful; I really like your improv at the end.

32. Michiyo-Fir (Jade) - Nocturne in Eb Major Op. 9 No. 2: A lovely piece, with lovely playing. I enjoyed watching your video; your hands were so relaxed when playing all those trills and ornamentations.

33. BillM - Blackbird: I always love your videos. I really enjoyed the complexity of your arrangement, especially the prolonged intro and the instrumental bridge.

34. Ganddalf - Barcarolle no.1 - Op 26: Just reading your description of the piece was enough to make me pale... big leaps are my Achilles’ heel, and trying to keep a melody that goes between hands smooth sounds tremendously challenging. This was a gorgeous piece, so it sounds to me that you mastered those challenges.

35. jotur-Cathy Turner - The Entertainer: I remember the first time you played this piece, and I think you’ve made a lot of progress... this version sounds considerably more smooth and polished. I think your years of playing gigs has benefited your playing greatly.

36. Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White - The Young Prince and The Young Princess: Scheherazade is in my top five favorite classical pieces of all time, and I had no idea that a piano transcription of it existed. Your playing almost inspired me to move out of my comfort zone and attempt it myself, until I heard those wicked fast arpeggios around 1:15 and realized I had no hope of ever playing it as beautifully as you did!

37. stumbler/Dave - Mr. John Begg's Favourite: This is such a pretty, wistful melody. I think your arrangement works well... the melody stands out clearly.

38. Piano_Primo_1 - Menuet 116 and Aria 115: I really liked the harpsichord effect on the first piece. I wasn’t familiar with the aria, but it did sound rather ominous and foreboding. Nicely played!

39. Newbert - Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry: A beautiful job on a nice standard. You sound ready for the cocktail bar circuit!

40. ElaineAllegro - Mazurka Opus 24 No 2 in C major: Loved how delicately you played all those ornamentations! Impressive performance.

It's been another great recital. It is very nice to be a part of this. Thank you, Monica and Sam and all the others who selflessly devote their energy to hosting this wonderful event. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

53. scorpio - Winter Twilight That sounded nice, I enjoyed it.

54. ajames - At the Ballet I enjoyed watching and listening. On my most recent exploration of the local used book store, I found Accent on Solos, Book 2 or Level 2, with Gillock's music. I haven't tried any of the pieces yet, but will soon. I enjoyed yours and look forward to giving his music a try.

55. briangmoore - Allemande, French Suite #2 That sounds like a difficult piece. Keep plugging away and you'll have it before you know it.

57. Inlanding - Glen - Cold Wind Again, and as is always the case, your ease at the piano shines through. Nice performance.

32 Michiyo-Fir (Jade)

Wonderful, has always been one of my favourites by Chopin. I actually rarely watch the videos, just habit I suppose, but started doing so a bit more this recital. Normally I find it a bit of a distraction, I prefer to close my eyes and listen to sound and let it wash over me and take it all in, other senses distract from that.

I enjoyed your hands gliding around the keys, yeah, as you say, there is some clipping issues and all considering it is recorded just from a camera the music still comes across well, good music always shines I say

47 Valencia

I've never heard these pieces before by Grieg, but the title seems very appropriate when I hear them. I can't give technical feedback at my level, but I can hear the music shine in it. I thought it sounded very nice indeed, good feeling and expression, full of wonderful tonal colours and nice timbral variations, very much enjoyed listening, very
relaxing, lovely.

41. Snapsh00t3r - Comptine d'un Autre Ete: I wouldn’t call this an “easy” piece at all. What with playing the left hand with the relaxation it requires, voicing the melody in the third section, and playing with the proper delicacy and rubato... I found it very challenging. But after listening to your stellar performance–which sounded completely relaxed and natural, not mechanical at all–I can see it was easy for you. I also liked the little variations you spun into it.

42. never2old John Harrison - Waltz in a minor (posth): A lovely little waltz! I thought you did a great job of giving it a dainty air and playing all those ornamentations confidently.

43. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Slippin' Around and Sneakin' Round: I’ve always liked Martha Mier’s slower new age-ish pieces, but this is the first time I’ve heard any of her jazzier arrangements. I really enjoyed your playing of these. You do a great job of conveying the mischievous feel!

44. SwissMS/Doris - Sonata in G Major Opus 79, 2nd Movement: Very nice performance! The adjectives that came to mind as I watched your video were refined, elegant, and polished. Your Bechstein sounded terrific, by the way.

45. Smurfette - Prelude in C: This piece doesn’t allow any time to breathe, so it’s no wonder you forgot! You did a great job of playing those endless arpeggios in a constant, even tempo.

46. outo - Prelude op 28-7: Glad you didn’t miss the recital! And I think you were too hard on yourself in your description of this piece. It sounded relaxed and pleasant to me, like a nice tall glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon.

47. Valencia - Poetic Tone Pictures Op. 3 Nos 1 and 4: You didn’t mention how many years you’ve been playing, but I’m guessing it’s a lot, given the terrific performance you give here of what sounds like some *very* difficult pieces!

48. Andy Platt - Prelude in E Minor (Opus 11, No 4): I often find Scriabin a little too dark and twisty for my taste, but this piece is simply lovely. You do a wonderful job of playing it with emotion.

49. Richard (zrtf90) - Notturno, Op. 54 No. 4: This is gorgeous piece, but it was your trills at the 1:06-1:30 mark that simply took my breath away. Bravo!

50. Kenan - Nocturne no. 20 in C-sharp minor: C-sharp minor just might be my favorite musical key. This is a wonderful performance of a very difficult piece!

Many thanks to those listening to my piece,herewith, my replies

Peterws Thank you

Medden Thanks for that comment, I agree, depending on the flavour of piano the una corda pedal is a useful tool, I like it, perhaps under utilised when playing Einaudi in some cases I feel, but then, I also think it depends on the instrument, how it sounds. Some pianos when played already get quite dark and soft naturally in pp - ppp without una corda, then it is less needed to use una corda IMHO.

In many ways I think of it like this, when I do my interpretation I don't think of the una corda pedal as a strict indication in music alone when it should be used, but in turn it also depends on the touch and feel in sound given out by any given digital or acoustic, then how you want to use that to whatever preference one may have, my 2 cents anyway I guess.

MarieJ, that's spooky that we ended up with almost the same piece twice and thanks for listening and glad you enjoyed.

Michiyo-Fir, thanks so much, glad a person of you talents was able to enjoy it and appreciated listening.

BillM, Once again, thanks on the touch element, you have a great voice btw.

aJames, Peyton. Many thanks, glad many of liked the different ending and the slight extension compared to the original. I still had to put my own mark on it, Einaudi or not,
I couldn't resist.

SwissMS, Piano Primo 1, UnderConstruction, never2old, Ganddalf, Thank you.

Jotur, thanks and good spot you recognised that, the slight bell quality I achieved with this free plugin in fact, it is rather excellent and versatile.

http://www.pluginboutique.com/product/17-Reverb/426-Ambience

but very customisable, so I played around with it a bit to get what I wanted, I made the reverb such that in the release phase it is quite short, relatively speaking, but quite strong in the portion of the earlier note attack and shortly after. Apparantly it reflects very much the acoustics of a certain cathedral I read about, the names
eludes me, but a little research and experimenting went into getting the sound to come out that way.

TX-Buebonnet. No you didn't miss anything based on what you said, You heard it all. The real piece is short, the last note is played around 49 second in the original, mine is is another 15 seconds longer or so with the extension, granted, not much of an extension I agree, but glad you liked

Monica K A person with your talents ? you must attempt this right away Glad you enjoyed it, but yes, I agree, as you say, not many notes and all in the music, as is always the case with Einaudi I think. For this piece it is all in the start around ppp to pp to set the tone IMHO.

Barbaram You are too generous and kind.

SamS, Glad you called it a miniature gem, well, we can all agree on one thing for sure, it is miniature.

Many thanks. Hope I did not omit anyone.

I'm late for the party - I'm sorry -, and I want to thank all your comments on my piece. Thank you
So, it's my turn now. Let's go:

43. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Slippin' Around and Sneakin' Round
Cheryl, not one but TWO pieces???? Wow, I'm amazed with this jazzy pieces you decided to play. And, above all, it's so funny to know that you are learning new pieces *without* the help of your teacher. More, it's clear to me that you did a huge progress on your "Sneakin' Round" - yes, I was listing again your ABF29 version -.
I've been following your path with your submissions for ABF recitals, and I like very very much this new "tendency". I think you should offer us more of this genre, So much fun! Good, good job!

Here's my last batch! I haven't been able to comment on everybody's recordings in the last couple of recitals, so I'm glad I had the time for this one. As usual, the level of quality was impressively high, and the enthusiasm and joy for music even higher. Great job, everybody!


51. MaryBee - Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, 1st Mvt.: “Frenetic” is a good adjective for this, but it’s frenetic in a melodic way. You do a good job of keeping all that energy under control.

52. TX-Bluebonnet (Linda) - Malaguena: This sure sounded like a lot of fun to play, especially when you start the warbling notes around 0:28. I enjoyed this!

53. scorpio - Winter Twilight: So happy I could introduce you to David Nevue’s beautiful music. I loved your video; the images were a perfect complement to your graceful and calm playing.

54. ajames - At the Ballet: I wasn’t familiar with either the composer or this piece, but I enjoyed this piece; you gave it a pleasant cheerful view. And I was impressed with the camera angle on your video. I’ve never been able to get a “straight down from high above” shot with my setup.

55. briangmoore - Allemande, French Suite #2: Again, my hat’s off to you folks who tackle Bach. And this piece seemed more challenging than the average Bach invention. Good job!

56. Moonsh1ne - Preludes Op 28 No 20 and No 4: I admired your control over the dynamics in the first prelude. The two preludes together make a nice set.

57. Inlanding - Glen - Cold Wind: A well-named improv, as there is a sense of dark foreboding and hard times to come (especially with all those deep bass notes), but also a hint of playful energy. I enjoyed this a lot.

58. Carlos88 - Jimbo's Lullaby: I’ve had pieces I’ve put away for a year (or longer!), so I can empathize. I think it was worth the wait, though, as you did a wonderful job controlling the dynamics and energy required by the piece.

59. Lady_Augustina - Stargazing: I like McLaughlin’s music quite a bit. This one has a pretty melody that you convey well.

60. raubucho - The Highlander: You aren’t the first, and won’t be the last, person to tear their hair out over recording/technical issues with the recital. The important thing, though, is the music. I couldn’t detect any of your frustrations in your playing itself, which did a great job of conveying the feel of bagpipes. I wish it had been longer.

48. Andy Platt - Prelude in E Minor (Opus 11, No 4)
This is so beautiful... I get transposed to another place with this one, Andy. You managed to play it with the right softness and delicacy. Very good

10. Peyton - Gnossienne #3
After your submission for recital #39 I was looking forward to listen this one, Peyton. I think Satie *IS* mysterious; he creates a mix of harmonies and repetitions that demands a high skill from the player to take effect. And you did it with distinction. Congratulations.

35. jotur-Cathy Turner - The Entertainer
Ragtime: the better way to start my day This is really cool Cathy, and you did a wonderful job dealing with those syncopated rhythms - at it should be! -. A long and hard piece but the best "Entretainer" I ever heard around here. Good job!

51. MaryBee - Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, 1st Mvt.
Energetic, yes. To be used on a Cartoon? For sure Not sure about the "darkness"... it's more like a kind of "imposition", like giving orders. Anyway, this images are only possible to watch just because you did a tremendous work here, MaryBee. Tempo it's just right. Very, very good.