Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Share your positive Piano experience

RoyR,
That's great. I think that's just as significant as all the other stories.

These stories are so wonderful and heartfelt.
I love reading them.

Haven't seen that one on the bookshelves yet but wouldn't be surprised. . .

Well I was thinking it would be great to make a book out of these or stories like these. We could add some different topics. Like piano lesson nightmares, scariest performaces, embarassing and funny moments-all the things that make us human. If it were to be published the proceeds could go to support music programs for kids or something.
These stories are so touching and honest. I think people appreciate that sort of thing. Just like on this forum, I think people make the same kind of connection with books.

You folks are great. This is what it's all about.

Years ago, a party at the home of a professional musician (church, jazz piano, etc.), everyone who played was taking turns. I play some Bach and the host, who had been 'wandering' as hosts will, immediately turned up and profusely complimented my 'Bach touch'...and stayed until I'd played every bit of Bach I knew...some twice!! I've always been grateful for such a generous compliment.

Keep the "good" stories coming!!

Great idea Kymber - I nominate you and Kawai, HI to co-authur/edit this potential bestseller (although I prefer the title "Beef Noodle Soup for the Piano Lover's Soul" - just a matter of personal taste, so to speak).

Regards, JF

P.S. nice stories everyone - thanks for sharing!

JF,
LOL that's great!

Okay! I'm real good at good english, come on Kymber we can does it!

I think its worth looking into. I wonder how people would feel about sharing their stories with the outside world.
We would have to get enough stories and permission to fill a whole book

Kymber & Kawai,
I can't speak for any of the others posting here, but your more than welcome to use anything I've posted for the cause. I'm pretty sure that since this is a public forum anything written in it is public domain anyway.

I would like to also thank all those who had nice things to say about my posting and all of the others that have contributed - it does make for some interesting reading.
Woody

Oh my...some of these stories have been so, SO utterly inspiring.
Here is one of my happier piano stories:

This summer has been quite difficult for my family. Many of our immediate relations, close, CLOSE people to us, passed away. The worst of these was the death of my grandmother's son, my uncle. Personally, I really wanted to help my grandmother through this time. But I'm sixteen. I couldn't think of anything outstanding, nor did I have enough "weight" or "experience" to say anything profoundly wise or consoling.
However, one night I sat down to play piano, and I chose to play Fur Elise (the beginning part...I had just started the song). Somehow, I ended up playing it incredibly well. And when I finished, my grandmother came and hugged me and she was so happy and proud.

That's probably my happiest piano moment! I'd love for something like that to happen more often!

If these stories ever make it into the “Beef Noodles …”, surely there will be at least three categories:

Yeah, it finally clicked!!

Survived that nightmarish scenario!!

Tear Jerkers. Those are so very touching, it must have took courage to share.

(brb, I need to hug my family now)

Beautiful and touching stories everyone.

Two memorable moments for me are the day my digital piano arrives, and the first time I was able to play a simple song with both hands together, "Jingle Bells". This is when my never ending question of whether I can learn how to play this beautiful instrument or not ends.

Once upon a time I was sat in a room, a beautifully lit room looking at a masterful painting of a young girl, drinking in the skill of the painter.

I looked around and saw a piano sat island like near the centre of the room. I caught the eye of another sat there. Our eyes met and we nodded in the same knowing wistful way. We smiled somewhat sadly.

Our thoughts though never expressed were the same,
"Should have done it while we had the chance"

For as I looked around others came into view, we with a common purpose looking for a moment of tranquillity in the Macmillian Centre attached to the Oncology Unit.

That place, that piano, especially that painting is always with me ......

BUT as I can't paint for a toffee I'm not going to risk one day enjoy that painting again without being able to play that bloody piano.

Well, you ask us to share our positive piano experience - glad you ask (thought you never would :p )

Last Christmas I had the great pleasure of being given an opportunity to contribute some additional music for our church's Christmas services - both the regular Christmas service and the special Christmas Eve Candlelight service.

I did this by creating the arrangements for and recording background soundtrack music for the performance of four Christmas Carols and songs that were to be sung by four different duets (3 male/female and 1 female/female).

What I did was arrange the pieces (in 3 of the 4 adding additional lyrics and/or complete verses), record them on my digital piano, transfer them to my computer and then burn them to CD. These CDs were then played thru the church's sound system as the various duets sang the lyrics during the services.

I played almost all of the parts in the backup soundtracks. My DP has numerous built-in instrumental "voices" and many built-in "accompaniment styles" or rhythm tracks. For each piece I used only the drum & bass parts of these "styles". All other instuments heard on the CD soundtracks - guitars, strings, brass, lead instruments such as flute, oboe, fluglehorn, etc. were played by me on the DP keyboard. For those unfamiliar, most DPs have multi-track recording capabilities (mine has 16 tracks) so that in effect you can become an entire orchestra, by recording each part overtop of all preceding parts.

The arranging/composing/recording took alot of time, turned out fairly well, the singers seemed to be happy with them and the congregation appeared to really enjoy the music (owing mostly, of course, to the singing prowess of the duet members, which is considerable).

Overall this was a very positive experience with alot of personal satisfaction obtained on my part, and I believe much pleasure by a number of others.

Just to give you an idea of what these backup CD soundtracks sounded like here is perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful of all the more modern Chritmas songs I chose to work up an arrangement/recording of, with a flute serving as a substitute for the female voice, a clarinet serving as the male voice, and the piano part played via an "modern electric piano" voice:

Mary, Did You Know?

And here is a really gorgeous concert version of this great new Christmas classic (with the lyrics superimposed):

Kathy Mattea sings "Mary, Did You Know?"

Hope you enjoyed

Regards, JF

P.S. in case you were wondering, my DP is the Yamaha Clavinova CVP-301 and the other 3 songs were: "Mary's Boy Child", "In The Bleak Midwinter" and an excellent new song called "Nothing But a Child".

Well I've had one that I posted on other threads so I'll spare the board the repeat, but I did have one this past tuesday and it doesn't seem like much at all but it really is to me.

My piano teacher is as mentioned many times before a brilliant retired pianist and although she no longer performs she is quite active with the teachers music federation, recitals and teaches 5 students free of charge simply because she loves it.

This past Tuesday she said as a matter of fact during class "You know I didn't know this but the music federation recitals and or competitions (not sure what words she was using since I playing and listening to her at the same time) is for adults as well. I didn't know this. clears her throat.

I pretended not to hear and she mentioned it again and looked at me with doe like eyes and a little crap eating grin.

I simply said "Oh neato hmmm I love to play in front of people but I think I'll give it one more year"

Coming from her I was in 7th heaven. I felt so honored that she would think that I'm good enough for something like this.

OG - how could you refuse someone looking at you with "doe like eyes and a little crap eating grin"?

That was an honor indeed that she thought you were good enough - and we're still waiting to hear for ourselves just how good - when did you say you'll be submitting a piece to a Recital or Monthly Piano Bar?

Regards, JF

JF,

I just don't do well when the red dot is on but I did leave it on all during my practice yesterday on purpose to try and get used to it and managed to get one that wasn't too bad if you can ignore the huge pause in one section. LOL

I'm in the middle of new material chopin waltz in A minor and we're starting that Brahms one and there's no way I'll ever get it done for recital time.

I'll post the junk I did yesterday but let me think about it a little more. It was pretty bad since I was so concious of the recorder being on.

Ok I'm uploading it and I'll post it in October piano bar.

"I just don't do well when the red dot is on"

I hear that!