Piano World Home Page Forums Fun Stuff! - Parties, Tours, Projects & More... Just For The Fun of It Non-piano Goals 2006

Post your non-piano Resolutions / Goals for 2006:

I will kick us off:
1) Get fitter
2) Take a cold shower each day (what a feeling!)
3) Dont spend so much money
4) Listen to a greater variety of music.
(That is something I'm fairly good at already. Today I bought two albums - Hammerfall [epic metal] and the soundtrack for Narnia [orchestral]. Myself and the shopkeeper had a wee laugh about that)
5) Eat breakfast each day (something I'm not good at!)

Over to you.....

I was thinking of starting a topic like this..thanx for starting it......uhhhhhhh lemme think, i'll havta get back on this.

Euan,

Good hearing from you. Hubby and I took a trip to Scotland in 1999. Edinburgh was very nice. It was all part of a tour.

Anyhow, my goals for 2006 are:

To try to not be so nervous playing the piano in front of my teacher.

Continue to exercise

ILM

ILM,

Glad you liked Edinburgh! I like the city, but as with all places, there are some parts you really dont want to go to (the movie 'trainspotting' springs to mind!)

I stay in the region just north of edinburgh called Fife. I suppose that part is most famous for having St. Andrews in it.

Judging by your username, you must be pretty excited with all the Mozart Events taking place in 2006, with the 250th Anniversary!

All the best.

Euan,
We were on a tour that included England and Wales. While in Edinburgh, we stayed at the Sheridan, so our touring was mainly around that area...seeing the castle.

Well, I was quickly trying to think of a user name, so I came up with the Ilikemozart, however, I also really like Beethoven and Schubert.

On another subject, maybe you can help me out -- I am looking for a Vienna Boys Christmas CD. Do you have any recommendations of a good one? It has to have Silent Night on it - in German of course.

Thank you, ILM

Hi again,

Well i hope you got a good tour of the country. Believe it or not, although I only live 26 miles from Edinburgh, I have never been around the castle! Is it good??!!

Had a quick look around for some Vienna Boys Choir stuff. Their homepage has a couple of CD's, but the track 'Silent Night' is listed in English.

However, on Amazon.co.uk they have an album entitled 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht', so the track will be on there.

An even better option for you, on Amazon.com, they have a 3 disc box set of Christmans music for something like $13.99. Track 18 on CD1 is the track you are looking for - 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht'. Ships in 1-2 days. Will post the link here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tracks/B00001U04L/103-0520432-5815012?%5Fencoding=UTF8#disc_1


Have you ever ordered from Amazon before? If not, I along with many other can highly recommend them. Very efficient, and the sheer variety of stuff available is incredible!

Hope this helps, and if it does, hope you enjoy the music!!

{i am not affiliated with amazon in any way, i just love their site!}

Euan, Happy New Year! It must be 2006 over there.

You would think the tour would have taken us to St. Andrews! Instead, the tour started in Edinburgh, then it was a lot of the bus touring to Wales, with us seeing a lot of sheep. Yes, go check out the castle.

Thank you for the tip on the CD. I did see that one on Amazon, and yes, I have ordered things from Amazon.

What are you studying?

ILM

Well, at the time of posting it is only 9.50pm, so we still have a couple of hours to go!

Although I would love to crack open some whisky and have a few drams, I have to drive early tomorrow, so I cant

I am surprised that your tour didn't go to St.Andrews, especially since it is one of the most famous landmarks in that area besides Edinburgh. Ah well, just have to come over again to check it out...!

Sorry I couldnt provide much additional help with the CD. I just did a basic search, and that one seemed to be a good deal, so I stopped the search then. I'm sure it will be good.

I would start by saying that I am not studying under a teacher / method books at the moment - I'm just sort of playing what I feel like. Right now:

Chopin - Nocturne in C#min
Amelie soundtrack - La Valse D'Amelie
Comptine un autre valse
Piano Soundtrack - THe Heart Asks PLeasure First

Starting next year, I will do another Nyman piece from 'The Piano' movie, and dip my toe into some more classical stuff. Maybe:

Mozart - Turkish March
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
...and possible look into some Scottish stuff

All in all, plenty to be practising on!!!

How about you?

Hello again,
Nice talking to someone from Scotland. I will remember how in the restaurants, we were not rushed through a meal. In fact, we had to chase down the waiter to get our bill. If you want, go to Tauck Tours and you will find our tour for the UK, though this was six years ago.

That is okay about the CD. I will probably order it.

My piano pieces (well, I guess we are off your new thread of non-piano goals 2006) is continuing with Clementi and Chopin.

I did some of Moonlight Sonata (the second movement I believe is easier than the first movement).

I thought you were a student and was wondering what you were studying other than piano music.

Happy New Year! ILM

Ha ha - people coming to the thread to give their 'Non-piano goals of 2006' will have a surprise when they see our wee chat going on! Not exactly related to the topic at hand, but who cares really!

Yeah, restaurants are fairly casual about the time issue - especially the more rural you go.

Had a look at the site - i think you have seen more of the country than me now! As for the USA - I've only ever been to Detroit and upstate Michigan (Mackinaw Island?).

I have heard of Clementi - some people recommend some of his easier stuff as good starting points for classical piano. I had a look a while back, but I cant remember what I was checking out.

What Chopin are you playing? He's probably my fav. composer - bought a good few CD's of his music over the past year.

As for the 'student' thing. I graduated from University of Aberdeen in July (Geography). However, i'm sort of working a small job until I find something to call a 'career'. I just left my status as student because i didnt know what else i was!

(and its 2006 now! [for me])

Okay, my main non-piano goal is to get promoted to full professor this summer. If that doesn't work, I may opt for Plan B, which is Resign From the University in Disgust and devote my life to playing the piano, er, stay-at-home mother status.

Euan, were you joking about taking a cold shower every day? Yikes! If our hot water heater goes out, I don't bathe. It's as simple as that.

Weight loss and more exercise would've been on my list, except I know from bitter and ample experience it would be a futile gesture.

Euan,

I will have to look at that Tauck website and see if anything has changed. Yes, a lot of sheep were seen on that tour.

Chopin Op 64 No 2 is what I am working on. Have you played that one?

It is 18:50 right now. Still a ways to go before 2006.

Are you still awake over there?

ILM

in priority:

1. be more disciplined, especially in my musical pursuits

2. continue to learn double bass, and practice it a lot (but i'll try not to practice it over piano!)

3. join the string orchestra next August

4. get better grades next semester and NOT freak out about sophomore promotionals and exams, like i was last semester....

5. practice piano a lot more, so i won't get a B- again....

6. develop a better time management strategy.

7. maybe lose 10 or 15 pounds, but if i don't i don't really care...depends on my time management skills....

What's your area of academic study at University?

And yes, I'm being serious about the showers. I've read that they are good for you - something about helping the circulation. (and they are a good 'wake up' in the morning!)

And to ILM:
I'm afraid I've only been fully playing the piano for 2 1/2months, so I havent had a chance to look at op.64 (2). In fact, I even had to look up what it was - havent explored Chopin's Valses yet

Just returned from a Scottish Chamber Orchestra performance. It was a Viennese New Year gig, so lots of Strauss. WIth a bit of Brahms thrown in. No piano, but it was really good!

Hope you all had a great new year too!!

ILM:
Oh dear - I feel so embaressed! It didn't click that 'Valse' and Waltz are one and the same! Apologies, I am an idiot!

Just (in shame) listening to the piece in question - sounds pretty tricky, ILM. How are you getting on with it?

My only excuse is that it is 1.25am, and.... nope. I'm a fool!

Survive yet another year in my job
Groom my dogs
Keep my house cleaner
Actually keep the garden weeded

Happy New Year Euan,

I haven't been playing the Chopin for a week now because I sprained a finger. Not a good thing to do when one is trying to be a decent pianist.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra must have been wonderful especially playing Strauss. When we took a trip to Vienna a couple years ago, I fell in love with Strauss music.

ILM

ilikemozart:

Sorry to hear about the sprained finger how long will it take to heal? Are you still practising with the other hand, or are you taking some time off altogether?

The Concert was great. Not only the music, but the general atmosphere. Its not your typical 'high brow' sort of gig, its just a bit of fun, and everyone knows that. The conductor was quite playful, holding the first note of 'Blue Danube' for a painful length of time, as well as 'conducting' the audience to clap during some of the other pieces. Great stuff, and the way music should be - putting a smile on everyones face!

(at one point, he was getting us all clapping in time with the music, then cut short the piece [intentionally]. Of course, most people gave a clap or two more, not expecting the finish. The conductor quickyl turns round and points into the audience with the baton, as if it point our the people that made the 'error'. Brilliant!}

Euan,

The concert sounds like so much fun. I wish we had stuff like that over here in the USA.

Let me guess, were you clapping to "Radetzky March"? That is so much fun.

Looking forward to another trip to Europe to get some fun and CULTURE.

To answer your question, I am still playing the piano, but maybe 5 minutes a day and it has just been scales. I've had this sprain for a month now. Healing takes longer when one is older.

It's raining here, probably the same out where you are as I remember (we were there the end of Sept.)

Good luck with your plans... Plan B might be fun at first, but do you think you can survive mentally by staying home.

Oh, don't worry about losing weight. Once you start practicing 6 hours a day you won't be eating much, and piano practice does a lot for burning off calories.

Happy New Year!

John