Recital #17 --- February 15, 2010

PLEASE DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD! USE THE DISCUSSION THREAD!

I am delighted to introduce our 17th quarterly Adult Beginners' Forum Recital! So, pull up a chair and have a listen.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask the audience to please refrain from commentary in this recital room.

A separate room has been provided for the purposes of intermezzo discussion. Please take any and all comments to the General Discussion Room.

Thank you!

A template has been created for those who wish to provide individualized feedback:

Recital 17 Response Template

In addition to the zip files linked below, mahlzeit has added a feature to his program that creates an online streaming player. Just click on the link to hear all the recital pieces without having to download the zip files:

Recital 17 Online Streaming Player

For the convenience of forum members, mahlzeit's program has normalized the files for consistent volume and standardized the ID3 tags in a collection of zip files. This makes it easier to create personal CDs and playlists.

These zip files have been posted at the following URLs:

Recital 17 zip 1
Recital 17 zip 2
Recital 17 zip 3
Recital 17 zip 4
Recital 17 zip 5
Recital 17 zip 6
Recital 17 zip 7
Recital 17 zip 8


Let me express my greatest thanks to five very special people: mr_super-hunky for coming up with the idea of our online recitals, which have proven to be more successful than any of us ever dreamed; Bob Muir for working out the technical details of pulling together the recital and doing so tirelessly for the first six, count 'em, six, recitals; LaValse for hosting the zip files and recital software on his server; Copper for trouble-shooting help and the Order of the Red Dot; and last but not least, mahlzeit for writing the absolutely fantastic web-based recital program that we are using. THANK YOU MAHLZEIT!!!

AGAIN: DO NOT REPLY OR POST ON THIS THREAD!!

01
Performer's name:	LisztAddict
From:	Florida
Experience:	8.5 years since returning to piano
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-6cW0eGiM
Title of piece:	Nocturne Op 9 No 1
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	05:16
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Pramberger/Young Chang JP-208
Recording method:	Zoom H4
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This 2010 is the year people around the world celebrate Chopin 200th birth year. I think this is very nice that Chopin is going first on this first 2010 ABF recital.

02
Performer's name:	AnthonyB
From:	Center City, MN
Avatar:
Experience:	Just over 2 years already!
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Nefeli
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	04:06
Source of music:	Ludovico Einaudi - The Best Of
Instrument used:	Pianoteq 3.5 (MIDI generated by Roland FP7)
Recording method:	MIDI rendered to wav with Pianoteq
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I started this piece soon after the last recital. Things were off to a pretty quick start but then stalled out between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Picked up again in January because I didn't have much of a choice! This is easily the "busiest" piece that I've attempted up to this point. I get a great deal of satisfaction watching my hands fly around the various parts on the video and that makes me feel great. The one thing I've noticed about this piece on places like youtube is that it seems that perfectly clean takes seem somehow rare and alas my take isn't perfect but it's fine. I never really had a proper lunch today and instead opted for a few small snacks instead.

03
Performer's name:	Ken.
From:	USA
Experience:	2 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Minuet fait par Monsieur Bohm
Composer:	Bach
Duration:	01:23
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Milton spinet
Recording method:	Zoom H4
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	One of my goals for these online recitals was to submit all the tunes that I got up to speed for my previous live recitals. With this recital I will have done that, so from next recital I hope to be able to start submitting pieces I've been working on for this years mid-year recital.

04
Performer's name:	z32/Ben
From:	Santa Clarita, California
Avatar:
Experience:	3 years, on and off
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Dream
Composer:	Yiruma
Duration:	03:43
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Yamaha YPG625
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Just the latest Yiruma piece I've learned. Really love all his pieces!

05
Performer's name:	BenPiano
From:	USA
Avatar:
Experience:	8 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBZQzlhL8w
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/user/afpaSTU1096
Title of piece:	Adagio in B minor KV 540
Composer:	Mozart
Duration:	06:11
Source of music:	sheet music from: ---> http://dme.mozarteum.at/DME/main/?
Instrument used:	Roland Fantom G8
Recording method:	Digital
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I don’t think I would have ever discovered this piece on my own, but luckily was introduced to it by another. I had it playing on repeat in the background while doing some computer stuff, and subsequently fell in love with it and became determined to learn it. My current ability is nowhere near that required to play this piece proficiently (as the listener will no doubt find out ), so my wish is certainly not to desecrate this amazing piece. But like the individual that introduced me to this piece, I too hope to introduce it to a few that might find it as incredible as I did. Though, I would highly recommend listening to a proper recording of this to get the “whole story”, if you know what I mean. To me, this piece is absolutely brilliant. It tells such a fascinating story with only the piano. I’m sure every listener’s story will be much different than mine, but the story in my head while I listen follows this plot : This piece begins very sad and filled with tension. The tension relaxes, and by 2:15 the mood changes to a more positive feeling, but this is short lived as the theme repeats in different keys giving me the impression that everything has descended into utter chaos. At 3:39 the mood is lifted again, but it only feels better when compared to the hopelessness of the preceding section. It’s the beginning section repeated, so the sadness and tension are still present - and very familiar. Later, I hear determination to solve the very complex problem causing the sadness and tension, and I hear agony while wrangling with the solution. The last section of this piece (5:23) I can’t explain because the meaning I find in it is always changing. Is it execution of the plan to solve the problem, or is it inner reflection doubting success? The mood changes dramatically at 5:49 (from minor to major, I think?). Was the problem solved successfully or was there some sort of epiphany and acceptance that there will always be this sadness and tension? I don’t know yet, and that’s one of the things that keep drawing me back to this piece. Thanks for listening! (p.s. the video should be up by recital time)

06
Performer's name:	dannylux / Mel
From:	Connecticut
Experience:	4 years after returning. Lots as a kid.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Intermezzo Op.29 No.4
Composer:	Eugen d'Albert
Duration:	02:44
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Yamaha P140
Recording method:	Piano line-out to computer line-in. Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Here is a lively little piece by Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932), a student of Liszt. It's the Intermezzo from his 5 Bagatelles Op.29. The first theme (A) is played in light staccato and has a Beethoven feel to it. The second theme (B) is a lovely, lyrical melody. The first theme is repeated, followed by a repeat of the second theme, but this time in D flat, on a grander scale and with some challanging arpeggios in the left hand. The first theme is repeated again, and the piece closes with fragments of the first theme. So the structure of the piece is ABABA. Hope you enjoy it.

07
Performer's name:	ten left thumbs
From:	Scotland
Experience:	12 years?
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Slow Blues in G
Composer:	Tim Richards
Duration:	02:32
Source of music:	sheet, CD, own composition
Instrument used:	Knight
Recording method:	Zoom H2
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is the result of my 'Blue January.' The head is taken from Tim Richard's book (Improvising Blues Piano), and I learned the first solo by copying Richard's playing on the CD, using magic softward called Transcribe. I then composed a second solo, which I play here right after the first. This has also been an experiment for me in learning and memorizing music - without looking at the sheet! So there are a few stumbles here where I just forget what I'm doing. But overall I hope it's enjoyable, and any comments/critique (good, bad or otherwise) will be very welcome!

08
Performer's name:	Peyton
From:	Maine
Experience:	35 years with a few years of lessons
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Biffer5#p/u/1/b6BdW7Vq9vo
Home page link:	http://www.peytonart.com
Title of piece:	Thoughts of Anne
Composer:	Peyton
Duration:	04:13
Instrument used:	Pramberger-YC 6'10" grand
Recording method:	mac
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is based on a melody I wrote many years ago. I've played around with it ever since. It actually had a final, more complicated variation. When I initially recorded it I had a chance to listen and realized how badly I played I so ended up with this "less complicated" version.

09
Performer's name:	Manndrew
From:	Metrowest Boston
Experience:	Since just before JFK became president.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Danny Boy
Composer:	Frederick Weatherly
Duration:	05:28
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Roland Fp-7
Recording method:	Zoom H4 normalized and exported through Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Dave Frank played Jarrett’s version of Danny Boy at the end of his videocast and I was immediately drawn to it. The chord structure seemed so unusual, but fit the piece so well. As I’ve said before some of Jarrett’s ballad covers are “reasonably” accessible. Danny Boy has a manageable pace to it. The difficulty is in the big chords and extended passages with the chord changes and keeping the melody distinct in the right hand. Also I found it hard to maintain the dynamics I was looking for consistently. As with all Jarrett’s music it remains a work in progress.

10
Performer's name:	joangolfing
From:	Iowa
Experience:	8 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude No. 4 in F Major
Composer:	Robert D. Vandall
Duration:	01:38
Source of music:	Vandall Classics Preludes:24 Original Piano Solos
Instrument used:	Roland FP-4
Recording method:	Akoustik Piano using Bechstein 280 Grand virtual piano, normalized with Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

11
Performer's name:	John Frank
From:	Central PA
Avatar:
Experience:	4 yrs. +
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Ashokan Farewell
Composer:	Jay Ungar
Duration:	03:28
Source of music:	Individual sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Co. and available from (among others) sheetmusicplus.com.
Instrument used:	Yamaha CVP-301 Digital Piano
Recording method:	Digital to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Many will recognize "Ashokan Farewell" as the main theme of the excellent PBS documentary series "The Civil War" by Ken Burns. However, this gorgeous work was not composed by Jay Ungar for that purpose. Instead it was written some 6 years earlier as a parting, or farewell, waltz for those attending the Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camps that Jay and his wife Molly Mason run in upstate New York. The original recorded piece, as used with such inspired brilliance by Burns, has Ungar on "fiddle" and Mason on guitar (and can be seen/heard on YouTube with scenes from the documentary). If any piece of music can be appropriately described as "hauntingly beautiful" it is this inspired and stirring conception of Ungar's. And as a tribute to Jay I open this version with a solo violin statement of the theme of the first section of the work (using the violin "voice" on my DP), which then transitions into my performance of this very fine piano arrangement. The piece consists of two 16-measure sections each with it's own distinctive (and yet interrelated) theme. This piano arrangement by the prolific and creative Dan Coates first takes us through the two sections in a lovely but uncomplicated style, and then repeats them in a slightly more complex arrangement. I didn't change the music at all, but some of the dynamics and tempo changes are mine. It was a real pleasure to work on this wonderful piece of music and it's an absolute joy to play. I hope you enjoy this version. It is played here from memory. JF

12
Performer's name:	TrueBeginner
From:	VA, US
Avatar:
Experience:	2 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Until Dawn
Composer:	Original
Duration:	03:45
Source of music:	Original Composition
Instrument used:	Casio Privia
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	With this piece I did differently than before. I got the left hand chords first from a song I liked a lot and built a new melody around it. I also added a change from minor to major to make it sound a little optimistic at the end. I hope you guys like it.

13
Performer's name:	Riddler (Ed)
From:	Florida
Avatar:
Experience:	Two or three years of lessons as a kid; two and a half years of jazz lessons as an adult; and a lifetime of noodling and playing by ear.
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://home.roadrunner.com/~riddlereader/
Title of piece:	On Green Dolphin Street
Composer:	Bronislau Kaper and Ned Washington
Duration:	05:55
Source of music:	Lead sheet
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-120
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This song was originally written for a movie. It was later recorded by Miles Davis, and has since become a jazz standard. I am playing the piano, but the drums and bass are provided by a backing track.

14
Performer's name:	Strings & Wood/CarlMc
From:	Colorado
Avatar:
Experience:	21 Months as a re-beginner. Two years of lessons some time ago.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude in E minor OP. 28 No. 4
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	02:10
Source of music:	Sheet
Instrument used:	Schimmel 213K NWS
Recording method:	Zoom2 and Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Every left hand chord change is incremental. One or two notes may only change a semitone. This constant shift from black keys to white keys to black keys makes it difficult to maintain an even sound. It is beautiful when you do, and not so much, when you don't. Originally, I played this pretty much as written, but along the way the left hand play has become more rubato. The ending for me, is one of heartbeat. It slows, a brief pause, a couple of weary beats more and then ends. It is difficult to remove your hand from that last E octave. Comments appreciated. Carrots & apples

15
Performer's name:	ladypayne
From:	Michigan, USA
Experience:	maybe 10 years or so off and on. Probably more than that. I've only had lessons for a few years when I was younger.. A lot younger lol.. So I've been playing by myself for the most part since then.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://s821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/LadyPayne/Recital%20piece/?action=view¤t=CanoninDMajor_0001.flv
Home page link:	http://s821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/LadyPayne/Piano%20music/
Title of piece:	Canon in D
Composer:	Johann Pachelbel
Duration:	05:59
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Grinnell Bros piano. Year unknown.
Recording method:	digital camera
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Well, I've worked on this alot and still messed up a few times and I had to work on my tempo some because I played parts of it to fast but I hope it turned out okay just the same!

16
Performer's name:	Schubertian
From:	Dallas
Experience:	7 as child; long hiatus; last 3 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Variations Hob. III/77
Composer:	Haydn
Duration:	07:31
Source of music:	Haydn Klavierstudke, Wiener Urtext
Instrument used:	Estonia grand
Recording method:	H2/Garageband
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This poor little melody has certainly, and undeservedly, been dragged through the mud of history. It started out life as a patriotic anthem to Franz der Kaiser (which one I have no idea). Haydn heard 'God save the Kinq/Queen' when he was in England and thought it was so stirring he decided to do the same for the Holy Roman Empire - what was left of it. Then he seems to have turned it into a hymn, which certainly works. Then it become the slow movement of the Op 62 C major string quartet. I guess that was so popular Haydn arranged it for piano. It's not too hard to dissociate this melody from Deutschland uber alles (Bismark's brainchild) from this melody, especially since the setting is so refined. I am sure its original audience - hearing the 4 part choral harmony setting at the beginning - would have anticipated a deeply felt, spiritual and introspective piece - which this is. I consider it the equal of the Mozart quintets or the late Beethoven string quartets. I did not really learn this piece so this is me just sight reading. It does not flow like it should but I don't have anything else ready right now that is not destined for another e-cital so here it is - warts and all.

17
Performer's name:	Mr Super Hunky
From:	Arizona
Experience:	Who cares?
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Waterfalls
Composer:	Mr Super Hunky
Duration:	03:29
Source of music:	Original composition played by ear.
Instrument used:	Mason & Hamlin Big Boy (BB)
Recording method:	Zoom H2 (the cheapest model of the Zooms actually sounds the best!)
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Here is an original composition based off of melodies I use to practice. Someday I hope to be able to perform all of the melodies in my head the way I actually hear them but my abilities can hinder that somewhat. No worries though as long as I'm still seeing progress, it's all good. My goal is to someday have people wanting to play *my* tunes. That would be cool.

18
Performer's name:	tdvance (Todd Vance)
From:	Bowie, MD
Experience:	1 year
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Sonatina, Op. 13, No. 1, 1st mvt.
Composer:	Dmitri Kabalevsky
Duration:	04:53
Source of music:	Piano Literature, Vol 4: for the Early Advanced Grades Ed: James Bastien General Words and Music Co.
Instrument used:	Yamaha Arius Digital Piano, DP-160
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	nice piece, wanted to do the whole piece originally but: 1. at the speed I can play it, would be 15 minutes, 2. I need work on 4 measures of the 3rd mvt that go much slower than I can play the rest of it (the right hand doing a melodic minor scale while the left hand simultaneously does minor arpeggio)

19
Performer's name:	timmyab
From:	Bristol, UK
Experience:	16 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Impromptu op 142 no 2
Composer:	Schubert
Duration:	05:35
Source of music:	Peters edition of the Schubert Impromptus edited by Niemann.
Instrument used:	Yamaha s30
Recording method:	Wav file exported from Pianoteq and converted to mp3 with Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	The Schubert Impromtus were what first attracted me to the piano, and as this one is the easiest of them, it's the first one that I learnt to play.I've been playing it on and off for about 15 years I suppose.I've left out some of the repeats because it repeats itself a lot anyway and it can get a bit boring.

20
Performer's name:	mattodono
From:	San Diego
Avatar:
Experience:	Several years as a child (but not very seriously). Started again in November 2009.
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://mattodono.com/piano/
Title of piece:	Musette in D Major BWV Anh. 126
Composer:	J.S. Bach
Duration:	01:08
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Casio PS-20 with Pianoteq 3.5.
Recording method:	Direct to Mac
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I'm been playing mostly on my Kawai US-6X (link) upright, but it's not yet tuned so I'm still recording using my Midi setup. It'll be tuned in 2 weeks! I'll record my piece for the next recital on my acoustic.

21
Performer's name:	mcasl
From:	Spain
Avatar:
Experience:	15 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/mcasl#p/a/u/1/2UHjxrIxqJA
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/mcasl
Title of piece:	Erster Verlust, from the 'Album for the young' by Schumann, Op. 68, 16
Composer:	Schumann
Duration:	01:26
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Roland HP-207 digital piano
Recording method:	DP to Mac line in.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

22
Performer's name:	Jazzwee
From:	Los Angeles, CA
Experience:	5 Years + 4 Months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Stella by Starlight
Composer:	Victor Young
Duration:	03:17
Source of music:	Improvised, Based on Lead Sheet of Stella by Starlight
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-155 Keyboard
Recording method:	Zoom H4 - Directly connected to Keyboard Line Output
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Since it is improvised, it's a little bit unplanned. I start slow then something told me to speed up. Well, I was inconsistent. And with the Red Dot, you know how difficult it is, especially when I have to go with the flow with this. I only gave it one recording try today, and it is what it is, warts and all Stuff like this is better played with some rhythm section. Enjoy. In case you're wondering why it doesn't sound like Stella by Starlight, it's because I don't play the melody till the very end.

23
Performer's name:	LaValse
From:	Mumbles, Wales, UK
Avatar:
Experience:	~9
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBUzOIfBh9s
Home page link:	http://www.google.com/profiles/sailwavedev
Title of piece:	Etude Op 2
Composer:	Scriabin
Duration:	03:13
Source of music:	Sheet music.
Instrument used:	Yamaha U1
Recording method:	Edirol R09 + Audacity to make mp3.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I've submitted this before, but hopefully I've progressed a bit...

24
Performer's name:	TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner)
From:	Texas (Midland-Odessa)
Avatar:
Experience:	Forever and a day off and on, but more off than on
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	When I Fall In Love
Composer:	Edward Heyman / Victor Young (1952)
Duration:	04:58
Source of music:	Sheet music plus a bit of my own "arranging"
Instrument used:	Kawai GE-30
Recording method:	Zoom H4 normalized and exported to mp3 with Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	No lunch yet, it's still early.

25
Performer's name:	ddh - Daniel
From:	Abitibi
Avatar:
Experience:	3 years and a bit.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	La fuente y la campana (The Fountain and the Bell)
Composer:	Federico Mompou
Duration:	03:59
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Pramberger JP208B, 6'10" grand.
Recording method:	Zoom H4n
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is my third offering from Federico Mompou, a spanish impressionist composer who died in 1987; he has become my favorite composer and I strive to one day be considered the Monica M. of Mompou ;-). First time recording with H4n; lots of fussing; generally satisfied. Hope You enjoy it. Cheeseburger and poutine. Cheers.

26
Performer's name:	Serge88
From:	Montreal
Avatar:
Experience:	8.5 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTms-ZJ7ak
Home page link:	http://www.zenphoto.ca
Title of piece:	What A Wonderful World
Composer:	Made popular by Louis Armstrong
Duration:	02:45
Source of music:	Sheet music, but I changed it a little bit to make it more interesting.
Instrument used:	Roland FP7
Recording method:	FP7 as a controller to Macbook, Garageband with NI Akoustik piano software.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Don't forget to watch my video. Comments are welcome positive or negative.

27
Performer's name:	AnotherSchmoe
From:	Arkansas, USA
Avatar:
Experience:	Roughly 4 years (never had a teacher though)
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BglLVWzJcEg
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/user/AnotherSchmoe
Title of piece:	Eyes On Me
Composer:	Nobuo Uematsu
Duration:	03:23
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-155
Recording method:	Digital Piano hooked up to PC via line-in, saved in Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	No
Additional info:	Just me playing Eyes On Me from the Final Fantasy VIII Piano Collections. I know there are at least a couple of Final Fantasy fans on here! This is not a perfect performance or recording (what is?) but it was the best that I could do for now. Hope you all enjoy, thanks for listening. In the immortal words of Mr. Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

28
Performer's name:	Teodor Tenchev
From:	Bulgaria
Experience:	3 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	The Little Shepherd's Song
Composer:	Alexander Raichev
Duration:	01:19
Source of music:	It's a little piece composed by a Bulgarian composer and music teacher - Alexander Raichev. It's in the method book I use.
Instrument used:	Petrof upright
Recording method:	Audacity + headset microphone
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I made mistakes but hopefully managed to cover them. Tried to use the dynamics as marked on the score but that only made it harder to concentrate on playing the right notes.

29
Performer's name:	HomeInMyShoes (Aaron)
From:	St. John's, NL, Canada
Avatar:
Experience:	12 + 4
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://homeinmyshoes.blogspot.com/
Title of piece:	op. 15, nos. 1, 4 & 8
Composer:	Robert Schumann
Duration:	03:05
Source of music:	Sheet, Alfred's Masterworks
Instrument used:	Roland Fantom X8
Recording method:	straight resampling, converted to mp3 with WavePad
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	If people don't already know it, I love op. 15. Probably my favourite set of pieces from any composer. If anyone is looking at no. 7 I really suggest diving into some of the other pieces. There's a wealth of beauty in this short compositions. One take, no stops. A bit of a kludge and out of form to not play the whole set. Maybe some day my repertoire will include the whole set, but for now I'm happy with the four or five that are in decent shape and the three others in okay shape and the rest in various states of giving me the heebie jeebies. Lunch: I had a boiled egg, sliced up on toast with Cheese Whiz. Mmmmm....

30
Performer's name:	Monster M&H /Les
From:	Michigan
Experience:	30+
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Misty
Duration:	03:40
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Steinway & Sons AII
Recording method:	Inspire/Cubase LE
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This was performed on my new S&S AII, which I recently just finished rebuilding. This was my first rebuild and it still needs further voicing.

31
Performer's name:	CMohr
From:	Oregon
Experience:	6 months back after decades off
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Gavotte I & Gavotte II ou la Musette from English Suite #3 in Gminor
Composer:	J.S. Bach
Duration:	03:05
Source of music:	Henle edition of Bach-English Suites
Instrument used:	1906 Wellington upright
Recording method:	Recorded with the Mikey, converted to MP3 in ITunes
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This piece is really fun to play (except when recording!). My challenge was to learn a piece with trills in both the right and left hands. They're a long way from perfect! The other challenge with Bach is that because the music is so thin any and all flubs stick out like sore thumbs. Homemade chicken chili for lunch.

32
Performer's name:	NancyM333
From:	Roswell, GA
Experience:	About 15 years--6 as a child, 9 as an adult.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Revolutionary Etude (Opus 10, No. 12)
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	04:04
Source of music:	Paderewski edition
Instrument used:	Estonia 168
Recording method:	Canon FS200 video camera, converted to mp3 with Wondershare Video Converter.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I started working on this in January 9f 2009 with the Revolutionary Etude Study Group on the ABF, and we had a great time encouraging each other with all the challenging fingerings and the tempo. This piece is about 20% above my ability, so I think my playing of it is labored and tense, but I am glad to have finished it. It's a gorgeous work, and though I am not too pleased with my final product, I truly enjoyed the time I spent with it.

33
Performer's name:	Ode2Joy1
From:	Pasadena, CA
Experience:	2 years returning adult (couple of years as a kid LONG ago)
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NalXyDIrmFI
Title of piece:	Chopin Mazurka in D Major, Op. 33 No.2
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	03:48
Source of music:	Alfred Masterwork Library Mazurkas WIllard Palmer (editor)
Instrument used:	Yamaha C3
Recording method:	Zoom H4 --> Audacity for conversion to MP3 Flip HD + Zoom audio in iMovie for YouTube link
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I will be playing this piece for my teacher's recital next month so please give me critical feedback. I definitely will need to get the tempo faster and a lighter LH touch. Blueberry banana oat muffin and yogurt w/almonds for breakfast.

34
Performer's name:	b528nf7 (Bill)
From:	Gaithersburg, Maryland
Experience:	6+ Years
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa9HqwcsKME
Title of piece:	Someone To Watch Over Me
Composer:	George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin
Duration:	02:31
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Roland KR17M digital grand piano
Recording method:	Flip HD Video Camera video. MP3 extracted by WinFF
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I've always loved this piece. I hope you enjoy this rendition of this classic song.

35
Performer's name:	PaulMac
From:	England
Experience:	Approx 1 year, self taught.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Minuet in G
Composer:	Bach
Duration:	01:19
Source of music:	This version of the score found in Fundamental Keys by Rachel Jimenez.
Instrument used:	Yamaha Clavinovo CVP-403
Recording method:	Keyboard to USB stick in wav format, converted to MP3 in iTunes.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	All honest critiques are very welcome, only way to learn.

36
Performer's name:	mahlzeit
From:	Breda, The Netherlands
Avatar:
Experience:	4.5 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://www.originalsolopiano.com
Title of piece:	Recital 17
Composer:	Me
Duration:	02:52
Source of music:	The aether
Instrument used:	Yamaha CP33 digital piano + Ivory softsynth
Recording method:	CP33 -> MIDI -> Reaper -> Ivory (Concert D Recital) -> MP3
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	As usual, I whipped something together at the last minute. Not a particularly good performance, but I like it nonetheless. Just for fun, I added strings in the background.

37
Performer's name:	Alleykatt - Cathy
From:	Wisconsin, USA
Experience:	Off and On since childhood
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Theme & Variations From The Moldau
Composer:	Bedrich Smetana
Duration:	04:00
Source of music:	Sheet Music arranged by Lori Line
Instrument used:	Aeolian Baby Grand
Recording method:	Zoom H2 to Triryche
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I chose this piece because I found it interesting that this Czech composer's music motivated his oppressed people to gain their independence.

38
Performer's name:	Norah
From:	BC
Experience:	Like many people on this forum, I played when I was young and then quit. I have now returned to the piano and have been playing more regularly for the past 3 years.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Le Onde
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	05:21
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Mason and Risch
Recording method:	Zoom Q3
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I love this forum. It has forced me to practice pieces and correct mistakes rather than simply to ramble through with no commitment. I am still not happy with my recording of Le Onde but consider myself lucky to finally get through it with only a few mistakes!

39
Performer's name:	Mark...
From:	Jersey Shore
Avatar:
Experience:	3 years and 3 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude in A Major Op. 28, No. 7
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	01:01
Source of music:	Sheet music from Alfred 3
Instrument used:	Estonia L190
Recording method:	Zoom H2 via Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Just starting to dabble in Chopin, and this one is part of the "Ambitious Section" of Alfred 3. Hope I did it a little justice, because although short and sweet you can really add lots of dynamics both good and bad if not careful. Thanks for listening. I skipped lunch, shoveling snow...

40
Performer's name:	Eighty8
From:	Midwest, USA
Experience:	Experience: I had lessons as a teenager, then was without a piano for many years. I took six months of piano lessons in 2007 and have been practicing on my own since then.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	In My Life
Composer:	John Lennon and Paul McCartney, arranged by Phillip Keveren
Duration:	01:58
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Alesis QS8
Recording method:	QS8 headphone out to PC, edit and convert to mp3 with Goldwave
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Recorded on the digital Keyboard because my acoustic piano needs to be tuned. Fortunately this arrangement does not include the bridge described below. I thought the original used a harpsichord but it was a piano at 2X speed according to Wikipedia. -> "The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge. At that time, Lennon had not decided what instrument to use, but he subsequently asked George Martin to play a piano solo, suggesting "something Baroque-sounding". Martin wrote a Bach-influenced piece that he found he could not play at the song's tempo. On 22 October, the solo was recorded at half-tempo (one octave lower) and tape speed was doubled for the final recording, solving the performance challenge and giving the piano solo a unique, harpsichord-like timbre."

41
Performer's name:	DragonPianoPlayer
From:	Denver
Avatar:
Experience:	Real dragons don't tell.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Chopin Prelude No 6
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	02:04
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Casio Privia through Galaxy II Vienna Grand
Recording method:	Reaper
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Supper was a smothered beef burrito from Senior Miguels. Hot chili, they claim it is the hottest in Aurora. I'm still trying to put out the fire...

42
Performer's name:	eggsdeee
Experience:	10+ years, only serious for past 2 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Alt Wien (Old Vienna)
Composer:	Godowsky
Duration:	02:03
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	A yamaha upright (don't know the make...)
Recording method:	PC + Headset microphone
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I think the microphone made me extra nervous... But I hope you truly enjoy this! I appreciate any feedback also

43
Performer's name:	Coldsalmon
From:	Jersey City, NJ
Experience:	~2 years as a child, 1 semester in college, ~7 months recently (and many years playing jazz upright bass)
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Preludes Op.28 No. 15 in D-flat Major, Raindrop
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	05:21
Source of music:	Alfred Masterworks Edition: Chopin -- 19 of His Most Popular Piano Selections
Instrument used:	Keyboard: Yamaha KX8, Software: Linuxsampler on Ubuntu Studio, Samples: Sampletekk Black Grand Medium Ambience
Recording method:	MIDI directly to PC using Ardour
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Thanks to everyone at Pianoworld who organizes and participates in these recitals.

44
Performer's name:	bluekeys
Experience:	3 1/2 yrs
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	I Will
Composer:	Lennon/McCartney
Duration:	02:13
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Yamaha C1 (5'3" grand)
Recording method:	Zoom H2, surround mode, inside the piano case with lid on the low stick.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is a very nice arrangement by Phillip Keveren of a lesser known Beatles song from the White Album. It's fairly challenging for an old dude like me who's only played a few years. The melody is mostly in 6ths, which means you have to move the whole RH for every note change; meanwhile, the LH chugs up and down through 2-octave open chords at a pretty snappy clip. Hard to get through without mistakes, much less give it the expression it deserves. I probably did 70 or 80 recording attempts over the past 3 days (after working on the piece for 3 months). This one seems to suck less than the others. Hope you enjoy it.

45
Performer's name:	Quagles
From:	Norway
Experience:	Around 7 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Dear You
Composer:	Dai
Duration:	03:40
Source of music:	Sheet Music: http://www.pico-score.com/score/higurashi/jpeg/you%5BJPEG%5D.zip (Direct link to JPEG score sheet) With a few minor differences, one being an additional repeat at the end at a higher octave as it is in some versions of the song.
Instrument used:	Casio PX-320, though its not how it sounds since I had to use a different recording method as I had planned. For the first 5months I played with a very cheap non weighted and no pedal.
Recording method:	Recorded Midi with Reddotforever, and had it converted to an mp3.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	First of all thanks to the very supportive community here at Pianoworld and especially to AnthonyB for helping me convert my midi into mp3 which is a lot appreciated At first I wanted to record through line out, but the cable was wrong, then I figured I'd try record with my digital piano through an SDcard, that didn't work either. So in the end had to go for the midi option, but in the end I think it turned out all right at least. This is a song that I really liked the first time I heard it. Its got a bit of a eerie atmosphere, but somehow feels a bit refreshing as well. Despite the LH being very much the same through most of the song its actually quite a hard piece for my level especially for not being used to long songs and hand independence. All in all I knew the recording could be so much better,an unecessary speedup, mistakes here and there that is pretty much noticeable and a very unsatisfying arpeggio in the final note like my mind was blanking out, including dynamics needs a lot of work. But after dozens of recording and my best one ending up being when I somehow didn't push the record button properly I think someone told me just to give it up. If anything I'm pleased about, I'd say the midpart wasn't too bad, and if disregarded the speedup the tempo matches just about the original and I managed the two hardest measures that I occasionally fail. I know its not the best recording and if I had started earlier I could have had a better version submitted but I'm pleased having submitted at least. Hopefully someone might enjoy it for me its a very special song and one of the songs inspiring me to take up the piano.

46
Performer's name:	pianahman (Richard Griffin)
From:	Brewster (Cape Cod) MA
Experience:	Off and on piano lessons since the mid '50s.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Arabesque
Composer:	Robert Schumann, Op. 18
Duration:	07:47
Source of music:	Read from score.
Instrument used:	Baldwin Artist Grand, Model L
Recording method:	Zoom H4
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	When Schumann wrote the Arabesque in 1839, he was still forcibly separated from his future wife Clara, able to communicate with her only through letters and in music. It seems likely that any music he wrote during this period can be regarded as at least partially directed towards Clara, and that is a fair interpretation of this piece, which alternates a dreamy yearning with more militant episodes. The construction is in strict rondo form, but Schumann makes his own interesting elaborations on the form. The rondo theme itself is in a miniature A-B-A form, although “B” is better labeled “A-prime” since it is a variation of the opening measures. Both contrasting episodes are in minor keys. The first, a contained storm of passion, contains but one theme, varying it and repeating it until a coda for the section returns us to the main rondo theme. The second episode is in march rhythm, which is hardly surprising-—at least one section in march rhythm is found in nearly every piece Schumann wrote. This one leads abruptly back to the rondo theme. The piece concludes with a dreamy coda based on the rondo theme. Such description, of course, in no way explains the magical effect of this piece, one of Schumann’s most popular. Leslie Gerber Music Critic www.lesliegerber.net

47
Performer's name:	Inlanding/Glen
From:	Denver, Colorado
Experience:	off and on for 20 years, mostly off. I am such a beginner in so many ways.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude in C Major BWV 846
Composer:	Bach
Duration:	02:17
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Steinway, 1917 O
Recording method:	Olympus Digital mp3 directly
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	At about 1:10 into the piece, something fell to the floor and startled me during a transition to new phrase. It worked coincidentally, but it appears I woke up just then and showed a bit of tension.

48
Performer's name:	Musictuary
From:	Aurora, IL, USA
Experience:	Six years of lessons between 7 and 13. Played piano sporadically over the next 30 years. For the past 2 and 1/2 years currently taking piano lessons.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Sonatina in C Major - Op. 55 No. 1
Composer:	Friedrich Kuhlau
Duration:	04:11
Source of music:	Kuhlau - Sonatinas Op. 20 & Op. 55 For The Piano edited by Keith Snell
Instrument used:	Digital piano - Kawai CE200
Recording method:	Digital to PC through Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This was the first Kuhlau sonatina that I learned with my current teacher. I've since studied all six sonatinas from Op. 55 and I am currently working on Op. 20 No. 2. I had wanted to submit this piece in the last recital but didn't get around to doing so. Lunch is a distant memory as it is 4:50 in the morning but I had baked chicken, white rice, carrots and broccoli with cranberry juice and an apple for dessert.

49
Performer's name:	Tenolios
From:	France
Experience:	6 months (self teaching)
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Vesper from Casino Royale
Composer:	David Arnold
Duration:	01:31
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	yamaha Digital Piano P-85
Recording method:	line out to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

50
Performer's name:	Euan Morrison
From:	Edinburgh, Scotland
Avatar:
Experience:	4 years and a few months
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/user/euan1234
Title of piece:	Opening (from Glassworks)
Composer:	Philip Glass
Duration:	04:30
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Yamaha ydp-113
Recording method:	Digital to PC, with Galaxy Pianos Steinway tone
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	"Opening" uses triplet eighth notes, over duple eighth notes, over whole notes in 4/4" (wikipedia) I think that quote sums up the technical side of the piece! This is one of my favourite Philip Glass compositions - its very repetitive, quite simple, yet also beautiful. I just wish I had played the LH a bit harder, it doesn't cut through very well. For my recording, I tried to follow the interpretation of Branka Parlic - a Serbian pianist. This means playing a touch slower than the original, give the piece more dynamic range, and only repeating the whole thing twice instead of three times.

51
Performer's name:	IPIBAHN Sandy
From:	Nova Scotia
Experience:	8
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Confidence Op. 19 No. 4
Composer:	Mendelssohn
Duration:	02:57
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Roland Digital
Recording method:	Digital to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I love this little piece - my first Mendelssohn! It's still only at about 75% tempo and very much in the polishing stage. My teacher is patiently helping me work out the many rough patches. I'm finding that the biggest challenge with this piece is bringing out the melody (smoothly - with not too much pedal) while not letting the harmony disappear....and not rushing through the difficult sections. For me it's a little piece with lots of hidden technical challenges.

52
Performer's name:	Monica K.
From:	Lexington, KY
Avatar:
Experience:	5.5 years of piano as an adult, 7 years of accordion as a child.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHhJyhLMIY
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/pianomonica
Title of piece:	Berlin Song
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	04:40
Source of music:	"Nightbook" sheet music collection
Instrument used:	Mason & Hamlin A
Recording method:	Zoom H4 for mp3 file; Zoom Q3 for video.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is one of Einaudi's most tender, beautiful pieces. It involves a lot of big chords that need to be played legato in order to create an echoing mood. I still consider it a work in progress. I added some chords to the last couple of measures, as I thought they captured the feel of the recorded version better than the sheet music transcription did. Lunch was a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

53
Performer's name:	jotur
From:	Santa Fe, New Mexico
Experience:	2 years of lessons in early teens. 30+ years off. Dance music since 1995.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Bethena
Composer:	Scott Joplin
Duration:	06:59
Source of music:	Scott Joplin:King of Ragtime, Lewis Music Publishing Co.
Instrument used:	Casio Privia 100x
Recording method:	digital to PC thru audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	A work in progress. There are some places where I missed the RH octave, but got it on the repeat. There are some places where I was flustered and forgot the piece. But boy, did I learn a lot working on this. The piece, in my mind, is Strauss-like. I didn't have the chops to play it quite like that but it was an approach. I wanted it to be actually a waltz - to make someone want to waltz - not just a concert-listening piece. To that end I put a lot of thought and practice in to where the accents should be, and the phrasing, and the pedal. I particularly worked on the transitions, trying to make them a continuous part of the waltzing. I can't say I was successful in any of that but there are hints of it. But it was a great exercise, and when the band recorded last week my accompanying was a cut above what I've done before. So it's been quite a worthwhile experiment. And I plan on working on this a lot more, so maybe one of these days I'll put an update in the piano bar. Lunch, let's see - I think I had breakfast for lunch.

54
Performer's name:	MaryBee
From:	Cleveland, OH
Avatar:
Experience:	Had been playing, self-taught, for 40 years, but started lessons in January 2009. Yeah!
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Sonata Facile in C, K.545, Mvt.1
Composer:	W. A. Mozart
Duration:	04:34
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Charles Walter 1520 upright
Recording method:	Tascam Digital Pocketstudio using built-in mic
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I love Mozart's music! It has such a joyful energy to it, that it just makes me happy to listen to it. This was an obvious one to start with, since it is supposed to be "Facile". But there were lots of new things to work on: scales, arpeggios, trills (ugh!), keeping a regular tempo. There's still plenty of room for improvement, most notably increasing the tempo, but I'm liking it so far. Many thanks again to my teacher for helping me get to this point with the piece.

55
Performer's name:	epf
Avatar:
Experience:	Long time...
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/user/epfaulk
Title of piece:	Swipsey
Composer:	Scott Joplin and Arthur Marshall
Duration:	04:46
Source of music:	Sheet music (collection of Joplin pieces)
Instrument used:	Privia PX-800
Recording method:	Direct to Zoom H4 then used audacity to convert to MP3.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I was running out of time to get this submitted. It's full of slips, hesitations and flat out mistakes. Sorry about that, but sometimes that happens in a recital!

56
Performer's name:	grotrianer
From:	Germany
Experience:	Many years, two of them after restarting.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Ständchen
Composer:	Franz Schubert/Franz Liszt
Duration:	05:53
Source of music:	www.imslp.org
Instrument used:	Sauter Delta
Recording method:	Zoom H4, Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Liszt's famous piano transcription of Schubert's famous song about unrequited love. My interpretation needs work. I still find it very hard to tone down the heavy texture in the left hand, and to articulate the melody line well (especially the trills). But I am making progress, and the recital provided the motivation to focus on the piece.

57
Performer's name:	Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik
From:	Lodz, Poland
Avatar:
Experience:	Considering I put 3.5 years last time, it would be 3.75 now!
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Lute Prelude in c minor (BWV 999)
Composer:	J.S. Bach
Duration:	01:14
Source of music:	Sheet music from the set "little preludes" my teacher gave me.
Instrument used:	Kawai CN 21 digital
Recording method:	Garritan Steinway Standard (digital to PC)
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	It's my first Bach piece, my teacher assigned it to me. At first I thought - what? that's easy! - but now I know how badly wrong I was. I've been playing this piece for over a month now, and the recital recording is still a failed attempt to perform it properly (especially considering wonderful performance by LisztAddict last time). The level of precision that Bach requires (and I do not posess) is tremendous. I'll be doing a lot more Bach from now on, I know I need it. Even though I am thoroughly not happy with this recording, I hope you'll enjoy it anyway

58
Performer's name:	TTigg / Steve C
From:	Southern California
Avatar:
Experience:	Just over the 1.5yrs mark (started June 08)
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igaPU0SBjow
Home page link:	http://www.vintageadsasart.com/
Title of piece:	Life & Death
Composer:	Michael Ciacchino
Duration:	03:10
Source of music:	Sheet music memorized
Instrument used:	Knabe WKV131
Recording method:	Zoom H2, Flip Video into Sony Vegas Studio to "blend" with clip.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I was hesitant at putting in such a short piece for the recital since I'd have preferred to have gotten Forest polished off. However, clipping together the video (my first one) was a real production and thus I figured it would be good enough to give the folks some enjoyment. The piece is from LOST (TV Series) and has been used at different points (Charlies Death, other pivotal moments). It was first introduced in the episode where Clair's baby is born and Boone dies (hence the title). Since I LOVE TV/Film music I wanted to get this one recorded in both video & MP3. Lunch? well it's 8:23am and I've now got to go and change the front & rear pads on my car so hopefully I'll be eating some left over Chinese later on ABF & MOYD RULE!! - SC

59
Performer's name:	Bunneh
From:	Germany
Avatar:
Experience:	18 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Valse a minor, op. posth.
Composer:	F. Chopin
Duration:	02:19
Source of music:	Free Internet sheet music
Instrument used:	ROland HP-203
Recording method:	Line Out to Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Lunch is yet to come! I played this slightly slower than I usually, but after getting used to it, actually found this tempo very musical! It's a beautiful piece either way, and taught me a lot about phrasing, ornaments and playing without looking at my hands too much Critical feedback is as always very welcome! You've been way too gentle with me for the last 2 recitals

60
Performer's name:	Always Wanted to Play Piano
From:	41 miles west of Chicago
Avatar:
Experience:	2 years and a month
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://aw2pp.blogspot.com/
Title of piece:	Sonatina Op.36 No.1 in C major - Movements 2 and 3
Composer:	Muzio Clementi
Duration:	02:54
Source of music:	Schirmer's Sonatina Album
Instrument used:	Casio Ap-200
Recording method:	Recorded onto piano's onboard memory, downloaded to laptop, converted to .WAV using Synthfont and Maestro Concert Grand sound font, compressed into .MP3 using Audacity and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I submitted the first movement last recital, barely got the next two presentable for this one. I recorded the movements in different takes, and spliced them together. Still working on getting tempo smooth, as I tend to rush the fast notes. But I'm happy, overall, with these. No lunch yet, but leftover Lou Malnatti's pizza is calling my name.

61
Performer's name:	Mar_red
From:	Poland
Experience:	2 years and 7 month of piano playing (plus a few years of accordion and guitar playing more than 20 years ago))
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Kasztany (Chestnuts) & Suicide Is Painless (Medley)
Composer:	Zbigniew Koperta / Johnny Mandel
Duration:	04:49
Source of music:	Lead Music
Instrument used:	DP Roland FP-7
Recording method:	DP to audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	"Kasztany" (Chestnuts) is a popular polish pop tune from the 1950’s. The title of the song was taken from its lyrics. "Suicide Is Painless" is a song probably known by everybody. At least participants of previous recitals know its more subtle versions. I had only lead music of the tunes and tried to make my “richer” renditions in a kind of stride piano fashion. As a result they are played a little bit faster then usually. In other words, two more beautiful old tunes rendered by an adult beginner would-be “faker” i.e. a guy playing from fake books. PS Do you like my “turnaround” - a passage at the end of a tune which leads to the next one (Wikipedia )- consisting only of a rest and two notes played in octaves?

62
Performer's name:	Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White
From:	90 miles West of New Orleans
Experience:	Lifetime by ear, self-teaching for around five years.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	E lucevan le stelle
Composer:	Giacomo Puccini
Duration:	03:10
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	yamaha P-80
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I had been working on Chopin Waltz No. 15 Posthumous and had gotten it memorized, but just couldn't play it without gobs of mistakes, so I chose to sight-read this piece instead. I am so amazed at people who can sight-read well. Maybe one of these days.

63
Performer's name:	ShiroKuro
From:	around there
Avatar:
Experience:	10? 11? not sure anymore!!
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Summer
Composer:	Joe Hisaishi
Duration:	06:37
Source of music:	Sheet music purchased in Japan.
Instrument used:	Yamaha YDP 160 (Arius)
Recording method:	Recorded onto the digital's internal recorder and then recorded to a Zoom H4 using the Zoom's mics (not cables)
Technical feedback wanted:	No
Additional info:	This arrangement is based on the original score for this piece, which included strings. This piece was used in a movie about a young boy's trip, during the summer, trying to find his mother. If you're in one of the many areas of the US getting snow dumped on you, listen in the music for a summer rain storm, skipping through a field on a sunny day, and other pieces of summer-time imagery. For lunch today, I had a ham and salami sandwich (with cheese of course) and, unusal for me, potato chips! (just like a real college student!) P.S. this recording was originally made for practice purposes, but I decided to use it because of John Frank's kind comments! And also becuase I haven't been able to get a good recording of the other piece I've been working on. So this time, I'm refraining from accepting feedback, since this recording is not representative of where my playing of this piece is now. P.P.S. I hope the sound quality isn't too bad, as I said, this was a practice recording... And thanks for listening!

64
Performer's name:	BB Player
Avatar:
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Comptine d'autre ete
Composer:	Yann Tiersen
Duration:	01:58
Source of music:	Sheet music.
Instrument used:	Kawai MP8
Recording method:	Pianoteq to generate midi and wav files, audacity to convert to mp3.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I've missed the last several recitals and thought it was time to jump back in. This is especially true since it has been at least two recitals since someone submitted this piece and Yann Tiersen has written in to complain about the lack of representation This performance is one from a practice session a while back and is nowhere near "recital ready". I lose the plot in the triplets a few times and stumble a yard from the finish line but (as I always say) the recitals are less about perfection and more about taking part.

65
Performer's name:	Copper
From:	VA
Avatar:
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	When I Fall in Love
Composer:	Edward Heyman
Duration:	02:02
Source of music:	Fake book
Instrument used:	Yamaha P250
Recording method:	Digital piano connected to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

66
Performer's name:	Augustina
From:	Michigan
Experience:	been playing since I was around 9 or 10 years old I cant remember exactly how old. Had about 2 years of piano lessons a long time ago.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/user/Spot1530
Title of piece:	Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Composer:	Johann Sebastion Bach
Duration:	03:25
Instrument used:	Yahama keyboard, 61 keys
Recording method:	my digital camera, then converted to mp3
Technical feedback wanted:	No
Additional info:	I wasn't sure what to put up for the recital, then the Recital date came up to fast. so I thought I'd just record a song I've played before, and was "somewhat decent at playing":) I probably play it a bit to fast though... Just didn't know what else to put up here...since its my first recital^_^

67
Performer's name:	EJR (Elwyn)
From:	Bristol, UK
Experience:	too many to mention as a kid, must be more than 3 now as an adult returner
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://elwynrees.wordpress.com
Title of piece:	Solfeggietto
Composer:	CPE Bach
Duration:	01:25
Source of music:	sheet
Instrument used:	Aged and decripid Yamaha Calvinova CLP 350 into Pianoteq. (No prizes for spotting which keys are sticking)!!!
Recording method:	Pianoteq to WAV then Audacity to MP3
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

68
Performer's name:	Sam Smith
From:	Georgia, USA
Avatar:
Experience:	Lessons as a kid, then 30 years off. I just started my third year back.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VawzE1IDy-Q
Title of piece:	Bach Invention #1
Composer:	J. S. Bach
Duration:	01:33
Source of music:	A book of the Inventions and Sinfonias by Alfred Publishing.
Instrument used:	Yamaha UX1
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I feel so exposed when playing this. It has taken me forever to make it presentable. It's only with slow deliberate practice that I am able to progress at all with the inventions. Some of the ornaments are from the music and some from recordings I have listened too.

69
Performer's name:	wj3
From:	Salem, Oregon
Avatar:
Experience:	3+ years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Irish Medley, Wild Irish Rose, When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Londonderry Air
Composer:	Olcott, Olcott, Traditional
Duration:	02:58
Source of music:	Alfreds Basic Adult all-time favorites
Instrument used:	1906 Claredon upright
Recording method:	Zoom h2
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I thought I might have a Irish Theme for St Paddys day next month. This is the best I could come up with.