Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Post your UN-chosen recital songs here.

By the way, did any of you try to listen to these pieces (either your own or others) through a decent stereo system (not some cheap PC speaker). WOW !

Yes, it's new age at its best... and it's in the key of D-minor.

CC2, I loved your tribute pieces, especially the "send in the clowns." I don't know what it is about that song that is so moving, but it sure is.

Laurens -
I listened to your Amelie. Now having read something about you, I put the two things together and come up with a very focused piece of music. It sounded like a waltz - you could dance to it. Nice and clear and on the beat. (I listened through decent speakers, too (Altec Lansing).

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Monica - thank you for your clarification. My remark on the piece was due to ignorance and lack of exposure to such marvelous music. And also I never really categorize the music - But I'm learning...Good Stuff.

Thank you Monica for the kind words. I'm really pleased that so many forumites have gotten a chance to hear my tribute to Dennis. I bought the sheet music to "Send in the Clowns" many years ago because I've always loved the song, and then proceeded to put my own spin on it. I tend to do that with the Classical pieces I play also, which, I'm sure, must drive the purists crazy, but I play music to express my innermost feelings, so I am not as concerned as some might be about staying true to the composer's EXACT intent. Anyway, glad you liked it.

I finally got to listen to your songs, as well, CC2! Lovely, lovely pieces, and played so beautifully. A beautiful tribute to your friend.

Wow. Monika, I just listened to your recording of Cristofori's dream.

Great job!

Now, I have no right to criticize and I'm not going to. What I would
like to discuss is, the aspect of 'rough'. You say, your recording is rough
and people say it isn't. (I'm sure we've all had this discussion).

I have thought a lot about how to smooth out a piece. I even asked
my wife if she would like to take dance lessons (with me) to help
with my rhythm but she laughed and I didn't pursue it.

There was a post last week that mentioned a link to some videos of a woman
playing the piano. (I can't find it right now but she was in a small room with
a few people in front of her and she was a pro). What struck me was her
fluency of motion on the bench. Her body was continually moving. She
had her arm way up in the air sometimes and her dynamics were right on.

I hope this is not required to get smoothness. (I am too self conscious to do it).
I can suggest things like, Hey Monica, go for it, play it so over the top
it messes you up. Over act the dynamics, go crazy with it. All of this is
fairly shallow advice since I can't do it myself.

How do we learn smoothness?

Interesting idea, KetchupandJam, and you may be onto something, as I am definitely NOT the Lang Lang "let it all hang out" kind of player. Maybe I'll try your idea out... when my family is well out of the house, of course!

I like your suggestion ketchup.

Monica, you are reporting the feeling in your body and we were reporting the hearing of our ears... I know it always helped me to move and act crazy when I was playing in bands - it's not just for the fans.

my cherry recording post!

Disclaimer - my new nordiska hasn't got it's first tuning yet, so go easy on her she is a little off today. plus I haven't played with mic placement at all, just pointed em in there, soo... still, not to bad, but will be better.

Yes, this is me hacking, er, doodling. I thought this song was appropriate. My recital song will be a easy classical piece, cause what I'm beginning on piano is learning to read music and memorize classical ala twinkle twinkle.

Poor Wayfarin Doodler - http://www.savefile.com/files/9663798

Enjoy! (remember you got to click through like 5 times to get the file, and it takes forever to download, next time I'll encode it smaller I guess)

Way to go Tenuki, that song had some serious soul my brother from another mother!!

There is just a TON of emotion and expression coming through on your song. VERY very well done.

Have you blayed in a rhythm and blues band before or something? with the amount of expression you display in your music, you sound like a real pro!

This is a very different style of music than what I am used to hearing, but I must say, it is very refreshing.

Maybe you can submit a nice song along these lines in the upcoming recital on May 15th!

I'm very glad I took the time to download this song as it was well worth it.

Thanks!

Thanks Mr SH, I was happy with the recording after I listened to it. I'm trying to shake the rust off, had my new piano for almost a week now.

The style I was trying to hint in this recording is called 'stride jazz' or somethign like that I think. ala Jellyroll Morton, Thelonius Monk, et al. I have a long way to go. heh.

I'm just getting started again after almost 20 years of not playing piano. I taught myself to play piano by ear in college (never had lessons) and played jazz with friends, nothing pro. I've been playing music in some form or another my whole life, starting with cello, trombone and voice through high school. After college I played guitar in a variety of rock/punk/alt bands, none anyone has heard of, but spent maybe 8 years doing that. So I'm not a beginner musician. However, in the next few days I'll post what I'm working on and you'll know why I'm here. LOL. I can't sight read music and have 0 classical rep or skills. You can't believe how aweful I sound playing 'minuete', man is it painful.

My beginner goals are:

1) sightread beginning classical stuff compently, intermediate stuff eventually.
2) build a classical repitoir.
3) increase my jazz improv skills and learn to read fake books

You guys have been very inspirational and I look forward to surfing your energy to my goals.

Tenuki;

After hearing your song, I think we may have a lot in common. You see, I really don't care if I can ead music or not. I only do it so the means can justify the end. Someday, I would really like to have a "written-music" burning party!

I would really LOVE to create beutiful songs like Cristofori's dream, without having to buy the music for it. Don't get me wrong, I am very greatful to be able to read the music so I can play it, but the point I'm trying to make is that David Lanz did'nt buy the score!!.., he made it!

The expression you displayed in your song cannot be bought, you either have it, or you dont;.. you do!

To be selfishly honest, I would almost NOT want you to learn and play classical music, but rather continue to hear your own personalized, improvised songs.

You seem to have a natural nack for this and why not pursue it?

I don't want to take away your dreams of learning classical, but I also would'nt want you to give up on your freestyle music style either.

Congrats on your new piano as well. I saw what I think was called an "imperial" Noriska model with a copper colored plate on the inside; it was one of the most gorgeous piano's I had ever seen.

Thanks again. I listened to your improv on Cristofori's dream and I bet you have your own from scratch compositions you are working on already, right?

But.. I love classical music and would love to explore stuff like David Lanz, Vangelis, etc too. The only way to do that personally instead of listing to recordings is to read it and play it. I was explaining to my 5 year old son, who was covering his ears while I was attempting to sightread a one note line that reading music was like reading words, the notes were letters, the cords are words, the phrases sentences, the movements chapters, and the whole thing a marvelous story. I really think I need to do this to reach the next lvl in my playing.

However I will always primarily be an improviser, cause like you said, that is where the fun is. But i would like to be able to write it down too, or read other peoples ideas, etc. I lack the language right now, and it sucks.

Tenuki...well I have tried, last night and this morning.....save file used to work great, but I can't get your piece downloaded now....said it was going to take like 30 minutes and didn't even look like it was working at all....so I will try again later

Tenuki- Nice job! You did a great job on that jazzy stuff! Keep up the good work.

Tenuki, finally was able to download it....very nice, I enjoyed listening!

Tenuki, I was finally able to download ur music. I luv the rhythm!

you mean drunken shuffle...

thanks for all your kind comments. I got one coming for the piano bar one of these days too if I ever have the living room to myself for an hour.

I have put a Pachelbel Fugue up on my website with only a couple of minor mistakes - it was my backup piece for my first recital. Its not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but I still like playing it even after many repetitions. Nice and short too.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/dfvanden/pachelbel-fugue-in-C-Major-dfvanden-220406.mp3

i like it dfvanden. very smooth. your comment at the end is funny, thanks for leaving that in.