Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum New songs in the PIANO BAR, more wanted.

Not now. Typo fixed, thanks!

WOW, Thanks Bob for hosting the links as I just could not get those songs to work for me.

Mike:

Your songs are absolutely incredible! I think your playing is even better than many "pro's" I've heard (I really mean that)

How long did it take you to play like this?, I will have been playing coming up on 2 years this summer but my playing is light years away from yours.

I don't know if I've asked before but are you reading written music?, improvising written music?, or playing the whole thing by ear?.

Whatever you are doing, it obviously works....well!

Mike, could you please give us a brief background of your training and experience?. you've probably have already done this but it will give others an idea of what it takes to play like you.

Also, your music seems incredibly full and rich like the piano magic peoples do. Did you take their course or a similar one??

I just want ot know what you did so I can do it. I wanna be like Mike!! (Baladeer and Roger ransom too!)
"
Your playing is obviously way... and I mean "WAY" beyond "beginner" level, but I really appreciate your songs as I see it as something to strive for. None of us will ever get any better just playing the same old "easy" tunes over and over; your songs definitely provide us all with inspiration and even inscentive to try to get better.

Please post your songs on a frequent basis as I love hearing this type and level of playing.

Also, any pointers of tips on members playing would be greatly appreciated.

You also may look into quiting your day job and playing piano full time as a profession!

Well, I am a beginning "reader". I have never played professionally, nor had formal lessons, but I have been playing for a long time - I'm 56. What I do is to immitate the way I hear a piece. No, all of this is strictly by ear. I was definately in a rut until I began teaching myself to read. I am picking up new techniques all the time like fingering and chord inversion. The main reason that I didn't persue reading before is that I was impatient and wanted to play a piece immediately instead of going through the long process. It took forever for me to learn the notes. I couldn't use beginner books, because after I would play through a song one time, I could then play it by ear. The way I did it was to play hundreds of Bach Chorales, a different one each time. That prevented me from playing them by ear.

Speaking of "warm and sunny", I have been working in the yard lately. It did not freeze here this past winter and my tropical plants are in full bloom. It ususlly freezes once or twice just enough to kill everything. I have hibiscus plants that are taller than me and a giant ivy plant climbing up a tree that is as tall as the roof of my house! My plan is to hit the keyboard hard in the middle of summer when we huddle around the air conditioners down here in the south.

As for quitting my day job, I did that five years ago. I'm a retired teacher. That is the main reason that I have the time now to put into piano. The Piano World Forum has also helped to challenge me.

I will be glad to post more songs as long as somebody enjoys listening to them.
Mike White

Mike:

The proofs in the pudding! I say take all your books and build a levy or something usefull out of them as whatever you are doing is really working.

It seems that the "written music only" players are always wondering about those play by ear guys (and gals!)

Now we have a play by ear guy (you), looking into reading music!. At the level you are playing at, I can't help but wonder if learning to read music would actually hold you back?

Could you possibly imagine what the writen score would look like if what you played was written down?

It sounds like you did what maybe we should do and that is to try and emulate someone that we want to sound and play like.

Again thanks for the info, and good luck with your gardening. I can't even remember what rain is!, we have'nt had any rain here in over 150 days!. ZERO.

We do. Please do.

Sharon

New Orleans needs the levee, we have a 22 foot sea wall here.
First, nope, second yep, and I know ya'll have been without rain for a long time. As to the "yep" I have a software program called Midinotate, that will transcribe anything you play on the digital keyboard into sheet music. It's amazing to see what it looks like! I wouldn't think of trying to read something like that which I myself had just played. The best part of Midinotate is that it transcribes midi files into sheet music and there are thousands of midi files on the internet. I have over 3,000 of just piano roll midi files, not to mention the other stuff.
Mike

I tried to post another song, but Savefile seems to be stuck. I'll try back later.
Mike

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3wvd4/Bach_Invention_1.mp3

This is slower than I believe this is traditionally supposed to be done but its the best I can do.

It's also not quite as entertaining as the rest of the music on this thread. Bach Inventions are much more fun to play than to listen to.

Frank

Oh yeah, this was recorded on my digital. I recently got an acoustic but I need to first get it tuned up and then get a microphone and I hope to get something recorded from the new piano.

Well, from someone whose recital song was a full 50 seconds longer than the "real" version, I'M certainly not going to nitpick you for being a tad slow!

That Bach piece sounded HARD, not fun, to play! I'm used to music where the left hand doesn't do much, just a slow arpeggio here and there. You were going pretty fast with two complicated voices in both hands. Good work!

Hi Hunkster and the gang

Inspired by some of the recent recordings I have heard with strings and piano combined (which I always think sound nice and relaxing)

I decided to record a ballad with strings for everyone last night. I just love the sound of this

So stepping up to the piano once again

Heres:-

"My Heart Will Go On" - stringy pianomagic style

http://www.savefile.com/files.php?fid=5984337


regards


Lee

Hi F.O.U.F.

Nice piano playing - yeah - it DID sound complicated.

Sharon

Hi Seaside, and Bob White -

Couldn't download your stuff. Tried and tried again. Pops?

Sharon

Hi Seaside,

That was absolutely beautiful!

It was a Calgon moment in music!

Thanks!

Hi Fat Old Ugly Frank (I just love that name )


Jeez! you're saying that is fun to play?...yikes Frank...I'd have to practise that for like ten years!


And the digital sounded purdy good to my ears too


tres bon


Lee

Hi Pastor G

I have to admit that was a little lost on a Brit ...so, I did a "google search" and its either:-

1. a water softener?

or

2. An advertisement where a woman is seen in a chaotic home scenario. As her tension rises she utters her famous line "Calgon, take me away!"


hope you meant No. 2?


thanks for listening


Lee

Hi, Seaside -

Brilliant!

I must say, given the context of the song, I feel at once a bit hypothermic - and then wonderfully warmed by your music!

More, please...

Balladeer

I cannot get anything to download from savefile anymore at all

Ditto, Rocky!

Pop-ups must be blocking it or something.

Sad smiley

Sharon

Savefile was acting up for me, too; it would download, but at rates so slow it would take half an hour (over a very fast ethernet line) for any song.

I hope this is just temporary otherwise we'll have to go to some other plan for Recital 2.

Seaside Lee, Fat Old Ugly Frank and also Mike White.

Sorry guys, but I too am having real trouble getting this to work.

Can you all PLEASE re-post your songs in the new updated "piano bar" thread.

Sorry for the inconvienience, but these songs are to good to get lost.

I'm not sure if starting the updated version will fix it, but this thread needed to be refreshed anyway so I figured I would give it a try. Please post them up in the new thread.

Thanks