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Good to see you here, mate. You're at Piano Society, too, right?

yes, I am, although I am not as much active on there as before.
I am right now mostly on Piano Street and now PianoWorld

Well, hop on board! Now that you mention it, I believe I've seen you at Piano Street.

Hi, everybody! I've been a lurker for some months, and just recently joined. I find this forum very interesting, and enjoy the sometimes passionate debates as well as the overall usefulness of the info.
I had 7 yrs of lessons as a kid, then talked parents into an electronic keyboard, played with bands for some years while doing various jobs (sometimes supporting myself by the music) then went back to school for a music degree in the early 90s. I really enjoy reading about technician stuff; the combination of mechanics and art fascinates me. Still in a band, now the day job is in a piano store, on whose behalf I began my lurking.

Hi!

Figured I should swing by this thread before continuing posting... I started out playing since I was 5, although I did not particularly like it. I was pretty much made to get into it, because that's what my mom and sister were doing. I had a couple of different teachers and really hit it off with the last one... we were trudging along but then I really discovered the music of Chopin... That recital changed my teacher from thinking "Looks like another quitter" to "Wait a minute... this boy might actually stick around." And that's what I did, I stayed with the teacher up till I went to college (although I didn't always have the best discipline practicing ). This particular teacher wasn't keen on getting her students to go to competitions and testing for grade levels, so I can't say anything about having made it to ABRSM Grade x Standard, sorry . But I can say the most important thing she taught me that the others didn't (not to knock them or anything, and maybe it's perhaps also in part due to me maturing) was to enjoy the music.

I was just finishing up on the Pathétique Sonata at that time I went off to college and I thought, that was quite an accomplishment and thought, but oh well, next phase of life. It was a tremendous inspiration hearing other students play at the college dorms (even on the sort of pianos badly in need of tuning, with a bad action, etc. that they had there), and I changed that thought rather quickly, no way I'm stopping. I started again with my old teacher although less frequently... I still lived reasonably close enough for it, and I made it my goal to learn through the 3rd movement of Moonlight. But then my teacher died (not on account of my playing, at least I think ) and I have been teacherless for quite some time.

Life sort of got in the way as it is prone to do (sound familiar?), and throughout college and graduate school, I didn't play all that much. I did get a keyboard but I didn't really think that the lack of weighted keys would be a problem.. Oops... (it was great fun experimenting on the thing, though). What kept me interested had been learning lots of music theory and about tuning, I'd go through many phases of renewed playing/musical education efforts. My roommates helped me discover Bach (one even transcribed some Bach to his instrument, the steel drums!)

Here I am now, at 29, finishing up grad school (in math) and the latest renewed playing phase comes from making the best of losing my teaching job (budget cuts, grrrr...), and the new music building on campus, where I have been being really, really consistent with my practicing (for the first time in my life ). And I discovered this forum... you guys keep me inspired! My current goal besides, of course, polishing up some of the old favorites, is to learn some Chopin études. But there is so much other stuff to learn, too! My favorites are Bach, Beethoven, and of course Chopin (their compositions take up like 3 days' worth of music in my iTunes collection), although sprinklings of Mozart and Debussy are there (Clair de Lune is probably the most frequently requested when I'm in the presence of friends or relatives, and a piano). Anyway I look forward to participating in the forums!

Hello everyone this is my very first forum ever I'm not to sure how this works yet but I’m a fast learner I love primavera by Ludovico Einaudi I learned about it here lol boy its beautiful

Hello! Visited this forum off and on for a few months and finally decided to sign up. Brief background...

-started piano at age 5 (now 30)
-graduate of University of New Hampshire in performance
-been teaching for 10 years
-perform many styles professionally, mostly jazz, salsa, latin-jazz, r&b/rock, electronica (i also play analog synths) and some classical
-write and compose too
-when I married a few years ago my musical career took a short hiatus because of relocating but I'm back into teaching 25+ lessons a week and now recording and producing music at home and doing an occasional live performance.

Looking to always progress as a pianist and teacher so I'm mainly here to gain different perspectives from other teachers as well as give input when possible.

it's winnie here.

began to learn piano @ 3-year-old, and 25-year-old now.

favorite composer is Bach. however always think i am still too young to interpret his pieces.

currently working on Mozart's piano sonatas and Chopin's etudes. Used to play a lot of Haydn 10 years ago, probably will recover later.

Hi! I'm nauru.

Glad to have found this forum. Longtime pianist, but relatively new to the world of internet forums.

Well, I'm back again. Not that I was here for very long in the past.

I'd still call myself an adult beginner. I'm 35 and have played piano on and off (with a lot of off) since I was 16. After about 2 years away from the piano, I am back and really enjoying myself. I'm determined to make some progress this time around. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I remember.

So no pressure on myself; just playing for my own enjoyment, learning what I want to learn. I might pick up a teacher in a few months if all is still going well.

Nice to be back! Great to read the posts here and join in the camaraderie.

Howya, absolute newbie here.

My name's Dylan and I live in Ireland, currently studying for my final exams in school. Hoping to study music next year in Trinity College Dublin...

I started piano when I was 15, which was about three years ago now. I started because my sister had been playing about a year, and I was jealous of her being able to do something musical. Noble, eh? She's very angry that I'm now a) obsessed to such a degree that she finds it hard to get near our Kawai and b) better than her by a reasonable margin. (It wasn't deliberate, I swear...)

The last exam I did was grade VI, and my pieces knock around that level of difficulty and a bit higher. My six pieces for my Leaving Certificate exams are:

Retrato di Alfredo Gobbi - Piazzolla
Danza de la Moza Donosa - Ginastera
Fugue in C minor, book 1 - Bach
Consolation no. 3 - Liszt
Memphis Stomp - Dave Grusin
Sonata no. 1, mvt. 1 - Beethoven

I have played them to DEATH. The pieces I've just started with my new teacher, (a bloke of some repute here in Ireland, student of a student of Cortot) are as follows.

Polonaise in C sharp minor - Chopin
Rhapsody in G minor - Brahms
Sonata in C minor - Galles
Sonata in D flat major - Soler
Bilder Aus Osten - Schumann (transcription for two hands)
Arabeske - Schumann.

It's great to find some like minded people!

Hi, I'm pretty much new...I'm Scott, and I'm 18. I started piano at age 7.5-ish. I particularly enjoy romantic era music, especially Chopin. Rachmaninoff is another favorite composer of mine. And Debussy is awesome. I'm not particularly amazing, but I'm not horrible either. Oh, I also play trombone. Which is cool. Yeah.

Welcome!
Rachmaninoff is actually my favorite composer.

Hello to all, im new of the forum, i have been searching this post to introduce myself, im from Spain, i have studied piano and obtained my degree, but actually i am not a professional pianist, i decided to study another carreer. But i love piano and play it every day,also compose piano pieces and im also studing violin.

I hope i can learn of your experience and make a good friendship.

Regards

Hi there,

I am Martin, and hope to contribute much on this forum.

I know that many piano players have difficulty with the 'more difficult' pieces, as they may experience a common problem, where their hands are small.

I have been working with Mr Wallace Tate, a past Director of the Music Examinations Board of Western Australia, and have produced a website that discusses the method of Professor Lionel Bowman's Playing, to overcome hand and arm injuries.

I hope to provide much advice on this problem, which has affected countless pianists.

In the meantime, I am enjoying reading all the posts and encourage you to all contribute your stories, and ideas, as this is no doubt what will make this forum so invaluable.

Martin

Hello all.

I just joined today after having lurked these forums for about half a year. I'm a great lover of music and began playing the piano at a young age.

I'm picking up the piano after a long hiatus and find myself enjoying it again. I am piano-less at the moment, but hope to remedy that.

As a lover of music I hope I can contribute in my own small way to these forums.

At the moment I'm in Paris, my home city, and am enjoying exhibits and concerts related to especially Chopin's 200th birthday. What a treat!

Best regards,
The Scrounger

Hi, I'm Isabel. I started playing when I was 7, so I have been playing for 7 years (I'm 14). I lived in Canada for most of my life and got up to RCM grade 6, but in October this year my family moved to the Netherlands, and it's been really hard to get back into my old routines. I haven't had lessons for nearly a year now, as I am still looking for a good teacher, very frustrating! Any way, I hope to find one soon...

Hi everyone! My name is Darren and i've been playing piano since the age of 12 (i'm 25 now). I was a pretty late start compared to my cousins who played violin and cello from age 6, but i'm the only one in my family who took my music to college. I studied at Aberdeen College in Scotland and got my ALCM teaching diploma. I moved out to California with my wife and we have a daughter now and i'm looking to start taking on some students so i can feel like i'm doing something useful with my life (and by life i mean music).

since i work nights it's hard for me to meet like minded people so it's great to have such a vast online community of people to exchange decent banter with!

I'm looking to get back into more involved playing, i'd like to sit ABRSM grade 8 performance (i have a DipLCM which is roughly equivalent) and get more into ensemble performance.

On my bucket list (yes I've already started one) i want to play at least one work for piano and orchestra in public (I don't believe my late start will stop me).

Currently i'm not working on anything serious, but i'm saving up my pennies for the ABRSM grade 8 piano book.

P.S. Sorry Kreisler, i "stole" your signature a while back, when i saw it i thought it was a fantastic quote, but i'm looking for something else, i promise!

I'm sympatico on the sight-reading sharps and flats thing. i remedied it by finding a piece too advanced for me (Chopin polonaise in A major) and working and working on it. not sure if it was because the sheer amount of notes was forcing me to slow down my reading or not. My teacher was always cool with letting me work on things beyond my level and i think it really helped my reading because of my will to be able to play them.

Clair de Lune will come. it's not an easy piece to play!

Happy hunting!

Hello guys,
I am Christoph and I come from Germany.
I've actually never learned piano at a teacher, only keyboard playing.
I've only learned to play the accordion.
I self-taught myself a little piano, and I'm trying to get better.
I cannot afford a teacher. So I hope to get some advice here.
I got an e-piano at home, which cannot be compared to a real piano, but
well, better than nothing.
I think I will enjoy it here.

My favourite music style is also romantic, especially Chopin, but I also like some of Tchaikovsky, and I do like Bach (although I don't like most of Barock that much, but I like his music). I really am a beginner. But I like the music. I like writing own music as well.

Well, let's see what kind of discoveries I will make here.