Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital #27 --- General Discussion Room

Clemente, Bobpickle thanks for the nice comments!

TX-Dennis Good to hear that the tempo was ok even though below my intended target and that the recording is good

SwissMSGlad that you like it and thanks for the compliments

Starr Keys Thanks for the very positive feedback on the progress. As I mentioned already, it's hard to hear yourself making progress as it goes so slow

Sam S
Thanks for the compliments!


Yes, I picked this tempo because IMHO the added energy and feel outweighted the reduced precision.
Many of what sounds as ornaments actually are fully written out. Many of these are 32ths and faster (typically, triplets pushing 3 of them in a time of 2). With quarternote=120 that gives me a staggering 960notes per minute on these figures, and 1440notes per minute on the triplets.
Yes near the end of phrases there are a few places where the LH has a bit longer or wider run where I can't do the whole run with one hand placement. I did not fully succeed getting the change smooth at this speed.

Thank you so much, jazzwee. You are kind with your words. I am having a bit of an issue with the legato when it comes to the octaves marked to be played legato. My teacher told me that to accomplish this sense of legato when playing those octaves I have to keep my hand close to the keyboard, close to the keys... Sometimes I do it, and sometimes I forget. I guess that when the fingers (and hands) truly learn this piece, it will happen naturally without me thinking about it...I hope...
Slow down, YES, absolutely. I actually played at that speed to be able to send it to the forum. My teacher told me that the goal speed was to be at least 120 in the metronome. At that speed, though, it does not sound right. It should be in the 130s...after learned, of course! I did tape myself playing with the metronome going and set at 120, then moved it 136 and did it again... much better as far as the sound goes, but I hit the proverbial speed wall on several sections. So, yes, you are right. I need to slow it down and build up once the muscles get used to the speed. I feel that I am having more trouble with the right hand than with the left. I need to slow them both down for practicing purposes.



Bobpickle, thank you. I am glad that you liked the piece.



Thank you, Andy. I tell you, the piece has its moments of challenges, but the most challenging part of the entire piece is the middle section. This is because of all the octaves. Lecuona and octaves are synonymous. This man loved octaves...octaves everywhere!! Then he wants them played at a tremendous speed. Insane, I tell you!

Thank you guys!

41. Starr Keys - It Goes Like It Goes Oh, such a touching and heartfelt performance! I loved the movie, but didn't remember the song - so, thank you for this. I'm positive your mom will love it. The slide show was awesome, but even more so accompanied by your sweet vocal. And just super piano work that fit so well with the whole package. Your arrangement was perfect behind your voice - all the right nuances in all the right places, (yes, a couple tricky vocal stretches) which made for a true performance. What a wonderful gift for your whole family! (I'm honored to follow you in this recital).

40. Serge88 - What'd I say Great song! Another one I was looking forward to hearing. Wow, love the nice steady beat and your riffs were awesome. You really got me gently tappin' and swayin'. The drum track was the perfect level. It didn't overwhelm your smooth groove. Cool one!

39. Sand Tiger - Ashokan FarewellYou've done a really nice job with this lovely tune. Excellent, in fact, for 5 months! A little lighter on the left hand would make this melody sing out more clearly. Good work!

38. Augustina - Touched You have such a nice, smooth singing quality in your playing of this beautiful melody. I like that you savored the piece as you played.

Back to random comments...

03. BenPiano - Prelude Op. 17 No 6 This is more melodic than what I typically think of with Scriabin, moody and (dare I say it) almost new age-ish. ;-) Nice job!

04. Jazzwee - Invitation Ohmigosh. Improvising on the spot? In a live performance? That you’re also recording for posterity? I would’ve fallen in a dead faint; you were outstanding. Even with the live recording limitations, the energy of the ensemble shines through.

05. Inlanding - Glen - Warum? Op 12 No 3 This is the first time I’ve heard this piece. I think it’s prettier even than Schumann’s better known “Traumerei.” I love how you bring out those deep bass notes as a counterpoint to the melody line.

12. (Was)TrueBeginner - Goodnight Kiss I really enjoy your compositions. This one sounded sadder and more plaintive than some of your others, and there were some interesting chord progressions and transitions to minor keys in there.

15. Sam S - Prelude and Fugue X WTC1 Oh, this one sounded wicked hard, but then again, all of Bach sounds wicked hard to me. Good job on the “surprise presto” (sounds like the name of a recipe! ); I think the sudden speed-up worked well.

16. Peyton - Mazurka #4 in A Minor What a lovely, lilting piece. It doesn’t sound like you found it hard. Excellent dynamics.

31. jotur/Cathy Turner - Dill Pickle Rag I think this is the best of your recital pieces yet. Sounds like it was as much fun to play as it was to listen to. Make sure you put this one on your demo CD!

39. Sand Tiger - Ashokan Farewell You’ve only been playing five months? Impressive! Also impressive is that you were able to transcribe the YouTube videos to get your sheet music. If I tried to do that, it would take me a gazillion years.

Clemente, this is the issue of what you hear vs. what others can hear. When I listen to recordings from 3 years ago, I thought I was so hot. LOL. It sucked because my time was off.

So what I hear as the issue is the LH (evenness of that figure). When you start hearing your faults (there's always some), then you get better. I keep looking (listening) for those faults everyday. I succeed when I hear them and shortly after that it gets better.

46. MaryBee- I always look forward to your recital piece. Boy, you have your hands full with this one. Like you say, so full of such a passion and drama. I can really hear how much fun you are having playing it. I love how you slow and get so quite and then... bang back into it. Well done.

32. John- I love how absorbed you get in what you play. I always get a bit of an education along with an enjoyable listen. John... I've listened to you for a number of years now (well before you were trapping) and I have to say, you are just getting better and better. You play this with a remarkable amount of feeling and touch. I think this is your best yet. Excellent!!

#24. Monica- Dreamy. Sweet. Beautifully played.

I really enjoyed listening to everyone, everyone did such a great job, and thanks everyone for the comments on my piece. I still am working on some things in it, but moving on soon. After hearing all these recording, it looks like I have to step up my game quite a bit. Anyway, here are my short comments (not criticisms, since I am not qualified to criticize) on everyone’s pieces:

1. Wouter79—I loved this piece. I’d never heard it before. 2.5 years experience? Wow. You kept good rhythm and dynamics throughout the whole piece. Awesome.
2. Mel—Beautiful and beautifully played. I’ve enjoyed all the pieces that you’ve played and posted on the forums. This one has some great and interesting harmonies. Nice job as always.
3. BenPiano—I love Scriabin, one of my favorites. I liked how you didn’t rush this one, and kept it at a nice p to mp, with the occasional mf thrown in there. Great job.
4. Jazzwee—improvising is something I’ve never quite got the hang of, so hats off to you. Cool performance, and some interesting riffs you put together.
5. Glen—Dynamics are perfect on this piece. I love the way you bring out the bass notes when they need to be heard. You made me want to learn this piece.
6. Mr. SuperHunky—nice work to pick that song out by ear. Sounds great on piano, you did it justice.
7. SwissMS—you did really well with rubato in this piece, which is a big part of playing the Chopin Nocturnes. I really enjoyed listening to this one.
8. CarlosCC—pretty song, and you played it very well. Good choice to speed it up a bit. This is one that you can play for people and they will really enjoy it and think it’s beautiful.
9. Diana—good steady rhythm. You are doing very well keeping the bass softer while the right hand plays the melody. That’s one of the hardest things to learn when starting out.
10. Recaredo—Well, Beethoven is my absolute favorite, and I love this whole Sonata. It wasn’t a mistake to learn it, you played it great, and I bet you had fun doing it. I particularly liked the ending when the octaves come in.
11. Jazztpt—very touching. I wish I could write something like that. You captured a lot of emotion, and the title goes perfectly with the song. I particularly like that two note descending whole-step motive (don’t know if I explained that right, but it sounds like a whole step) throughout the piece.
12. (Was)True Beginner—I’m really impressed with the original compositions. Nice chord progression. This was a sad goodnight kiss, with some tenderness in there as well.
13. KenJazz—I like the drums. It says a lot about your ability that you can keep it interesting for that long. I admire you guys that can improvise like that. I wish I could.
14. Amaruk—haunting. Well played. You made those tricky parts in the middle sound effortless. I can tell you like this piece a lot.
15. Sam S—I’m actually learning the fugue part, and it is going slowly—the fingering is crazy. I’ll learn the prelude after I’m done, because it is harder than the fugue (or is it?). I liked the surprise method on transitioning into the faster tempo. Good work.
16. Peyton—I call this the Jazz Mazurka because it sounds like a jazz composition in some parts, and certainly sounds improvised. This was one of my favorites of the recital.
17. ladypayne—another good composition with an interesting chord progression. I liked the oboe in the middle.
18. Ed—Mrs. Calabash must be rolling over in her grave. This music is certainly undignified. Well, lucky for us, this recital is not limited to only dignified music. Loved the piece, and you played it fantastically. Again, I’m amazed at how good the arrangements are in this recital.
19. Greener—I’m impressed that you can learn this just from watching youtube videos. Great job. Nice dynamics and tempo.
20. Cheryl—Nicely done, especially on the Entrée. I liked the Handel too—it’s hard to keep going when you make a mistake, and I thought you recovered nicely. I think I recorded mine about 20 times before I got one that was decent enough.
21. timmyab—I liked this one a lot. This is one you just put on repeat and listen to over and over. I guess most of Schubert is like that.
22. Lady Chen—excellent performance. This is another one I would like to be able to play someday.
23. Mr. Pozor—awesome job. Only 4 months with piano? You are progressing nicely. Keep up the good work.
24. Monica K.—I love the sound of your piano. You played this very well, keeping a nice steady tempo. I could fall asleep to this (in a good way).
26. Mile Hi Steve—very impressive to pick this out by ear. Good playing too. I can see this being played in a church service.
27. Bobpickle—to be able to play a 5 minute song after 8 months of piano is impressive in itself, and to play it this well is doubly so. I loved this one. Great dynamics, great tempo. Everything was good.
28. joangolfing—I liked your piece. I hope you are having fun playing it on your new piano. Congrats. It sounds good.
29. Mar_red— great playing from just a lead sheet. You put some nice nuances in there.
30. cscl—Beethoven’s bagatelles may be lesser pieces as compared to his sonatas, but they sure aren’t simple to play. You did an excellent job, even through the difficult passages.
31. jotur—delightful. When I first came back to piano I started with ragtime. It is so fun to play, and I think you conveyed that in your playing.
32. Trapper John—I love this song. The best from Phantom, IMO. Great job on it, too.
33. knotty—I love these ensemble pieces. I love hearing how the piano basically does most of the harmony the whole song, keeping everything together, and then has to come to the front and solo as well. That’s why pianists are the best. You represented us well.
34. Andy Platt—well played. You really brought out the melancholy in this piece. A touching finish as well.
35. Newman—nice voice, and a good rendition. I’m not the best at singing and playing at the same time, so my hat’s off to you.
36. Copper—this piece relaxed me. I like the tempo you chose. I’ve heard this played too fast before. Great job.
37. Jake S—I don’t understand how you can play this after only 7 months of piano. Do you mean 7 months on this piece? I’m not sure I can even play this now, after more than 8 years of piano. Kudos to you, this is a great accomplishment to play this whole thing.
38. Augustina—beautiful piece, and nice job with it. Makes me feel nostalgic for some reason.
39. Sand Tiger—that’s cool that you were able to pick this out just watching youtube videos. Sounds like you had fun with this piece. Thanks for sharing.
40. Serge88—you kept a sweet groove on this one. Keep it up and you will get faster at it. It sounds good now, though, even at the slower tempo. Would be fun to accompany someone singing this, or sing it yourself.
41. Starr Keys—you have a beautiful voice, thanks for sharing it. Your piano playing isn’t too shabby either. This reminded me of 40’s/50’s style jazz.
42. Cmohr—nice little piece. Very well done.
43. ClavBoy—you were right to play this without pedal, and I thought your articulation was good. I didn’t hear any mistakes. Good dynamics. What’s not to like?
44. Ken—I’m not really familiar with Thelonius Monk, I have to admit, but this made me want to hear more. Such interesting chord progressions. Good job on the piano, too.
45. Daveindenton—well, you did a fabulous job with this. I don’t know why you would hesitate to turn this in. I think I might put this on my ipod and listen to it.
46. MaryBee—for some reason, Mozart is very hard for me. The music doesn’t sound overly complicated, but to pull it off, you have to have a delicate touch and impeccable timing. I thought you did a nice job with this one. Crisp performance, which is what is needed with Mozart.
47. Dadagain’s Daughter—you are coming along quite nicely from your Invention No. 4 I saw. This recording is much more mature—and basically mistake free. I look forward to seeing your progress in the future.
48. Dadagain—it sounded like you “get” Bach quite well. I liked the fugue, and I thought it sounded musical. This seemed like a particularly difficult one, and you pulled it off nicely.
49. Mike White—nice little piece. Well done.
50. Falmc—another good original composition from the forum. We’ve got some talented individuals in here.
51. Clemente—I love the Andalucia Suite. I played Malaguena (poorly) a while ago. This one has some seriously difficult rhythms, but you tackled them all very well. Way to go. Hats off to you.
52. Norrec—this is a good start to your piano career after Alfred’s. Keep up the good work. I look forward to hearing your progress.
53. notbach—beautiful piece. You have a nice delicate touch.
54. lyricmudra—wow, this is one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. I heard this played by someone at the Van Cliburn competition, and it blew me away. You certainly did it justice. Great touch and articulation.
55. RedKat—I agree with you that this is one of the most beautiful of Chopin’s waltzes. Nice rubato, very well played. I didn’t hear the mistakes you were talking about in your description.
56. Grouchomarx—this is an excellent recording for someone who has only played piano for 3 to 4 years. You should be proud. It sounds like you love to play it, too. I would like to hear the “Friska” section too.
57. Tiago84—this piece is on my to-do list (like so many others). I think it’s one of Chopin’s most beautiful pieces, and that’s saying a lot. Good job on it. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your recording.
58. AndyMc—very interesting melody. I can see this as a soundtrack to a movie or something.
59. Larry Hoy—with the exception of Lament, this is the composition I liked the most from this Recital (no offense meant to the other compositions). Very well done.
60. BillM—Beautiful. I admire all you guys that sang in this recital. Everyone did such a good job. This piece sounded especially difficult to play while singing, but you pulled it off well.
61. PianoStudent88—nice finish to the recital. Khatchaturian can be a bit tricky, but you did a good job.

23. MrPozor - Minuet in A minor - Z649
I’m amazed at how well you play after only 4 months of self-teaching – a very confident if brief performance. I look forward to hearing more from you.

24. Monica K. - Fairy Tale
You have chosen another “dreamy” and lyrical piece which fits your style nicely. You are the ABF Master of New Age Piano – beautifully done!

25. Cookie74 - Invention No. 4 in D minor
Love the high energy – this almost knocked me out of my chair. Your piano has an almost harpsichord-like tone quality.

26. Mile Hi Steve - Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
One of my favorites of the recital. I love the reverential treatment you gave this great hymn – Your Clavinova sounds fantastic. The recording has the same high quality as the performance.

27. Bobpickle - June (Barcarolle)
An excellent performance. I love the way you didn't rush your way through this and allowed the beauty of the music to express itself.

28. joangolfing - The Poet Speaks
Your new piano has a nice, full tone – a very enjoyable performance.

29. Mar_red - Rosemary's Baby - Lullaby
I’ve seen Rosemary’s Baby many times but must admit I don’t remember this piece – too bad as it is quite lovely. Portions of this sound quite tricky but you pull it off perfectly. Very nicely done. Cool ending – I’m sure that is improvised.

30. cscl - Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119, No. 1
A gentle and romantic interpretation of this beautiful piece. You play quite expressively. I hope your beautiful piano found its way safely to Boston.

31. jotur/Cathy Turner - Dill Pickle Rag
A real toe-tapper. You seem to have more bottom end on this recording than what I’ve heard from you in the past. I like the way you aren’t afraid to give the bass line a good whack! A really fun listen.

25. Cookie74 - Invention No. 4 in D minor Welcome back! Wow, awesome performance! Nice recording, too. Excellent speed on this invention and so very well articulated. Just as is should be played.

26. Mile Hi Steve - Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Oh, this is rapturous! What a beautiful arrangement. The last few bars totally gave me the chills! You're going to have the congregation shedding a few tears with this. So beautifully played. Rather breathtaking.

27. Bobpickle - June (Barcarolle) One of my favorites of the "months". You play this so sensitively with the perfect touch, dynamics and phrasing. Really? Only 8 months? Very impressive. I loved it.

28. joangolfing - The Poet Speaks How exciting to have recorded on your new piano! ( I'm jealous. ) Sounds beautiful. I think you played this perfectly - with the right interpretation, actually as if someone were speaking or reciting. So enjoyable!

27 Bobpickle - June (Barcarolle), Tchaikowsky
This is really pretty, Bobpickle. Good dynamics throughout. I am astonished that you can play this with only 8 months experience. Bravo! There isn't much to criticize here.

28 joangolfing - The Poet Speaks, Schumann
Very pretty, joangolfing. I knew I was looking forward to hearing hte difference between this and your old piano. I am not disappointed.

29 Mar_Red - Rosemary's Baby - Lullaby, Krzyszfof Komeda
The movie was so long ago that I do not recall the music, but this is quite pretty. It doesn't sound so easy to play, either. Nice job, Mar_Red.

30 cscl - Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119, No. 1, Beethoven
A very nice job, cscl. I do hope your piano arrives in its new home soon. It must be difficult waiting for its arrival.

31 jotur/Cathy Turner - Dill Pickle Rag, Charles L. Johnson
Nice, Cathy! I must admit to being perplexed, though, by the statement "No one died in the library." I guess that must be good news . . .

32 TrapperJohn - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, Webber, Hart, & Stilgoe
I'm afraid I have to admit my cultural backwardness when I say that I have never seen Phantom nor heard this song. It is very pretty. Thanks for an entertaining performance, John.

33 knotty - Petite Fleur, Sidney Bechet
A delightful little flower this is, knotty. Despite its length, I found myself wanting more.

34 Andy Platt - Prelude in E Minor (Opus 28, No 4),Chopin
Very enjoyable performance, Andy.

35 Newman - Desperado, Don Henley & Glenn Frey
Nice job, Newman. This is one of my favorite songs. Your voice fits it well.

36 Copper - Ave Maria, Burgmuller
I don't hear Burgmuller's Ave often. Beautiful job, Copper.

Boy Ken , you work fast , I am very much looking forward to hearing your version.
If anyone else is interested the lead sheet can be found in my Piano recordings folder on Box.

I posted a first cut of this in the August Piano Bar for anyone that wants to hear this interpretation. Hint: It is not really a piano number. It really is a brilliant composition and a wonderful accomplishment jazztpt!

32. TrapperJohn - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again (from "Phantom...")
We saw the Phantom when it came to the Kennedy Center years ago but I can’t say I remember this song. It is a beauty, as is your performance. Sweet ending.

33. knotty - Petite Fleur
A very tight, refined performance.

34. Andy Platt - Prelude in E Minor (Opus 28, No 4)
There is great beauty in the simplicity of this piece and your performance brings it out quite nicely.

35. Newman - Desperado
I mentioned when you did this one in the Piano Bar that your voice is perfect for this one. Very nice.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my recital piece. Your encouragement keeps me working hard to improve! StarrKeys in answer to your question regarding the Alps being my inspiration - Yes! I live on a lake surrounded by mountains. It is hard to be down when I look out the window!

Thank yous

Thanks Clemente, BobPickle, Andy Platt, Sam S, CMohr, Cookie74. You were all extremely kind to gloss over the bumps in my singing and convey so carefully to me how you liked the video despite them. I did learn a lot about what I have to work on vocally from trying to make this work, so that, even if it was a "good song for my voice", I can give a more consistently good performance of the song with it. My teacher seems confident she can "whip me into shape" with time and that it's not too late. Unfortunately, she's been on vacation for the last three weeks while I was working on my recording. I can't wait for her to get back next month!

Thanks also for the kind remarks on my playing and photos. I spent a lot of time narrowing it down to which of the latter I wanted to use from our collection and exchanging emails with my sisters to obtain others.

Performance Comments:

Seems I'm not quite ready to be random yet. Here's another small batch still in consecutive order:

11 Jazzpt - I listened to this before I read your description, and I thought to myself, this sounds like a modern jazz equivalent of Moonlight Sonata. I also thought of some of those marvelous jazz bio pics . Well, one we've already covered is the Fabulous Baker Boys, and maybe another is the one on Chet Baker is. You know, the ones where the artists were hitting rock bottom and/or there was a lot rain. Very sad, perhaps not funereal as Moonlight Sonata, but the way an addict feels facing the bottom of the bottle. I'm sorry anyone, least of you had to go through that, but what a gift to be able to espress yourself so eloquently and cathartically while producing something so beautiful. Definitely another example of why I think your musics deserves to be shared with a much larger audience than us, although I'm glad we get to share it.

12. (Was)TrueBeginner -- Very hypnotic melody. The soothing repetitions lull you in only to shake you awake by the surprising dissonances. I've read somewhere that in order to learn to play by ear or improvise a known song, you need to be able to recreate the experience of the composer as he composed it. Listening to you, it occurred to me that this is probably the way the great composers learned to play the piano, not with technics designed to focus on particular skills, but by creating music that was an unfolding process of applying repetitious patterns and motifs and got them listening and exploring harmony. Like you, they developed their trademark style and composition skills in the process. You've come a long way with both.

13. Kenjazz that was really terrific! I swear it made me run to my "Text for voice class text" and look up the words to the song, since I remembered it was in there. I'd love to sing it when I get a little more skilled. Wonderful version, yours, though. Didn't miss a vocalist at all.

14. Amaruk I always look forward to your contributions. You choose the most haunting music and always more than "do it justice." This piece was just beautiful in your hands. I like the drama here, as in so many of your performances, where you start out very simple and then get into tricky rhythmic patterns and more complex harmonies. I'm curious, in addition to the challenges in the piece as written, did you also transcribe it to another key?--I think you said you might. I'm just wondering if you thought it helped you learn it better/quicker that way! I love that you don't play from sheet music and can be so expressive and in the flow.

Augustina
piece: Joe Bongiorno, Touched
technical:
clipping: no
balance L/R: ok
noise: much whitish noise
bass: little
depth of field: little
piano sound: fair

musical:
overall impression, like: Lot of improvement over the previous version, congratulations! Way much better job on the rythm. Main thing to work on now IMHO is to get it flow better.
Phrasing: Much better phrasing than your previous version. Much less breakdowns on the harder parts. But as you say, tempo and phrasing need more work.
rubato, speed changes: Timing also has improved a lot
Dynamics: The volume control got much much better. In the original recording I thought that it was not even possible on this keyboard to make soft and loud sounds, while now it clearly shows. You have a very nice volume control, keeping even some extra room for the climax near the end.
articulation: chords block much better now, they sound as chords instead of arpeggio's now. much better use of pedal.

So many great pieces we have here again!!

Thanks for the kind words regarding my piece!

Random reviews...

60 BillM
[video:youtube]QdGwzr9uvcY[/video]

Bill, your playing and your voice never let us down! This song is new to be but you really make it shine. The words " ... it's all so easy.." fit great. Yes, it sure looks easy when we see you play it. It is amazing that you improvise the accompaniment here as it sounds so good. Great work and thanks for sharing! .