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Joined: Jul 2011
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Eagerly awaiting Toastie's post! I bet she is on her way to her piano... Sam that's a very shiny car. Can't drive myself- I walk everywhere!
Last edited by EdwardianPiano; 10/20/12 01:42 PM.
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Edwardian, re: the length of a beat. fwiw, the metronome numbers indicate beats per minute (bpm). So if the metronome is set at 60, that's 60 bpm, so 1 beat = 1 second. For metronome setting 120, 1 beat = half a second.
Carol (Started playing July 2008)
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..if only it was a crotchet = 1 second, a semi breve 4 seconds etc then I would at least some idea- if the beats have no length there is no way I will ever understand how to measure them. It isn't like making a pot of soup and I can put six carrots in, 2 onions, 5 spuds, handful peas, two tins tomatoes, handful cauli, Well done! You've completely cracked it! It's EXACTLY like carrots, onions etc. But if you use six SMALL carrots, you need to use two SMALL onions! Big carrots, big onions. It's all relative. Here's another way of looking at it. Walk 10 paces North, 10 paces East, 10 paces South and 10 paces West. You'll have walked out a square (unless you started at the South Pole:-) Now get a 5-year-old child to do the same. Still a square, but smaller steps, so a smaller one. I feel your pain though. Last night I met a young boy who had just started drum lessons. He could play a basic rock beat pretty well, but only at one speed. He found it very hard to follow as I played a similar rhythm at a different tempo. And there are plenty of singers who have learned a song by imitating a recording and can't sing it in a different key, even when it suits their voice better. They've learned it physically, not aurally. Teachers take note. Students often learn the physical action, but not the music.
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Edwardian, re: the length of a beat. fwiw, the metronome numbers indicate beats per minute (bpm). So if the metronome is set at 60, that's 60 bpm, so 1 beat = 1 second. For metronome setting 120, 1 beat = half a second. OOOH thanks....still bit confused. I tried with the metronome the other week- my teacher set an online one for me. I couldn't strike a key in time to it- will have to keep trying!
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Joined: Jul 2011
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..if only it was a crotchet = 1 second, a semi breve 4 seconds etc then I would at least some idea- if the beats have no length there is no way I will ever understand how to measure them. It isn't like making a pot of soup and I can put six carrots in, 2 onions, 5 spuds, handful peas, two tins tomatoes, handful cauli, Well done! You've completely cracked it! It's EXACTLY like carrots, onions etc. But if you use six SMALL carrots, you need to use two SMALL onions! Big carrots, big onions. It's all relative. Here's another way of looking at it. Walk 10 paces North, 10 paces East, 10 paces South and 10 paces West. You'll have walked out a square (unless you started at the South Pole:-) Now get a 5-year-old child to do the same. Still a square, but smaller steps, so a smaller one. I feel your pain though. Last night I met a young boy who had just started drum lessons. He could play a basic rock beat pretty well, but only at one speed. He found it very hard to follow as I played a similar rhythm at a different tempo. And there are plenty of singers who have learned a song by imitating a recording and can't sing it in a different key, even when it suits their voice better. They've learned it physically, not aurally. Teachers take note. Students often learn the physical action, but not the music. The soup changes each time! So do my flapjacks heh heh! People get confused getting recipes off me cos I tend to throw things in, mix it up and hey presto a great soup or flapjack- they want measurements but I don't do measurements. Obviously I learn the action but not aurally.I can pick out notes and key signatures by ear though.
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Joined: Dec 2011
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Edward: the metronome is the nemesis of many of us! LOL it took me weeks to be able to stay remotely on beat with it. (I haven't used it in awhile so I figure I'm probably back to square one with it) Work with it a little bit each day and it will slowly improve.
Becca Began: 01-12-11 Roland RD300NX
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Edward: the metronome is the nemesis of many of us! LOL it took me weeks to be able to stay remotely on beat with it. (I haven't used it in awhile so I figure I'm probably back to square one with it) Work with it a little bit each day and it will slowly improve. Will do Becca- funny, I can tap my little drum in time to it right enough!
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Edward: the metronome is the nemesis of many of us! Better attitude: the metronome is the SAVIOUR of many of us! It also encourages creative thinking, as we work out ever more ingenious reasons why our sloppy timing is JUST FINE and metronomes are simply not for us :-)
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Hi all. I am sitting at Phoenix airport waiting for my British air flight to Heathrow. I wanted to grab a concert on Sunday but I don't think it's feasible. The plane is scheduled to land at 1:00 Pm local time. If my past experience is still relevant, it will take about 1 to 2 hours to get through the passport control. Then it will take another hour to get to London Victoria. I have to eventually go to my destination ( Brighton) after that. We are allow to hire a car service but I feel very guilty about having my company pay 250 pounds for the journey. So I will probably get a coach. I practiced about 2 hours before I came here. I will miss it.
Ok so my achievement this week. I'm getting used to my new teacher. For one thing she is extremely demanding. She makes me play the piece through every time we start the lesson. Then she tells me where she did not agree with my interpretation. To tell you the truth, I'm barely playing. I actually never got to the point to interprete. I was just playing the note. Then she explains why she did not like my 'interpretation'. For example, she will say that she did not hear deceptive cadances. "how about crescendo to that point, emphasze it and come down from there, etc". Then she tells me to at it that way. So it's kind of like mini master class. Also she make me sight read the next section. It's hard. Usually sight reading is a couple of grade below. I was sweating. But I somehow did it. So that's my achievement.
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Hi all. I am sitting at Phoenix airport waiting for my British air flight to Heathrow. I wanted to grab a concert on Sunday but I don't think it's feasible. The plane is scheduled to land at 1:00 Pm local time. If my past experience is still relevant, it will take about 1 to 2 hours to get through the passport control. Then it will take another hour to get to London Victoria. I have to eventually go to my destination ( Brighton) after that. We are allow to hire a car service but I feel very guilty about having my company pay 250 pounds for the journey. So I will probably get a coach. I practiced about 2 hours before I came here. I will miss it.
Ok so my achievement this week. I'm getting used to my new teacher. For one thing she is extremely demanding. She makes me play the piece through every time we start the lesson. Then she tells me where she did not agree with my interpretation. To tell you the truth, I'm barely playing. I actually never got to the point to interprete. I was just playing the note. Then she explains why she did not like my 'interpretation'. For example, she will say that she did not hear deceptive cadances. "how about crescendo to that point, emphasze it and come down from there, etc". Then she tells me to at it that way. So it's kind of like mini master class. Also she make me sight read the next section. It's hard. Usually sight reading is a couple of grade below. I was sweating. But I somehow did it. So that's my achievement. FarmGirl - I hope you manage to have some fun on your trip... if you're like me you'll watch about 3 movies on the way over and not get much sleep. I'm traveling a lot this month too, though nothing as far afield as you... I always enjoy playing piano when I get back. Your new teacher sounds... challenging. I hope you're not feeling steamrolled, but inspired instead. Good luck!
Started playing: February 2011. Still having fun.
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I see most of the excitement is about Toastie's new Yamaha U3 upright. Congratulations. Week 32: practiced every day (3rd week in a row). I am still at about 15 minutes on most days and really had to force myself on one day. The new piece Shimmer is coming along. It may be near done. I enjoy playing it. It is a simple piece in C major. I plan to record it for the upcoming ABF recital. The highlight of the week was attending a concert. Iryna Krechkovsky on violin, Kevin Kwan Loucks on piano, performed a program of Debussy, Strauss, Brahms and Gershwin. Debussy's Sonata in G minor (L. 140), a section from Strauss' Sonata in E-flat Major Op. 18, Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in A Major Op. 100, and selections from Porgy and Bess. Ms. Krechkovsky won a Canadian contest where the prizes are three-year loans of fine instruments. She played her prize a 1689 "Baumgartner" Stradivarius. http://instrumentbank.canadacouncil.ca/Cheers.
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Not an achievement really but, after finding playing PP so difficult I moved away from the mellow setting on my Kawai digital, surprised to find the quieter end of the scale being more progressive in other settings.* As with everybody it's two steps forward, one step back(sometimes two back), but the last couple of days my fingers are behaving better. Edit: * hmm, may have been in my head..
Last edited by Stephen300o; 10/21/12 08:15 AM.
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Sam - my sister is in Canada...she probabl won't be stopping you Toastie, where are the pics? Farmgirl - sounds like your new teacher is demanding - but that you are enjoying your time with her too. I'd rather have a teacher who pushes me a bit than one who doesn't have expectations for me! Sand Tiger - glad you were able to play this week - and that concert sounds great! Stephen - Glad your fingers are paying attention to your brain's instructions a bit better! I've had a quiet piano weekend- played a bit yesterday morning, then we left to head out to the hills of Piemonte, to enjoy a weekend of good wine and good food. We also had the treat of going truffle hunting, with an expert and his dog. That was really fun. The season is poor this year because of the extremely hot/dry summer and dry autumn thus far, but the dog did find 2 black truffles and one white....all miniscule! Still, it was a fun experience. And here we are, back home in time for me to play again today
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
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Cas, how fun to do a truffle search! And fun for the dog too. Must have been a good weekend. Stephan, I think playing PP is very difficult. Much harder than to play FF. So any progress at playing PP is a big step forward. Sand Tiger, that's a nice violin to hear! Unbelievable that violin from 1689 is still played every day. Farmgirl, your new teacher sounds very good!
Chris
Playing since May 02 2009
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No "big achievements" here, just a general observation: after 4.5 months I can now better control the "mood" of the notes I'm playing rather than just trying to hit the keys with the correct timing. And it takes less time to learn a piece.
Anivace, 52, started in June Alfred's Adult Piano Course Book 1 First Lessons in Bach I (1-3), Beethoven - First Book for Pianists (1), Hanon (1-19), plus christmas stuff
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Toastie - congrats on your new piano! I'm sure you'll really enjoy practicing on your new U3.
My accomplishment today was I played in a recital "Playing for Paws" in which students were supposed to get donations from sponsors to play their recital pieces, which went to an animal rescue. I was my own sponsor. There were quite a few students playing and everyone seemed to have fun.
I generally dread playing for other people, but I was told it's just like public speaking and to get over the fear, practice and practice and then do it. I'm glad I did it and I'm more happy that it's over.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
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It's a long story which I can't really go into, but I don't have the piano yet, as was messed around by the dealer. Will have a U3 in a couple of weeks, as have had to get it from elsewhere.
Complete Beginner August 2012 'Play Piano' Book 1 - finished 'Play Piano' Book 2 - finished Grade 1 Sight Reading - finished Grade 1 Exam Pieces Grade 1 Scales The Easy Piano Collection Classical Gold Yamaha U3
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It's a long story which I can't really go into, but I don't have the piano yet, as was messed around by the dealer. Will have a U3 in a couple of weeks, as have had to get it from elsewhere. I feared something might have happened when you didn't come back with an update on the day. I'm so sorry to hear this. What a disappointment. Hang in there... the disappointment will fade quickly once your piano finally comes home to rest.
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
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It's a long story which I can't really go into, but I don't have the piano yet, as was messed around by the dealer. Will have a U3 in a couple of weeks, as have had to get it from elsewhere. I feared something might have happened when you didn't come back with an update on the day. I'm so sorry to hear this. What a disappointment. Hang in there... the disappointment will fade quickly once your piano finally comes home to rest. Thanks, it has been a thoroughly disappointing weekend. I should really have expected it though, because it is after all one of the laws of life that the more you look forward to something the more likely it is that something will go wrong!!!! But I will have one soon (and a better slightly newer piano for a better price) so its all good. Xx
Complete Beginner August 2012 'Play Piano' Book 1 - finished 'Play Piano' Book 2 - finished Grade 1 Sight Reading - finished Grade 1 Exam Pieces Grade 1 Scales The Easy Piano Collection Classical Gold Yamaha U3
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I can well believe how lowering it must have been. But hey! Newer piano for a better price? That takes a bit of the sting out of it, doesn't it?
It will be wonderful. We will look forward to your next burst of excitement as your delivery date approaches!
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
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