Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital #29 -- General Discussion Room

Richard, I'm impressed by your thoughtfullness and attentionto each piece. I agree...it's tough to put that kind of attention to so many pieces four times a year.

1. Mr. S/H - it was breath takingly beautiful. You bring out incredibly rich sound from a piano. It's like swelling and vibrating ocean with a touch of sadness. It shows your musical maturity and sensitivity that I'm privileged to see in action. I love this one best so far.

2 inlanding - beautifully shaped and executed. This is a composer I recently knew about through the Pianist magazine. You captured the melancholuc and yet nostalgic pathos of the piece very well.

3. Dannylax - what a great piece for a piano party! You seem to be having lots of fun. You are clearly having good time. Good for you.

4 Plowboy - You are right, no its not that easy to play it well. For one thing to play those darn chords together not so loudly and for another to shape the melody line sing. I think you've done great job for both that you must be really happy with.

5 Slpianoproject - In spite of soreness on the left hand you have done quite a job. It's a beautiful piece but I don't think I can take the tons of dark emotion contsined in the piece since I get influenced by it. Does it affect you?

6. CarlosCC - good job. You have an incredible musicianship. My husband loved it. He is no so easily pleased with music.

+1



Great observation! The reason I am using headphones in this video is that I wanted to be quiet that evening so I decided to record without any sound in the room (single take, two cameras).

Two cameras. Nice. And excellent editing.

Second group:


11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor Andy don't be so hard on yourself as I heard a whole lot of really nice things in this piece. I liked the very last note the best as it had a certain harpsichord sound I love. Your doing great.

12. Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf' This piece grabbed from the very first second. Beautiful-flowing melodies will do that to me and your performance of this piece was equally nice. Your the one who presented it to me in such a nice, flowing manner so you deserve the credit as well. nicely done.

13. Peyton - After All This was nicely done Peyton. I could hear a musical conversation between the two hands throughout the piece talking and answering each other. At times even talking over one another but in a harmonious way that complemented and blended the sounds together. There was two 'celestial' runs that were truly magical. The two hands joining together as one in the end was probably the most beautiful part of all.

To me, this piece is the musical equivalent of a strong marriage/bond between two people.

14. joangolfing - Grieg Waltz Op.12 Very nicely played and expressed in an elfy-poppy way. I also like the attention you spent on the dynamics of the piece as it is evident.

15. Greener / Jeff Green - Moments Musicaux - A flat major; Opus 94 No. 6 Jeff, what impresses me most is the obvious amount of effort and attention to detail you spent on ... EVERYTHING. It shows. The recording was outstanding and the effort put into your playing is noticeable. My only suggestion would be to relax and enjoy the music you are now creating as doing that will enable you to refine the piece even further over time.

16. Riddler (Ed) - Reflections in D Ed I'm glad you couldn't resist and made this piece your own. It payed off as the end result was dreamingly beautiful. I'm melting listening to this right now!

17. Monica K. - Just Because I Love You I enjoyed the beautiful melody in this piece Monica as well as the delicate way you played it. Finger gymnastics is amazing to watch but I'll go for the simply beautiful melodies every time. This is the type of music I play and listen to when no one is lookin'. This is why I am enjoying your piece so much.

18. ladypayne - Improv in G minor I always love your improvised melodies and direction you go with your music. Lots of diversity and dramatic chords to keep me actively participating in listening. Well done.

19. Jake S - Fur Elise 'A+'. Not for choosing the most overplayed piece on earth but for the incredibly talented way you played it. Incredible control of dynamics with an absolutely perfectly flowing rhythm. For only playing a year I should give you a speeding ticket of sorts. Extremely well done.

20. Serge88 - Fly Me To The Moon This is beautiful music Serge presented in a flawless/professional way. I'd love to hear more from you and less of the band in a box accompaniment however as we all know you've got the talent.

Here is my first batch of reviews. I wont be able to do everyone simply because first of all...: English isnt my main language so i lack the words to describe all the performances, it would be repetitive! Secondly, I'm playing only classical so i have a hard time judging jazz/blues/pop etc... I've listened to all the performances once and i'm starting to listen to it again as i'm making my reviews. I'll only make comments when i find its pertinent but i assure you all that everyone did a very fine job on those performances and no offense to the people i don't review. Thanks to you all now i have a ton more pieces i want to learn!

01. Mr Super-Hunky - A Star Named Apple/ New Beginning Great composition! It amazes me to hear this since i simply don't get the process of composing music. You have talent! I particularly like that 2nd theme that starts around 2:20sh! Good work!

02. Inlanding - Glen - Elegie Very nice touch! You say you cant make a take without errors, this one seems pretty golden to me! You just hit a wrong note around 1:45 thats it lol. The sound is very good, how did you record it? Also, is this sheet music in the public domain? Thanks for sharing!

03. dannylux / Mel - Czerny Romance in E Op.755 Nice performance! A pleasure to listen to! Also this DP sounds gorgeous! Looking forward to hear more from you!

04. Plowboy - Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4 AAmmaazziinngg. You play with alot of emotions and its what makes this piece shine. I heard so many failed amateur attempts at this piece and this is certainly not one. Just a little critic tho, the images in the video and the piece don't fit lol. Those are nice photos but to me they just dont go togheter... Awesome performance tho. Thanks.

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2 Here i have alot to say ..: First of all congratulation for this very fine performance. For only 3 years of piano experience you have a wonderful touch. You are able to bring out both melodies very well and that is impressive. I totally agree with your choice of not using pedal in this piece, it gives it a juggling feeling wich sound appealing to my hears. It also makes the left hand melody shine alot. As for you not being satisfied with the performance well... I've listened to your performance several times, even followed with the sheet music and your left hand is perfect. There is a clear distinction when its a quaver + its rest and a crochet. You use clear legato when its indicated. I'm highly impressed.

I can't really help you about the main theme being repetitive. Some mendelssohn pieces tend to make me feel the same way when i play it. I've recently made a recording of Op.30 no.1 on youtube and the theme repeats alot more (you can look it up on youtube... just search slpianoproject). 8 times to be precise with almost no variation. At the very end it comes back briefly and it always gives me the feeling the listener must think "OMG not again, will it end already".... But eh... what can we do... we play what is written.

Anyways i assure you that you should be proud of this performance its really impressive. Especially with 3 years of experience... I've played longer than you (although its hard to gauge how long i've been playing since i'm very casual) and i don't think i would do better than this. Awesome job!

By the way, are you using a special tuning on your piano? Or its just out of tune? Cause it fits perfectly with the piece.



Thats it for my first batch... i'll do more of it tommorow.

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I still wanna take time to thank everyone for the comments they made on my performance (Nocturne Op.27no.1)

@Monika K : I'm using omni capsules on my microphones (ones that captures the whole room instead of just in front of the mic) so the hammers are exposed just because by opening the piano i get a better sound. My piano is also moved away from the wall and the bottom pannel is also removed lol.

@saranoya : Thanks for comment. I indeed know my piano is out of tune . At first i wanted to tune it but since its winter here and the change of season coming i didnt want to spend 100$ on tuning and waste it in april :S . I promise for the June (?) recital it'll be tuned! Thanks again

@Grouchomarx : I agree with you about the contrast needed in the middle section. I have been playing on DPs for a while and i'm still struggling with some dynamics on my accoustic. On top of it... i'm not able to play fast so that middle section was vvveerrrryyy challenging to me. Wish i could bash those octaves louder but at the moment i cant lol. Give me 2 more years! Thanks for comment

@zrtf90 : Glad you enjoyed the piece. Such encouraging comments!

@Riddler : Thanks for comment. Yes all the pieces i learn are played without the sheet music. I guess i'm lucky but memorizing comes to me naturally. It comes with repetition and muscle memory (i prolly rely on it too much wich is a problem). Usually the piece is memorized wayyyy before i enter into the polishing phase.

@farmgirl : It is indeed quite a dark piece. I also show the youtube video on my facebook and sometimes i'm scared ppl think i'm depressive because the piano pieces i prefer and play are almost all sad and dark. Its what appeals to me. In real life i'm actually quite a happy fellow, so i dont think it affects me actually i think its quite the opposite. Guess i vent on the piano!

34. beechcraft409 - Ombre - Yes, I have this one in my best of Einaudi book - totally gonna learn it now. First, terrifically done, second, thanks for sharing and introducing me to it!

27. PhilzPiano - Prelude no. 1 in C major - Well done on this classic piece! As far as advice, my qualifications are lacking, but I would recommend slowing down just a tad - and I say this only because I speed up when I record myself - I play too fast because I'm nervous! So, perhaps, practice future pieces even slower knowing that you might speed up a bit when recording. And if your nerves don't bother you, then slow and deliberate practice is always beneficial as well. Did I mention my qualifications were lacking?

21. Teodor - Donnie Darko - The Artifact and the Living - I hope your studies are going well! I can appreciate that you brought this piece back after forgetting it from 2 years ago. Sometimes these pieces are hard to learn, easy to forget, and not so hard to remember.

11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor - Nice job tackling this one! This is by far my favorite of Bach's inventions, and also the most intimidating. Secretly, I'm glad you learned this one and not me because it's crazy hard. I'll join with you in this one some day in the distant future!

10. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Sneakin' Round -
That was awesome! (I don't think I could get my fingers to move that fast)

You've come a long way since first your first debut on the ABF forum - a trajectory that continues to point up and holds much promise. :-)

09. SwissMS - Little Prelude in D Major BWV 936 - That didn't sound nor look like a little prelude - wow! That looked terribly complex, and you played it so well, bouncing off the keys where appropriate - nicely done!

06. CarlosCC - Julia - I love your playing, and your reason for playing this beautifully - for your wife. When we can play for someone else besides our own ears, then we bring a little purpose for what we do. I'm glad you found your purpose for this piece, and could share it with us.

Richard, thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment, your insight is so precious!

I will certainly be in the next recital and I already know what to play

11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor As a said before I'm not a big fan of bach so take my comments with a grain of salt. I actually quite like this piece, especially the overall drive. This piece is probably great for practicing trills, so you should definitely keep at it. Try relaxing more, and try different finger combinations if you have't already(2-4 instead of 2-3 or vice versa). You can even practice trills away from the piano against any surface.

12. Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf' An easy piece to listen to and enjoy. No faults in your playing.

13. Peyton - After All I wish I could improvise like you and compose my own tunes and pieces. I like the soft touch of your left hand and think it's well balanced with the melody. You play with a great deal of control and produce a very nice sound from your piano.

14. joangolfing - Grieg Waltz Op.12 Never played any Grieg myself but have the sheet music for March of the trolls. Not familiar with the piece you played so hard to give any constructive feedback. It sounds good thought, with varying dynamics.

15. Greener / Jeff Green - Moments Musicaux - A flat major; Opus 94 No. 6 A very solid performance with good dynamics. You've probably put a lot of work into this piece, which shows. Well done and keep up the good work.

Thanks for all the positive feedback, you guys inspire me to work harder... @BillM, you are too kind.

Well, I hope so, since that's what it is supposed to be (a dance) . But, in hindsight, I think if I were going for a true dance feel, I should have played it a little bit faster. The Maelzel Metronome, alas, is from after Haydn's time, so no unequivocal markings on the score with regards to tempo. I went with what came naturally to me. Still, glad you liked it.



Thanks! I plan to re-record this once the Boston has been delivered, just to see for myself if I can do substantially better under supposedly 'optimal' circumstances. But I'm actually not sure that I can. I knew I had only one chance to get this right: it was the first time in three weeks that the room was that quiet, and I've never found it that quiet again since. I think, in a way, that forced me to make the very best of it. Kind of like when I couldn't play the Mozart Menuett error-free even once in class, but at the Christmas recital, when it *really* mattered, it came out more or less the way I wanted it to.



Perhaps you are right about number two being more approachable. However, when I took music lessons the first time around, there was a girl in my music theory class who played Chopin Nocturne #2 for her third-year piano exam, and she got a perfect score with it (yes, apparently, that really does happen). I'm a little weird this way, and I know that if I try to take on this particular piece, but then don't get it up to a very high standard, I will lose motivation to do more Chopin Nocturnes in the future. With #1, I don't have this memory of a little girl with three years experience playing the socks off most other pianists (including our music theory teacher at the time!), and therefore I will probably be more easily satisfied with whatever level I manage to play it at.



I think you are being far more critical of yourself here than of anyone else you've been listening to. Which, I suppose, is true of most of us here. So you're forgiven . However, I re-iterate what I said earlier: yes, the piece you chose to submit can still use some spit and polish (did you really expect to be able to play that up to the standard of, say, Yundi Li, with barely over a year of piano playing experience?). But it's really quite enjoyable to listen to already. Just go with the flow and take that as the compliment it was intended to be .



Yes. More appropriate, perhaps. I'm beginning to think (as, no doubt, are you) that maybe I'm trying to jump higher than I really can, in choosing the Moonlight Sonata as a recital piece (first for the live in-class recital in April, and then for the ABF recital in May). We shall see what April brings. The 'slice of heaven' comment is nice, though. Thank you! And, at the level you are at, I'm sure you can pick this piece up by ear from my recording, and learn it in maybe two hours of concerted practice. Then you just ask Google where your nearest pub with a piano is. No big deal .



It wasn't all that ingenious, really. As I implied above, I just did a Google search to find the nearest pub with a piano, and then I was lucky to arrive there at a relatively quiet time four days before the recital. All the same, my colleagues and friends think I'm nuts for going out each night to practice in a public place, on a piano that isn't mine, nearly half an hour by tram from where I live. I tell them I'm not crazy, just determined. This is the last chance I'm giving myself. I'm not going to let anything stand in my way this time, and I'm *not* going to quit, no matter what happens. I hope I don't disappoint you with my rendition of Moonlight in May.



Affect, in this context . You could have written 'effect' if you'd modified the sentence a bit to something along these lines: "Also, one shouldn't let the progress of others have an effect on one's own motivation for playing." They mean kind of the same thing, but affect is a verb, and effect is a noun . Either way, my rational mind knows that you're right. The only yard stick that really counts is the one measuring my progress between where *I* started and where *I* am now, or where I will be in ten years. But still, when I hear people like you play, sometimes I can't help but think I'm wasting my time on something I will never be any good at.



Huh. That's interesting. Not even 9 AM yet, and I've already learned something new today. A day without learning something is a day wasted, I think. So thank you!



I don't know what 'pluck' means, but perseverance is one thing I have in abundance. I don't need your admiration for that: the rewards will hopefully show themselves in what I manage to accomplish in my life because of my perseverance. But thanks anyway, and thanks for the nice comment on my performance as such!



High praise! Thanks. I do hope so very much that I won't disappoint you (and myself) with my next recording!



Another bout of high praise. Thank you very much. My piano teacher says pretty much the same thing about me, so I guess it must be true. Hopefully, I can live up to it in my next recording.

Never mind. Accidental double post!

I promised everyone who listened to my 10+ minute long piece that they would get a gold star. Here you go:



Many thanks to jotur, aTallGuyNH, Saranoya, SwissMS, BillM, casinitaly, zrtf90.

I can't believe you listened to the whole thing!

Sam

Thanks! as you can see, I'm wearing my star It was actually a great pleasure to listen to your piece Sam, you're the one who deserves a star for being able to play such a long piece so well!

I've listened to it all as well and very enjoyable it is too.
In fact I've listened to everyone's.I'm not going to make individual comments though because for a start it's very time consuming and also because one person's constructive criticism is another person's insult which narrows down what you can say quite a bit.
I do think the standard overall is very high.I worry though that it might be putting off some genuine beginners which is a shame.

An excellent recital! Here is my first set of comments.

By the way, I am listening to this on my new Sonos music player. I can stream the recordings from my laptop to the speaker. Look Ma, no cables! And no headphones! Everybody sounds great, with piano sounds booming through my kitchen.

01. Mr Super-Hunky - A Star Named Apple/ New Beginning This is outstanding, Mr. S-H. Very moving. Loved the transition to the middle section. A moving tribute and professionally done.

02. Inlanding - Glen - Elegie I love this melody, and I never knew where it was from. Thanks for playing it. You did an excellent job of bringing out the melody and keeping the other voices quiet.

03. dannylux / Mel - Czerny Romance in E Op.755 What a surprise! I always associated Czerny with boring exercises. While it's certainly not the same level as his teacher, it is intriguing and I can see i being popular in the drawing rooms. Thanks for playing it.

04. Plowboy - Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4 Excellent job. I thought the dynamics were great. My only suggestions are to get over the slight hesitations I hear every now and then. I do the same thing, a tiny pause while I search for the right chord or next note. Thanks.

05. slpianoproject - Nocturne in C# minor Op.27 no.1 Impressive. My teacher wants me to pick a nocturne to do - I love this one and love how you play it, but it looks too hard for me!

06. CarlosCC - Julia That's a great story Carlos, about this being your wife's favorite piece of yours. Your memory is good! Hope you are feeling better.

07. Diana (sinophilia) - Frankie & Johnnie + Space Shuttle Blues "Frankie and Johnnie were lovers" - I used to play this with a bluegrass band (on banjo). Sounds great, and you did get plenty of swing going.

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2 Great job. You asked for suggestions, so - Yes the accompaniment parts are too loud. They should be a couple of levels softer than the melody. Difficult to do, but that will make it sound much more musical. On the use of the pedal, even though the bass notes have the little dots, it is the style of the period to use pedal throughout. As one of my teachers once told me, the pedal is not an on/off switch. There are many levels. Just barely touch it in some cases or use what is called quarter pedal. Think of the dots on the bass notes as little accents, not as staccato. Think of pizzicato strings. There is a loud pluck, but it also rings and sustains. If you make the bass notes too short you lose that effect. So use the pedal, even if it is just barely depressing it. Anyway, you have the notes down now, it just needs some fine tuning.

09. SwissMS - Little Prelude in D Major BWV 936 So sorry to hear about your health problems. But you can't tell it by listening to this - you did an excellent job.

10. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Sneakin' Round You have certainly come a long way. Great swing, and I loved the "cascade" of notes. And that low note at the end made me laugh.

More to come...

Sam

It has been a wonderful day listening to this recital. We're enjoying it.

01. Mr Super-Hunky - This is a beautiful tribute, Mr SH. It has your distinctive "touch". Wonderful, as always.

02. Inlanding - Glen - Glen, this is a very, very nice rendition. You keep the mood along the entire piece. I can listen the "memories" you put on this. Congratulations.

03. dannylux / Mel - Mel, I agree. This is a delightful and exquisite piece and I enjoyed the rhythm of dance in some parts. You show all your brilliant technique in this work. Nice job!

04. Plowboy - I love Chopin, but I never had the courage to play a piece of him... I really believe that this is very difficult, but your rendition is great. I don't know why you are not happy... this is great.

05. slpianoproject - This is your first ABF recital, right? Wow, what a great start! As I told to Plowboy, I love Chopin and it was a pleasure to listen this Nocturne. Bravo!

07. Diana (sinophilia) Diana, I think this is nicely done and I could fell the swing on both pieces. The "Red dot" may be scary but it is an excellent help to improve our habilities. Congratulations!

08. wouter79 - I don't know why you're not satisfied with your work... I have 3 years of experience and I can't imagine myself playing this. Wonderful job on this (far from easy!) piece.

09. SwissMS - I never tried to play a piece of Bach just because... I'm not able to understand his music, yet. Thus, I admire those who can play like you do. For a true listener, I think this is a very solid interpretation. Nicely done.

10. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Cheryl, this is the funniest piece of the recital! I can feel the fun you had playing it. very good!, and thanks for raising my mood.

Slpianoproject- You should be really proud of this performance. Just beautiful playing and what a nice gently touch you have. Great sounding piano and recording as well. For the life of me I cold not figure out whatI was seeing with those hammers. I'm glad you showed the full piano at the end.

Saranoya- that's so funny you had to go to a pub to record this. That given... wow, what nice playing.

timmy,

Don't be scared to insult me, please give me your comments if you feel it's worth your time and you have anything that might be useful for me.

Sam,

Thanks for the feedback but I have a quick question (I come back to all suggestions in detail later when I have more time)



Regarding the non-pedaling, I was talking about the explicit rests in the bass lines. Not about the dotted notes in the bass line at the end. How about these explicit rests, you can't play these if you use pedal?