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Andy - what satisfaction! Will we hear this at the May recital?
I think I had previously promised (to you, because you do keep asking!) August. But, you know what, there is a chance for May ... perhaps an outside one, but a chance ... I keep asking because lately my memory stinks!! Sorry to be a pest, but I'm really happy to hear that we may get to hear it earlier than expected! I'll try not to repeat the question for a few weeks at least Ragdoll.....As you say, there isn't a rush or a deadline. What you will probably find is that learning this pattern now, even if it is in a somewhat simplified form, will hold you in good stead when you move on to a more elaborate version. I found this when I worked on a simple version of a Clementi sonatina-- I still haven't "officially" studied the piece - but through working very hard to figure out the fingerings and going over and over them very slowly, I find that now when I work at reading through the original version it goes remarkably smoothly!
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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Ron - there is Italian and there are dialects. Most people speak Italian, some (increasingly fewer) speak both, and some very old folks only speak dialect. As far as pronouncing Italian correctly goes, it is very much like English in the US or the UK --- it does vary somewhat from region to region. Those from Tuscany will tell you that their Italian is THE Italian because of Dante Alighieri's 12th century writings in the vernacular "setting the stage" for modern Italian. Where Torquenale comes from the "r" is generally very very soft instead of a harder "rrrrrrrr" growly R you find in other parts of Italy. Where I live the vowel "e" (pronounced "eh") is stretched out into more of an "ay". It is quite fascinating to figure out where folks are from without asking, just listening.
Casinitaly is right, there are local differences in the pronunciation of Italian, and not only: for example in northern Italy we use the past forms in a not completely proper way. In Tuscany people may have a strong aspirated "c", that is not correct. By the way, after Dante Alighieri the second step in establishing a common language in Italy has been the great novel "I promessi sposi", written in the 19th century by Alessandro Manzoni (ho was from Milan). Ron, when you need help...
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AOTW, perhaps: I think I'm ready to learn Chopin's Prelude in Db major Op. 28 No. 15 (a.k.a. the raindrop prelude). Among other things, I seem to have developed the skill to play the raindrops appropriately softly and smoothly. Also playing through Op. 28 No. 4 in E minor I discovered that I could do the same with the LH chords: make them appropriately soft and smooth.
I didn't do any particular exercises to get to this point; I've been recently paying more attention to listening for appropriate balance, and this seems to have just emerged.
Last edited by PianoStudent88; 03/13/13 06:45 PM. Reason: correct opus number
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Ron - there is Italian and there are dialects....It is quite fascinating to figure out where folks are from without asking, just listening.
Casinitaly is right, there are local differences in the pronunciation of Italian, ...Ron, when you need help... I sure appreciate it. Right now, no serious help. I can't help but wonder though if Lara Fabian's Caruso is natural. Seems like she prounounces the words strongly. While Pavarotti and Andre Bocelli both seem to not prounounce as strongly. I know they're native Italian. They do sound more natural. I think a whole lot of Andre. My grandparents were from Italy. Grandfather from Sicily. Grandmother from Northern Italy. It was very confusing visiting as a child in their house. The words would be Italian one second, English the next. Going back and forth constantly. Yes, it was known that the two of them had to work in communicating at first. Their dialects were very different. My mother spoke Italian fluently. She was born and raised in Syracuse NY. Interesting she could always tell what spanish speaking people were talking about. Sometimes I would ask. She would tell me I don't want to know. With a frown. I'll see on the singing. Have a gift. Trying to develop it to the point of Opera. Takes years. I truly admire Andre Bocelli's singing. EDIT: I hope in the future. I might be able to extend the definition a little and refer to you two as; My Paisan's.
Last edited by rnaple; 03/14/13 06:44 AM.
Ron Your brain is a sponge. Keep it wet. Mary Gae George The focus of your personal practice is discipline. Not numbers. Scott Sonnon
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Ragdoll.....As you say, there isn't a rush or a deadline. What you will probably find is that learning this pattern now, even if it is in a somewhat simplified form, will hold you in good stead when you move on to a more elaborate version. Thanks Cas, I was thinking the same thing, glad to see I was right about that. Also you were right about there being sooo many versions of this piece about. I have found several, some good and then some not so good as far as my attempting them goes. The version Allard (think it was him) posted of David Lanz I could listen to for an hour or three. Oh wait... I HAVE listened to it that long
Ragdoll At first, she only flew when she thought no one was watching.
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Hi Ragdoll, I learned another version of Canon in D. i hope you'll listen to all the variations first... and picked the one you like the most. i just lose all motivation to learn another variation of the first song i learn in piano. Good luck! it's a great song!
My AotW, is to be able to read and play slowly debussy's clair de lunes. I hope in another month it'll sound much smoother compared to now and that i can play from memory.
-TY- Learning since: Sept 2012 Playing.. Canon in D, Pachebel Marriage D Amour, Richard Clayderman
Learning.. Clair de lunes, Debussy
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Hi Ragdoll, I learned another version of Canon in D... You people caused me to listen to this. It's an absolutely beautiful melody! I can understand why there are many versions. It is something I can obsess over. I look forward...
Ron Your brain is a sponge. Keep it wet. Mary Gae George The focus of your personal practice is discipline. Not numbers. Scott Sonnon
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This week, I googled Mozart's first-ever composition (K. 1a) and committed the piece to memory. It is by no means difficult or demanding - it's 10 bars in length and spans roughly 25 seconds. I just thought it would be cool to say to a friend, colleague, etc., "Have you ever heard Mozart's very first composition when he was only four years old?" Who can turn that down? Also this week, I finally can play Liszt's "Consolation No. 3, S. 172" all the way through without making a mistake. Someone please pat me on the back!
Last edited by maestro57; 03/14/13 07:44 AM.
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Way to go maestro57!
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Also this week, I finally can play Liszt's "Consolation No. 3, S. 172" all the way through without making a mistake. Someone please pat me on the back! I will pat you on the back! This a a gorgeous piece. I just had it added to my assigned list. I absolutely love it! I had an impromptu performance with my new piano last night. Our upstairs neighbor was instrumental in our deciding to go ahead with purchasing the grand. She encouraged me to get it and said she really enjoyed hearing me practicing . So we had her over for Prosecco and piano. I didn't bomb too badly. I played Chopin Waltz in C# minor and the first 1/2 of the Arabesque. Fortunately the Prosecco made the mistakes less noticeable. I don't have a specific AOTW this week, just steady progress. The Arabesque is learned and all memorized except the last page, the Invention is memorized and up to speed but the left hand trill is too slow, and I am starting to record the Nocturne. I still have a couple of spots in the Nocture that are not to my teacher's (or my) satisfaction. But, it is close enough that I am starting to look at the next piece. Liszt, here I come!
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Maestro57, that is so cool! I just looked it up on IMSLP & downloaded a copy for myself, & just tried out the first couple of bars. It looks doable; I'll take it with me to my lesson today & ask my teacher if he thinks I'm ready to take on a composition by a 5-year-old. On the subject of 5-year-olds, yet another prodigy from West Vancouver is scheduled to perform @ Carnegie Hall, among other places. He's the 2nd 5-year-old in less than a year from the same area. None of the news reports mention whether they both have the same teacher but if so, his/her rates will skyrocket.)
Carol (Started playing July 2008)
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" all the way through without making a mistake."
Now then. Who else was listening? heh heh . . . "two or more witnesses . . ."
"I am not a man. I am a free number" " "
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Well, I hesitated to post anything because my AoTW is not as impressive as most here are. But for me it is an achievement- I am perfecting a few pieces. The reason this is such a big step is that I've spent my eight years on the piano not practicing or not understanding how to practice. I read a really helpful article on the site http://www.musicalfossils.com/. I was hoping that would be a link but it doesn't seem to be. It was like it was written for me- I wanted a 'secret' or 'easy' way to learn but there just isn't one. I have come to really believe the adage that if it were easy everyone would play piano. And I am enjoying the process.
Alfred Adult Level One graduated 2010 I've been taking lessons since 2005
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I read a really helpful article on the site http://www.musicalfossils.com/. I was hoping that would be a link but it doesn't seem to be. It was like it was written for me- I wanted a 'secret' or 'easy' way to learn but there just isn't one. I discovered this site some time ago, and it is gold. The practice method recommendations were very helpful to me. Discovering the site is an AOTW!
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It hasn't been fully a week yet (not even close), but I have two mini-AOTW's nonetheless. One, I went to my piano lesson on Wednesday, even though I had nothing new to play. For me, at that moment, it was the mother of all AOTW's. I know that if I had convinced myself not to go to that particular lesson, I may never have gone back -- and then my piano progress would have slid into a painfully slow crawl. Two, I just recorded and uploaded my first Piano Bar submission, partly in response to the fact that casinitaly and joyoussong both seem to be working on the same piece. It is Händel's Impertinence, which I played for my December in-class recital. I spent the last hour setting up an album to finally upload piano pics! Thanks for the pictures! And thanks for taking the time to figure out how to upload them, too. /me adds the making of an album of piano pictures to her 'to do' list, because surely people will be clamoring for them shortly. Needless to say, I am very excited! I purchased it for the same price that I sold my M&H BB for in the US, so it is like an even swap. I have missed having a grand, so this is a dream come true for me! Now, if I can just play well enough to justify it! Needless to say, indeed . And I'm sure now that you have a grand again, you'll be playing it so much that your skill level will justify having it in no time! Besides, as a relative n00b who now owns a grand, too, I think everyone should get to play one, even (perhaps especially) the true beginner! ... I agreed for the duet, but I'm not sure whether accept to perform a solo piece in a children recital (piano and violin, with both my children involved). As far as I know, I would be the only adult, and to play in front of families who only want to listen to their children is funny. It could be helpful to try and play in public, I don't know yet. Take the opportunity. Nothing makes you 'practice until perfect' like knowing that you'll be playing in front of a live audience of more than one shortly. And nobody will care, except for you, that it's actually a children's recital; you might even inspire some of the parents there to take up piano for themselves! My AOTW is getting more into the sight reading exercises in Hannah Smith's Book using both hands concurrently. That is an achievement I will bow down to! I am kind of indecisive about this one. I tell my teacher I want to sight read better, but then, I notice, when I'm actually playing, I sometimes don't even bother getting the score out. I like playing without a score, and am not *really* properly motivated to learn to play with it. had, however, done some analysis of it and had focused on a few tricky spots. Sincere congratulations on the analysis, and focused practice based upon it. This is another achievement I will bow down to because I don't do nearly enough of it myself. I've also been working on a piece called Impertinence, by Handel. Hey! I played that piece at my December in-class recital! I just uploaded it to SoundCloud and posted it on the March Piano Bar thread, here -- because of your comment, and to show off my Boston (which does badly need to be tuned, now). Chopin Nocturne in Eb is memorized. Fantastic! (Also: I *really* need to get started on my chosen 'first' Chopin Nocturne -- number 19 -- but I got distracted by a Chopin Waltz, which I heard on the radio by accident recently, and then promptly downloaded from IMSLP). AOTW, perhaps: I think I'm ready to learn Chopin's Prelude in Db major Op. 28 No. 15 (a.k.a. the raindrop prelude). That's a great place to be, I think. And you got there the old-fashioned way: by putting in the exercise until you could do it in your sleep. Nice! My AotW, is to be able to read and play slowly debussy's clair de lunes. That's not an easy piece by any means. Congratulations! I just thought it would be cool to say to a friend, colleague, etc., "Have you ever heard Mozart's very first composition when he was only four years old?" Cool! You just inspired me to follow your example! I wanted a 'secret' or 'easy' way to learn but there just isn't one. This may be the single most important realization you will ever have in the course of your piano learning years. Which makes it a big achievement, indeed!
Plodding through piano music at a frustratingly slow pace since 9/2012.
Standard disclaimer: I teach many things. Piano is not one of them.
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Started the birgmuller opus 100 number 5... 3 days ago and can play it smoothly all the way through with now working on dynamics.... shocked how quick this has sunk in.... seems to be a welcome experience and a change from the slog of daily progress which is habitually very mich slower!!
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Bought a new upright piano. That's my AOTW!! Seriously, 1st and 2nd inversions clicked with me today. I don't know why they haven't in the past, but today they did.
~ Heather Knabe WMV247 “When you play, never mind who listens to you.†― Robert Schumann “The piano ain't got no wrong notes.†― Thelonious Monk
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What a week, my favorite AOTW is finding this lovely redition of DBTSGs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQDa_aZyoR0. I have found several scores for it and have yet to decide which to attempt, the simpler ones are much too simple. Decided to drop out of the spring recital for various reasons. My teacher will not be pleased I'm sure. <shrug> Back burnered the Canon for a bit (not giving it up though) as it was taking my time and focus away from my other musical studies too much. I'll get back to it in a couple weeks, I made remarkable progress on it so far. I wanted to post something in the March piano bar... But, EPIC FAIL after 12 straight takes to get a good recording of a piece I've played dozens of times. Arrgg, that red-light. Maybe I'll try for April
Ragdoll At first, she only flew when she thought no one was watching.
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Bought a new upright piano. That's my AOTW!! Seriously, 1st and 2nd inversions clicked with me today. I don't know why they haven't in the past, but today they did. Awesome x 2! In ABF tradition, pictures or you didn't really buy it ...
- Debussy - Le Petit Nègre, L. 114
- Haydn - Sonata in Gm, Hob. XVI/44
Kawai K3
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Bought a new upright piano. That's my AOTW!! Seriously, 1st and 2nd inversions clicked with me today. I don't know why they haven't in the past, but today they did. Awesome x 2! In ABF tradition, pictures or you didn't really buy it ... +1 And anyway, your user id indicates that you might already know something about taking a picture! My AOTW, or more like miracle of the week is that I played one piece better at my lesson than I do normally. What's up with that?
Learner
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