Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum April Piano Bar (Before April 1 and No Fool'n!)

I know I'm 2-1/2 days early but it's been so long since I posted a song and I've always wanted to start the Bar.

This is my arrangement of My Funny Valentine. I am performing it, both piano and vocal, live for my performance class in 2-1/2 weeks. I still have some more work to do on the vocal.

As for the piano there's work to be done there as well, but I'll be performing it on a Mason & Hamlin concert grand at scool and this recording was done on my Casio PX330. Some people say the decay is bad on the 330, but I think mine has actually gotten worse since I bought it. If I'm not careful about the release, the sound can fade abruptly even with a little pedal, so I did the vocal over the piano since I really had to focus on the latter.

Hopefully, I'll have a better piano to work with by the time I do my youtube journal video, one where I can play and sing at the same time.


https://www.box.com/s/1mnbtctvdmgkrepg54a9

Here's my contribution for the April piano bar!


http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/moissoneurs.mp3

This is Couperin, Les Moissoneurs (the reapers) from the Septieme Ordre

So...for April 1st... Are we going to have an original Nocturne that is a recording of snoring?

Here's my contribution to the piano bar!

My teacher (that I don't take lessons with anymore... not enough time) would have alot to say about this performance. He always says I take too much liberty from the sheet music. I don't know how to explain it well in english but lets say I just play more the way i feel than what's really written on the paper if that's more clear. Usually when I want to learn a new piece, I listen to different performances to get a feel for the piece. Then I take what I like the best from what i've heard and try to come up with a performance that is right to my ears. Long story short, most of the times when I show him my work he goes like : Great! You play with alot of .....(insert positive feedback here)...... and ............, I like how you ............ but as usual you take the sheet music with too little consideration!

In this performance you'll notice from start that the tempo might be a little fast. There is actually quite a debate on the net, from what I've seen, on the tempo to use to play this piece. Personally, I'm obviously on the fast side since I think you lose the flow when this piece is played too slow. On top of that I try to avoid using too much rubato and big changes in dynamics as I feel it kills the mood of the piece. Feel free to tell me what you think about it!

Finally, I kinda feel bad posting this since i read 3 days ago that the Mendelssohn themed recital is actually in 2 weeks and not in May anymore but the work was all done already...



P.S : Sorry for the errors i've been on a tight deadline for this one. Should have worked on it more before posting but my piano was freshly tuned! The theme that goes through bar 2 to 4 and repeats at the end sounds so gorgeous on a tuned piano! Had to do it... did my best!

I did something a little different this time. I recorded some songs off YouTube and then put it together with my piano music. I took the original theme song from Winnie the Pooh and added my piano arrangement to it. It's a simple arrangement I came up with from using my Disney Fake Book. I did the same thing with my own hymn arrangement of My Jesus I love Thee. I used choir music from bestlovedhymns on YouTube if you want to check it out. It was a fun experiment =)

Winnie the Pooh
https://www.box.com/s/5385pzu67ujqswrqqopi

My Jesus I Love Thee
https://www.box.com/s/nrp3iwi77mfylnnd7ng1

slpianoproject, nice work, really nice playing! thanks for posting. I like this speed and I don't hear excessive deviation from the original. Now I don't play this piece myself but it sounds like Mendelssohn to me

Starr Keys nice job on the "Funny Valentine", your voice works very well with it.

wouter79 well done on the piece, especially the thrills!
Your showing some very nice musicality.

slpianoproject I left some comments on You Tube also. Your playing and production work, both audio and video is so impressive. I love what you are doing. You have me shopping me for new equipment... . Please share you production info with each video...thanks!

ladypayne Interesting way to do accompaniment. It must be very hard. I could never pull it off. Your piano matched up very well, especially the second half of Winne. You nailed it on the hymn. Great concept for accompaniment!

Star Keys - I'm always happy to hear a recording with you singing. I'm very impressed that you made your own arrangement and that you're singing and playing at the same time! I bet you're going to sound great at your live performance class!

Wouter79 - Your reapers sounded like they must be GOING to work, not coming back- they were so cheery and full of energy. Lovely work on the articulation and trills.

SLpianoproject - very prettily done -I don't know this piece and didn't notice any obvious fluffs. I can understand wanting to get the piece recorded while the piano is freshly tuned, it sounded great. Your video was really nice to watch too!

LadyPayne: How very creative! I enjoyed both your pieces and think you're very clever and talented to be able to make your own arrangements and play them this way.

I had been hoping to put this piece in the March Piano bar, but as Saranoya just submitted it a short while ago, I thought I'd join in April's thread.
My version didn't have the trills written in, therefore I studied it without trills. That's how I recorded it. (I'll probably work on adding in the trills later, but it will take some training!)

I'd been having some difficulty getting recorded - and even just playing through without errors.... finally realized (with the help of others) that at least part of the problem was trying to speed up after having practised at a slower tempo.
So... I did a few takes, and though one was probably better in terms of no-flubs, this one has better dynamics and the flubs are not horrifying

I present my efforts on Handel's "Impertinence".

https://www.box.com/s/3asnxdooytlm44q2rfob

You do. But I bet you could be fabulous if you found a song that stays within your natural range. And I envy you the ability to sing and play piano at the same time.



A little uneven on the timing, but I love your ornamentation!



I'm the same way! My teacher usually comments on it too, and while she tries to correct me sometimes, other times she just 'goes with the flow', or even compliments me on the choices I make in terms of interpretation.

By the way, I don't know what the score actually says, but I really, really like your interpretation of this. And you've just convinced me that one of these 'songs without words', at least, needs to go on my '50 things to play' list.

Thank you so much for sharing, even if it's 'early'.



Different, but interesting. Were you listening to these songs as you recorded your piano part? If not, I'm impressed. If so, still pretty darn good .



Heh. Thanks for that! Indeed, no trills. And no (or almost no) legato! I actually had a rather lengthy discussion with my teacher about whether I could do legato in a piece that was written in Händel's time. She seemed convinced that if Händel had had access to a modern piano, he would have written it the way I played it. But I actually quite like your version, and I'm pretty sure it's more historically accurate.

Here comes my entry for this month:

https://soundcloud.com/saranoya/burgmuller-die-klare-bach

I played this piece yesterday, at my class recital, and mangled it badly. So this is a kind of 'proof of concept', to myself and to the world, that I can actually do a halfway decent rendition of this piece, even while under pressure (in this case, the pressure came from the red dot instead of a live audience).

It's not up to tempo (not by a long shot - the metronome marking on the score says 144 BPM to a quarter note), and uneven in places, but it's the first take I did, so it represents my current level of competence with this piece pretty accurately -- at least, when I'm not horrendously nervous.

Saranoya - I recognized that immediately! I really like that piece ! In Italian it is called "Limpido Ruscello" (pronounced "rooSHELLoh". If you aren't up to tempo, I can't imagine how tough it is to get faster. I have tried playing it at various times but always get cramps in my hand with holding down the thumb and playing the other notes. It is on my "I want to play" list though!

SLPianoproject Nice, man! nice nice! And your piano sounds as good as the best on Youtube. Including Steinways etc. . . .I concur with your issues regarding tempos on some o` these pieces. My Menddelsohn offering is faster than usual. Because I like it that way . . . .

Wouter - thanks for helping me to jumpstart the April Bar. You are off to the races with your high expectations for mastering your period style. And I wish I had your piano!

Maple - I really appreciate your interjecting your sense of humor here. It's just what we all need this month to take ourselves a little less seriously.

SlPiano Project - I was fascinated by your description of how you work with your classical pieces with your teacher's goodnatured but qualified support. If I could have ever found a classical teacher willing to do that with me, I think I might have an entirely different attitude toward teachers. I thought you played it beautifully, but now you've really got me curious to take a look at some more PC interpretations of the piece and compare them with yours.

Lady Payne - What a great idea and creative exercise in teaching yourself accompaniment and arranging for an ensemble. I can't believe your timing! …And in more than one sense… I listened to your contributions just after a musician friend of mine sent me an email in response to my song in which she said "Sometime you might try recording the voice first and then trying to accompany it. I'd love to let that voice be unfettered." And then I see you doing exactly this with other voices. And succeeding so well, it inspired me!

Mark - Thanks a lot Mark for the positive feedback especially in regard to the arrangement working with the vocal.

CasinItaly -- Thanks, I'm always happy to hear you like my singing because I know its something you aspire to do yourself. I am singing and playing in this recording but not at the same time. I did do that last Monday at my voice teacher's recital and previously in class, though. Much to my surprise I pulled it off without a hitch on Monday on all of the vocal portions, but as soon as I got to the piano solo and stopped singing my hands began to shake and I lost my concentration. I knew both parts and find it much more difficult to play and sing at the same time so this really surprised me. Both my voice teacher and piano performance instructor said I could fix it easily if I just had a lead sheet to refer to at the performance. We shall see!

Starr Keys - This is a fine vocal performance, but your accompaniment on this great tune really stands out. I would never attempted such a complex piano arrangement while singing - very well done!

slpianoproject - This is an outstanding effort - both visually and aurally! Very entertaining.

casinitaly - you always manage to bring a certain style and jauntiness to your recordings. No matter what piece you are playing there seems to be an underlying lilt to your playing that is very enjoyable. I'm glad you decided to join the bar this month.

Here is a piano vocal cover of the song by Procol Harum that was released in 1967. Although I arranged this for solo piano and voice I couldn't resist unleashing the Roland Church Organ for the final instrumental break.

Whiter Shade of Pale

CasInItaly - I'm starting to think that after I get all my ideas for creating my own arrangements and accompaniments under my belt, I will find a classical teacher to teach me technique and articulation the way yours have taught you. I am so impressed by your control of tone and dynamic balance. I heard you say your goal is to play a more modern jazzy style, but I'm thinking that after the training you've had, your mastery of the latter might benefit from your being classically trained.

Saranoya - What a gorgeous avalanche of sound. It's hard to imagine it sounding better at any other tempo.

Thanks for your feedback on my piece. I did have my doubts about this being too low for me. My private voice teacher thought it was a good key but not so my college group instructor (he said to go higher). I'm still learning how to mix different registers and its going to take a lot more experimentation, butI'll definitely take what you say under consideration.

Bill M - Procol Harem along with the Moody Blues are my husband's favorite bands from youth. You totally do them justice, and your musical choices, like using the Church organ in the solo, are always right on. If you would not attempt an arrangement as complex as the one I did with my vocal, then I have to question whether it should have been done. Thank you for your compliment on my arrangement. You make me want to trade in both my acoustic and Casio PX330 for a Roland.

... and they're racing! Wow, a flying start!

I recorded this today, thinking I'd post it in a couple of days when the April Bar got going. It's in line with my habit of posting Beatles tunes -sorry- but it's only a very short version.

Michelle


(Kind of a Soul Train version - for those old enough to get the reference).

StarrKeys – Good to see you back at the bar! A great song.

Wouter – An interestingh piece. Very sprightly. I could hear it on a harpsichord.

Slpianoproject - I like that piece (and good video work. You know, teachers are not always right!

LadyPayne - What a great idea! Sounds good too. Now, let me see, if a record a Beatles tune and play along …

Casinitaly – good work. Sounds professional.

Bill - As usual, a great song. You know, I think I like the piano better than the organ sound. It really brings the part to life.

Wow! It is not even April yet, and the PianoBar has taken off with some great music.

StarrKeys - You have a lovely voice. I liked the piano arrangement as well. This is going to sound awesome with the M&H Concert grand!

Wouter - I am unfamiliar with this piece, but you gave it a nice baroque feeling. You handled the many Mordents/trills very well!

Sipianoproject. I really like this piece, and your video treatment was excellent! I like the tempo that you chose. It gives the piece the feeling of moving on.

Ladypayne - What and interesting idea to accompany the Youtube arrangements. It turned out very well!

Casinitaly - You gave this a very nice baroque feel. Very well played, and congratulations for finding a way of mastering the red dot anxiety.

Saranoya - Nice dynamics and steady rhythm. I can see how this could be quite challenging at 144bpm! You have a nice feel for the piece.

BillM - What a gentle approach to Whiter Shade of Pale. I liked the organ at the end. Nicely done!

Newman - A soft, sensitive rendition of Michelle. Very nice.

Here is my first video of my new Bechstein grand with my Q3HD. I am still experimenting with the best placement of the camera for optimum sound and video. I have not figured out how to control the reflection off of the polished ebony, and I am still trying to decide if it is better filmed from the right or left. This piece is called Bacarolle. It is one of what I call my "lonely piano" repertoire because it is something that is pleasing to most people and I feel comfortable to sit down at a piano in a hotel lobby or other venue and play it!