Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum OK, What's your New Year's obsession?

Mine turned out to be Chopin's 27/2 nocturne.

Tryin` out a bit o` trance (dance) music which I thought was simples but isn`t. Dunno how they write these complex rhythms down on standard notation, but they always do. Was all set to buy this, but found a free copy instead which is guaranteed to put a smile on a fella`s face. LH & RH are different rhythms, so I`ll use the metronome and play each part separately. . . then impose it all on you lot!

Somehow I'm not surprised about the Chopin, -Frycek We'll have to hear it in a quarterly recital one of these days.

And I'd love to be imposed on, peterws. I love rhythms (not that I can play very many) and I'd love hear this.

Hm. Obsession for the new year - hm. I think this year is keep on keepin' on year. It has to be better than last year, no?

Cathy

Hmmm, sometimes I don't find out what my obsession was until the year is over and done.

I recently started working on the first and last sections of Joplin's Solace, but it's too early to tell how sticky that will be. I start piano lessons this week, so I'm thinking that will be a big factor in deciding what this year's Big Thing will be.

Acquiring that daily-practice habit I hear tell about so often.

Last year I played a few pieces with syncopated rhythms that were challenging to get into my fingers, so this year I want to do more pieces with interesting rhythms. Not that I don't love Einaudi, because I do, but I want to be sure to branch out and play more composers and more styles because I can tell that will improve my playing in an all-around way. I recently purchased this sheet music collection:

"Blue River" by Elena Cobb

You can listen to all 6 pieces here:
Elena Cobb's website

I'm planning to get Tango Leone and Cloud Seven Latin into my fingers. I have never played either types of music before, so it's going to be a challenge. As a precursor, I thought I'd play Mozart's variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (no, I'm not joking) with a goal of playing it at MM=120.

The other piece I'm currently obsessed with is George Winston's Joy, which is his "arrangement" of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. This is supposed to be played at MM=134, so my combined goals this year are speed and rhythm.

Speaking of dancing and rhythm - I just bought a vintage copy of "Putting on the Ritz" off eBay. (I'm pretty sure my performance will be more evocative of The Monster stomping around in Young Frankenstein than Fred Astaire. )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY!!!!!

edit: I missed the special thread for you...

same as last year........sightreading. Maybe this year my teacher will tell me ....in a hushed tone, in a darkened room, those rarely spoken words of how the black art is acquired. Providing of course enough silver changes hands.

The same as every year, Pinkie. Try and take over THE WORLD!

Keeping up the so called "Easy" Stravinsky long enough to make a recording. Could be forever with my technological lack of skill.