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Joined: May 2009
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20 
Performer's name:Greener / Jeff
From:Toronto
Experience:Sporadically for years. Full on since joining PW.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Nocturne in Eb Major
Composer:Chopin
Duration:03:37
Source of music:Sheet music -- many grades/years beyond my sight reading ability -- memorized
Instrument used:Heintzman (Norman) Acoustic Upright
Recording method:Piano ---> 2 mics ---> pre-amp ---> audacity ---> you
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I've enjoyed many variations and unique interpretations of this work. This is one more. For me it is a piece that will always require further development. At this point, it has been in the funnel just over a year or so.

I may have erred on the side of being a little too quick with this recording. At least, compared with most other versions I've heard. I also realize that I am rushing in a couple of spots in this recording. Aside from that though, I am quite comfortable with and actually prefer this quicker tempo that cuts to the chase; perhaps forfeiting some of the drama.

I hope you like it and Thank you for listening.

About this work
Chopin composed his popular Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 when he was about twenty.

This popular nocturne is in rounded binary form (A, A, B, A, B, A) with coda, C. The A and B sections become increasingly ornamented with each recurrence. The Nocturne opens with a legato melody, mostly played piano, containing graceful upward leaps which become increasingly wide as the line unfolds. This melody is heard again three times during the piece. With each repetition, it is varied by ever more elaborate decorative tones and trills. A sonorous foundation for the melodic line is provided by the widely spaced notes in the accompaniment, connected by the damper pedal. The waltz-like accompaniment gently emphasizes the 12/8 meter, 12 beats to the measure subdivided into four groups of 3 beats each.

The nocturne is reflective in mood until it suddenly becomes passionate near the end. The new concluding melody begins softly but then ascends to a high register and is played forcefully in octaves, eventually reaching the loudest part of the piece, marked fortissimo. After a trill-like passage, the excitement subsides; the nocturne ends calmly.
--

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21 
Performer's name:MaryBee
From:Cleveland, OH
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:Too many years on my own; past 5 years with a teacher.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Sarabande (Pour le piano)
Composer:Debussy
Duration:05:51
Source of music:http://imslp.org/
Instrument used:Charles Walter 1520 upright
Recording method:Tascam DR-08. Converted to MP3 using Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This is probably the most harmonically complex piece that I have played for the recitals -- and therefore not exactly "easy listening". In fact, it was definitely not love-at-first-listen for me. But because it came highly recommended by my teacher, I decided to give it a try. Funny thing was, after the first play-through I was intrigued. And even after six months of work on it, I think I can still say that it is the most interesting piece I've learned yet.

On the technical side, there was a tough challenge in the middle: a section of 37 consecutive 7 chords with various roots and inversions. Learning that was fun! Tempo-wise, the performances that I listened to vary widely, with most taking it somewhat faster than I did, although there were a few that were much slower. I like the slower tempo because it allows time for all those full, rich chords to sink in, so I can really savor them. I still haven't mastered rolled chords, and there are several of them to be found here. This is something I'll be working on for quite a while yet, since they're starting to show up more often in the pieces that I'm learning.

While working on the interpretation, I had in my mind the ups and downs of an often-times stormy personal relationship. I felt in this piece periods of hope and trust along with disappointments and utter anguish, tempered by the beautiful gifts that were brought forth, and ending with hints of reconciliation and understanding which may yet come. I held this image for several months, but as I continued to play the piece, those ideas were either absorbed or they dissipated, and I was left, finally, with just the music to stand on its own.

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22 
Performer's name:newbert
From:Glens Falls, NY
Experience:Took Lessons for 2 years or so as a child, then stepped away from piano for 45 years or so. Picked it up again about 6 months ago.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Rocket To The Moon
Composer:Jim Brickman
Duration:02:42
Source of music:Sheet Music
Instrument used:Yamaha DGX-640 with Pianoteq Stage 4.5
Recording method:Pianoteq and Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This is my first recording that I've uploaded to Piano World. I like pop music and blues piano, but have a long way to go to play it decently. I want to learn to play-by-ear/improvise but am just getting started in that direction. This piece is from a Jim Brickman songbook. I don't like all of his music, but something about the harmonies in this piece drew me in. Plus, it was relatively easy to learn....8-)

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23 
Performer's name:ajames
From:Austin, TX, USA
Experience:7 months
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Laura
Composer:Johnny Mercer
Duration:01:44
Source of music:Alfred's Adult All-in-one bonus piece
Instrument used:'69 Kawai 350
Recording method:Zoom H4n
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I liked this tune a lot more than I thought I would. Probably because it sounds good played slow (the only way I can play LOL). I tried using the pedal as marked and I didn't like it- it was too muddled. There is a technique to using the pedal in a more subtle way - I'm working on it smile

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24 
Performer's name:CarlosCC
From:Lisbon, Portugal
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:4 years 11 weeks (self-learning since Dec2009)
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Time Lapse
Composer:Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:05:15
Source of music:Played by memory. Source: "In a Time Lapse" music book.
Instrument used:Yamaha P85 (Grand Piano 2)
Recording method:Digital to PC
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This is my 5th piece from Einaudi's latest album. This one is different, more contemplative, and it was much harder to play and interpret than I initially thought. I realized that it demands a constant level of "abstraction" along the entire playing - can't find a better word -. Believe me, I had real battles to understand it...

I need to improve some details, but I've been quite busy and I didn't had time to feel all the music as I usually do. Btw, I'll try to fine-tune this piece to play it in our EPP2014, so, some of you will understand what I want to mean... And, my wife love this piece, so I had an extra incentive to try to play it.
Thanks for listening.

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25 
Performer's name:Peterws
From:N England
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:Too many
Direct music link:click to download
Video link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0xtOBWURLKM
Title of piece:Autumn Leaves
Duration:03:27
Source of music:Ear
Instrument used:DGX650
Recording method:Audio USB memory stick
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This just begs for a more structured approach. Like me (or someone else ) working out the phrases beforehand and linking them logically, instead of relying on stuff from the top o` my head. There`s no logic there . . . .

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26 
Performer's name:ladyaugustina
From:Wisconsin
Experience:loosing track, a year or so as a kid, then the last 4 years picked it up again.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Sonatina Op. 36, No. 3
Composer:Clementi
Duration:04:44
Source of music:Sheet music
Instrument used:piano at work
Recording method:cell phone
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I decided to take a piano class last semester because I was short one credit. Anyways, my teacher had me play this piece basically from August to December.

I found the first part of it(mostly the fist 2-3 minutes of it) to be extremely boring. This is why I skipped the repeats. The second half was a lot more fun to play. Which is probably why I started to rush, especially towards the end. I also skipped the middle section because I never could get the rhythm right.

One more thing, I spent a lot of time practicing this piece as I ended up missing multiple piano lessons close to my final exams due to my piano teacher canceling, a snow day (who would've thought that 6 inches of snow would close a college campus), and thanksgiving break. So I basically learned the last page and half by myself and still managed to get an A on the final!:)

I recorded this piece about 3 weeks before I took my final exam at the beginning of December. Hope you guys enjoy it!:)

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27 
Performer's name:dynamobt / Marilyn
From:NH
Experience:10 years as a kid. Returning adult with a few years since returning
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Piano Sonata Op 2 no 1 1st mvt
Composer:Beethoven
Duration:09:34
Source of music:G Henle
Instrument used:Mason & Hamlin BB
Recording method:Zoom H2n to Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:Chobani Key Lime Yogurt and some almonds as lunch. As for the piece, I've been working on it for ages. This recording had to be in one take because of time. It's not my best. But not my worst either. I just needing to have this done. I'm sorry to be so rushed. I know your comments will be kind as usual. Thanks for listening to the whole thing those that did. I appreciate it.

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28 
Performer's name:Jake S
Experience:2 years
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Chopin Prelude no.6 in B minor
Composer:Frederic Chopin
Duration:03:10
Source of music:Sheet music (memorised)
Instrument used:Kawai CA 93
Technical feedback wanted:Yes

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29 
Performer's name:Coldsalmon
From:Brooklyn, NY
Experience:About 5 years
Direct music link:click to download
Video link:http://youtu.be/Fv_dao38N5o
Title of piece:Sonata in D minor K 32 L 423
Composer:Domenico Scarlatti
Duration:02:49
Source of music:The Graded Scarlatti, edited by Marthe Morhange Motchane
http://www.amazon.com/Graded-Scarlatti-Belwin-Edition-Domenico/dp/0769239773
Instrument used:Yamaha U3
Recording method:Zoom H2, plus reverb added in Audacity
GoPro Hero3 camera
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:My new (to me) piano was delivered on January 17, so I was very excited to submit to this recital. This piece shows off the piano's tone, as well as giving me some practice adjusting to its action so that I can play with sensitive dynamics.

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30 
Performer's name:corysold - Cory Hallahan
From:Cortland, IL
Experience:3.5 Weeks
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Greensleeves
Composer:English Folk Song Variation
Duration:00:51
Source of music:Alfred Adult All-in-one Level One
Instrument used:Kawai CN24
Recording method:iPhone Voice Record Pro HD app
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:As my first recital piece ever, I was amazed at the anxiety felt! But I had a blast doing it and welcome any comments/suggestions. The recording doesn't sound the greatest to me, I hope to work on that technology in the futures. Thanks for listening!

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31 
Performer's name:Sand Tiger
From:Southern California
Experience:23 months
Direct music link:click to download
Home page link:http://sandtigerpiano.blogspot.com
Title of piece:Tracks in the Snow
Composer:Sand Tiger
Duration:02:28
Source of music:original composition
Instrument used:Casio PX-150 digital
Recording method:Record on the Casio, transfer to voice recorder, then PC, then Audacity for touch up.
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I am dedicating this one to my late dad. Tracks in the Snow was the piece I was working on when my father passed away. My dad was born in the month of December, and passed in November of 2013. While the music has no direct connection to him or his life story, the title is also a metaphor for the trail each of us leaves behind as we live our lives.

It is in D major with a few G-sharps. There is a PDF of the sheet music and a MIDI version linked at my blog
http://sandtigerpiano.blogspot.com/

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32 
Performer's name:StevenB
From:Oklahoma, USA
Experience:1 month
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Old German Dance
Composer:Michael Praetorious
Duration:00:57
Source of music:Sheet Music, Piano Reptertoire: Baroque and Classical, Keith Snell, Editor
Instrument used:M-Audio Oxygen midi controller, Garritan Personal Orchestra, MacBook Pro
Recording method:Reaper. I did not use a metronome in recording as I wanted it to be a raw presentation of my playing ability as it stands now.
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I've wanted to play piano for years and decided this was the time. I had my first lesson on January 6, 2014. My teacher currently has me working from Alfred's All-in-One Adult Piano Course book 1. I bought this book because I love Baroque music and wanted some simple pieces to try as my skill grows. Learning this piece has given me a big sense of accomplishment as it was it was a completely new to me and I was able to learn it with the skills and knowledge I've acquired up to this point. I do speed up a hair as the piece progresses but all in all, I guess it isn't too bad for the amount of time I've been studying.

I should note that while I am a completely beginner on piano, I am a self taught guitar player that plays by ear. I took up piano to not only learn to sight read, learn music theory, and improve my over all musicianship but also to learn the instrument itself and gradually learn pieces I've enjoyed for years (but oh is playing Bach still a good distance away!)

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33 
Performer's name:Yamaha G3 & P-80 / Mike White
From:90 miles West of New Orleans
Experience:Lifetime by ear, self teaching since beginning of the recitals.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Zamba No. 10
Composer:Remo Pignoni
Duration:06:29
Source of music:sheet music
Instrument used:Yamaha P-80
Recording method:Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This piece was more difficult to learn than it seemed at first.

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Performer's name:paul1971
From:Cambridge, Uk
Experience:3 Months
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:The Entertainer
Composer:Scott Joplin
Duration:01:03
Source of music:Alfreds Book One
Instrument used:Yamaha P105
Recording method:Recorded on dp then output to zoom r8
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:About where I am now skill wise. Not perfect, a timing error towards the end but happy with it, can now move on learn summit new init.

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35 
Performer's name:JimF
From:South Florida
Experience:four years
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Sung Outside A Prince's Door
Composer:Edward MacDowell
Duration:02:14
Source of music:sheets
Instrument used:Estonia L190
Recording method:Zoom One recorder
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:This is first of three pieces in American composer Edward MacDowell's "Forgotten Fairytales" suite. I previously played his "Beauty in the Rose Garden", which is also from this suite, for a live recital. Both have very interesting tonality, at least to my tin ears. Although on paper it looks fairly easy, Sung Outside the Prince's Door held plenty of challenges for me including the key (Gb), several 10ths (rolled), and getting the wistful, pleading dynamics right. I first learned this last Summer and have since put it aside and revived it several times. It seems to improve a bit with each revival but I think it has quite a ways to go yet.

When I decided to record a submission, I promised myself to give it no more than half a dozen trys in one recording session and just take the best of them. I then downloaded Audacity and spent most of my day trying to figure out how it worked. In the end that was a waste of time because I couldn't get it to convert back to an MP3...so I apologize for the 10 seconds or so of dead space at the beginning which I would have edited out. This time I did put the Estonia on full stick and I think that sounds a lot better than my last submission to ABF.

Lunch was a total pig-out on tacos

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36 
Performer's name:CASINITALY (Cheryl)
From:Italy
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:4 years
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Sonatina Op 36 N2 3rd movement
Composer:Clementi
Duration:02:44
Source of music:Sheet music
Instrument used:Yamaha P112N
Recording method:digital camera to pc
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I've been working on this whole Sonatina for a while and had hoped to play all three movements -but it was not to be. Here is the third. I limited myself to 2 takes. It could be better...of course. I'm not terribly satisfied with it, but having had some extra stresses related to playng the acoustic lately..I'm just not up for another try. I know where I've flubbed, and that my tempo is not what it should be. I can play it a bit better, but not today.

I recorded before lunch...breakfast was bacon, scrambled eggs and mushrooms.

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37 
Performer's name:copper
From:Virginia
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:8
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Scenes From Childhood, The Poet Speaks
Composer:Robert Schumann
Duration:02:09
Source of music:Sheet Music
Instrument used:Yamaha P-250
Recording method:Connected the Yamaha P-250 to the computer
Technical feedback wanted:Yes

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38 
Performer's name:lyricmudra
From:Illinois
Avatar:Avatar Image
Experience:Learned piano as a child back in the Philippines but stopped when I was about 13 or 14 years old. Did not touch the piano for 35 years until about four years ago. Like many of us here at ABF, life and profession just took over. I remember learning from a Thompson book and moving on to Hanon lessons, but skipping the scale exercises entirely, which if I recall correctly was almost half of the Hanon book. Then I had some Czerny for velocity and dexterity. My piano teacher, however, preferred that I jump right into 'real' pieces and learn technique along the way. Unfortunately, music theory was not part of my lessons and this is why I am unable to comprehend a piece conceptually or structurally. My early training lacked this intellectual component. However, I believe I learned the most by being part of a boys' choir, by understanding early enough that playing the piano is like singing, knowing the importance of connectedness (legato) and phrasing, and understanding the breath during emotional expression. These were the elements that accelerated my process of relearning the piano later in life. I have not had a piano teacher since I started relearning the piano, but would like to work with one in the near future. I am willing to start, however, at a more basic level if that will provide me with a more thorough training that includes sight reading, aural training, music theory, etc..
Direct music link:click to download
Video link:http://youtu.be/lijUKciVK58
Home page link:http://www.youtube.com/user/lyricmudra
Title of piece:Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2
Composer:Frederic Chopin
Duration:05:50
Source of music:Sheet music
Instrument used:Kawai RX-2 Blak
Recording method:Zoom H4N (audio) and Kodak Zi8 (video)
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:I chose this Chopin nocturne and played it as a tribute to my dear departed furry cat friend who crossed the rainbow bridge on February 15 last year (who makes a cameo appearance at the very end of my video recording). It is also dedicated to all of you who have furry or feathery friends who keep you company while you practice the piano. :-)

Chopin marked the piece as 50 beats per minute in half-measure (which should really, really be fast?!), but I don't think I have the current ability to play it that fast! Was this Chopin's attempt to keep the piece from being too sentimental? Certainly not a perfect rendition, but this is the best I can offer at this point. If I am not mistaken, it is the longest piece I've submitted to the ABF recitals, which made it very challenging to keep spot-free. :-)

Here is a Wikipedia description of the piece:

The Nocturne in D-flat major is initially marked as lento sostenuto and is in 6/8 meter. It consists of two strophes, repeated in increasingly complex variations. The piece is 77 measures long. Blair Johnson calls the main cadence, near the end of the piece, "one of the most glorious moments in Chopin's entire output". Johnson also calls the piece "one of [Chopin's] most graceful essays in fioritura ornamental practices". Huneker states that the piece "really contains but one subject, and is a song of the sweet summer of two souls, for there is obviously meaning in the duality of voices." He also claims that the piece is "harmonically most interesting". Friskin states that the piece contains "broken rhythms and slurs which require a delicate hand touch". The piece occasionally has been featured in popular culture, such as in the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me,1998 Russian film The Barber of Siberia and the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

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Performer's name:evamar
From:Spanish living in UK
Experience:Actual learning about 4 months in 2 blocks. 2 months lessons, gave up when was stuck trying to read music with dyslexia, then I spent maybe 11 months learning only which notes to hit with Synthesia in selected songs. Seriously back to self learning from scratch since December 2013.
Direct music link:click to download
Title of piece:Pelagia's Song - With Sausage Fingers Remix
Composer:Stephen Warbeck
Duration:03:31
Source of music:Sheet music, from Great Piano Solos, EASY Piano Film Edition, Grade 1-3. Music from the film "Captain Corelli's Mandolin".
Instrument used:Kawai Digital Piano CA65
Recording method:USB to device in mp3, then Audacity to increase volume.
Technical feedback wanted:Yes
Additional info:Not a difficult piece per se, I was able to read the music sheet, which means that it is a very easy piece, but my fingers tend to go the wrong way now and then. Very conscious of recording for other people to listen! I can play it slightly better without recording, but I am quite tired of this piece by now... Added an special "Sausage Fingers Remix" at the end, to accommodate my frustration.

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