Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Achievement of the week - what got you excited?

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. I will definitely be on cloud nine for a while! Then, back to work.

Swiss MS, I missed this note. CONGRATULATIONS on passing with high merit!! That is a wonderful accomplishment.

@SwissMS
Very well done.

@Music me
I would love to be able to sight read more difficult pieces one day. It is a great skill to have.

@SwissMS Congratulations!!

@WiseBuff thanks!

JimF - so, we'll see you in piano bars soon? That's a fun accomplishment.

Cathy

SwissMs, congratulations! We knew you had it in you--your hard work and dedication (and talent) paid off.

WiseBluff, hope Mr. WiseBluff is doing better. Good that you can get some piano in during your busy summer.

Sand Tiger, your Week 118 post may be your shortest yet. Hope things are going well for you.

Music Me, cool you sight read through the piece. I'll bet there aren't too many pieces around to listen to that were recorded by both Chick Chorea and Vladamir Horowitz! You may have posted this before, but how long have you been playing, lessons, etc?

Barbaram, MOYD to the rescue!

JimF, your performance at the asshisted living phashility shounds jus' wunnerful!

Hahaha, maybe if you are looking in the audience. It was fun, and I will probably do it again some time.... but I don't envision a big demand for "the unique (ahem!) stylings of JimF". LOL!

I turn 55 on wed. And up until recently aftervyears of struggling,my piano study has been very poor. For the past few years I have taken Monday afternoons off for the four months of the summer and this year I have decided that instead of going home to veg. I am going to use this block of time to take piano lessons and then go home and Practise.this has turned out to be the most joyful gift I could give myself. I am relaxed after a weekend off and only half a day of work and I find this an excellent way to start the week.I have done this for just short of two months now and my progress is substantial. On my way home,and this involves a pleasant lunch and a leisurely walk in the beautiful sunshine,I decided I don't want this to end come labour day when I am due to return to work a full week.i was planning on taking two weeks in August but today I decided I love this schedule which allows me to luxuriate in lessons so much that I am going to transfer my two weeks into another year of Mondays. Unfortunately I am not rich and I must work but this period of time at my lessons which are not now after a long day of work are so heavenly and inspiring.it has taken me almost my entire life to get where I am now and believe me, I am still very much an absolute beginner.but the progress is so relaxed and so momentous! So to any adult beginner out there struggling, find your groove and follow your passion slowly. Wonders do abound.

alans
I love the thought of your 'year of Mondays!'

I was helping a friend with her yard sale Saturday and one of the things she wished to sell was a big, old, former player piano that her now-grown-and-gone daughter had used.

The piano was in the house, of course since it weighs very close to 9 million pounds but she had brought a family into the house to look and was now negotiating with them on the front porch.

I went in and sat down at the piano and played my entire extensive 3 memorized piece repetoire and... they bought the piano and complimented me on my playing! But I didn't get a bird dog on the sale; I need to talk to my friend about that!

JeanieA - Yay! Well done for the impromtu musician and sales assistant! Tell her she now has to donate the daughter's old sheet music to you as a commission.

alans - gotta love that post. What could be better.... a free afternoon, a piano lesson, lunch and a walk in the sun. Enjoy your new Monday routine.

I was asked to show pictures of my place when I get it reorganized and redone. Well, it isn't finished. I truly do feel embarrassed at the thought of posting pictures of it finished. I have sound traps to be mounted on ceiling and walls. In corners. I just can't serve my ego to post pictures of it like that. It is for a purpose. Not an impressive show.
So here is getting rid of most of my clutter. The computer isn't in the cabinet yet due to not receiving my long USB cord yet. Otherwise am covering tables and cabinet with fleece. Putting insulation bags under tables to absorb bass reflections.. Other sound treatment is to be added. I do think it is best for my ego to not show it all. It's not important. This is basically my room now.

The good part is getting very organized in my personal living space. It matches up with what is going on with me mentally in my piano System of learning.

I have a teacher again YAY! Well sort of... but so very promising. I had my interview which went very well. She has several students off for the summer and so gave me a temporary slot once a month. I'm on a short list for September when several of her regulars are off to college and hopefully I will get a bi-monthly lesson.

In the meantime, she gave me some various things to work on in the interim and also should work on something of my choosing to play for her soon. She seems willing to concentrate primarily on the music I desire to play but asked me to keep an open mind about other genres (as needed) as well. My first lesson will be Friday.

::: doin' the Snoopy Happy Dance:::

Very good news Ragdoll!!

Ron - I like the cleanness of your clutter-free room. It's inspirational.

Yea, Ragdoll! Hope you're off on an exciting journey!

Cathy

Yay!

Here's hoping there are no humans around to rain on your parade, as it were:

[video:youtube]iFNLbAs3KAU[/video]

I have a teacher!

My first ever real piano lesson was this afternoon. Earlier via phone teacher had asked that I bring in some music I had been toying with - but I decided to go in empty handed and ask that we start from the beginning.

I learned more in 30 minutes about posture, relaxation, positioning, hand rotation, etc... than I could have thought possible in that span of time. Now assigned the C scale with correct fingering and Bach Musette in D - which I incorrectly thought I knew how to play.

Small talk on leaving - she mentioned most of her students are kids who don't want to be there and don't last long. I laughed and replied "Well, I want to play Liszt - so you'll have me as a student for quite a while." She reaches over and picks up a picture of herself as a young woman seated next to an older man and asks "Have you ever heard of Emil von Sauer?" I nod yes.

She continues, "This was my teacher at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He was taught by Von Sauer. Guess what, you're in the school of Liszt."

Yeah, "stoked" doesn't even come close.

great story, what a brilliant co-incidence. Good luck with the new teacher.

Congrats!

When you hit the low points--and you will--realize that if you just keep plugging away, you come through them a little stronger.



So I came here just to comment on your starting lessons, but as it turns out, von Sauer is my piano-great-great-grandpa, so I guess that makes you my piano-2nd-cousin-once-removed!

@Music Me, I'm jealous! Sounds great. Horowitz's playing is really special indeed.

@Alans that seems like a rythm I can live with as well

@Tararex, great story, enjoy!