Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Boo! 30 days to ABF Recital 56!

I always record myself with my iPhone 7 and the quality is not too bad - of course it won't sound as clear as digital or virtual pianos, but I think it's still enjoyable, and maybe more authentic. I also have a Zoom but I never managed to get a good recording of my piano, and didn't bother too much trying different settings and positions. I say, just record yourself with your iPhone, post the video on YouTube and then export the mp3 from the video (easy with Quicktime on a Mac). It will be fine!

I recently recorded playing piano with my violin friend, using a Zoom H4n (borrowed from the library, I still haven't bought one!)

Anyway I had the Zoom up on a tripod, so maybe 5 feet from the floor, and the tripod was sitting maybe four feet back from the piano, recording levels at 72. It sounded pretty good in the piano/violin recording, but the next day when I recorded just piano alone, with basically the same mic location and settings, it somehow sounded a little muffled. So I'm wondering if I'll get better results with a closer positioning.



Sam, you have a grand, right? Do you point your Zoom into the piano? Do you put it on the treble side? What do you have the recording level set at?

It's a grand. Recorder on the bass side, facing into the piano, lid up. But the microphones on the zoom point up and to the side, so it's not really pointing into the piano. On mine, the mics have a rotating cover that changes the pattern between 90 and 120 degrees - I use 120. Record level around 66, but you should use the highest you can without clipping. I never bother testing that... I sometimes use a tripod out in front of the lid too, when I want to do video and don't want the recorder to be seen.

I don't think there is a magic "one-size-fits-all" formula. Depends on the room, the piano, how loud you play, and non-musical piano noises (action, pedal, bench!). And how much of a perfectionist you want to be. I tend not to obsess over the sound - I have bigger problems to worry about!

Sam

If you look at MonicaK's video recordings if my assumption is correct you can see where the microphone is directed and her recordings always sound good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijnI_AAR98k

I might go for the Chopin 72.1; the Grieg isn't quite ready. I think I could get the Chopin there in a few weeks.

The problem is that it's a huge leap from pretty good to solid enough to record.

Shame I couldn't post it for the Norwegian Recital.

I'm going to make my first submission. Maybe Rebikov's "Feuilles d'automne" (Op. 29, No 3).

No. I only have his name and a now-defunct email address of him. I contacted the place where we used a (rented) room for the lessons and they say he returned to his home country. Is there anything else I should do then?

What an odd story. I assume he didn't tell you he would be leaving and you never had a foreshadowing that he would soon be gone. And the defunct email address makes it sound eerie. Like a detective story.

My comment was actually meant to be a joke. I did not realize that you meant 'disappeared' seriously.
That really is weird.

That's correct. We agreed before the summer break that he would contact me after the break to resume lessons. He never did and never replied anymore to my mails

I just listened to that on YouTube, that is a nice piece.

Here is our entry. Joy will be playing La Campanella in no time, haha

Lovely job b-sharp. There is a nice extra depth to the sound when playing duet. I imagine it is another axis of complexity added when doing a duet.

Yes, and a good choice for a fall recital

Thanks! It does, but it's not too bad. It's more sight reading practice and fun to do!

I have a backup recording for the recital. I'll be Oz for the first 2 weeks of November so I have to be done by the 30th of October, I can submit from there that isn't a problem. My recording is rough in places, but good enough if I can't do better in the next 11 days.

It is always good to have that first recording. There is just a little less pressure when doing further takes later.

One week until the recital opens for submissions!

Halloween night (Boo!) October 31, at about 9PM Eastern US time, the recital will open for submissions.
You will then have about 2 weeks to get your submission in. You can visit recitals.pianoworld.com to read all about the recitals. Everyone is welcome to participate.
The recital will close at about 6AM November 15 Eastern US time, and go live shortly after.

Go practice!

Sam

I do believe I have my recording. It is a long way from how I would like it to be, but there are bits of it I love, and I'm now exhausted and I need to focus on some other things for the next few days. But I'm done and ready to do go.

I suspect I'll actually be somewhere in the air when the recital opens. Perhaps i can submit whilst waiting in Singapore airport.

Kevin

I'd planned to polish a piece I've been practising for a while and record it for this recital, but I fear it's still just beyond my reach to get a play through I'm happy with.

As luck would have it though, I've been looking back through the pieces I learned many years ago when I was practising regularly (slacked off for too many years, blame the guitar...) but never made a recording of. Decided to relearn Schumann's Humming Song which according to my logs took me over 3 months to learn properly back then, managed to get it to a reasonable point and recorded in 1.5 weeks this time

Hopefully that's a sign of progress. That or I've lowered my standards for "reasonable" If only I'd kept up regular practice in the years between then and now :P

Anyhow, for a change I have a recording ready in ample time.

No pieces are ready yet. I might try to only play the first 3 pages and improvise an ending.