PLEASE DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD! USE THE DISCUSSION THREAD!

I am delighted to introduce our 41st quarterly AB Forum “Beginners and Beyond” Recital! So, pull up a chair and have a listen.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask the audience to please refrain from commentary in this recital room.

A separate room has been provided for the purposes of intermezzo discussion. Please take any and all comments to the General Discussion Room.

Thank you!

In addition to the zip files linked below, mahlzeit has added a feature to his program that creates an online streaming player. Just click on the link to hear all the recital pieces without having to download the zip files:

Online Streaming Player


A template has been created for those who wish to provide individualized feedback:

Recital #41 Response Template


For the convenience of forum members, mahlzeit's program has normalized the files for consistent volume and standardized the ID3 tags in a collection of zip files. This makes it easier to create personal CDs and playlists.

These zip files have been posted at the following URLs:


Recital 41 Zip 1
Recital 41 Zip 2
Recital 41 Zip 3
Recital 41 Zip 4
Recital 41 Zip 5
Recital 41 Zip 6
Recital 41 Zip 7
Recital 41 Zip 8
Recital 41 Zip 9

And here's the link to Sam S.'s terrific ABF recital index, that allows you to browse through and search for pieces in all of our past recitals:

AB Forum Recital Index

Let me express my greatest thanks to some very special people: Mr Super-Hunky for coming up with the idea of our online recitals, which have proven to be more successful than any of us ever dreamed; LaValse for hosting the recitals for so long and then devoting hours of programming trouble-shooting making the transition to Frank's servers; Frank for agreeing to host the recital now that it's gotten so big; Copper for trouble-shooting help and the Order of the Red Dot; Sam S. for his terrific AB Forum Recital Index and also devoting hours to programming trouble-shooting; and last but not least, mahlzeit for writing the absolutely fantastic web-based recital program that we are using. THANK YOU MAHLZEIT!!!


AGAIN: DO NOT REPLY OR POST ON THIS THREAD!!

01
Performer's name:	earlofmar
From:	Australia
Experience:	3 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Gnossienne No.4
Composer:	Satie
Duration:	03:12
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Yamaha P105 with Galaxy Vintage D
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I was not even going to submit anything this recital as other pieces were not quite ready, but when the doors of the recital opened I could not help myself and threw in this old thing. Recorded several months ago, I was playing it then at its best and any attempt for a more recent recording would probably not have added much. Why I think this was this recording was an impromptu recording and a first take. Because there was no urgency in the matter I may have, less by design and more by accident, captured the piece at my best moment. I certainly like the lazy tempo I was choosing at the time and might have been more inclined to speed a little more if played today, which I think would be a shame. Half of an over ripe banana and a couple of stale bread crusts for lunch, why? Because I am sick with the flu and no matter what, everything tastes awful.

02
Performer's name:	Inlanding - Glen
From:	Denver
Experience:	off and on for years
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puWysKkHslY
Title of piece:	Solfeggietto
Composer:	Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Duration:	01:10
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Yamaha keyboard
Recording method:	Computer
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	In mid-November 2015, I decided to learn this piece, then recorded a video get get a baseline. It was the last week of January that I practiced it again, then captured another video in early February. I focused more on the tempo this time and some of the dynamics got lost. It's quite a challenge keeping the balance - even the trill got moved! I'll try the acoustic next time. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was considered by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and others of the classical period as a huge influence on the classical style. Beethoven suggested that Czerny understand CPE Bach's Essays on Keyboard Instruments as it pertains understanding technique, interpretation, and other refinements of 18th century music. For lunch today, it was marinated grilled chicken and mixed vegetables. My preference, though, was for a piece of flourless chocolate cake...

03
Performer's name:	wouter79
Experience:	About 6 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Venetianisches Gondellied, Op. 19 no.6
Composer:	Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Duration:	02:31
Source of music:	sheet music, mostly memorized
Instrument used:	Grotrian-Steinweg 189
Recording method:	DPA4060, EMU0404, Jecklin Disk, Macbook Pro
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	On a tour through Europe in 1830, Mendelssohn visited Venice. There he completed his first of 8 bundles of 6 Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words) by adding this piece. Apparently he liked the venetian boat as he later wrote more Venetian boat songs: as part 6 of his second bundle and part 5 of his fifth bundle. More and more people could afford a piano at home and lessons, and these nice but short, not-too-hard pieces perfectly fit for that. You can hear some aspects of Venice: the boat passes under an echoing bridge, some church bells ring, but other than that this is much less a program piece than I expected - no signs for speedup/slowdown for example. Therefore I kept it plain and simple as written, though I added quite some pedal to give it the fluidity it needs. I had trouble finding a good tempo. It says "andante sostenuto", so say 80-110BPM. Most recordings are way too fast, usually almost twice this speed. Playing this slow is much harder than playing it fast: it easily sounds more like a funeral march, and 'blocky' if the left hand is too loud. You have to be extremely careful with phrasing, articulation and dynamics to make it flow and work at an andante speed. I recorded this in spite of my work on it being far from finished. My new teacher rarely lets me play beyond the 10th bar, having many comments on voicing, intonation, dynamics, tempo, touch, technique, phrasing, fingering, and all else you can imagine. Clearly I'm a complete beginner and slow learner on top of that. Well I'm in good company here I guess Luckily I worked on the rest of the piece as well so that I can at least present the current state of the art beyond measure 10. I hope you all enjoy it!

04
Performer's name:	MarieJ
From:	Brisbane, Australia
Avatar:
Experience:	A couple of brief dabbles half a century apart before discovering Einaudi in December 2011. Self taught since.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Writing Poems
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	03:04
Source of music:	Digital sheet music from musicnotes.com
Instrument used:	Yamaha C3
Recording method:	Zoom H2n; file normalised and ends trimmed with Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	My fourth Recital - I didn't think I'd keep this up! 'Writing Poems' is another Einaudi composition which hasn't previously been submitted to a Recital. It is not as well-known as many of his pieces, probably because it is not included in any of his sheet music albums. His recorded performance seems to be only available as part of the full sound track from the motion picture 'The Intouchables'. It has been running in my head ever since I watched that marvellous movie, and I finally tracked down the score and decided it could be a relatively easy piece to attempt. But as Monica commented recently about another of his compositions, 'It sounds so delicate and, dare I say, simple... but Einaudi's "simplicity" has fooled me badly on many previous occasions.' She's not alone in being fooled! In 'Writing Poems' every note counts; a super-slow tempo and numerous fermatas ensure that there's just nowhere to hide. So it's very obvious that my finger control still leaves a lot to be desired. (Two years after switching from a digital piano to my C3, I continue to have problems playing pp and still haven't eliminated ghost notes.) However my biggest difficulty (thanks in part to the Red Dot) is always to get a half-decent recording. This one is the best of countless retakes, but it is still a work in progress. Cello harmonics help sustain the haunting atmosphere of Einaudi's performance; without this backing I decided to play 'Writing Poems' marginally faster than he does.

05
Performer's name:	Peyton
From:	Maine
Experience:	A bunch
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1RRzdYphdQ
Home page link:	http://www.peytonart.com
Title of piece:	A Play on Words
Composer:	Original
Duration:	05:24
Instrument used:	Young Chang Pramberger grand
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I wrote this a few months ago and still just can't seem to play the syncopated parts well. At least not when I'm recording.

06
Performer's name:	Newbert
From:	Glens Falls, NY
Experience:	A few years as a child, then 45 years away from piano. About 3 years as an adult.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	The Ludlows - Legends of the Fall
Composer:	James Horner
Duration:	03:40
Source of music:	Sheet Music/Lead Sheet
Instrument used:	Kawai VPC1 & Galaxy Vintage D VST
Recording method:	Record to WAV using Reaper; Conversion to mp3 using Audacity software.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	From what I understand, this is one of the main themes from the movie "Legends of the Fall". Although I've never seen the movie, I came across this piece on Youtube and was immediately drawn to it. Besides its beautifully simple melody, I felt that it lent itself well to my current goals. I'm trying to teach myself to play from fake books so, although I have full sheet music for this piece, I decided to blank out the left hand score and play this piece as a lead sheet. Since the last ABF quarterly recital, I've acquired a few VST's, including Galaxy Vintage D which I used for this recording. (I activated the "Big Strings" pad at a low volume when I recorded this. I didn't want it to overwhelm the piano, so I hope that I didn't set it too low to come through....) Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result.

07
Performer's name:	AZ_Astro
From:	Tempe, AZ
Avatar:
Experience:	4 years and 2 months!
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude in E Minor Opus 28 No 4
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	02:01
Source of music:	I downloaded a pdf file from the IMSLP library. http://imslp.org/wiki/Preludes,_Op.28_%28Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric%29 Composed during 1838-1839
Instrument used:	Korg SP-250 digital piano used as midi input only.
Recording method:	The recording was made using the new Garritan CFX Concert Grand sampled VST piano and Ivory 2's Cantabile recording capability, played on a Korg SP-250 midi keyboard.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I fell in love with this piece when I was about 5 years old, sitting on the piano bench with my mother who was a very capable sight-reader. She pulled out the Old Schirmer's Chopin one day and played this piece and I was smitten immediately. Always wanted to learn it! Surprise surprise, here I am 56 years later, playing the piece. I started learning this piece in my first year of playing piano 4 years ago but it was over my head. Nonetheless I persevered and learned to "play" the notes but my ear told me I still had far to go. Four years later, I am still playing and enjoying it and can still find depths of the piece to plumb. Truly a wonderful rendition requires a virtuosity that I don' have yet! But I have made the piece my own, so to speak. I still lament the technical errors that I make but they are becoming fewer as the years progress. I can't wait for another 4 years under my belt - hopefully most of the errors will be gone by then. By my count, I have probably put in about 2000 hours into the piano at this point. A younger person likely would have progressed much further in 2000 hours, but I am satisfied and must defer to my frequent brain-snafus and lower energy levels. Oh to be 25 again! Anyhoo, I have always loved this piece and finally felt it was time to submit it to the quarterly. All the best.

08
Performer's name:	SwissMS
From:	Switzerland
Experience:	About 7 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-srLup7H8mQ
Title of piece:	Sonata in B flat , Op. 22 Minuet and Trio
Composer:	Beethoven
Duration:	03:45
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Bechstein A160 Grand
Recording method:	Q3HD
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This piece is full of contrast and drama. The gentle beginning of the minuet is interrupted by discordence and sharp chords, and then resumes a whimsical course to its conclusion. The trio is a dramatic treatise by the left hand punctuated by outbursts of the right hand. I visualize the piece as a conversation between the hands, some times harmonious, and sometimes quite heated. I found it challenging to present the range of emotions that the piece presents, but it was fun to play!

09
Performer's name:	Riddler (Ed)
From:	Florida
Avatar:
Experience:	Two or three years of lessons as a kid; three years of jazz lessons as an adult; and a lifetime of noodling and playing by ear.
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://edsjazzpianopage.blogspot.com/
Title of piece:	Time Remembered
Composer:	Bill Evans
Duration:	02:21
Source of music:	Lead sheet
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-120
Recording method:	Pianoteq/Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is a beautiful song, with unusual, impressionistic harmonies. All chords are major 13th or minor 9th (not a single dominant chord!), which gives it a modal sound, bouncing between various dorian and lydian modes. It is not even clear what key it is in, if any. It is usually played by a trio or solo piano, but it has also been orchestrated for a full symphony orchestra and for a string quartet. There are lyrics and there have been some recordings by vocalists, but I think most vocalists are scared off by the ambiguous tonality and the large melodic leaps, not to mention the C# two octaves above middle C! A strange and wonderful song.

10
Performer's name:	Monica K.
From:	Lexington, KY
Avatar:
Experience:	Since July of 2004, self-taught.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/Q-4tCddLn5o
Home page link:	http://www.youtube.com/pianomonica
Title of piece:	High Heels
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	06:05
Source of music:	Sheet music.
Instrument used:	Mason & Hamlin A
Recording method:	Audio file recorded using Zoom H4, amplified in Audacity. YouTube video recorded with Zoom Q8.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I found this piece harder to record than the sheet music really warranted... as with much of Einaudi, the delicacy of the notes, rubato, and phrasing were the real challenges, not any particular difficulty in the notes themselves. I originally recorded this for recital 38 but changed my mind after discovering that my recording was more than two minutes slower than Einaudi's... so I went back and did some work on the tempo and tried again. This one is still too slow, but not as bad as before. Lunch was an Amy's Country Cheddar bowl.

11
Performer's name:	MeganR
From:	Yosemite Area, California
Experience:	11 months (wow, coming up on a year!)
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	https://soundcloud.com/meganralph
Title of piece:	Minuet In G BWV Anh 114
Composer:	Petzold
Duration:	01:45
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Everett spinet
Recording method:	Same cludge (I swear I'm going to budget for a Zoom H4 for next time) - digital camera to PC, then a little bit of work in Audacity but my apologies, it's still not a great job of recording.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I guess this is the quintessential beginner piece. Nevertheless, I actually quite like the second part and overall I enjoyed learning this one and sorting through the difficulties as best I could.

12
Performer's name:	JoBert
From:	Germany
Experience:	I've played since the 80s, but with a recent >10 year lapse.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/Y00qZPdzMVY
Title of piece:	The Hobbit - Theme
Composer:	Howard Shore, Jan Kolacek
Duration:	06:32
Source of music:	Sheet music by Jan Kolacek.
Instrument used:	Kawai CA 97 (EX Concert Grand voice)
Recording method:	Built-in recording to WAV, converted to MP3 with Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	The piece is a fantasy on the themes from "The Hobbit", composed by Howard Shore, in turn composed/arranged by Jan Kolacek. It starts off with the dwarf song "Misty Mountains Cold" and then moves on to various other themes from "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". There's a story behind this piece, and why I'm submitting it for my first ABF recital: Although I have been playing the piano for quite a while, in the recent 10 years or so I've more or less ignored it and almost never played at all. So one day this past October, I was watching stuff on YouTube and watched the part from the beginning of "The Hobbit", where the dwarves sing the Misty Mountains Cold song in Bilbo's hobbit hole. Then I clicked on one of those "similar-to-this" videos in the sidebar and watched an a cappella cover and from there I clicked on to a piano cover by Kyle Landry. I knew of course that Kyle is way better than I ever was (and likely ever will be), but watching this made me realize, that it was a shame that I had let this skill that I had practiced for so hard, and nurtured for so long, deteriorate so drastically. I decided that I would take up playing the piano again. So the very next day I went out and bought me a digital piano. And I also set out on the internet to find a piano score for that dwarf song. The one I wound up finding was this fantasy by Jan Kolacek, which I liked very much. At about the same time I discovered the PW forums and learned of the ABF recitals, and I made the resolution that I would make this hobbit piece my first entry to an ABF recital. So here we are...

13
Performer's name:	Medden - Simon
From:	London
Experience:	3 Years 3 Months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude Op 28 No 15
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	02:32
Source of music:	Memory
Instrument used:	Kawai CN34
Recording method:	Direct to USB
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I took up this piece as part of the 'Raindrop' study group here in PianoWorld. I really enjoy playing this piece. I have recorded the first section, and part of the second. I wanted to record all of it, but I found I have grown a little rusty on the middle section, so this will do for now. I may resubmit it at a later recital. Thanks for listening, I really hope you enjoy it.

14
Performer's name:	briangmoore
From:	Sioux Falls, SD
Experience:	A few years at least
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Chopin, Prelude 6
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	01:48
Source of music:	Schirmer Score
Instrument used:	Knable Grand (older)
Recording method:	Laptop microphone to audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	After two tries at Bach this is my first Chopin submission! The (easier!) Preludes were suggested by my teacher and I fell in love with this one. [I am still looking for a good quality recording method/device (that I can afford)]. Aside from that, I worked hard on getting this piece memorized well in advance, but the recital date just crept up on me, being busy with other things. I wanted to get something in as early as possible, so I sat down at lunch and just did the best I could, given the hour available. Lunch was...nothing!... since I played on my lunch hour.

15
Performer's name:	BrianDX
Experience:	28 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Canon
Composer:	Pachelbal
Duration:	03:23
Source of music:	Faber Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 3B
Instrument used:	Yamaha C2X
Recording method:	Sony digital recorder
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is the "graduation" piece for this level. It runs over 3 1/2 minutes in length, which is pretty long for me while in recording mode. It in C rather than D, which was a Faber decision. This is the first recording I've submitted with noticeable mistakes, but what the heck! One other annoying thing I've noticed. Either because of the recorder I used or the location of it, even the soft passages seem pretty loud. Believe me, there are really soft passages in there!

16
Performer's name:	Cat_W (Katharina Wittfeld)
From:	Germany
Experience:	several years as a child and nearly 4 years as an adult (practicing seriously)
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=777hpjzPmI8
Title of piece:	Snow White's Dream (Schneewittchens Traum)
Composer:	Astrid Amico
Duration:	01:38
Source of music:	Snow White's Dream (in German: Schneewittchens Traum) is one of six fairytales pieces from the digital pdf sheet music book called "Es war einmal..." ("Once upon a time...") with compositions from Astrid Amico (an italian pianist/teacher/composer who was born 1966): http://www.wunderverlag.de/artikel/es-war-einmal/
Instrument used:	Grand piano: Boston GP-178
Recording method:	audio: Zoom H5 video: Canon 5D Mark II
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I started to learn this piece last summer and I planned to record it for the last recital. But the piece was not ready, I was not ready and the grand was not tuned after getting acclimatized in his new home. ;-) So I had to skip the recital, gave the piece a bit of a rest, waited for the piano tuner and finally recorded it last month. There are some very similar phrases in "Snow White's Dream" that gave me a hard time to memorize it properly. But I was stubborn and wanted to record it from memory without being glued to the music sheets. So it needed several takes without mixing up these small variations in the phrases and without hesitating for tiny moments trying to remember which variation is the right one ... Concerning the piece I really like the joyful dream of Snow White and hopefully you enjoy it too. Thank you for listening! PS: Had some noodles for lunch. ;-)

17
Performer's name:	Anne H
From:	New Orleans
Experience:	10 years as a child/teenager, four years as a restarter
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Prelude No 4, Opus 23
Composer:	Rachmaninoff
Duration:	08:55
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Ritmuller GH 160R
Recording method:	Zoom
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I worked so hard on this since this is one of my bucket list pieces. It had dynamics, it was smooth, it was fast - and that all completely disappeared when I tried to record it. What I ended up with was this very slow recording with at least one pretty noticeable mistake. That said, I'm turning this in because I am truly proud of the work I've put in and that I actually have learned it. If you could hear me at home without the recorder, you would know I'm not lying! I'm also looking forward to keeping this piece around for the rest of my life, so I really do hope to get a representative recording made at some point. What this has really driven home is that I have got to figure out how to get over my performance/recording issue. My playing has improved so much in the past few years and some days is truly at a high level. I'm just not able to document it. I definitely welcome technical feedback (I know it has lots of flaws) but would also welcome some feedback about how to deal with recording when you have serious "stage fright" issues. Lunch was fried chicken and mashed potatoes at Popeye's.

18
Performer's name:	Michiyo-Fir (Jade)
From:	Vancouver
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/-sHnvCtTtCI
Title of piece:	Nocturne in F minor Op. 55 No. 1
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	04:52
Source of music:	Paderewski Chopin Nocturnes
Instrument used:	Yamaha C3
Recording method:	Zoom H1
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I mic-ed the piano very unevenly unfortunately by pointing it way too much towards the bass strings. The piece ended up sounding very bass heavy which wasn't so when I played it.

19
Performer's name:	PikaPianist
From:	Brisbane, Australia
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/E29W2Yu5weU
Title of piece:	March (Song of the Lark), The Seasons Op.37
Composer:	Tchaikovsky
Duration:	02:30
Source of music:	IMSLP
Instrument used:	Kawai CS6 + VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 VST
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This little gem is titled 'Song of the Lark'. I played this rather non-conventionally, and in a rather improvisational manner. I've always wondered why Tchaikovsky presented a lark in such a melancholic and pensive mood. In the end, I gave the songbird a little touch of optimism and happiness.

20
Performer's name:	khopin
From:	Uruguay
Experience:	I started studying Piano at 10 years old until 17. I restarted again when I was 41, three years ago.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Nocturne in D flat major Op 27 No 2
Composer:	Fryderyk Chopin
Duration:	05:52
Instrument used:	Kawai CA 65 - Digital Piano
Recording method:	Direct recording in MIDI format and converted to mp3 file
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I loved this piece the first time I listened (some years ago), but I have never thought I could be able to play it. I think it is very difficult piece and maybe the hardest I have played. The most difficult parts for me was to maintain the left hand quit but not missing and all the right hand "tricky" melodies. This is specially challenging considering that many time both hands should be played at different times.

21
Performer's name:	barbaram
From:	Ireland
Experience:	4 years as a teen, 2.75 as a returning adult, a bit of dabbling in between
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Alla Turca - Piano Sonata No 11 K331 3rd Movement
Composer:	Mozart
Duration:	04:57
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Roland digital - 13 years old and definitely overdue an upgrade
Recording method:	Digital to tablet, using Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	It's been a real challenge to get this to where it is. I am all too aware that there is still an awful lot wrong with it. It's so well known too, so its flaws stand out more than they might in another piece. In a year or two I hope to revisit it and up my game. For now, it is what it is.

22
Performer's name:	johan d
Experience:	26 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Minuet in G Major Ahn 114
Composer:	JS Bach - C Petzold
Duration:	01:39
Instrument used:	Rameau upright
Recording method:	Tascam
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

23
Performer's name:	Peterws (peter)
From:	Northern England
Avatar:
Experience:	Too many by the sounds of it . .
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GDQP0rk9XQo
Home page link:	https://www.youtube.com/dashboard?o=U
Title of piece:	Schumann 15; 1 and 2
Composer:	Schumann
Duration:	02:37
Source of music:	Music Book
Instrument used:	Roland FP50
Recording method:	Audacity plus phone video and video editor
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Two decent short pieces for me, but rather longer than I thought; apologies. Still make mistakes, part o` the package for most of us, but really enjoyed playing these. Tried to keep the LH down a bit. Failed. Tried to get a noise free recording. Failed. Blamed previous poor recordings on the DGX I had then. It wasn`t. Tried to play like Horowitz. Failed. Devoured a Fray Bentos Steak Pie for tea. It was unusually poor quality. . . . Fun was still had. And it`s time for a drink . .

24
Performer's name:	Piano_ Primo_1
From:	South Pgh PA USA
Experience:	6-7 Self Taught
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://wp.me/p5jsTm-10
Title of piece:	Praeambulum No.3 in d mi _ Deep River
Composer:	Heinrich Sheidemann _ Deep River UNKNOWN.
Duration:	03:20
Source of music:	Sheet Music USSM (Deep River)
Instrument used:	Pinao PX 100 Casio/Yamaha Synth for organ
Recording method:	Direct to PC WMM and Pianoteq, Yamaha Synth for midi data, Audacity to combine_export all to mp3.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	The two piano submittal pieces are 1. Praeambulum No.3 Composer: Heinrich Scheidemann (1500 s and composed for organ.) 2. Deep River- a pre-civil war Spiritual, originally assumed to be made as a SATB sung by a choir. I like both of the pieces, mainly for harmony study. But, Especially the Praeambulum because of the style, that is to me, of a soft Gothic religious genre. One other reason was due to finding a modern composition on the net that was similar, although I discovered the latter referred to first, then coincidentally hearing the Praeambulum afterward, and decided it was a piece I could play . In other word ... I liked the piece. LOL Some notes on the Praeambulum 1. If you play it strictly as written, it does not sound like the popular organ renditions as far as rhythmic melody. 2. Maybe easy to some, but it takes LOTS practice to avoid the stiffness of the common time when playing in quarter note rhythm sections in the piece . 3. I played the pedal organ bass along with the piano bass-line. 4. I also recorded midi data at the same time and resent it through a Yamaha synth Bank 0 Channel 1 as _19 Church Organ and added reverb , it follows the piano version. 5. Then is the piano version of Deep River The videos.... Praeambulum No 3 in d Piano Organ and Deep River Praeambulum No 3 in d Piano Strings and Deep River Thanks for listening and any feedback

25
Performer's name:	gingko2
From:	central MA
Experience:	8 years as a teenager, restarted post 60
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Djiekuje (Thank You)
Composer:	Dave Brubeck
Duration:	01:53
Source of music:	Themes From Eurasia, Dave Brubeck, sheet music
Instrument used:	Kawai CA63
Recording method:	digital to computer
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Thank You ("Dziekuje" in Polish) was composed by Dave Brubeck after a visit to the Chopin Museum in Poland, during his 1958 U.S. State Dept. goodwill tour to a number of countries. The piece combines elements of Chopin and jazz and Brubeck was a little unsure if the Polish audience would appreciate his interpretation. (They did.) Brubeck performed this piece many times with many variations. This version is from a collection, Themes from Eurasia, for intermediate players. I heard a moving story on one of the many radio tributes to Dave Brubeck after his passing in 2012. After a 2005 performance (when he was 85) of this piece in Warsaw, Brubeck had commented, "I wish my mother was here." His mother was an accomplished classical pianist and Brubeck's first teacher. He recalled as a young child, lying under the grand piano hearing his mother play Chopin.

26
Performer's name:	Justin Davis (JustinDAggie
From:	Jackson, MS
Experience:	About 3 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-0eZdmdWBo
Title of piece:	Claire De Lune
Composer:	Claude Debussy
Duration:	06:40
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	1967 Steinway L
Recording method:	iphone
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I have loved this piece for a while so, when I recently decided to try to learn more classical music as opposed to pop/rock, this is one of the first I wanted to learn. It's definitely a work in progress. This piece was one of my goals for the year that I posted in the 2016 goals thread! It's definitely a work in progress.... The recording and accompanying youtube video was actually the second time I have played it by memory. I'm making progress so I may update it before the deadline. However I like this video because one of my girls interrupts me near the end and it's pretty cute.

27
Performer's name:	SandTiger
From:	Southern California
Experience:	3 years 11 months
Direct music link:	click to download
Home page link:	http://sandtigerpiano.blogspot.com/
Title of piece:	Clear Blue Sky
Composer:	SandTiger
Duration:	02:09
Source of music:	Original composition.
Instrument used:	Kimball grand piano (don't know the size)
Recording method:	The Kimball grand was mic'd. Sound is coming through a PA system. Recorded live at Namaste cafe, using a Sony voice recorder. Kudos to the sound man for such a clean live recording.
Technical feedback wanted:	No
Additional info:	This is about as good as it gets for me. There are minor flubs as compared to the written piece, but overall a nice performance. I've been writing original music for a long time, way before I started learning piano. I consider Clear Blue Sky some of my best work, even though I still consider myself a beginner at piano.

28
Performer's name:	Meelays Kennedy
Experience:	I used to play when I was younger, but I absolutely hated the piano and quit. I started again 2 years ago and fell in love.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Fall
Duration:	09:31
Instrument used:	Steinway S
Recording method:	Iphone. It might be difficult to hear all the notes, I think this needs to be played on a larger piano, or maybe I'm just using too much pedal.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I made this song for Autumn. I tried to capture the falling leaves, the wind, storms, romance ect ect. I definitely want to add to this piece when I have more time in my life. I think it would go great with an orchestra or some string instruments.

29
Performer's name:	noobpianist90
From:	India
Experience:	2003-2008, 2013+
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXOLpuDRytg
Title of piece:	Songs Without Words Op. 30 No. 6
Composer:	Felix Mendelssohn
Duration:	03:10
Source of music:	Sheet Music - Alfred Masterwork - Songs without Words (Complete)
Instrument used:	Casio Privia PX 150
Recording method:	Galaxy Vintage D and Reaper DAW using MIDI cable
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I took my time with this piece. I finished learning the notes within about 10 days or so. However, getting to the point where I could play it with satisfactory dynamics and ornaments without any mistakes took close to 2 months. This recording is on the third take. The first take was actually better, but I made an unrecoverable mistake going into the final section. The second take turned out okay-ish and the trills were better, but on the whole, this recording sounded better. As always, I would appreciate any comments/observations/suggestions regarding my playing

30
Performer's name:	torquenale (Alessandra)
From:	Italy
Experience:	Restarter from October 2011
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Bagatelle op. 119 n. 3
Composer:	Beethoven
Duration:	02:09
Source of music:	Score
Instrument used:	Apollo upright
Recording method:	Zoom H4n - Audacity for exporting in mp3 format
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Nice "minor" piece; my version has a big missed note just in the middle. Simply, I'm not able to offer a better recording at the moment.

31
Performer's name:	Sam S
From:	Georgia USA
Avatar:
Experience:	I forget...
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Piano Sonata in F minor op2/1 1st movement
Composer:	Beethoven
Duration:	05:15
Instrument used:	1927 Bechstein model L
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I recorded this in one take, and you can tell! Some major blunders, but I kept it going for the most part. This was Beethoven's first piano sonata, and this is the first movement. He wrote this to impress and get his career off to a flying start. He even dedicated it to Haydn, probably for some extra brownie points, since Beethoven always said he didn't learn much from his lessons with Haydn. In this sonata Beethoven deliberately tries to throw off the beat with lots of accents on the offbeats. He also had some uncommon modulations, which are hard for us to hear as different because we are so used to them now. I certainly have a love/hate relationship with piano music from the classical period. All these years, and this is the first classical period piece I have submitted to the ABF recitals. I hate Alberti bass, and there is plenty here...

32
Performer's name:	tjbron
From:	Arizona
Experience:	14 years as a youth, about 8 months as an adult after a nearly two decade hiatus.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Venetianisches Gondellied, Op. 19 no.6
Composer:	Mendelssohn
Duration:	03:10
Source of music:	Edition Peters
Instrument used:	Mason & Hamlin BB, 1927
Recording method:	Digital Camcorder (Canon M40) - VLC - Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	First time in an ABF recital! I have heard faster renditions of the Venetian Boat Song, but I feel I have a different interpretation of the Andante that allows for more feeling. Hopefully it doesn't come across as drearily slow. I know of one wrong note, and wish the final note had slightly more substance, but it is amazing how difficult it is to get "quiet on the set" around a busy household, and this is my best take.

33
Performer's name:	Ganddalf
From:	Norway
Experience:	Upcoming 50 years anniversary
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/VqYgEBImlo0
Title of piece:	Rondo a la Mazur, Op.5
Composer:	Chopin
Duration:	10:33
Source of music:	Peters edition
Instrument used:	Yamaha AvantGrand N1
Recording method:	Zoom H1
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I planned to submit this piece 6 months ago, but had lots of things to improve, so I had to postpone. I have been working on it for about 18 months. It is a rather long and difficult one-movement piece, and by far the most difficult I ever played. I decided to do this project as a once-in-a-lifetime performance of one of the greater Chopin compositions. I considered choosing a Ballade or a Scherzo, but these pieces are so often played by highly talented people, so I decided to go for the rondo which is less famous. Actually the "Rondo a la Mazur" is a hidden gem and should be counted among Chpoin's greatest pieces. It is very extrovert music with beautiful melodic themes. Formally it is a bit more advanced than a traditional rondo, but at least it has a "theme A" that is repeated three times with just small variation near the end. Many of the elements in this piece make me think about the final movements of Chopin's concerti, and sometimes I think that this rondo can be considered a "poor man's concerto movement" (For the pianist lacking the talent and resources to play with an orchestra). The main theme introduced in the beginning has a special character using the augmented forth (third note in the theme). This is clearly inspired by Polish folk music, and the same interval is commonly used in much of the Norwegian folk music. Rhythmically the whole piece is a mazurka, and makes me think about a country feast where young people from the region meet. The piece expresses all kinds of feelings and emotions from such an event, anticipation, happiness and joy, but also disappointment and jealousy. I'm glad I was able to present this piece. At an age of 65 I have to be realistic about my own capabilities and further development, and I think this will be the last time I learn a piece with this length and technical difficulty. Fortunately there are countless shorter and easier pieces to choose from. I have added a YouTube video. The quality is not super high, the illumination was poor and my neighbor was running an excavator outside. You should probably adjust the volume to max when listening. This recording was made one day after the audio recording and if you compare the two, you'll find that the misses and inaccuracies occur in different places. A few comments about the tempo. My score indicates 132 bpm. If this tempo is kept strictly from beginning to end, the piece takes approximately 11 minutes. The big shots, however, do the whole thing in less than 9 minutes. They use somewhat higher tempo in general and speed still more up in special places. I have chosen a tempo where I still feel that I can play relaxed and without too much tension. Actually not far from the speed recommended in my score.

34
Performer's name:	Mohan Karthik
From:	Bangalore, India
Experience:	Not sure, too many on and off episodes
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_kbrRquw2A
Title of piece:	Hallelujah
Composer:	Lenoard Cohen
Duration:	02:53
Source of music:	http://hudobnik.wbl.sk/zborove_skladby/hallelujah---noty.pdf
Instrument used:	Yamaha Clavinova
Recording method:	Digital to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I had Okra sambar (a kind of spicy gravy used with rice in India)

35
Performer's name:	Copper
From:	Virginia
Avatar:
Experience:	11
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	I Surrender All
Composer:	Winfield Weeden
Duration:	03:17
Source of music:	Sheet Music Arrangement by David Nevue
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-250
Recording method:	Connected the Yamaha P-250 to the computer
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes

36
Performer's name:	Richard (zrtf90)
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Adagio Cantabile, from Op. 13
Composer:	Beethoven
Duration:	05:23
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	In the past I've played this faster, like Kempff, but in my dotage want to play it slower, like Arrau or Brendel. It's a long road getting there but I need more control over my tone to slow it down any further. This is a good stage. It's close to the tempo I want but I'm not yet comfortable enough that I can play it without conscious effort and careful counting. The change to triplets still doesn't feel right but I'm trying to keep my foot going at a regular two to the bar. It means I'm not confident enough yet to vary the tempo where it may need it for fear of returning too fast afterwards. Nevertheless, I don't find it staid or monotonous. It's difficult to believe, given the share he takes of my repertoire and general workload, that this is the first Beethoven piece I've submitted! His main works demand such a lot from the performer and are so well known that you can't leave any slack. He may not demand the precision of Mozart at the keyboard but he makes up for it in interpretive challenges and intellectual input. It's draining to play with such concentration more than a couple of times a day. Even here, a not too difficult piece, there are a couple of fairly obvious slips toward the end. This is also one of the more popular choices in the recitals so it needs to stand up and be counted. I've worked extensively on lots of small passages but when the whole thing's put back together it's tough to keep the new bits from being washed over by past habits and automatic playing but I think I'm close and this is going to be high on my repeat list for a while so hopefully in another year or two it'll be where I want it. I want, as ever, to thank everyone involved with these recitals for making them available, they're really the number one driver in my daily practise and I wouldn't be where I am today without them. I also want to thank everyone who puts in the time and effort to comment. I'm often too embarrassed to even acknowledge the praise I receive and I sometimes wonder if you've heard the same piece. A simple thank-you feels too off-hand, like it's expected, and an Oscar acceptance speech is OTT. Like others I usually read every comment on every submission - which makes it really hard to write anything different - so I do see it and I do appreciate it. Thank you all so much.

37
Performer's name:	Jen Weir
From:	Corpus Christi Texas
Experience:	8
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeqtmWu3R7E
Title of piece:	Missing
Composer:	Evanescence (arrangement by Vika Vermolyeva)
Duration:	03:30
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Korg C505 Digital piano
Recording method:	Digital piano to Audacity running on PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is the first piece I've played after a 16 year break from the piano. I stumbled a couple of times as I was nervous recording myself. I personally think I need to curve my fingers more and work on having my fingers hit the chords at the same time (so as not to sound broken) and also making the phrasing more fluent.

38
Performer's name:	Schubertian
From:	Dallas, TX
Avatar:
Experience:	5?
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Keyboard Suite #5, E major, HMV 430
Composer:	Handel
Duration:	06:40
Source of music:	Baerenreiter; Steglich/Best (ed)
Instrument used:	Estonia L190 6'3" grand
Recording method:	H2; converted to .mp3 on H2
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	It's a work in progress. The two additional movements - the Courante and the Air and Variations - I plan on submitting for the ABF Baroque recital.

39
Performer's name:	lyricmudra
From:	Illinois, USA
Avatar:
Experience:	Learned piano as a child but stopped when I was about 13 or 14 years old. Did not touch the piano for 35 years until about six 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. This is why I am unable to comprehend a piece conceptually or structurally, or why I don't have the language to explain what I am doing musically. 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 the relearning process, but would like to work with one in the future. I am willing to start at a more basic level if that will provide me with a more 'proper' and thorough training that includes sight reading, aural training, music theory, etc.. For now, I play the piano primarily for pleasure and personal fulfillment.
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/mfzT6AK1cl8
Home page link:	https://www.youtube.com/user/lyricmudra
Title of piece:	Ein Lied ohne Worte an Fraulein Doris Loewe
Composer:	Mendelssohn
Duration:	02:38
Source of music:	Sheet Music
Instrument used:	Kawai RX-2 Blak
Recording method:	Kodak Zi8 (video) and Zoom H4N (audio)
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Ein Lied ohne Worte an Fraulein Doris Loewe (A Song Without Words in F Major dedicated to Fraulein Doris Loewe). No Opus Number.

40
Performer's name:	Cathryn999
From:	Darwin, Australia
Experience:	10 years from age 5 - 15, 38 year break, been back at it since August 2015 (6 months).
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Schumann Op 68 No 30 (untitled)
Composer:	Robert Schumann
Duration:	04:47
Source of music:	Sheet music - Album for the young - Allans Music Imperial Edition No 33
Instrument used:	Kawai upright BS-2ASV
Recording method:	My mobile phone.....
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Well, my first ever recital in 40-odd years! I've only been learning this piece for about 6 weeks... for those who know it I hope you'll forgive the hesitations and occasional wrong notes, for those who don't I hope you won't notice them too much. Apologies for the pedal noise and background hum of the airconditioner, I only had my mobile phone to record with. This piece is particularly poignant for me, I started learning it on Christmas day 2015, the very day 41 years earlier that a massive cyclone obliterated my town. This piece reminds me of the utter disbelief as we emerged from the rubble in the early hours of Christmas morning, thinking we must surely be the only ones left alive. I struggle with tears every time I play it. I still live in the same town, and am now living in the very same house we went through the cyclone in. It makes me smile to know this, my first recital, was recorded here :-)

41
Performer's name:	Pollux
From:	Quebec, Canada
Experience:	Around 20 years. Started piano in my mid- forties. Self- taught with total lack of discipline. (well, once won't make it a habit, I had some discipline for this one...)
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Funeral March for a Marionette
Composer:	Charles Francois Gounod
Duration:	02:19
Source of music:	Sheet music (music-scores.com)
Instrument used:	Yamaha CVP-407
Recording method:	Recorded as a midi file, converted to .wav using the dp internal function then to .mp3 using a web based tool.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Go see http://youtu.be/m1uVwYjv7Rs for a nice animation by Tom Scott This is the original score for piano solo composed by Gounod in 1872. Five years later, he produced an orchestral arrangement of the piece which became widely known when Alfred Hitchcock choose it for the musical theme of his TV serie "Alfred Hitchcock presents". This was really a bold and foolish challenge I gave myself. I'm self-taught and my sight-reading is minus zero. I realized that trying to play it in-extenso was not an option so I decided to skip the middle part, jumping from bar# 54 to bar# 151 where the main theme is repeated, leading to the finale. The process was tedious: deciphering the score, experiencing various fingering solutions, dropping a note here and there when necessary to match my playing level. Entering the score in a score editor was very helpful and instructive (I use MuseScore). The end result is far from perfect but for me, it's a huge achievement. I really enjoy playing it. One final note regarding my choice of instrument voice (Piano&EP2). There is a tricky part in the main theme where the right hand plays 2 voices. I have to hit and hold a note with my pinky while the other fingers keep playing. At first, I was tempted to ignore that second voice but soon realized how important it was so I worked hard on it and finaly almost made it work. As I found out, using a piano voice with a layer of electric piano provided the additional sustain required to make that note more noticeable.

42
Performer's name:	CarlosCC
From:	Lisbon, Portugal
Avatar:
Experience:	6 years / 2 month (self taught since Dec2009)
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/user/PianoCarlosCC
Home page link:	https://soundcloud.com/carloscc-2
Title of piece:	Night
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	06:07
Source of music:	Played by ear and memory. Based on the sheet music from "Elements" book.
Instrument used:	Yamaha P85 (Grand Piano 1)
Recording method:	Digital to PC
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	"Night" is a piece from Einaudi's new album and I think it's one of my favorites. I start playing it following the sheet music but, some time later, I decided to do a different approach based on some solo versions I heard (by Einaudi himself). This is a typical work-in-progress which means I know exactly where to improve. Thanks for listening.

43
Performer's name:	f3r/Mark
From:	Italy
Experience:	Exactly 5 months on February 15th
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	http://youtu.be/lJIO9oJmcYQ
Title of piece:	Invention n.4
Composer:	J.S. Bach
Duration:	01:04
Source of music:	Free complete set Invention book provided with the piano.
Instrument used:	Kawai CA97 (SK-5)
Recording method:	WAV file from piano into usb pendrive
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Note: some letters on my keyboard don't work... The initial plan was to choose the best of 3 takes... well, it ended up being the best of 7, and the last one was the one I picked. I worked on it for about 1 and a half month and just played it for the last 2 weeks (I really should've work on it a bit more...). About my interpretation: It is really a mix of my own ideas and my teacher's. It starts with the first voice coming in with a crescendo on the first measure and going back with a diminuendo on the second to make space for the left hand which basically emulates what the right did. From measure 5 to 10 there's not much to say... crescendo RH on measure 5 and uiet LH. Measure 11 to 16: I usually play it more expressively, this time is uite flat... Measure 17: rallentando before the trill. Measure 20 to 21: uiet long trill, emphasis on the LH... didn't really come out well. Measure 24-25: This section presents a change in key from D minor to A minor (not sure, am I right?)... slight rallentando and diminuendo followed by accelerando and crescendo. Again, didn't come out as planned. There's not much to say for the rest, it is kinda similar to the first part of the piece. Measure 48: it's like fake ending. There's a suspension/tension caused by that C# (I played a trill). Rallentando and diminuendo up to the C# and accelerando from the D on measure 49. Measure 50-51: crescendo and accelerando followed by rallentando and diminuendo... About the short trills here and there: Those are optional, I'm not really convinced on my choices but this is how I practiced the piece and it was too late to make some changes. It didn't really come out as I wanted, the Red Dot really has affected my playing . I'm sorry for the mess of my explanation.

44
Performer's name:	Andy Platt
From:	Arlington, VA, USA
Experience:	6 years of lessons
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Sonata in G Minor, Hob.XVI:44, Allegretto
Composer:	Joseph Haydn
Duration:	05:19
Source of music:	Henle
Instrument used:	Kawai K3
Recording method:	Zoom H1, Audacity to trim
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Once again, an out of tune piano, I just am not in sync with the recitals. I really hoped to submit both movements but I finished the piece before Christmas and never recorded it. Ooops. So I only brought the second movement back to life because it's my favorite and, um, it's easier! Not much more to add! It's Saturday, I had brunch. Waffles and sausage.

45
Performer's name:	Zoot 64
From:	Southern England
Experience:	on and off for 3 years
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Minuet
Composer:	Domenico Scarlatti
Duration:	01:28
Source of music:	ABRSM Grade 3 Piano peices 2015-2016
Instrument used:	Casio PX 150
Recording method:	Headphone out on Casio to Laptop mic in
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Tonally this isn't the best recording as my desktop pc (which acts as my DAW)is out of action at the moment. So, I had to make do using my laptops mic input (poor mic preamp). But never mind! Concerning the performance itself... I struggled to execute the trill in bar 15 (both times) which is annoying and something I have to work on. There are a few mistakes during the piece, and I have no real idea, or accurate perspective, about how I performed the piece due to beng self-taught. Hence your feedback is always welcome!!

46
Performer's name:	blackjack1777
From:	California
Avatar:
Experience:	Approximately 17 Months of piano experience with approximately 2 Hours per day of practice time on average. (Using Alfred's All in One with a Piano Teacher weekly)
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Days of Wine and Roses
Composer:	Henry Mancini
Duration:	03:13
Source of music:	The Henry Mancini Easy Piano Collection, memorized for the recording.
Instrument used:	2014 Wm. Knabe & Co. 48" Acadamy Series Upright Acoustic Piano (Model# WMV 121)
Recording method:	Tascam DR-05 and Audacity Software
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	After participating in the Great American Songbook recital on Piano World last year, I found that I really enjoyed that particular style of music. My teacher suggested that we learn a Henry Mancini piece and she bought me a book with a collection of his songs as a Christmas present. She played through several of them that I thought I might like and we eventually decided on Days of Wine and Roses. Days of Wine and Roses was composed by Mancini for the movie of the same name, which was released in 1962. Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for the song and both of them received an Academy Award for the song for Best Original Song in 1963. The song is considered an easy listening piece and AFI ranked it as #39 on their list of top 100 songs for the cinema. My teacher and I worked on this song outside of my normal Alfred's lessons for just over 6 weeks. She passed me on it 1 day before the deadline to the recital! Performing this piece was a bit of a stretch for me but I feel that it came out very nicely. There was a lot of very large chords that I had to play in both hands simultaneously and dynamics that ranged from p to f along with some tempo changes and ritardandos. All of these things are very much still a challenge for me at this point in my piano learning career, but I did my best and really learned a lot in putting together this piece for the recital. It is definitely the longest and hardest piece I have ever learned. Upon advice from some members of the forum, I have left the lid of my piano open this time when I recorded and I'm not sure I particularly liked it. I felt like the sound was definitely louder but also a bit more muddled. I really need to work on understanding how to properly record. I will try to do better in the future. I'm proud of what I achieved on this piece for the level that I'm currently at and I hope that you will enjoy my performance. Also I would love to get feedback from all of you. Thank you for listening.

47
Performer's name:	MaryBee
From:	Cleveland, OH
Avatar:
Experience:	too many years on my own; past 7 years with a teacher
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
Composer:	Traditional, arr. Mark Lew
Duration:	02:50
Source of music:	http://home.earthlink.net/~markdlew/shw/DannyBoy.htm
Instrument used:	Charles Walter 1520 upright piano and Loree AK oboe.
Recording method:	Tascam DR-08. Converted to MP3 using Audacity.
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	My husband started playing the oboe a few months ago with the idea that we could do duets together. This is the first "collaborative piano" piece that I've done. I think the probability of getting a good recording with two people is 25% that of when you're playing solo. But it's twice as much fun -- there was a lot of laughing on the really bad takes. This piece is actually for voice and piano, but it's in the right range for the oboe, and it's at a level that we can handle, so that's why we chose it for our first one. I'm looking forward to many more in our future.

48
Performer's name:	outo
From:	Finland
Experience:	4,5 years + some childhood lessons
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Barcarolle op 65-6
Composer:	Alkan
Duration:	03:43
Source of music:	IMSLP score
Instrument used:	Yamaha U1 upright
Recording method:	Olympus LS-20M wav, Audacity to save MP3
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is one of the few technically "easy" Alkan pieces. Heard it in a recital last summer and immediately felt like learning it. There are still many things that could be better and a couple of "obligatory" mess ups in the recording as usual. Seems that making a recording without at least one will never happen. I also took some liberties from the score and even omitted couple of notes. When it comes to the balance and dynamics I cannot manage better with my upright and recording device. This piece definitely would benefit from the touch and dynamic range of a grand and a better responding pedal. Even my digital could probably do better, but I learned my lesson last time... I can only really get into the music while playing an acoustic. But hopefully you'll be able to enjoy this lovely little piece anyway!

49
Performer's name:	CASINITALY (Cheryl)
From:	Italy
Avatar:
Experience:	about six
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Largo - New World Symphony
Composer:	Dvorak
Duration:	02:48
Source of music:	Sheet music
Instrument used:	Yamaha P112N (Silent feature used)
Recording method:	audacity to pc
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I had been planning to play two Bach Minuets in this recital, but a few weeks ago my teacher advised putting them aside for a few weeks. I didn't have anything else anywhere near ready, so I thought about playing this piece. It is an old favourite, from when I first performed it, as part of the Concert Band in high school. (I played bass clarinet). I've never actually "studied" this piece, on the piano. I play it , with the music, as a relaxing end to a busy day, or when I need a moment of calm. It makes me think of canoeing on a river through the woods - something I did once in a while in my days as a Girl Guide leader back in Canada Lunch was a lovely assortment of seafood appetisers that my sweetie and I assembled for our Valentine's day celebration. The 34th we've celebrated together.

50
Performer's name:	Forrest Halford
From:	Bowling Green KY
Experience:	5 years as a non-practicing Teen, 4 years as a 'practicing' student, 20 year break, back for my 3rd year
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Mozart Sonata K576 3rd movement
Composer:	Mozart
Duration:	05:07
Source of music:	sheet music, played from memory
Instrument used:	Baldwin L
Recording method:	Zoom Q2HD
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This is a classic example of what happens when you attempt music far outside of your ability. I thought as a returning adult student I could diligently practice this the "right way" and it would just... well, get right. It didn't. I leaned the first movement back in 2013, and relearned it over the past four weeks.This movement I've been working on since September 2015.... diligently. It's just too far above my "pay grade" I'm submitting this because I need to let it go... put it to sleep and perhaps return in a couple of years when my chops allow the correct tempo and some semblance of musicality. Currently I'm working on pieces which are within my grasp technically and musically, but this submission marks my official 'breakup' with this piece. For now.

51
Performer's name:	Yamaha G3 & P-80 Mike White
From:	United States
Experience:	self-teaching since the beginning of the recitals, lifetime by ear
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Ch'ella mi creda
Composer:	Puccini
Duration:	02:30
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-80
Recording method:	Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	This piece was not memorized

52
Performer's name:	Alexander Borro
From:	United Kingdom
Experience:	20 months self thaught ( though had two lessons since )
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Underwood
Composer:	Ludovico Einaudi
Duration:	04:21
Source of music:	Sheet
Instrument used:	Casio Celviano AP450
Recording method:	digital to PC using pianoteq Steinway model O
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	My longest by far to date. Had a bit of a struggle this week with cold, and not much time too prepare in the end, unlike the last recital which I had well polished, this one has a few wrinkles I was in two minds whether to scrap it and just skip the recital and leave it for a later date, but then ... as they say, it is all about the journey, this is part of that so thought to upload it anyway. Realised afterwards listening the first section is probably a bit too slow for my liking, page 3 a few stumbles too. Funny though that the overall length of the piece came out almost the same as the original. A few deviations from the sheet. Mine is more inspired by the i-tunes version, where the middle section right hand part is octave lower for example, but overall it sticks pretty much what is in the book. Overall it feels a bit like a mixed bag to me, but it is what it is, getting there

53
Performer's name:	dynamobt/Marilyn
From:	New Hampshire
Experience:	10 years as a kid. Multiple decades of no playing at all. Back at it since 1999 off and on. Pretty steady now for 3 years. Only time off was to have my left shoulder replaced.
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Intermezzo Op 118 no 2
Composer:	Brahms
Duration:	08:20
Source of music:	Henle sheet music
Instrument used:	1918 Mason & Hamlin BB Piano was fully rebuild in 1999 prior to my buying it.
Recording method:	Zoom H2n
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	I listen my recording and feel I play very "controlled" and without much feeling. But, that's not how I feel as I play this piece. I've loved it since I first heard it. But the recording gives me feedback on what I need to do to perform it better. Hope to play it in public in March. I had strawberry banana yogurt for lunch with almonds as a chaser. I recorded this with hubby and dog in the room. I'm surprised I got through it this well. Hubby was playing chess online. I could hear the "clicks" of his mouse as he made moves. VERY distracting!!! I'd like to dedicate this piece to recently deceased, Arlene Kies. I took piano lessons from Arlene as I returned to piano in 1999. She got me to apply and get accepted as a performance major at UNH. Sadly, life events changed my plans. Arlene died this past Thursday after a two year battle with cancer. She had so much life and vitality it is hard to believe her light does not shine anymore. Condolences to her husband Chris, family and friends.

54
Performer's name:	jotur/Cathy Turner
From:	Santa Fe, NM
Experience:	3 years as a young teen, 30+ years off, playing for dancing since 1991 and for assisted living since 2009
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	Misty
Composer:	Erroll Garner, music; Johnny Burke, lyrics
Duration:	01:54
Source of music:	Sheet Music Magazine, March/April 1991. Music 1954
Instrument used:	Yamaha P-85 borrowed from a friend
Recording method:	audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	No
Additional info:	Sheesh. Yesterday my keyboard was recording, today not. Fortunately my friend is birding in Ecuador and I still have hers. Howsomever, I couldn't figure out how to listen while I played without finding some of the converters I've apparently lost or hi-tailing it down to Radioshack for yet another one. So I just recorded while listening in my head :\ So given that was stressful enuf, I only did it once thru, too. And it still may not be loud enuf, but Enuf is Enuf!! I gotta figure out what's going on

55
Performer's name:	carlos88
From:	Colorado
Experience:	4 returning as an adult+
Direct music link:	click to download
Title of piece:	La Puerta del Vino
Composer:	Debussy
Duration:	03:26
Source of music:	Alfred Debussy Preludes
Instrument used:	Yamaha
Recording method:	Zoom + Audacity
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	One of my favorite Debussy preludes so far. First Debussy prelude that I've worked with, with my new teacher. Spent a number of days of practice listening to my own playing, mostly worked on trying to slow down rushed measures.

56
Performer's name:	Moonsh1ne
From:	NJ, USA
Experience:	2.5 yrs
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://youtu.be/mEFAD0qft3Y
Title of piece:	Waltz in B minor, Op. 69 No. 2
Composer:	Frederic Chopin
Duration:	03:41
Source of music:	IMSLP
Instrument used:	August Forster 190
Recording method:	iPad with TASCAM iM2
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Please forgive me for uploading what I consider an unfinished piece. I can't seem to record it without a train wreck somewhere, which means it's not ready. Feel free to skip and not listen. It's my first large(-ish) Chopin piece, and I love it, but unfortunately can't do it justice yet. I had another take which I considered uploading for the recital (also full of ghost notes and various wrecks), which has a surprise ending, so that one you might suffer through the video if you want. [video:youtube]K_3HZCm22Dc[/video]

57
Performer's name:	UnderConstruction
From:	Australia
Avatar:
Experience:	Returning adult after 24 years of absence. 2.5 years as a child with lessons, 14 months as an adult
Direct music link:	click to download
Video link:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar5sfq7YGaI
Title of piece:	Odeon (Tango Brazilleiro)
Composer:	Ernesto Nazareth
Duration:	03:12
Source of music:	sheet music
Instrument used:	2007 Yamaha GC1
Recording method:	iPad + Tascam iM2
Technical feedback wanted:	Yes
Additional info:	Wasn't going to submit because of many travel commitments these past 3 months, but at the last minute decided I'd try for something. Quite a few tempo issues and a fumbles here and there, but, at least I submitted :-) Haven't had lunch yet, but looking forward to it!

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