PianoTell Recital #1 Is Now Live!
Josephine actually I love the sweetness of your playing! It really has an elegant waltz feel. In the B section you can add a little drama and intensity on the lines with the percussive repeated chords (I think they happen twice, I hope you know which lines I'm talking about) like what Rubens does but I don't think the whole thing needs to be more intense. I think you have great musical intuition for this piece and you should be true to how you feel the music in your heart 
- Edited
20. iternabe โ The Trout
You played that piece pretty much perfect! Good rhythm and dynamics. PS Nice video setup!
21. ShiroKuro โ Nuvole Bianche
Very pretty! I'm glad you were able to find something to submit! It sounds like a finished recording, not a practice one. Is there more you want to do with it?
22. lilypad โ Manhattan 1928
It took me about half the recording to realize this is kind of a variation of Rhapsody in Blue. Cute song, nicely played. Sounds like your fingers had to jump around a lot!
24. Rob โ Sunday Morning
It's really lovely. I got tingles. I listened to it a few times. Reminds me of Debussy's Reverie, particularly at 0:40. Debussy makes me think of Degas, so basically we both have the same image in our heads!
25. diretonic โ Borrowed Blues
I love Dr. John! He's on my list of artists that I need to do a deep dive on in 2025. I live in Louisiana and I need that New Orleans sound in my repertoire! This little bit you did sounds like perfect study material. Great job with the transcription.
27. Serge88 โ Misty
What a nice arrangement, and well played!
29. navindra โ Bluebird
Wow, what a production! Three cameras?? Unscheduled and no sheet music? Piped music in the background? Live audience, and therefore only one take??? You did a great job!!
TheBoringPianist
Thank you for posting your performance !
And super cool that you learned this in 7 weeks.
If you would like to share, how did it go with the competition?
ZigZagStory not to derail the PT recital thread too much but I made it to the final round (15-min preliminary round, 20-min semifinal round, 25-min final round) but didn't place in the top 3. My finals program (which included the Franck) was definitely my weakest set, especially Chopin Scherzo No. 3, which was the piece I practiced the least leading up to the competition because I was too busy trying to get all the other music ready! If you're interested in hearing the rest of my program, I recorded myself:
Preliminaries (Kapustin/Janรกฤek/Price/Moszkowski)
Semifinals (Haydn/Russell/Prokofiev)
Finals (Franck-Bauer/Clementi/Chopin) (the clip above is from this)
"You're a smart kid. But your playing is terribly dull."
TheBoringPianist not to derail the PT recital thread too much but I made it to the final round
I personally would love it if you started a thread about your experiences participating
i've listened to the first few! loved it!
Player1 - definitely got some of that โenergicoโ feeling, great job to you AND the cat!
rogerch - this is really nice, very relaxing (to listen to, maybe not to play/improvise!) As always, Iโm impressed by your improvisation skills!
@keff - ah i love this song, thank you for sharing!
@Sophia - great to hear your progress - sounds good! I feel you captured the playful dance-y vibe very nicely.
@Sgisela - great to hear this again, and i loved it again!
@pseudonym58 - i really enjoyed listening to this! Iโll have to check out the OG orchestral version, but your piano arrangement sounds really lovely. Have you made other piano arrangements of orchestral music? Sounds fun but challenging!
Sam - iโm glad i inspired you to check out some poulenc! Maybe you and your wife can do the clarinet sonata 
? I enjoyed this, the โperpetual motionโ thing is interesting and your playing sounded suitably mysterious! I hope your leg recovers soon.
hebele - good job with your first legato pedaling piece, it sounds very smoothly played! Always fun playing (and listening to!) something you recognize from the telly!
MarieJ - your delicate playing goes very nicely with the beautiful silk dyes in the video!
@plop_symphony - thank you for sharing this, how interesting - Iโll have to check out the Utah one (where i currently live!). Your playing definitely evoked a stately tribute!
thepianoplayer416 - short but sweet, sounded great! I love that you can just come across something fun and decide to learn and record for us in a short space of time!
Nightowl - I donโt think i noticed any hesitations - it sounded good to me and evoked the love song feeling!
@twocats - thanks for your comment on the shostakovich-ness of my playing - it gives me the confidence to try another one of the preludes!
Sophia - your description of my piece is great! also - i really didn't 'perform' as such - all children in the area were running around shrieking with the excitement of the museum and not paying any attention me at all, and the only person who listened was my sister in law!
@plop_symphony - thanks! the large jumps didn't stress me too much but other things in this piece really did! the LH octave semiquavers especially!
@rogerch - yes there is rather a lot going on, at least it doesn't last for long so that helped speed up the learning process a bit!
I just realized there was a template for comments, and that there is a draft feature! Very handy.
1. Player1 โ Energico
Where is the cat? Thanks for sharing, sounded nice. My only suggestion is to play with a metronome to iron out the rhythm.
2. rogerch โ Improvisation 6
Well played, I always envy those that can improve and make stuff up that sounds great. Where do you place the H4n for recording? I'm considering getting one myself.
3. keff โ A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed listening.
4. Sophia โ Fascination
I remember learning that piece. You played it very well! Check out Musetta's Waltz and Danny Boy from Level 2, they are fun ones to learn.
5. Sgisela โ Joropo
Fantastic! What an energetic piece. Nice video editing too
6. pseudonym58 โ Images (5) for orchestra
It's a very spooky sounding piece, but I like it. Well played!
7. Sam โ Perpetual Motion #1
Another somewhat spooky sounding piece, but it was nice. Enjoyed listening. Sorry about your accident, hope you recover quickly.
8. hebele โ Downtown Abbey theme
Nicely played! The speed will come with time.
9. MarieJ โ Week #7
Very relaxing, thanks for sharing. I enjoyed listening and watching the art work.
10. plop_symphony โ A Lincoln Tribute
Nice playing. Interesting that Alfred has so many recital suites.
OK, here are my comments on the last few pieces:
25. diretonic โ Borrowed Blues
Amazing playing. Maybe after another few decades of practice I could play like that? Nah, never gonna happen! Respect sir!
26. Rubens @Josephine โ Waltz Op.70 no.2
What a great production. Congratulations to you both for such a successful collaboration.
27. Serge88 โ Misty
I already commented on this when it was accidentally previewed, but somehow my comment disappeared into the ether. Anyway, it bears saying twice - you played this old standard beautifully. I can imagine you playing this in some classy piano bar, with drinks lined up on the bar by the grateful clientele.
28. twocats โ Rustle of Spring
When watching this it felt like I'd been transported to a concert - brilliantly played.
29. navindra โ Bluebird
That was a beautiful performance in a breathtaking location - the stuff dreams are made of, in more ways than one. I second the other comments made about the hat - it really suits you. If you ever decide to update your avatar the thumbnail picture would be perfect.
Thanks to everyone who posted kind comments about my recital, they are much appreciated. Thanks especially to @Player1 for taking the time to post detailed advice on ways to help me move forward with my journey - you really are turning into my online piano teacher, our long running joke seems to have turned into reality. The recital is very useful for beginners who are flying solo, as there is only so much feedback to be had from our spouses/friends (who probably are just as bored with the method book pieces as we are).
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
What a great recital! Here are a few reactions and comments from me, prior to reading anyone elseโs responses (so as to avoid bias). Just some brief responses to begin with but happy to follow up anyone cares to discuss more.
@Player1: Good job, well played. I like the duet. I wonder if your piano couldnโt be a bit higher. Itโs hard to see relative to the rest of your body but it looks rather low. As a result, your knees look a bit cramped and I think your forearms are angled down sharply, causing you to bend your wrists up to compensate. Anyway, it might be worth experimenting with.
@rogerch : Lovely! I always enjoy your improvisations and great envy your ability. Sometime youโll have to talk more about how you learned to do that. Iโm curious where you set up your Zoom. Is it under the piano?
@keff : That sounded pretty good to me for a work in progress. I get the recording nervousness, it never fails to make me uptight once I hit that record button. Iโm just trying to do it more often and get used to it, sort of like exposure therapy / desensitization.
@Sophia : Nice job! It sounds like youโre working your way through Alfred quite nicely. I used that method until about halfway through that book 2 then changed gears. I remember a lot of the โoom-BOM-BOM left hand parts! 
@Sgisela : Wow, thatโs some advanced classical playing right there! I donโt see myself getting to that level in my lifetime. I enjoyed the artwork as well.
@pseudonym58 : Iโve only listened to the first movement so far, but itโs very beautiful. Thank you for sharing your arrangement as well!
@hebele : Good job, thatโs amazing playing for five months of self-learning. It sounds to me like you basically have it down, I have no doubt the tempo and dynamics will come along to your satisfaction soon.
@MarieJ : Gorgeous piece and playing! I wasnโt familiar with the composer so thanks for the introduction. The silks are beautiful too!
@plop_symphony : Fantastic! I have no constructive criticisms. I love the idea of this tribute suite, I will have to listen to the one from my home states over the years. Thanks!
@thepianoplayer416 : Short and sweet! I dig Purcell, great choice. Very nice Yamaha too!
@BicBic : Nice job, sounds like youโve managed to get well back into shape after only ten months. Thatโs a fun piece, and you played it very confidently and musically.
@Nightowl : Well done, very impressive after less than a year. You played the piece smoothly and musically, and if youโre interested in increasing the tempo thatโll just be a matter of time (ha).
@bSharp : Thatโs a gorgeous piece and you played it really well, your own critique notwithstanding. I looked up the composer and it sounds like he writes the sort of contemporary piano music that Iโd like to hear a lot more of. I suspect Akira Yamaoka was influenced by him, I hear some influences on the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack. Itโs neat how you were able to dust that off again so quickly, thatโs something I hope to be able to do as I get better and have more repertoire bouncing around in my brain.
@WieWaldi : Good job! I like that arrangement, itโs on of those โeasyโ arrangements that still captures the spirit of the piece quite well. Thatโs a good tune to pull out if people put you on the spot and say โOh, you play piano? Play something for me!โ I think youโre probably ahead of most people after just a couple of years on piano, a testament to regular practicing. Keep it up!
@SalmonJack : Thatโs an impressive original composition, thanks for sharing it. It must add a whole other dimension to playing a piece when you wrote it and you have your own vision in mind. Very well done, Iโm quite impressed.
@Calavera : Bravo! Thatโs some pro-level playing of a challenging piece. I love all the different moods created through a mere three minutes. As an on-and-off gamer, Iโm often impressed with the quality of the soundtracks (I mentioned Silent Hill 2 above). A good game really draws me into its world, and the music is a big part of that.
@rsl12 : Wow, more impressive improvisation, and now with singing! I definitely aspire to this sort of thing. Youโre on track to be my new piano hero โฆ.
TC3: Whoops, thatโs me โฆ
@iternabe : Well done, you nailed it. The more I hear from the Faber books the more I think I should have started with them. Keep up the great progress!
@ShiroKuro : Another Einaudi! I need to listen to more of this guy. I used my headphones and the recording wasnโt half bad, just a bit dark. That sounded pretty good to me for a โpracticeโ recording!
@lilypad : Nice playing, very expressive, and the Yamaha sounds great. The same thing happens to me, my best take is usually my first or the second one after a false start the first time. After that, I might as well leave the piano for a while and come back later.
@TheBoringPianist : Thatโs very impressive! I heard a few tiny inaccuracies early on and then it really started to sing. Making it to the finals was clearly well-deserved! Plus you got to play a Steinway D (insert envious face here). I imagine that was pretty nerve-wracking, I definitely donโt have it in me to play in such situations. Again, very impressed, thanks for sharing that.
@Rob : A beautiful composition, beautifully played. Thanks for sharing!
Diretonic: Wow. Seriously, thatโs the kind of playing that I aspire to. Seriously youโll have to describe your piano journey to me sometime, and tips for I can get to where I am to where you are would be greatly appreciated.
@Josephine & @Rubens : What a lovely collaboration and a heartwarming story to go with it. Iโd love to hear more of this sort of thing, from any and every aspiring duet on PianoTell!
@Serge88 : Great performance of a classic. I enjoyed your audience at the end of the piano too!
@twocats : Extremely impressive playing, youโre obviously a very serious pianist. Your Bรถsendorfer looks and sounds beautiful too.
@navindra : Another Einaudi, clearly a composer I should be listen to more of! I love that you took advantage of your access to the Yamaha, and your video turned out very well, kudos on MacGyvering! ๏
Whew, nice job everyone! Now Iโll go back and read comments, and hopefully respond to a few.
Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.
pseudonym58 Thank you! I'm working through The Joy of B&B volume 1 right now, then volume two, and after that I'll definitely look into that volume
Sophia Thanks! I do try to have fun, though it's harder when the red light is on ...
Nightowl You are too kind. I can hear some inaccuracies still, but it was the cleanest take I managed that afternoon ...
rsl12 Thanks for listening! Yes, it's a neat progression, I'll take a look later but it's mostly triads (major or minor) moving down by halfsteps. It's probably a simplified version of a circle of fourths with tritone subs that allow the descending bass.
Player1 I'm lead to believe that there is one orange brain cell out there somewhere ...
rogerch Thank you! You put your finger on the exact reason why I've been working on this piece, to practice dynamics. They're a bit better when the red light isn't making me tense up ...
Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.
Player1 Energico - Pausing for the cat duet made for an interesting interpretation. Nice expression.
rogerch Improvisation - What a happy accident to result in such a calm flowing performance with interesting variations.
keff A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - I love this one. I got goosebumps right away, listening to it. Thank you for sharing this work in progress. When you mentioned you were working on it in another thread, I could hardly wait to hear it. In the video you looked completely calm the whole time.
Sophia Fascination - You're well on your way in your piano journey through the Alfred books. A sure-fingered performance with a nice sense of rhythm.
Sgisela Joropo - I heard this on the ABF recital and love hearing it again. I'm glad you chose the livelier of the two recordings. I can imagine a party going on as I listen to it.
pseudonym58 Images - Simply lovely to listen to this one-of-a-kind transcription. I can well imagine how difficult it must have been to play. You've done an outstanding job with both the arrangement and execution of it. Bravo!
Ok I am finally getting started! This is indeed a wonderful recital!
@Player1 Great job, and I love the duet!!
@rogerch very nice, I really enjoyed that! Especially gentle glide into the ending! May I ask what the artwork is behind the piano?
Also, can I ask about your background? You've been playing for a long time, was your training classic or other styles? How did you get into improvising?
@keff What a great piece! I'm not familiar with it, but I really liked the chord colors!
@Sophia , great job!! Very nicely played! Also, what is this piece and why is it so nostalgic to me! 
@Sgisela what an interesting piece of music!! Wow, it sounds soooo challenging! I really enjoyed reading your additional info, the experience of having a performance with maybe more mistakes than I want, but that has a special energy or feel, is very familiar to me. It's the balance between accuracy and musicality, and in the end, I think we are wise to choose musicality.
By the way, I'm just speaking in general here, I thought your playing was superb both in terms of musicality and in terms of accuracy in that I didn't hear any sections that sounded rushed or had "HT issues." Very, very well played!
Ok I'll do some more listening more tomorrow!!
- Edited
@keff thank you for listening and complimenting my recording!
@bSharp thank you! Sensitivity is hard to accomplish, but pretty essential for Einaudi!
@Sophia , thank you!!
@Nightowl thank you!! Glad it sounded ok, I think it's just my laptop speakers!
@rsl12 thank you for your kind words!!
Is there more you want to do with it?
Thank you for asking. I need to go back and listen to this specific recording to see what I disliked about it :sweat I've made probably 5 recordings of this piece since July, and each one, there are mistakes, missed transitions, things like that... IIRC I think this recording was one of the ones that came closer to what I was aiming for with fewer obvious mistakes. Oh and btw what I was aiming for was: control over the tempo variations (I think I mostly have that), detailed dynamic shading (I don't think I have that) and a clear melody line (I think I have that). Also, I always want note accuracy or to play through the mistakes so that they're barely noticeable. This is a goal I rarely achieve!
@TC3 thank you!!
