rsl12 Great ear! The Alfred music page does point out the "Copland-like harmonies" of the piece.
PianoTell Recital #1 Is Now Live!
Ok I have a few more comments to share, I have really be enjoying listening to everyone!!
@pseudonym58 Wow! My first thought listening to these as a group was, what interesting colors! I didn't know any of the pieces, so thank you for sharing them!! Beautifully played!
@Sam Wonderful as always! This was another piece I didn't know, but it was very enjoyable! It's very cool when you can hear something in a movie, go find the score and then play it! I hope your leg it better!
@hebele e great job! Esp for playing such a short time! Congratulations!
@MarieJ I also didn’t know this piece, but it was lovely and your playing was beautiful as always! I found the piece to be sort of pensive, in the best of ways! Also, the audio sounded quite nice.
@plop_symphony Very nice! I like the interesting chords in this piece.
@thepianoplayer416 Very nice! I agree, that's an interesting piece.
@BicBic Nicely done!! It sounds like so much fun to play, and it sounds like you're really enjoying it!
@Nightowl Great job! And congratulations on your first recording attempt! You had a consistent tempo, which is super important. My only advice is don’t be too hard on yourself. 
@bSharp Ahhh High Heels! This has been on my list of pieces to play for a long time, but I've never started it. Maybe I will soon. You've done a really really nice job with it. The momentum is there where needed, the peaks and valleys of Einaudi are there, the musical intention… Since it's about high heels, maybe next add some pleasure and pain? 
(this coming from someone who doesn't like high heels and refuses to wear them I wore Keds under my wedding dress!)
So, I have some questions for you, because your video was wonderful to watch with the score and your hands. How did you make this video w the score? Where is your camera? Did you record audio w same camera? Is it on cellphone? (Does it feel like I'm interrogating you? 
@WieWaldi This was absolutely charming! And so nostalgic!! Loved it!!
@Calavera So, at first I was thinking, ooh, this sounds like something I would play. But then it suddenly got very intense and hard! Wow! Don't think I'll be trying it any time soon! You did a great job with it, very well played and you really nailed the ending!!!
@rsl12 Ok, that was soooo good!! The lyrics are hysterical but the bigger thing is your really solid playing through out. I really, really enjoyed your playing, both when you're accompanying your singing and when you're playing the solo parts
Re the lyrics — I didn’t think it could get better than the first verse but then the second verse started … 
@Sgisela thank you for your kind remarks about my piece! As I mentioned, this was a practice recording that I wasn't expecting to share, so I kind of wrapped up at the end too quickly. I generally don't do that because I agree, then end of Einaudi pieces is often quite significant.
@WieWaldi thank you so much for listening and for the nice compliments! Getting the essence is always hard, so if I came even close, I'm quite pleased!
@Rob thank you for listening!! I'm pretty much my laptop has the worst speakers ever, so I'm glad it sounded ok to you!
Dynamic shading can keep you busy forever if you let it.
Yes, yes indeed!
BicBic — Prelude in B flat minor - No.16 from Op.34
I enjoyed this new-to-me piece. You must have achieved a high performance level in earlier years, to have regained so much capability in only 10 months.
Nightowl — Plaisir D'Amour
I’m impressed that you’ve managed to video your earliest challenges, and then participate in an online Recital - I wasn’t as brave, and hesitated for years before ‘going public’. Well-deserved applause 
! And I checked out your Donner DP (I’d never heard of that brand before). It looks really good, and as it apparently can also act as a MIDI controller, you’re not likely to grow out of it in a hurry!
rsl12 — Always Chew Your Food
You’ve clearly had a lot fun making this, and I had a lot of fun listening. Thank you! (I didn’t notice sniffles … 
)
- Edited
ShiroKuro Ahhh High Heels! This has been on my list of pieces to play for a long time, but I've never started it. Maybe I will soon. You've done a really really nice job with it. The momentum is there where needed, the peaks and valleys of Einaudi are there, the musical intention… Since it's about high heels, maybe next add some pleasure and pain?
So, I have some questions for you, because your video was wonderful to watch with the score and your hands. How did you make this video w the score? Where is your camera? Did you record audio w same camera? Is it on cellphone? (Does it feel like I'm interrogating you?
Haha, no problem I recorded the video with my cell phone that sits above my head, using a boom stick, see pic below. The audio was recorded with a Blue Snowball ICE microphone connected to a laptop. I then used Cyberlink Powerdirector to replace the audio recorded by the phone with that recorded by the microphone. For the video, I overlayed a black background on the section above the keyboard, and then added the sheet music on top of that, changing them in the timeline when appropriate.
Thank you for explaining that! It sounds kind of elaborate, but do-able.
I've taken video with the phone on a regular tripod but at the highest point and angled down, it looked ok but was hard to get in a good spot bc the tripod isn't made for that. A boom stand would be great. I should go see how expensive they are...
Late to the party! The PW ABF Quarterly recital #75 had to come first. Now let me see if I can navigate this new platform and make some comments!
1. Player1 — Energico - you asked for feedback - you are just not very even or steady. Try this: listen to your video while looking at the score and clapping a steady beat. Can't do it, right? Because you are not steady. Here is where working with a metronome will help. But you will have to do it in very small sections, not for the whole piece. If you fall behind the metronome, stop and assess why. Stop the metronome and fix the problem before you try again. The other obvious problem is that the triplets (I think they are triplets - the groups of 3 notes) are uneven. They should be perfectly even and equal in length. Your first task is to play back your video and see if you can hear that they are uneven. Surely the Faber website has a video of this piece - go listen to that and compare your triplets and their triplets. You have to hear that it needs fixing before you can fix it. Once again the metronome is your friend. Slow way down and use one click per note and stay with the clicks. I know this is boring and time consuming, but it will pay off over time.
2. rogerch — Improvisation 6 - commented at PW.
3. keff — A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - very moody and mellow - loved it!
4. Sophia — Fascination - That was great! Very even and lively.
5. Sgisela — Joropo - commented at PW
6. pseudonym58 — Images (5) for orchestra - Wow, what a labor of love! What is that - 40 minutes of music? Frankly, more than i have time to listen to, but I sampled them here and there. Arranging, typesetting, and then learning it and performing it. My hats off to you!
8. hebele — Downtown Abbey theme - commented at PW
9. MarieJ — Week #7 - commented at PW
10. plop_symphony — A Lincoln Tribute - Sounded very similar to Copland. Well played, and I think that tempo was great!
11. thepianoplayer416 — Air in D minor - commented at PW
12. BicBic — Prelude in B flat minor - No.16 from Op.34 - Short lively, energetic - and well played! Loved it!
More to come!
Sam
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Sam Thanks for your comments. Yes, it's about 38-40 minutes total, depending on tempo. Absolutely a labor of love. I had always liked those pieces and had played them in orchestra as well. After looking over the full score, I determined that they would be amenable to arrangement for solo piano. Of course, I had to decide what was not essential and could be left out. There are always some compromises, but my goal was to keep them playable in performance, without requiring virtuosic skill. Took me a couple of years of on/off work (in my spare time), to finish the project.
rsl12 I somehow missed this comment, and I’m glad you enjoyed the video! This was a piece that I chose because I had heard recordings of it and it really spoke to me. I had listened to the piece many times before starting to work on it, and maybe because of this, I felt that the rhythm was fairly intuitive. There were some real choices to make, though. The big one was how to deal with the Left Hand pattern, which is not quite an Alberti bass, but close. There are a few possibilities of what to emphasize. It’s not marked in the score, and in different recordings, I heard performers make different choices. To be very honest, I didn’t think about this when I started working on the piece. The huge hurdle with the LH is that the piece is fast! And the LH never stops moving, and in a pretty repetitive way. So managing it without getting fatigued was the real focal point of my early efforts. I had just started with my current teacher, who’s a Taubman person. It took some time to work out how to play the LH in a way that it felt like I could go on and on forever and at speed, but once I did, I also realized that I had a lot more freedom to make choices about what I wanted to emphasize (as opposed to just managing to play it). I experimented with different options. I liked the 3rd/1st beat accents — this seemed to add to the driving/propulsive feel of the piece, so it’s what I settled on.
The coordinated/syncopated leaps in the middle of the piece were another big challenge, but this was just a few measures, so in some ways a more limited problem.
More comments:
13. Nightowl — Plaisir D'Amour - that was really very good. Steady beat, everything crystal clear and well played. You are doing great for less than a year!
14. bSharp — High Heels - commented at PW
15. WieWaldi — Rainbow Connection - commented at PW
16. SalmonJack — Alia - commented at PW
17. Calavera — Chrono Cross - Scars of Time - commented at PW
18. rsl12 — Always Chew Your Food - Inspiring!
19. TC3 — St. James Infirmary - Very cool! Loved it!
20. iternabe — The Trout - One of my favorite Schubert melodies! Well played - I love the split screen video!
21. ShiroKuro — Nuvole Bianche - Well done! I can tel when someone plays music they really love!
22. lilypad — Manhattan 1928 - I try to restrict myself to three recording attempts. If it doesn't happen in 3 tries, then today is not the day! This sounds great though, and since it was your 2nd take, you have proved my theory!
23. TheBoringPianist — Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18 - you are braver than I am to compete! I went through 4 years to get an undergraduate piano performance degree (when I was 62). I came to hate that feeling of being judged and graded every time i sat down to play - so no contests for me! But I do enjoy (or at least put myself through) piano camps, masterclass, and recitals. Loved your range of dynamics in this. I have a friend who sometimes plays this, but only the prelude, so I have never heard her play it all. So it was a treat to hear the whole thing - the fugue and variations definitely sound challenging. Well done!
24. Rob — Sunday Morning - That was actually well done, and carefully thought out. Sounds professional!
25. diretonic — Borrowed Blues - Play it man!
26. Rubens @Josephine — Waltz Op.70 no.2 - That's an inspiring story! Good for the two of you! I thought it was pretty seamless. And I thought maybe that was an illustration of Chopin's heart!
27. Serge88 — Misty - commented on PW
28. twocats — Rustle of Spring - Wonderful! The melody was so clear, and the rustle of the leaves was just the right level in the background. The dramatic middle section as just the right level, and i loved it when the rustle of the leaves returned. Everything was great except for the blurring of your face - I assume you had a good reason!
29. navindra — Bluebird - very cool experience! But that piano seriously needs some cleaning! You played great even with all the distractions!
That's all - a great first recital!
Sam
Sam Rustle of Spring - Wonderful! The melody was so clear, and the rustle of the leaves was just the right level in the background. The dramatic middle section as just the right level, and i loved it when the rustle of the leaves returned. Everything was great except for the blurring of your face - I assume you had a good reason!
Sam, thank you for the lovely and descriptive feedback-- it's so nice to hear that you could hear the rustling of the leaves!
Regarding the face blurring:
I have Internet privacy concerns, especially with facial recognition software so widely available now, so I try to make sure that at least front-facing images of my face are blurred or hidden. I don't know what's possible but it would sure spook me if someone was able to figure out my name and address from a photo!
Your theory is right! I'm normally guided by your 3 try strategy but by 13th I was desperate. Luckily I kept all my earlier recordings. Thank you for listening and the supportive comments.
Sam hah, I like this theory! Although no one would actually pay to hear me unless it was a benefit for charity 
My violinist friend and I put on a concert for our friends and family and we rented out a church with a decent piano, and I was joking that we were paying for them to come hear us play!
- Edited
26. Rubens @Josephine — Waltz Op.70 no.2
We are living in the future! Josephine, great touch--very warm and confident. I love the way that the two parts almost sound like two different instruments because your approaches and touches are so different. But that transition is very smooth--Rubens did a good job matching dynamics right at the beginning (unless that was edited to be smoother?). I hope you do another duet some time. I really enjoyed it.
28. twocats — Rustle of Spring
For just a few hours of preparation this is pretty good! The A section flows very nicely. I'm glad you decided to participate, and I hope it's not the last time.
I completely missed there was a template, which I am now using - thank you navindra!
14. bSharp — High Heels I’ve never played any Einaudi but i can see the attraction! I imagine all the syncopation in the RH is pretty tricky! Your playing sounds very calming and meditative, I enjoyed it - thank you!
15. WieWaldi — Rainbow Connection I know the frog but not the song! Looks like fun to play, and you played it very nicely!
16. SalmonJack — Alia Great composition, and love that it is linked to a character you are developing - very creative! Did you create the video as well, i’m guessing? It sounded sort of wistful - is the music intended to capture all of her journey or just the start escaping her present?
17. Calavera — Chrono Cross - Scars of Time I’ve heard of this game but never seen/played anything of it. The music reminded me of final fantasy music, particularly the quieter sections. I felt you did capture the vibrancy, but yes i guess it is different orchestrated. I did listen to the orchestra version and it was very jolly!
18. rsl12 — Always Chew Your Food Very cool! I don’t think I’ve heard you sing since the last PW recital, and I think I hear how you have improved - I think you sound great! Love the contribution of others to your lyrics, haha. Love the idea of a family recital too!
19. TC3 — St. James Infirmary Very nice! I thought the tempo was great too, didn’t seem too fast so I like your decision there.
20. iternabe — The Trout I think you really captured the feel of this. It sounds like fun to play! The video was cool with the two different views.
21. ShiroKuro — Nuvole Bianche Thank you for sharing even though it was ‘just’ a practice recording - still sounded great to me!
22. lilypad — Manhattan 1928 Yes I have definitely have that thing where the recordings get progressively worse! I always give up way before 6 haha. However - I thought this sounded great! It seems like you really got the feel of that style of music!
23. TheBoringPianist — Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18 How amazing to play in a competition and reach the finals - what an achievement! Sounded incredible, and what a fantastic piece too.
24. Rob — Sunday Morning A very nice composition, thank you! I really enjoyed it.
25. diretonic — Borrowed Blues Very cool, and interesting you picked it out from snippets through a chat on YT!
26. Rubens @Josephine — Waltz Op.70 no.2 What a lovely thing to do between student and teacher! Sounds pretty seamless, I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed the transition back and forth if I wasn’t looking for it! And I thought you both sounded lovely!
27. Serge88 — Misty Played with lots of lovely dynamics and feeling! Very nice!
28. twocats — Rustle of Spring Incredible playing! I don’t know the music but it does sound very spring-like! I agree it’s lovely.
29. navindra — Bluebird Ah the impromptu public performance, I love it! It sounds like you got a great reception too! Your playing sounded lovely, great job with so much going on around you too.
Nightowl - Plaisir D'Amour. It's exciting to see an adult starting out on the labor of love that is piano playing. You've chosen a charming piece and play it well.
bSharp - High Heels. It's always nice to have a piece you can revisit like an old friend. Classic, flowing Einaudi. Definitely not me in high heels. Gave mine up a few years ago. Getting too rickety in my 70's.
WieWaldi - Rainbow Connection. This is one of my all time favorites and I was excited when I saw you'd submitted this piece. Even an easy arrangement gives me goose bumps when I listen to it. I lived in a remote area with no TV reception when the show aired. From the little bits of the show that I've seen, I'd have to be the Cookie Monster.
SalmonJack - Alia. I liked your peaceful composition. That's an interesting comment regarding the melodic minor. I've never composed anything beyond a few bars for music theory assignments and never thought about it making music sound right. I just know it's a challenge learning melodic minor scales and training my fingers to do one thing going up and another thing going down.