Performer: diretonic, 75 years on and off.
Piece: Borrowed Blues by "a Cat" (to quote Dr John) and played by Dr John
Comment Policy: Anything goes

Source of music: By ear from the original.
Instrument: Layered vst pianos
Recording method: Cubase
Additional info: I've long been a fan of Dr John whose sound stems in part from his laid- back heavy handedness but there's something else which I can't pin down and probably never will. I picked this out from an informal chat (it's on YT) between Clint Eastwood and Dr John who's talking about his life and music interspersed with snatches of playing. This was one of them, in a style he seemed to credit another New Orleans pianist (hard to decipher exactly what he was saying but I think it was "a Cat" which would be typical of the milieu.) It's very short, a single run of an 8 bar blues. I spent a couple of days trying to get a feel for the style and busk a bridge of sorts but it was a lost cause and only detracted from the flavour of the original, so I've left it as-is, added a 4 bar intro and played a repeat so as to pad it out a bit. Sorry it's only a last-minute morsel, but I'll try and set aside more time for the next recital....

    Performer: @Josephine from the Netherlands... With a little bit of Rubens from Canada!
    Piece: Waltz Op.70 no.2 by Fryderyk Chopin
    Comment Policy: Critical Comments: Anything goes!

    Source of music: The Elise Gavard Edition from the Henle book
    Instrument: Josephine's: Kawai CN29. Rubens': Kawai ES920
    Recording method: USB recording
    Additional info: And now for something completely different.

    Truth be told, this is mostly a performance by Josephine, with some last minute help from Rubens😅.

    So a few months ago Josephine and I (Rubens) started pm'ing on PW and she asked me for some piano advice. Next thing I know, she became my first online student😄. She's been learning this Chopin waltz and made quick progress, and recorded the first part of the piece beautifully. But then she started panicking. She was procrastinating again as usual (maybe because she is addicted to deadlines?) so she didn't learn the B part. And this is when Rubens the knight in plastic armor stepped out of his fake ivory tower and recorded his playing of the B part (from 1:07 to 1:51) to complete the track. The parts were then glued together with some Audacity magic and voila! A baby monster was born😅. It's not perfectly seamless, no. The tempi are not even the same! Musically we are different too. She has a warm, intimate musicality whereas I'm way too impetuoso.

    But I think she plays fantastically considering she only has 5 years of experience whereas I have about 8 times that, and yet the end product is still seamless enough. So let's give my student a round of applause while I step back into my toy tower.

    Oh and don't mind the picture, it's just part of an inside joke between teacher and student.

      Performer: Serge88
      Piece: Misty from Errol Garner
      Comment Policy: Critical Comments: Anything goes!

      Source of music: Sheet music
      Instrument: Yamaha P-525
      Recording method: two webcam and OBS Studio

        Performer: twocats from Portland, Oregon - playing from childhood with some breaks, but am currently very serious about chamber music
        Piece: "Rustle of Spring" by Christian Sinding
        Comment Policy: Critical Comments: Anything goes!

        Source: Peters Edition from IMSLP
        Instrument: 1999 Bösendorfer 225
        Recording method: Zoom Q8 Handy Video Recorder (wav file merged with video file for better audio quality, sounds best on headphones)
        Additional info: I decided to participate in the recital at the last minute and didn't have much time to prepare, but I had played this as a kid and then revived it earlier this year for a piano playing event. I always thought it was a lovely piece. 🙂

          Performer: Navindra Umanee in the USA. On and off piano lessons since September 2019.
          Piece: Bluebird by Alexis Ffrench
          Comment Policy: Critical Comments: Anything goes!

          Source of music: Alexis Ffrench - The Sheet Music Collection
          Instrument: Yamaha GC1 in Mauritius
          Recording method: Improvised with random devices like my phone and tablet.
          Additional info: Wow! Where to start?

          This recording was not only completely impromptu but a major deviation from all my prior recording plans. Normally, I’d carefully plan my shoot and I’d have all my gear at hand but I didn’t have any such luxury here. You might not be able to tell, but there was a ton going around me while I recorded. There was a business event, loud music, chattering, and many noises.

          Simply, I’d never imagined I’m come across a grand piano in Mauritius, let alone one I could touch and play, and I had a blast with it! I got claps, one person asked me if it was a piece by Ludovico Einaudi, another person recorded me (you see Juliano walk into the frame at one point), and the day after, the manager stopped by our table with a friendly word.

          It was an exhilarating experience similar to the one @BicBic had recently!

          --
          Beach L168, Wish, baCh, WOW Petrof, Fake Steinway, VS
          TIME

            Rob this reminds me of the famous aria from the popular early 20th century French opera "Louise", which I played quite a bit during the 1980s!

            • Rob likes this.

              TheBoringPianist this is one of those occasional moments where it suddenly strikes me "I know this piece!".
              I would never have guessed it to be César Franck, though.

                twocats I had a recording of the orchestral version of this piece as a young child, and I wore it out! Something about it really appealed to me.

                  TC3 you might also enjoy another volume which I believe is in the same series, "The Joy of Jazz".

                  • TC3 replied to this.

                      Nightowl It is a very good first recording. Well done.

                        Rubens

                        I keep telling Josephine that she plays wonderfully. She has such an innate understanding of the music and how it should be played that you can't help but fall in love with it. That understanding shows in her performances. Hopefully some day she will finally accept how beautifully she plays.

                          navindra

                          I am so jealous. To play so well and have the opportunity to do it in public makes me green with envy.

                              Wow... I don't even know where to start... at the beginning I guess 🙂 I will be savouring this recital, so my comments will appear in batches. Here's the first batch:

                              @Player1 Wow, you show great progress compared to your previous video! Fast paced and smooth and lovely vocals towards the end, what is there not to like 🙂

                              @rogerch You know you are my improvision inspiration right? 😃 Compared with your previous piece which featured a lot of daring harmonies, I'm seeing huge improvements with you too. The harmonies just flowed. It's hard to believe that it was improvised throughout - it comes across as an original composition that you could have worked on for weeks. Well done!
                              TRUTH. This conversation just happened. My husband came in and commented "what a very pretty piece". I told him that it is improvised on the spot and he was absolutely flabbergasted. What more needs to be said 🤣

                              @keff I will respect your request for no comments and I don't have questions 🙂 It's a very pretty piece!

                              @Sgisela Very spirited performance! And such adorable images too. I absolutely love South American rhythms and you did it justice. Watch those fingers fly 😃 Very nice!

                              Whoops... that's all I have time for right now... more to follow!

                                Oh my gosh!! Congratulations, first for navindra for pulling it all together and second to everyone who submitted!!!

                                I cannot wait to listen, but I'll have to (am supposed to be working right now... 😅

                                  Few more:

                                  @pseudonym58
                                  Such a delicate start - and then... it swells to very interesting rhythms and harmonies until it gradually goes back to sleep again towards the end. The 1940s Disney should buy the rights and include it in Fantasia... with a full orchestra 🙂 my imagination took me to those type of images almost right away! Thank you!

                                  @Sam
                                  We have that movie The Rope! It's extremely interesting in more aspects than one, as it's the first (perhaps even only) movie that never shows a single camera break. Your playing made me want to watch the movie again 🙂 Hope your leg gets better soon!

                                  @hebele
                                  Great progress in only 5 months, well done! You started later than I did and I had some prior experience. Your diligence and hard work obviously has paid off - well done!

                                  @MarieJ
                                  Wow.... the abstract images fit the music so well... the music is sheer silky poetry as well. 😃 Lovely!

                                  I wanted to pace myself but just had to listen to the next piece, and the next, and the next 😃 More later!

                                  @plop_symphony
                                  Wow, that's very impressive for only 1.5 years of playing! I'm not sure how fast it is supposed to be played but I think your tempo was just right. I'm impressed from start to the very regal ending 🙂

                                  @thepianoplayer416
                                  Whaaaaa, no robot voice to introduce your piece? Heh. Teasing... a very pretty piece and well played. I don't think you consulted your sheet music once... so it was truly a well rehearsed performance - short but sweet 😃

                                  @BicBic
                                  Oooh what a delightfully happy piece! I fully understand why you chose to perform that in front of children - the child in me enjoyed the whimsical cat and mouse chasing each other (even crossing hands to escape from each other) and the grown up in me admired the skill. Lovely, lovely!

                                  @Nightowl
                                  Wow, you have improved in STRIDES from your previous recital piece! I know you once said that you think your progress is slow, well, just watch your performance and marvel how fast it's going. And that piano is truly gorgeous, compared to the little Casio you had before. Improvements all around 🙂

                                  To be continued...