Player1 Same here, Player1. I had a piece in mind that I thought was ready, but tried to record it last night and seemed to play it worse with every attempt! Now I'm totally bored with it and am wondering what else I could submit.

The problem is that by the time I've got a piece to a decent standard I'm already tired of it, so in some ways I feel loathe to sacrifice a favourite piece on the altar of the recital, knowing I might come to hate it by the time I get a decent recording. That's the down side of taking part, but on the other hand it is good to be part of the event and receive encouraging remarks from others. Anyway we have a couple of weeks more to come up with something P1. 🙂


"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

      Nightowl
      I thought about it but I'd have to start from scratch. That means finding something to play, then learning it, then recording it. Not ideal. Especially when I'm hit & miss on playing.

      Then again, there's always 3 blind mice to fall back on. If, that is, I can figure out the LH chords.

        I don't have anything this time around either. Things have been hectic lately, but I think I'll have something for the next recital.

        I've mostly been working on stuff for my garage band, but I'll see if I can't come up with at least a little something by then. No promises, though!

        Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

        Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
        Come on guys, this is not an exam... Send in something old and tired full of mistakes if need be. I always enjoy the private concert so very much, it's the highlight of the forum.

        I recorded mine two weeks ago and it's definitely not flawless... just a fun piece to showcase current progress. I'm really looking forward to this second recital!

          As I play by ear, and play/improvise on the spot, I almost never record myself, as I’m prone to mistakes. It sounds cool live, but recorded-wise not as good.

          But perhaps I’ll make an exception for this forum!

          If I contribute, it’d be me literally laying on the spot, nothing pre-determined. Just whatever my brain feeds me on the spot.

          If there’s appetite for that, then I’ll participate this time! 🙂

            Nightowl I had a piece in mind that I thought was ready, but tried to record it last night and seemed to play it worse with every attempt!

            What I've learned is do not make recording an event that you work up to, be nervous about, and only do occasionally as if it is a special occasion. It's a lot easier to just record the whole session every time you practice, note down the good run through, and make a cut of that performance as soon as possible. I save the first run that's almost presentable, then keep working on the piece and keep saving any run that has marked improvement. Usually when I get 5 or 6 edited and saved recordings, the piece is polished enough for an online recital.

            I know this approach is different from preparing a piece for live performance standard. (And I do continue work on pieces after I have a satisfactory recording.) But this always-recording workflow is much less stressful for beginner like me.

            Last but not least, listening to recording of my own playing, and watching the video, has proven to be super helpful in finding flaws in my technique and artistry.

                Sophia

                Okay, okay. I'll check my stuff and see what I can find.

                No promises though. I think I've already submitted everything I've recorded to a recital at one time or another.

                Unless you want to see me play scales and arpeggios?

                    HeartKeys If there’s appetite for that, then I’ll participate this time! 🙂

                    Always! I enjoy roger's improvisations too, as well as others'. I find it incredibly impressive how people can come up with a melody inside their head and then let it flow through their fingers. I'm looking forward to it 🙂

                      HeartKeys

                      You wouldn't be the only improv performance in the recitals. We have a few members who submit some awesome stuff that's totally improvised.

                      The key is that you play and what you play is what we want to hear.

                        Player1 Unless you want to see me play scales and arpeggios?

                        You want the honest answer or the truth? 😄 Ok then, I'll give you both: neither are good friends of mine! Not to play and even less to listen to 🤣

                            Ehm, is this the time to ask Navin for a "skip" option? 😂

                            Okay, okay! I promise to contribute, even if it's terrible ... 😬

                            Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                            Sophia

                            Okay, I have something new from one of my music books. It's 2 pages but I can already play it through, albeit slowly and haltingly.

                            2 weeks and I should have something worth listening to. Maybe.

                                Player1 That's good to hear P1. It wouldn't be a proper recital without your input. I have also found a short piece that might be manageable for me to play painfully slowly half decently. 🙂 Short and sweet beats long and laboured, for me!

                                @Sophia - that video is genius! I've been learning that piece recently but you'll be pleased to hear that I have no intention of submitting it for the recital. I think it's quite pretty but it's so ubiquitous that it's a bit of a cliche choice for a beginner.

                                "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

                                    iternabe Thanks, that is a great suggestion. I remember you posted it previously on the other forum, but at the time I did not know to edit my videos so I put it to the back of my mind. However, today I learned how to do basic editing using the Google app, so I might try out your idea later. I guess a video of 60-90 mins length would use up a lot of memory so I would need to promptly delete the unwanted chunks, but it might be a way for me to get a decent recording.

                                    "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

                                        Nightowl You can tweak video quality to optimize file size per minute. Mine takes about 800MB disk space per hour.

                                          HeartKeys If I contribute, it’d be me literally laying on the spot, nothing pre-determined. Just whatever my brain feeds me on the spot.

                                          Hey @HeartKeys, that’s what I do for a lot of these recitals. I would love to hear you improvise!