Cratersmash — Sonata No. 3 in A Minor

Welcome to the recitals, Cratersmash. As you said, a difficult piece and you played it with verve. Well done!

MarieJ — Waltz in F minor
This was just beautiful. Both, how you played it and the selection of the music itself. There might be a wrong note somewhere, but is doesn't matter. The overall impression was nothing than great, because of a very nice and relaxed tempo.
Also liked the video, it is a very good visual match to the music. Thank you sharing this beautiful piece of music.

Gooseberry — Pigalle

What a lovely, delicate piece! I loved the gloves 🙂 And also VERY impressive for someone who started 4 or 5 years - in terms of music, that is still a baby 😃 But nothing inexperienced about your playing at all, very mature indeed! I listened to your piece twice and then immediately searched for the score... Throughout I pictured a little music box dancer!

Rubens — Sonata no.2, Op.36 (1913), 2nd movement
This seems to be a quite challenging piece. Not just because of the length. It is challenging because it contains so many different expressions of the mood, and I think you got them all right. Needless to say that I am deeply impressed, how a piece of this dimension can be played without mistakes. The night is always the darkest before dawn, you expressed this amazingly good at 5:55.

Gooseberry
Thanks for your comments.

Just like to say 2 weeks ago there was a small gathering. A few people in the group were asked to play a tune. I tried a few pieces and settled on this one. 2 years ago during the COVID lockdown I recorded the piece on the keyboard at home at a rather slow tempo. Came out ok but not satisfied with the results. Recorded the final version (2024) at a faster tempo.

Recently I heard a version played on radio featuring a strings ensemble. The theme was repeated 3x with vibraphone, piano solo, etc. With just a piano I wouldn't repeat it many times. Next time I'm going to get a friend to do the second repeat with his violin.

Rob — Lost

Beautiful Rob, so emotional. You are such a talent - both as a composer and pianist. Loved how the mood changed around the 1 minute mark with a striking chord... and then gently moved back to the original theme. Very fascinating indeed!

  • Rob likes this.

Player1 — Ashokan Farewell
You have a very good feeling for dynamics and this allows you to tell a story. Loved the relaxed way you played it. Nice to see, how a difficult piece loses its scaryness after making some progress of piano playing. If you ask me, this is a good sign and it tells you to continue. Awaiting your next recital piece in 3 months. Or 4. Or however the recital schedule will look like.

    TC3 — Worried Life Blues

    Wow very nice! It was so ready for prime time 😃 At least you won't have to worry your life about the recital, haha! I love what you did with the piano too, I'm always so very impressed when people can play and sing at the same time... even if I COULD sing that would still be way beyond me! Now I want the polished version with drums and guitar as an encore ^_^

    • TC3 replied to this.
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      Cratersmash — Sonata No. 3 in A Minor
      You already wrote in the update thread, your piece is difficult. I just had no idea how difficult this is. On top of that, it was almost 10 minutes. No sheet music, all memorized. I am very impressed how good you played this. Lots of dynamics and a very good tempo. Thanks for sharing.

      Gooseberry — Pigalle
      You started in 2021? Didn't expect this. This waltz is maybe not the most challenging one, but you play it with so much ease, as it was no effort at all. Maybe the piece wasn't easy, but you made it look easy. There was some really nice rubato, very good expression and the most important: it was very musical. Thank you for sharing.

      Sophia Yah, thank you! I can hear lots of places that need polishing but it's getting there. Yes, I will definitely get a recording with the band at some point, and I'll be sure to share it. Thanks for listening!


      Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

      WieWaldi

      Thanks. I have nothing new on the music desk at the present time. I'm not even practicing since I recorded this recital submission.

      I'd like to to blame some nefarious outside influences over the past couple of months, but really it's just me not wanting to play and nothing at all to do with any rumored connection with a band of horse thieves and bank robbers. As I keep saying, my Faber books aren't interesting enough. The RCM isn't either. My progress with Always on My Mind is stalled at the end of the first page too. I can play it the entire sheet, but it sounds odd because my interpretation is off. The chord fingering is weird in a couple of measures too and I'm having to work out alternate fingering for those. Which adds to the odd sound.

      Maybe I'll do something for Christmas. I think I have an arranged and mega-simplified Jingle Bells around here somewhere. Could be fun. Could be a disaster. I might be forced to swap my piano for a black hat and matching bandanna.

      I’d like to give somewhat more detailed feedback, but things are really busy right now, so I’m keeping things brief. Here’s my first batch.

      iternabe — O mio babbino caro
      Great job! You’re making really good progress. Good job switching between registers.

      keff — Over the Rainbow
      What a nice arrangement! It’s a perennial favorite song of mine, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it with that extensive an intro. Thanks for sharing!

      plop_symphony — The Midnight Ball
      Very well done and evocatively played! I’m very impressed that you’ve only been playing 2 years.

      Schubertian2 — Ballade 4
      A huge congratulations to you on this. It is a major accomplishment! Well done.

      WieWaldi — Quick Five Blues
      Very nicely done! You give it a nice swinging feel. You’ve made excellent progress.

      Nightowl — What A Wonderful World
      Keep up the good work! This is a great song. If you want to find a teacher, I think it could be a positive experience, but you’re also clearly enjoying yourself as it is.

      Sophia — A Classy Rag
      This is a great rendition of a classy rag! I like how you you vary the dynamics. You’re making fantastic progress.

      rogerch — Slow Steps
      I’m always very impressed with people who are able to improvise. This is really beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

      thepianoplayer416 — When You Wish Upon a Star
      The AI voice over threw me a bit! It’s such a stark contrast to the sentimentality of the music. I think the song works very nicely at this tempo, although I can also see it working well a bit slower. I certainly wouldn’t speed it up any more than this. It’s also nice to hear you coming back to the piece.

      Sam — The Never Finished Piece
      Kudos to you! I can’t imagine composing something, and I’m impressed by people who are able to do so. It was lovely!

        @thepianoplayer416 - When You Wish. A nice rendition of a classic tune. You inspired me to look up the Real Book chart, I might have to take a stab at this myself sometime. Thanks!
        @SalmonJack - Bliss Ten. Another original composition, fantastic! I like the ambiguity you mentioned. In rock ‘n’ roll, we call that dyad a power chord! Looks like you have some nice scenery to complement your music too. Well done!
        @keff - Over the Rainbow. Another classic tune! I got my Real Book out for this one too, much more interesting chord progression than I would have guessed. You played the song with an appropriately delicate touch and relaxed technique -- at least from what I could see. Move that camera angle to include more of the keyboard!


        Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

          Sophia
          I love the nonchalant ease with which you play this piece, like a walk in the park. Your rhythm notably sounds natural and musical. You make learning the piano look easy, but not everybody has your gift!

          Gooseberry
          After 3 years of learning my playing consisted of a loud and unmusical succession of notes. At the same level of experience your playing sounds like a professional recording that could be used as a movie soundtrack.

          Sgisela
          There is a nocturnal lyricism in your playing that tugs at the listener's heartstrings and pull them into the depths of a soul-stirring journey. The part at 2:58 is achingly beautiful. The typical "wet" sound of the Estonia fits this music perfectly. After finishing listening to this I restarted immediately.

            Sgisela

            Thanks for your comments.

            The song "When You Wish Upon a Star" came out in 1940 sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jimmy Cricket was a slow version. There were other versions that are slightly faster including one by Louis Armstrong. I recently heard a version played by a strings ensemble with piano & vibraphone (no singing) about the same speed of my recording.

            Rubens Thank you for your most generous comments.😊
            Sadly the ES920 can't claim the credit for the sound. I have only had it for a couple of weeks. I got it to replace my sixteen year old Kawai MP5 (which still works fine, but showing signs of wear)

            The piano sound is courtesy of Native Instruments, 'The Giant'. I have had it for several years. I have a few other NI pianos, but still keep coming back to The Giant for it's wide sonic range and playability.

              Rob
              Oh, embarrashing, as the late great Sir Sean Connery would say. I do really like what I hear from Native Instruments and am considering to make the plunge into vst world with the new one, Claire. What makes me hesitate is that I keep hearing that there would be less of an organic feeling of being connected to the instrument as opposed to playing with the onboard sounds. What are your thought on this? (Sorry for being OT, friends, it's a one time thing, I promise.)

              • Rob replied to this.

                Rubens I have read some mixed reviews about Claire. I think it may lack some pedalling features, although some demos sound good.
                A couple of days ago, I bought Noire in their cyber sale, (50% off) and I am really liking it so far.

                I am not a computer geek, but must have got lucky with my current setup.
                Just a mid range Windows PC, and 1st gen Komplete Audio 6 interface.
                i prefer to use standard midi connections rather than USB, and have no problem feeling connected, or with playabilty.
                I am fairly sensitive to latency, but do not notice any difference when playing either VST or onboard sounds.