Nightowl I do have a reasonable sense of rhythm/tempo, so it's not that I don't realise when I've slowed down or paused between notes - it's just that my brain is slow with sight reading. I should have practised the piece a lot more so that I could play the trickier parts without pausing to locate the notes. Everyone is being very kind but I'll say what many are probably thinking - this effort was not worth uploading and it is quite painful to listen to. I'm in a massive learning curve. Maybe in 6 months' time I'll produce something worth listening to.

The fun of listening to a recording like yours is not the same as the fun of listening to Louis Armstrong--it's fun in a different way. For me, much of it is putting myself in your shoes, remembering how difficult it used to be to struggle through one note after another, being nervous about what people would think of the work. And also it's the fun of knowing that you will continue posting, and we will be able to see you get better and better over time. No one can be braver than beginners putting up their efforts for public display, and it's fun to see you do it.

I didn't realize you were sight-reading the piece. In any case, I hope you didn't take the metronome comment as a harsh criticism. After listening to my own recording, I decided that the first thing I need to do is metronome work, which I totally skipped in the preparation for this. You can hear my tempo slipping at the beginning and the end especially. It's a really handy tool for all levels of playing.

      TC3 THANKS. SO. MUCH! šŸ™‚ Sometimes I'm full of self doubt, it's nice to hear that others view my video in a more positive light than I am able to do.

      Sophia Thanks for giving me a firm talking to - I needed that! šŸ˜„ @Rob Yes, motivation can be hard to find at this stage, but what I lack in confidence I make up for in staying power. I am already rethinking my strategy for going forwards and have a plan for the new year.

      They say that comparison is the thief of joy, which is definitely true in my case. There are plenty of players with around 1 year's experience who play much more fluently and confidently than me, which sometimes makes me wonder if I have what it takes to succeed with piano. YouTube is full of "Look at my progress after one year of playing" videos, but for every one of those there may be hundreds of people who are progressing more slowly - maybe these are the invisible/silent majority?

      PS: rsl12 My post crossed with your comments. No, I didn't think your comment was harsh - it was fine. I did notice a slight variation in your tempo, but I thought it was intentional, because I think when the piece is sung by opera singers they tend to vary the tempo. I also know that usually a good rendition of this song is met by rapturous applause from the audience, because everyone is impressed when someone manages to sing those complex lyrics at speed - it is a real feat! That's why it is doubly impressive to see you do that, while playing the piano too - it's amazing! I'm curious - what do you do for a living?

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

              Nightowl

              It sounds like you're comparing yourself to others and thinking you're coming up short.

              First of all; you're not. You're right where you're supposed to be at this stage.
              Second of all; you don't need to compare your performance with anyone else's.

              So, stop doing that.

              You play well, and you're learning more every week, but you need to focus on strengthening your weak points more than you are and stop focusing on what others will think of your playing skills.

                  Player1 Thanks P1, as usual, you speak good sense.

                  Apologies for railroading this thread with my self doubt - it's a recital thread, not a personal therapy session for me! <Goes off to practice>

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

                    Nightowl I am old enough to be able to remember Louis Armstrong in the top ten. Well played.

                      rsl12 ā€” I am the very model of a modern Major-General

                      That was FANTASTIC!!! Absolutely PERFECT performance, you really have it all. Whoever you are going to perform this for will be the highlight of the evening, I just know it! What impressed me most of all (and believe me, I'm IMPRESSED!) was your happy smile throughout... which I know is not easy at all. You are such a natural! I too declare you and TC as the official forum performers. Fantastic! šŸ˜

                          Sgisela ā€” Do Tebe (to you)

                          Very pretty!!! That literally flowed from start to finish... such a pretty room, such a pretty piano and such a pretty piece. And lastly, such a pretty story how you got by the sheet music. Very special indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you!

                            ShiroKuro ā€” Reminiscence

                            That was very well played! Everything perfect, dynamics, flow, you name it. Only thing I would change is the camera angle to show a little more of your face, haha! Just kidding! You are a lot braver than me in that respect šŸ˜ƒ I think you will do fantastic in your upcoming performance... literally no one is going to be nitpick on a few tiny flaws (if any). I enjoyed it very much!

                                Pathbreaker ā€” Larghetto

                                Wow, very impressive. If that is your "work in progress" I can't even imagine what the finished project would sound like ^_^ And you played everything from memory... at least it looked that way. You have very elegant and relaxed hands too, a joy to behold you play. Well done!

                                  diretonic ā€” Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)

                                  What a lovely blues - I can't believe you played that while arthritis was troubling you. I probably agree with your comment on "busy" but that is because I enjoy laid-back music so much... whether classical or bluesy like this one šŸ™‚ Still, that style is very much favoured by many famous jazz musicians so my comment probably doesn't mean much either way... I thoroughly enjoyed listening and hope to be able to improvise some day like you did there. Oh and the ending was adorable!

                                    lilypad ā€” God Bless the Child
                                    For my ears, this was a very nice smooth Jazz. Really enjoyed listening to it. Seriously, we need more Jazz like this one in the recitals.

                                      navindra ā€” The Entertainer

                                      Ahhhhh you managed to be the last performer again... this time I won't tell you "last but not least", this time I'll tell you "last but among the great ones" haha! But first of course the mandatory comment about your ultra super cool HAT - so well suitable to the piece!

                                      I loved your laid back playing. You were absolutely living the part... and those of us who played your version know you snuck in a tiny improvisation there at the end - truly making it your own.

                                      Also, the quality of your recording was top notch. In fact I usually have to turn up the volume for just about everyone else (including my own), but yours came through loud and clear, with very natural sounding acoustics and reverb.

                                      I absolutely loved this recital - learned a lot from other performers. Thank you so much @navindra (and moderators) for all that you do to make this such a pleasant place to hang out. Couldn't ask for more šŸ™‚

                                        diretonic ā€” Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)
                                        A wonderful Bossa Nova, flawlessly played, with a tempting tempo through the entire piece. About this "busy" thing, I tend to agree. Still, this gives a unique character to your performance. It would be boring, if everybody sounded the same. I liked your submission, still being curious how another version of this sounds after you gave a 2nd try.

                                          Nightowl
                                          Thanks for your comments. This is a Jazzy piece. The notes on the sheet were notated on the beat. When playing, some of the notes were stretched to give a Jazz swing kind of feel. Also the end of sections were played slower intentionally (ritard) than keeping a fixed tempo in a mechanical way from top to bottom.

                                              thepianoplayer416 Ah, it all makes sense now. I know very little about jazz so didn't identify that this was in a jazz style.

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

                                                @Gooseberry - Pigalle. Well done! I especially liked your LH technique, the oom-pah-pah bits can be hard to play smoothly. Also, I thought the gloves actually looked pretty cool. šŸ˜ƒ
                                                @rsl12 ā€“ Modern Major General. Bravo! You put me to shame both in playing and singing. I hereby cede any claim to Vocal Royalty to rsl12!
                                                @Rob - Lost. Another beautiful original composition well played too. Iā€™d love to hear more about your composition process. Thanks for sharing!

                                                Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                                                  iternabe ā€” O mio babbino caro
                                                  Well played! I like the way you emphasize the melody while keeping the accompaniment subdued. Nice ritard at the end!

                                                      keff ā€” Over the Rainbow
                                                      Nice laid back playing! I like the way you bring out the lovely inner voices. Thanks for sharing!

                                                          plop_symphony ā€” The Midnight Ball
                                                          What a fun quirky piece! I like your spirited playing. Nice job emphasizing the very cool and spooky bass lines!

                                                            Schubertian2 ā€” Ballade 4
                                                            Very impressive! I think itā€™s great that you worked this up from the music without studying other interpretations, so that the choices you made are all your own. I love the contrast between delicate and intense. Great playing!