PianoTell Recital #2 Is Now Live!

MarieJ Rob — Lost. That was a real treat, Rob. The curtain of raindrops set the mood for a wistful, atmospheric, beautifully-played composition. (I was intrigued by the almost-square video format with no badge - where was it hosted?)

Thank you. I am pleased you enjoyed it.
The video is hosted on my Google Drive account, but when I play it there, it is not square.
I also checked my video submitted in the same way, to recital #1, and that is also square!
I am not sure why that happens when embedded here.

Anyway, I have now created a new Youtube account, exclusively for sharing any future (unlisted) videos here, as my Drive account is running short on space.

HeartKeys Yep! Always happy to take constructive criticism about technique and such, I can use all the help I can get. Feel free to send it as a private conversation if you're feeling self-conscious about posting it publicly.

HeartKeys I truly mean it. Anything goes!

HeartKeys Go for it!
It will be interesting to see how your critique compares to my own list of my shortcomings (which are many!)

HeartKeys
[Frantically changes comment policy to "Gushing superlatives only".]
Joking . No, really anything goes as long as it's respectful, which is the forum's general policy anyway.

HeartKeys I'm absolutely open to anything too. I don't have a teacher for various reasons so let's have it. If it's overly harsh I'd prefer to hear the bad news in private though

Rob Ha, I was thinking the same thing. I can already see / hear things that need work, but it's what I'm probably not seeing that I'd love feedback for.

lilypad rogerch - Slow Steps - Very relaxing to listen to this. Like a gently flowing stream of (musical) consciousness. Thank you for sharing your improvisation.

Thanks for listening and commenting @lilypad!

Pathbreaker Thank you for those kind words.

MarieJ lilypad — God Bless the Child. Despite it being out since the 1960’s, I hadn’t heard this piece before. Your performance creates a gentle relaxed atmosphere - very well done!

Thank you!

HeartKeys No problem. You can say whatever you're thinking. I'm still on a break from lessons so my last two recorded pieces I learned without any teacher feedback. Also, I keep waffling on how to record and so I constantly feel biased by the sound and need to know if it's in need of adjustment (to have more reasons to obsess over it). Now I'm starting to post multiple versions since I can't figure out what I'm doing.

WieWaldi — Quick Five Blues
Nice job with your playing of this piece. It's very easy to enjoy so I actually caught myself listening to this more than a few times. A nice recorded sound that you're getting from the upright sample and I think it's a sensible choice for the style.
I love how you present this performance in your video. It's an ideal camera angle to watch you play and the added bonus of the top-down keys. And I want you to know that I noticed how you match the blue text and the blue color used for the keys.
Can you share what software you use to capture the keys?

Nightowl — What A Wonderful World
Nice job on your progress in your first year of playing. Even more so since you've done this on your own without a teacher. When I listen to you play, I hear the vocals right along with your melody. I think you do a nice job capturing the spirit of this classic.

rogerch — Slow Steps
You play beautifully and it shows that your playing comes from an inspired place or from a source that was pleasing to your ear. I want to take a similar direction but every time I want to work on improvisation or original content I slide back into the deep backlog of music I want to learn. Oh well, it's not like it's a problem either way.
I wonder what your thought process is regarding what style you will improvise in or how to approach rhythm? Is that something that you specifically work on?

thepianoplayer416 — When You Wish Upon a Star
Oh this is nice. And once again I have piano envy with this nice instrument you're playing. A nice touch to include the lyrics that follow the melody as you play. I wasn't quite inspired to sing along but the option was there.

Sam — The Never Finished Piece
That was gorgeous. Especially the last section until the end. Having heard it again now, I think the piece unfolds beautifully from the beginning. I didn't get to hear this on PW since I was away during that time.
I strongly believe in this kind of creative process where you continue to return to something over time and there is a continuous evolution. While this is sounding like a mature work that you can be proud of, I bet it's still satisfying to return to it from time to time. The recording can at least serve as a completed work for this point in time.

MarieJ — Waltz in F minor
Ah, this is really relaxing. I think the piece gains a lot of depth starting around 1:30. It went from relaxing to interesting and then mysterious before returning to the opening material. Overall there's lots of introspection going on here. Nice work with the art and movie production and I also appreciate you sharing the production process a bit. I return to going solo somewhat recently and I love the freedom to play whatever I want and take as long as I want. I'm sure I'll return to lessons again eventually but honestly I mostly like having an ally and an opportunity to perform.

Player1 — Ashokan Farewell
You know your progress is going well when you quickly pick up a piece that used to be too difficult. Nice job learning this one in a short time!
I couldn't give it a second listen because the ads on that platform were kinda brutal.

Pathbreaker I love how you present this performance in your video. It's an ideal camera angle to watch you play and the added bonus of the top-down keys. And I want you to know that I noticed how you match the blue text and the blue color used for the keys.
Can you share what software you use to capture the keys?

Thank you for your kind words, and listening more than once is the biggest compliment. Thanks for noticing the matching colors, I really did. Color code is 00A5FF, blue like Blues. The software I use is called MIDIculous. I don't want to hijack this thread with details, but you can find more details in this one: WieWaldi

iternabe - O mio babbino caro - Your interpretation using a singer's point of view has raised a simple Faber arrangement to something extraordinary. Well done!

keff - Over the Rainbow - A stunning arrangement and very well played. I love the sophisticated chord voicing.

MarieJ - Waltz in F minor - What a delightful waltz perfectly accompanied by the moving ballerina pictures.

javiercorre — Sonatas K. 208 and K. 380. Wow - I’m sure you simply nailed your recital/exam with performances like these. I’m so impressed with the outstanding progress you’ve made in just 5 years!

SalmonJack — Bliss Ten. (My comments are over in PianoWorld.)

rsl12 — I am the very model of a modern Major-General. That WAS very fun, rsl12! I thought the piano overwhelmed the voice a little at times - microphone placement? How amazing that you were able to learn the piano part in just 3 weeks, and present the whole package so professionally. Take a bow!

Sgisela — Do Tebe (to you). I’m so glad he did, too. That was an absolute treat in every respect - the appealing composition, the beautiful setting, your magnificent Estonia - oh, and did I mention a superb performance? Standing ovation!

ShiroKuro — Reminiscence. Nooo … don’t take it off the program! I didn’t hear any mistakes and it’s such a beautiful piece. Superbly played, as always, on your pristine C2 - I loved it.

Pathbreaker — Larghetto. (My comments are over in PianoWorld.)

diretonic — Chega de Saudade (No More Blues). A pleasing arrangement and a great performance, diretonic! I hope that your arthritis is manageable and not limiting your enjoyment of the piano.

navindra — The Entertainer. Memories! But it never sounded as good as this when I tried to play it - and I never looked as good performing it, either! You’ve put in an enormous amount of work to bring out the best audio and visual elements, Navindra - a treat!