PianoTell Recital #2 Is Now Live!

navindra · 2024-11-15T15:45:00+00:00

Welcome to PianoTell Recital #2! Click for an index to all the performances: iternabe — O mio babbino caro keff — Over the Rainbow plop_symphony — The Midn...

Nightowl

iternabe — O mio babbino caro
That was beautifully and fluidly played, you have made amazing progress in just 10 months. I love this gentle arrangement - in fact I prefer this to the original version!
keff — Over the Rainbow
A different take on a popular film classic, very well played.
plop_symphony — The Midnight Ball
A fun piece for Halloween, with suspenseful passages. You play very well.
Schubertian2 — Ballade 4
This is Chopin - so enough said, it's not for the faint hearted but you rose to the challenge and that was a stellar performance. Your lifetime of playing piano has not been wasted. The featured works of art were perfect to accompany this Chopin masterpiece.
WieWaldi — Quick Five Blues
I enjoyed listening to this selection from your Blues lesson pieces, you play in a very relaxed and confident manner. Ironically, this music made me feel far from blue - it's more like a cure for the blues. 🙂
Nightowl — What A Wonderful World
Having listened to some of the other submissions, the limits of my skill are painfully evident. In fact, my playing sounds so stilted here that I'm tempted to remove the video from YT, but that would be against the spirit of what the recital is about - players of all abilities putting their work forward in a safe space where they can receive feedback.
Sophia — A Classy Rag
That was very well played, with precision, confidence and flair - you nailed it! 😀 Your playing is in a different league to what would normally be expected after less than a year of playing (although I know you had previous attempts to learn piano, but even so this is something else). You never fail to impress me.
rogerch — Slow Steps
That was beautiful, melancholy and melodious. You are incredibly talented. I love your piano too, the colour of the wood is beautiful and it seems to have a very rich, mellow tone. After watching your performance I am full of envy and admiration, on so many levels.

Well, that's enough for now. More comments later.

WieWaldi

Nightowl WieWaldi — Quick Five Blues
I enjoyed listening to this selection from your Blues lesson pieces, you play in a very relaxed and confident manner. Ironically, this music made me feel far from blue - it's more like a cure for the blues. 🙂

Thank you for your kind words 🥰, Nightowl. It is interesting that someone like you, never getting tired to claim that Blues isn't the genre of favour, quite often likes a Blues. 😇 I could consider this as a compliment (thank you again), or state the following:

Nightowl — What A Wonderful World

This is indeed a very nice song - love it. And it contains:
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 (drum roll)
A Blues Scale! 😮
Actually I heard besides the Blues scale a lot of Blues elements in your piece. 🤣 And I had to look up in wikipedia about its genre: It says "pop". Ok, we can forget about pop, because you can basically consider every song as pop, when it was popular at its time. Same is true for Mozart - back in his days his music was pop music.
The second mentioned genre is:
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 (drum roll again)
Rhythm & Blues 😮. A progression of the Blues genre! Blues itself is IMO the easiest genre of all - except of nursery rhymes maybe. But the children of Blues (Boogie, Rock, Jazz, R&B) aren't that easy anymore. You played a quite long piece from a not so easy genre, I mean over 2¹/₂ minutes. Here and there, you hesitated a bit and some notes came a bit late. Still, you hit the essence of this piece. With less than 1 year of self-teaching, I call this really impressive. Give yourself a big hug and then some taps on your shoulder, you can be proud of your progress. 👍

One thing I can not tell for sure is your sitting position in front of the piano. I can't tell for sure because I see only your hands, but I have the impression you are sitting quite low. This makes playing a lot harder, especially for beginners. I don't want to step into this deeper, but if you need help, there is a wonderful piano forum with a lot of amazing players, willing to help you, if you ask... 😗

keff

Nightowl Thank you

rogerch

Nightowl rogerch — Slow Steps
That was beautiful, melancholy and melodious. You are incredibly talented. I love your piano too, the colour of the wood is beautiful and it seems to have a very rich, mellow tone. After watching your performance I am full of envy and admiration, on so many levels.

Thanks @Nightowl! My piano thanks you too! 🙂

I'm sorry you are full of envy though! If you enjoy playing the piano while learning new things, then you and I are in the same place in the ways that matter most. I think you're doing great and I hope that playing brings you joy!

rsl12

rogerch You had in mind to use minor subdominants? Your thinking about improvisation is getting more sophisticated. Glad to hear more of your progress!

Sam Love your use of inversions. The deceptive cadences continually surprised me! Hope your hip is doing better. What a chair!

Rob First section flows so well. The middle section sounds like it's going to be a change of mood, but it returns quickly to the original theme. Loved it.

TC3 I think this is my favorite recording of yours so far. Good arrangement--simple and varied. Your singing voice is also really good on this! It sounds relaxed and confident.

diretonic I can see why you think it's a little busy in places, but I hope you don't tweak it too much because it sounds really good. I particularly like the way you juggle in the middle voice(s).

TC3

rsl12 I think this is my favorite recording of yours so far. Good arrangement--simple and varied. Your singing voice is also really good on this! It sounds relaxed and confident.

You are too kind. No, really! 😃 I appreciate my kind words, but I think I have more work to do, especially on my singing. There are still some phrases that come out a little pitchy or strained. I know it'll get better once I have it all under my belt more confidently and I don't have to think about it as much. Thanks for listening!

Rubens I hereby declare TC3 and rsl12 as the twin peaks of piano+singing entertainment here.

High praise indeed! On an unrelated note, I should start learning the soundtrack to Twin Peaks ... 😮

rogerch

rsl12 rogerch You had in mind to use minor subdominants? Your thinking about improvisation is getting more sophisticated. Glad to hear more of your progress!

Thanks @rs12! It's really fun to find sounds I like and incorporate them into improvisations!

WieWaldi

keff — Over the Rainbow
This piece was like a rollercoaster in my favourites list. When I heard this song the first time in my life, I absolutely hated this song. It was 1994, I was a teenager and Marusha made a remix of this long forgotten tune. Myself not a techno fan, this wasn't my thing.
A few years later, I accidentally listened to the original version. Not sure if this was Judy Garland's version, or one the the many others similar to it. But I remembered both the title as the melody and instantly thought: I love it! How can somebody spoil such a beautiful song like Marusha did. Your Bar-Piano Jazz version is another thing, it is a very interesting arrangement with a few notes of the main theme in the beginning, a few lovely late-night notes following. And at around the 100 second mark, it dives deep into the original theme with some Jazz flavour. It was so wonderful to listen to. This piece is on my todo list, and I would be happy I could play the normal version. Your Jazz arrangement is somewhat harder, is it? You played it really wonderful, and I totally enjoyed your interpretation. Well done, well done!

btw, just re-listened Marusha's version... I remember why I' didn't like it back then, but today it casts a big smile on my face! 🥰

keff

WieWaldi I am pleased that you liked it. Thank you.

Rubens

@TC3 I didn't expect the singing! Great and entertaining!

And @rsl12, that song brings me back to the original Frasier series. Good job!

I hereby declare TC3 and rsl12 as the twin peaks of piano+singing entertainment here.

Sophia

Rubens I hereby declare TC3 and rsl12 as the twin peaks of piano+singing entertainment here.

I haven’t listened to either yet, but the fact that both feature such a happy, lovely smile tells me you are on to something!

rsl12

Rubens that song brings me back to the original Frasier series. Good job!

When I started working on this, one of my first thoughts was to find Kelsey Grammer's version, since I was sure I had heard it before (or maybe Sideshow Bob singing it) but I couldn't find anything on Youtube. But you got me to search for "Frasier I am the model" and out popped a result! Thank you! I had never heard this before. I wish it were the full thing, but I'll take what I can get!

PS: The Family Guy take is pretty funny.

keff Bravo Major General!

Thank you!

Nightowl your performance was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!! 😃 🤩 😍 The speed of playing was incredible and singing all those complex tongue twisting lyrics at the same time made this even more impressive - my mind is completely blown!!! How do you do that?!?

You're making my ego grow much too much. Thank you! I've been working on the vocal part for two months, so the secret is really just time. First memorizing, then not tripping over the words, then getting faster, then making it smooth and lyrical, and then fixing a bunch of details.

The piano score is very repetitive, so I only had to learn a handful of measures. With experience, the process of memorizing and playing chords and scales, which is what 95% of the score is, is much easier.

Switching between my singing-focused brain and piano-focused brain continues to be a major problem for me, but I think I'm getting better. Thank you again for your very warm compliments!

ShiroKuro That was AWESOME!! And yes, it was very entertaining! (Somehow, I think your nursing home performances will be a lot more fun than my retirement center concert... 😛
BTW did you memorize the music and the lyrcis?? That's quite a feat!

I've been told that retirement communities are a very easy-to-please audience, so that makes it a good goal for us amateurs! I'll be thinking of you at the end of November, as you will be realizing my goal before I do!
Memorizing the lyrics took time--I did about one verse a week to get the initial memorizing done, and then a few more weeks to get the verses smooth. The piano part memorization was much easier, as it's much more repetitive!

keff

rsl12 Bravo Major General!

keff

TC3 Bravo

Nightowl

thepianoplayer416 — When You Wish Upon a Star
That's a pretty piece, which is harder to play than it first seems. There were some slight irregularities with the tempo but it was nonetheless enjoyable.
Sam — The Never Finished Piece
That was a nice relaxing piece which could be used as the music score for a romantic drama series. Your experience shows and is paying dividends.
MarieJ — Waltz in F minor
I love a waltz and this one was no exception. Beautifully played and the artwork was great too.
Player1 — Ashokan Farewell
That's a lovely piece which I'd never heard before and it's just the kind of music I enjoy. There were some hesitations but you played with a delicate touch and I liked it very much.
Rubens — Sonata no.2, Op.36 (1913), 2nd movement
Another piece that was new to my ears, which you played very well. You captured the mysterious mood of this piece beautifully.
Cratersmash — Sonata No. 3 in A Minor
This piece is so complex that I'd not be able to play it in a million years. You played it well - impressive work.

thepianoplayer416

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.

Gooseberry

Congratulations everybody! What a great playlist for listening to in the next few days!
Also, thank you @navindra for all that you do – this forum with its recitals is one of the best things ever 😀

Gooseberry

navindra I never tire of this tune, it’s so cheerful and energetic! I like your tempo and dynamic choices. And listening to your highly enjoyable playing has made me smile and want to jump and go to the piano and try to play it too!

plop_symphony

Cratersmash — Sonata No. 3 in A Minor Wonderful playing! I'm hoping to work my way up to Prokofiev soon (even his Children's Pieces are pretty difficult). There was some percussion throughout starting in the middle section - was that your foot or something? I thought it actually fit really well and now I'm wondering what this sonata would sound like with a full percussion section.

javiercorre — Sonatas K. 208 and K. 380 I'd say you're ready for your recital. Scarlatti was truly ahead of his time.

Cratersmash

plop_symphony There was some percussion throughout starting in the middle section - was that your foot or something? I thought it actually fit really well and now I'm wondering what this sonata would sound like with a full percussion section.

I think that was my nails, I believe they were just slightly too long and were hitting the keys when I did that recording😅

WieWaldi

plop_symphony — The Midnight Ball
This one was really spooky - a very nice match to Halloween. I just couldn't tell if you played here and there a mistake, but it sounded so off, to be good again. Guess this was the way the sheet music told you to play.

plop_symphony

WieWaldi Thank you! There's a lot of grace notes and minor seconds in the piece. There is one bit where I miss the main note and play only the grace note, and some bits where the inner note is more prominent than the outer note when it shouldn't be. Other than that, everything that sounds off was written that way by the composer.

Nightowl

Just another few comments - this time from the final few pieces. I'll listen to the middle section another day.

Sgisela — Do Tebe (to you)
Wow, that's a beautiful piece and you played it effortlessly - you are clearly a natural! How long have you been playing piano? Also, I also loved the way you started and ended the piece with a close up of sunflowers - very nice!
ShiroKuro — Reminiscence
Another piece new to my ears and what a treat it was! I love the way the piece creates the effect of rippling water and you played it beautifully.
Pathbreaker — Larghetto
Beautifully played and your hands are beautiful too - an added bonus for viewers!
diretonic — Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)
Now that's jazz! I agree that it sounds quite busy in parts, but then I'm not an afficionado of this type of music so maybe others really like the busy sections?
navindra — The Entertainer
Nav you nailed it! I played this arrangement a few months back, but never managed to play it as fluently and confidently as you do. Plus you had the satisfaction of pushing the total number of submissions just one digit higher (not that anyone's keeping tally with another forum, oh no...) 😉

Sgisela

Nightowl Sgisela — Do Tebe (to you)
Wow, that's a beautiful piece and you played it effortlessly - you are clearly a natural! How long have you been playing piano? Also, I also loved the way you started and ended the piece with a close up of sunflowers - very nice

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the piece. I took lessons through high school and then life + lack of an instrument got in the way, and I stopped playing for more than 15 years. I started again in late 2020.

Rubens 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.

Thanks so much for the very kind words. When I first heard the piece, I found it very emotionally compelling and I’m glad I’ve been able to convey some of that. I do agree that it has a ‘nocturnal’ quality — one of the reasons I recorded it at night and with somewhat reduced lighting.

ShiroKuro

@Nightowl Thank you!!

Nightowl

WieWaldi Thanks so much WW, maybe Blues music growing on me, since I've been following your progress on the Blues thread, and watching you and Sophia continue your never ending Blues Duel, where you are both constantly winners! 🙂
As for the length of my piece, I played it a bit too slowly and there were some hesitations, so if those things were sorted out it would be quite a bit shorter! <Maybe I subconsciously stretched it out a bit - just to make it appear more impressive! Not that it worked.> 🙃

I already have my piano bench set at the highest it will go, because I have long legs but a very short body. Maybe it has dropped a little over time - I will check later.

Sophia

rogerch — Slow Steps

Roger 😍 You know you are my living example to get to improvisation, right? But every time you set that bar higher because you are improving in strides 😃 Very nice and you are right, the chord is beautiful and fits well into the piece. Very impressive!

rogerch

Sophia rogerch — Slow Steps

Roger 😍 You know you are my living example to get to improvisation, right? But every time you set that bar higher because you are improving in strides 😃 Very nice and you are right, the chord is beautiful and fits well into the piece. Very impressive!

Thanks @Sophia! It really helped my piano playing that I took 14 months off from work. I've been back at work since August so my progress may slow down, but I'll take what I can get!

WieWaldi

rogerch — Slow Steps
One can really tell, you are enjoying to improvise. It looks like a fish in the water. I've heard this style of impro already from you, last time it was good, this time it is good again. Just different, but still with your own signature.
I enjoyed to listen to the beautiful sound, the warmth, the harmony, you did very well changing between Major and minor, here and there (at least I believe, you did). You made a good mix between repeating the known melodies to please the listener and introducing new themes to keep in interesting. I'd call this well rounded improvisation again.
Well done, Roger, I bow to you in respect!

rogerch

WieWaldi rogerch — Slow Steps
One can really tell, you are enjoying to improvise. It looks like a fish in the water. I've heard this style of impro already from you, last time it was good, this time it is good again. Just different, but still with your own signature.
I enjoyed to listen to the beautiful sound, the warmth, the harmony, you did very well changing between Major and minor, here and there (at least I believe, you did). You made a good mix between repeating the known melodies to please the listener and introducing new themes to keep in interesting. I'd call this well rounded improvisation again.
Well done, Roger, I bow to you in respect!

Thanks @WieWaldi! I absolutely enjoy improvising, it has been a great journey!

Sophia

thepianoplayer416 — When You Wish Upon a Star

Such a lovely melody (one of my favourites) and well played! And you did that robot voice thingie again 😃 It was also nice that you provided the lyrics. Very enjoyable performance, thank you!

Sophia

Sam — The Never Finished Piece

It sounds very familiar and yet it isn't... because it came straight from your brain 🙂 And even though you called it "Never finished piece", it finished all too soon ^_^ I half expected you'd just stop mid bar, but no, you did give it a proper ending, haha. Very nice and gentle piece!

« Previous Page Next Page »