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Sophia Tell your daughter it was a commission well spent - I just hope you don't squander it all at once.

No worries about that--I can't squander what I never get!

As for our duet (Sophia) let me use this moment to say how impressed I am with the video! Number one of course is your playing (not a surprise), but given how lousy the audio quality of my portion of the video was, you managed to clean up the hiss and get a nice level of volume and reverb on both the voice and melodica, each requiring different levels. And for your (if I remember correctly) first time splicing videos, you did a pretty fancy job! Let's also not forget you came up a structure for the duet, and had to practice playing the piece without the melody (not that easy!). Finally, it's nice to know the pretty face that's attached to your cheery personality.

    rsl12 Ooooooooooh

    Thank you so much for your lovely compliments! It really was so much fun putting it all together - I learned so much in the process! We worked really well together, couldn't wish for a better team buddy

    Sophia & @rsl12 — Just a "Good Old Tune"

    Oh. My. Goodness.

    @Sophia, you kick things off so smoothly with effortless confidence. My 7-year old was just sitting back, enjoying the rhythm, "Cool! She's doing a good job at that thing."

    And then @rsl12 comes in... the first minute certainly didn't give anything away there but the wait was so worth it. I myself was so surprised to discover Sophia had a second angle recording the piano.

    And then rsl12 sings. Wonderful vocals, so relaxed, spot on, and entertaining. My son's grinning and cackling by the end, "That's so funny!"

    But there's more?? rsl12 grabs a melodica! OMG. We were surprised yet again. Plus it sounds so melodious. So glorious!

    I want one!

    Then a zoom out to the original angle with rsl12 in an overlay and just wow @ those technical skills and wizardry. 😲

    Is it possible we may just have reached peak PianoTell?

    I'm dazzled and have no more words... wait, how about my son is now humming this glorious toon around the house? 😃

    👏👏👏

      Pathbreaker
      Sorry to say but these are just correct notes played in. It's just flat and boring. First of all, there is completely no difference between left and right hand. Both in firs and middle part, there is no melody and accompaniament in right hand, everything is just one soup. There are no stops and it is fluent, but there is no music inside it. Music should tell a story, whatever it may be, bring emotions, I just do not find it here, and the even most basic rules have not been applied here. You could work on microrubatos too. Music has to be fluent, not metronomical.

      This is demanding piece, and you clearly have the tools (technique) to do everything what is needed to make sound 10 times better.

      hebele
      Dont jump from note to note, just play legato 🙂
      very good hand position btw!

      navindra Is it possible we may just have reached peak PianoTell?

      Yes. Yes we have. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

      SalmonJack I have to admit, I found this piece very unsettling. There was no clear theme that I could identify in the music that would anchor it down, and the constant key changes and seemingly random chord progressions meant that the piece was in constant tension without any resolution. Then the section with the syncopated rhythms starting measure 26 came out of nowhere and with no buildup. Despite being tonic, the piece gave me more atonal vibes, if that makes sense.

      navindra Now I'm REALLY blushing... thank you so much for the very kind and mostly undeserved words ❤️

      navindra wait, how about my son is now humming this glorious toon around the house?

      Of all the praise, that one is making me the happiest (ok, almost, because honestly everybody's comments made me happy). Because children are the best critics ever - unbiased, honest and usually very accurate. So if @rsl12 and I managed to make him swing along and even hum the tune afterwards, I don't think there is any higher praise than that. Thank you!

        Sophia Then I have more good news for you! When I was driving my daughter to school this morning, she started singing the song. I played it for her right there and then, and she listened to the whole thing! Afterwards:

        "So was it worth the $5?"
        "Yes."
        "So are you going to pay me??"
        "Yes!"

        Rob Stirring piece! I have no idea where Pembrokeshire is or what's being promised, but I felt oddly patriotic listening to this.

        • Rob replied to this.
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          BicBic I really enjoyed this one! I'm not as familiar (yet) with Chopin as most of the others on this forum are, so I have no basis to compare it to, but I'm looking forward to hearing more mazurkas.

          Sgisela This was great! As someone who has to roll octaves on a bad day, I feel you. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even have known that there were some ninths that had to be rolled instead of played evenly, it really didn't matter.

          plop_symphony Thank you.
          Pembrokeshire is a county in West Wales, UK, known for it's natural beauty, rugged coastline and sandy beaches.
          It is where I lived the first forty five years of my life.

          The locals have a phrase (Pembrokeshire promise) which refers mostly to tradespeople not turning up on time, if at all!
          My title was intended to turn that phrase on it's head, and emphasise the promise that Pembrokeshire holds, for all who are fortunate to live, or visit there.

          navindra That was a lovely performance. You really conveyed the wistfulness of the original. Bravo!

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          MarieJ I so enjoyed this performance. Headphones on, eyes closed, and I just drifted away on the music.
          On a second listen, I was able to also enjoy your brilliantly produced video!

          Calavera A skilful performance. I enjoyed the dynamic contrasts throughout the piece.

          Calavera Sounds like this was a fun one to work up! Sounds like a good arrangement, and I can imagine how it was orchestrated based on the different textures you used.

          WieWaldi Some pretty tricky rhythms in this. You are being careful but (I assume) accurate with the rhythms, and I'm positive this approach will serve you very well with blues and jazz.

          SalmonJack Another nice tune from you, and stylistic elements mark it as distinctly a SalmonJack composition. One thing I miss is the organization and plotting I hear in most of your other compositions, to make it a coherent whole. As you say, pretty to listen to, but it doesn't really seem to mean anything more than that. But not all tunes have to!

          Rob A very pretty piece! If you put lyrics to this, I feel sure you could have a bonafide chart-topper on your hands. It's really that good.

          BicBic I've really been enjoying all your picks for the recitals! This is my first time hearing this mazurka. You bring out the colors from it. I hear Polish countryside, longing, brightness.

          rach3master Ok, I finally bought the score.... I think just looking at it is giving me a heart attack....
          😅

          WieWaldi — Frisco Blues
          Kudos for putting this together on pretty short notice! You’re making great progress, and you conveyed the bluesy feeling very well.

          Sam — "An Important Event" from the Scenes from Childhood
          I know this is typically played faster, but I felt you played it very effectively at the slower tempo. My mental picture with this piece is a child’s experience of something really grand/majestic/full of pomp — like a royal wedding or a coronation, and I think the music and church bells are more moderato than allegro. You brought out the sonority of the chords very well.

          SalmonJack — Just Mist
          Thanks for sharing this! I enjoyed it. I can also definitely relate to feeling like recordings are getting worse and worse and worse…

          Rob — Pembrokeshire Promise
          Lovely composition and beautifully played! I think you hit the right level of nostalgia and wistfulness.

          BicBic — Mazurka Op.6 No.2
          I think the Mazurkas are great fun! You did a great job with this one—the quirky mazurka rhythm came through very nicely.

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