PianoTell Recital #3 Is Now Live!

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.

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!

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.

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.

Thanks @navindra for hosting and for everyone who contributed and especially those who listened and commented. I enjoyed listening to everyone's performance and will be back soon as I can to reply to questions and also leave some comments. I will probably do a bit more listening first

I finally had a chance to listen through all the pieces and gave them a like. Unfortunately, I won't have time to comment on the pieces. We have a lot great performers here!

Player1 rogerch Flutter by rogerch - WoW!! What a nice piece, very well put together improv.

Thanks @Player1!

Nightowl rogerch — Flutter
Another lovely piece of improvisation - you always set the bar high for the rest of us. (On a side note - how's that picture in the attic faring these days?)

Thanks @Nightowl! Please remind me about the picture in the attic, I don't remember what that refers to...

ShiroKuro rogerch that was absolutely lovely! Very peaceful but also with a nice sense of direction.

Thanks @ShiroKuro!

WieWaldi rogerch Flutter by rogerch

What a wonderful and lighthearted tune. And you played it so relaxed. There is no denying, you are doing improvisations for a long time. They were great in the last renditions and they are still getting better. The sky is you limit.

Thanks @WieWaldi! I feel like I had a breakthrough about nine months go and improvisation has been going very well since then!

hebele rogerch your improvisation sounds great as usual. This is my end goal here. I don't think I will get there. But sure I will try.

Thanks @hebele! I encourage you to try improvising if you're interested. Start very simple, and build up as you gain confidence.

Sophia rogerch — Flutter
So very pretty and gentle! It just flows and I would not have guessed this was improvised if you hadn't explicitly mentioned it. You could fill any hotel with pretty music all day long and it would be a hotel I would spend a lot of time at

Thanks @Sophia! It would be fun to be a hotel pianist!

Peyton rogerch You are just bursting with music aren't you? You just play one wonderful improv after another. This is a great one.

Thanks @Peyton!

Rob @rogerch I always enjoy your improvisations, and this one was no exception!
It is always exciting to sit down to play, and hear your own music for the very first time.
I liked this one very much.

Thanks @Rob! Yes, I love playing something new and the impermanence of it (when not recorded)!

plop_symphony rogerch — Flutter

Great improv, with a lot of variation in the melody.

Thanks @plop_symphony!

bSharp rogerch — Flutter
Great improv skills there. Always amazing to listen to. I don't understand how people do it

Thanks @bSharp! I didn't understand either until I started trying for myself. I encourage you to give improvisation a try if you're interested!

Gooseberry rogerch — Flutter
With my headphones on while listening to you play, I went to look at the birds fluttering around the bird feeder in the garden. The snow was falling slowly, the birds were flying to and fro around the feeder, pecking at the seeds and apples, and your music made a perfect soundtrack! Thank you

Thanks @Gooseberry! What a lovely image of the birds!

rsl12 rogerch — Flutter
I'm hearing more variety in your improvs. Setting "rules" for how to vary harmony, rhythm, and themes, the way you are doing, is a great way to progress. Keep at it!

Thanks for the encouragment @rsl12!

Sam rogerch — Flutter - another great improv! The title fits perfectly!

Thanks @Sam! Titles are usually really hard for me, but this one was easy.

Greta99 rogerch .

Your work has definitely paid off. It was very nice to listen to. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks @Greta99!

rogerch It's a reference to the main character in a famous novel, link attached:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray

He is granted eternal youth, but it comes at a price.

Nightowl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray

He is granted eternal youth, but it comes at a price.

Oh I see! If only! I still have lots of hair and it’s not gray, but I’m definitely aging!

MarieJ rogerch — Flutter
A charming - and well-named - improvisation. A sweet performance!

Thanks @MarieJ!

Sam This is a new one to me, but I thought that the tempo was just right, and brought out the majesty of the music. I thoroughly enjoyed it.