PianoTell Recital #7 Is Now Live!

navindra · 2026-02-15T16:40:00+00:00

Welcome to PianoTell Recital #7 iternabe — Invention No. 6 in E Major, BWV 777, by J.S. Bach Sophia — The Windmills of Your Mind by Michel Legrand Nightowl...

lilypad

MarieJ - Moonlight Sonata - I love this beautiful piece. Bravo for sticking with it and playing it so well. It sounded well beyond the WIP stage to me and was a pleasure to listen to.

lilypad

plop_symphony - Waltz in A minor - Impressive! I want to try and learn this piece later this year and I'm intimidated by those grace notes, trills and 16th notes that you seem to play effortlessly.

Player1

MarieJ

If you're good enough to play Moonlight, you're more than good enough to do justice to Passacaglia. Moonlight is level 5-6 while I believe Passacaglia is only level 4.

Which surprises me because I didn't think I was that far along.

WieWaldi

Almost a week has passed by, and many have finished their commenting. Now I want to say a big thank you to those who listened to other performances and took their time to write a few words. Most of us are far away from the big YouTubers with hundred thousand subscribers, and it is nice to know somebody else has valued what we practiced for such a long time. This may be some encouraging words or just telling that it was a joy to listening to. Or digging into one's performance and tell some criticism, tell suggestions for improvement. Even a simple "I'd wish you'd played that faster" is welcome to get to know of others opinions. The suggestion posts are the ones I value the most, because those make up room for future improvements. Unfortunately, they are the most difficult comments to write. Double thank you to those.

I want to say thank you so much to those who commented on me so far, namely @Peyton , @Nightowl, @pianocat , @Sophia, @rogerch , @KevinM , @MarieJ , @ShiroKuro , @lilypad, @plop_symphony , @Pathbreaker , and @rsl12. Let me say thank you to everyone who comments on others, because this is what makes this forum a living place.

Sophia

WieWaldi Now I want to say a big thank you to those who listened to other performances and took their time to write a few words.

I love this comment, so much!! I couldn't agree more 🙂 As a beginner, it's wonderful to hear a few words of encouragement (even if it's just "nice try, you'll get it someday"). Or, as you said a few pointers ("could use more rubato"). I love those type of comments! Ok, I love any type of comment!

It's wonderful to hear from fellow beginners, because they probably go through the same struggles. And it's wonderful to hear from seasoned players, because (as you pointed out), we're not exactly Youtube influencers who can delight their audience with nothing but a stare and a rubber ducky 🤣

I am not going to single out all the ones who spared a few words on my meagre attempts, but this is a blanket statement to everyone, from the bottom of my heart:

Nightowl

Sophia Ditto from me. 🙂

WieWaldi I got a little side tracked with the subject of Marie's unsuccessful suitor and Beethoven's similar track record of unrequited love, but Sophia just covered everything I would have said (and more).

Nightowl

MarieJ Ah, that's quite ironic, because the same situation happened with Beethoven - people loved his music but it seems he was unable to win the hearts of women that he pursued. I was listening to a podcast about him recently and it seemed that he wasn't an easy man to be around (to put it mildly). It's a shame that he composed such romantic music but never experienced real love himself (putting aside his "immortal beloved" relationship, although the facts are sketchy about that).

WieWaldi

Nightowl Are you talking about this Elise bit?

WieWaldi

Nightowl It's a shame that he composed such romantic music but never experienced real love himself

Absolutely. Beethoven would have been the perfect husband, cause he was deaf and didn't mind if she was chewing on his ear.

Nightowl

WieWaldi Not necessarily. A letter was found after his death, addressed to his "immortal beloved", but it did not include the full name or address details and was never sent. Historians have speculated about a woman who bore a child which had a strong resemblance to him, but anyway he died alone.

Nightowl

WieWaldi Ha ha, very funny WieWie! Something tells me you're a confirmed bachelor, which ironically makes you more attractive to some women. 🙃

KevinM

Who here agrees with me that Für Elise is more difficult than the first movement of Moonlight Sonata?

I've recorded both and I could not to my satisfaction play Für Elise whilst I could the first movement Moonlight Sonata.

Nightowl

KevinM I've only played the simplified versions of both pieces and Fur Elise seemed slightly easier, but I never polished it so I'm not the best person to judge this. However I just checked online and the complete versions are graded:

Fur Elise - ABRSM Grade 5-6
Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement - ABRSM Grades 6-7

ShiroKuro

Nightowl
Fur Elise - ABRSM Grade 5-6
Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement - ABRSM Grades 6-7

@KevinM and @Nightowl this is super interesting to me, because like Kevin, I would have put Fur Elise above the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I’ve played Fur Elise (a million years ago) and the second half (i.e., not the famous intro theme) has a lot more going on. And the tempo makes it challenging. I’ve only dabbled with the Moonlight Sonata (never enough to get it playable) but just based on that, IMO one of the main things that makes the moonlight challenging is the stretch. And then there’s the balance between the LH and RH…

Or I maybe the ranking is just because of the key? Isn’t The Moonlight Sonata 1st mvmt in C# minor? (Just going from memory)? Whereas Fur Elisa is in A minor.

So maybe that’s it? If so, then I’m good with saying Fur Elise is harder, because the key of Moonlight Sonata isn’t really what makes it difficult IMO. (But maybe that’s because I’m one of those weirdos who prefers sharps to flats, and thinks four sharps is easier to read than five flats 😅

KevinM

I think it is maybe just me. I could never maintain tempo in the thirty-second note (demisemiquaver in British English) section of Für Elise while keeping the rest of the piece at a decent tempo.

navindra

lilypad The Rainbow Connection by Paul Williams and Kenneth L. Ascher

Wow! What a beautiful composition and such a lovely rendition of it! I looked it up and, what, it's sung by Kermit the Frog?? Phillip Keveren sure does some nice work too.

I'm so glad that your rendition is the first one I heard because I'm absolutely taken in. Your performance had such a range of emotion and musicality in it, thank you, I enjoyed that a ton! 👏

navindra

Sophia But all the same, I learned so much from all three books that I wouldn't have wanted to skip them.

That's exactly my feeling now. The key thing for me is that I'm still learning from these books, and I value that knowledge.

Sophia Of course even in Alfred 2 there are some lovely pieces to look forward to. Off the top of my head, Joplin's theme from Solace is an absolute topper, so is the Chopin piece ("No Other Love"). I also loved the Jazz Ostinato - though that might have been in book 3. Or Light & Blue, so whimsical.

Looking forward to that!

Sophia Haha! I am ashamed to confess that I probably learned the first half a page, but found I much prefer to listen to it being played well by others, than spending the time on it myself 😃 And you can't deny we were well treated this recital!

I know what you mean, why invest so much in learning a piece so many others have performed many times over and more beautifully than I would ever be able to? That's a tough one.

I think if I ever get to that point, I would try to make that piece my own in any little way I can. The other motivation I can think of is that I would get a lot of personal enjoyment out of playing Moonlight Sonata by myself and for myself. Plus, this piece is a crowd pleaser, so it wouldn't hurt at all to have it in a back pocket.

I do have a backup though. I was thinking maybe I'd tackle a modern composition that's similar in spirit to Moonlight, but way lesser known, yet somehow meaningful to me. It's more of a wishlist item though.

Sophia

navindra The other motivation I can think of is that I would get a lot of personal enjoyment out of playing Moonlight Sonata

Exactly! Many people start piano because of that piece. In that case, it totally makes sense to devote all the time in the world on it once you reach that level. As for me, I like the piece but I'm not in love with it. So for me, it seems like - ok perhaps not entirely wasted effort - but, still. Like you said. I'd rather spend the time learning music that I I truly love 🙂

Nightowl

navindra The key thing for me is that I'm still learning from these books, and I value that knowledge.

Yes, they do a great job of explaining the basics and the pieces are chosen to build skills gradually. Which is why I revisit the books sometimes - in fact I began playing through book 1 yesterday and today I'm over halfway through it. It's a great confidence booster to play simple pieces well, especially when I recall how long they took me to master the first time around. That said, I skipped Good Morning To You, Happy Birthday and Blow The Man Down - they were bad enough the first time around! Also, there are pieces that I never polished because I didn't like them enough to put the effort in - those pieces will forever remain unpolished - I'm no masochist! 🙃

lilypad

Nightowl - Moonlight Sonata - Congratulations! It's always nice to play a piece from your wish list. That sounded like a decent arrangement and you captured the feeling of the original with your performance.

Nightowl

lilypad Thanks, I'm pleased you feel that I captured the essence of the piece. 🙂 I played it slightly too fast, as I got a bit bored and impatient with the recording process, but I'm pleased I got it to a reasonable standard in the end.

pianocat I'm confused - is there a way of tuning a euphonium, or is it a case of just playing it differently to get the correct pitch sounds? Also, have you ever watched the film Brassed Off? It's quite an entertaining film and features a euphonium, plus some decent (and poorly played) music. I think you might like it.

lilypad

rsl12 - A Tune for Howard to Improvise Upon - I'm not familiar with the original piece, but your arrangement is amazing! There are so many things I like about it. My favorite is the recurring gospel sounding chords. I'm also a fan of your jazzy improvisations. Thank you for taking on the project and sharing it for this recital.

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