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...

rsl12

rogerch "double harmonic" is a new scale to me. I've played with Phrygian, which is similar. Thanks for showing the results of your experiment, I think it has possibilities. I've been interested in middle eastern/Indian improv for a while, it's on my list of "things to do".

Peyton

ShiroKuro Really nice playing. Just can't go wrong with Einaudi. And I love your description of the "snow day". Same here in Maine. The snow came one day and it has stayed cold ever since. I teach skiing and snow shoeing at LLBean in the winter and we are all as happy as white rabbits on snowy days.

Cratersmash Really pretty piece and GREAT, dare I say...AWESOME playing. Your runs are so fluid.

rach3master Ha, the hit's just keep coming. Amazing playing as always.

rogerch

Player1 I was wondering about the yellow tablet. That’s interesting that you got to a point in your journey with this piece where it was memorized with the aid of some notes. That’s really cool! I’ve learned many pieces that took 6 months or longer and for me the intermediate stage of memorization involves playing without the sheet music but pulling it out to consult it when I get to a spot that isn’t solid yet. Your approach seems better!

I think your Casio sounds fine. I used to have one and I liked playing it! You will probably find an acoustic more satisfying to play though. I hope you find a piano that you really like!

Player1

rogerch

The biggest gripe, other than how I think it sounds, that I have with my Casio is the key clunk. My phone routinely clips notes but never fails to record the clunking of the keys. Which tells me how loud and clear the noise must be.

I started with sheet music and worked my way through it until I had it "memorized." Then, like you, I played from memory and had to stop and work through the sheet music when I got stuck. Eventually I didn't need that but was having problems playing all the bits and pieces so I made a cheat sheet of the musical form.

There's a video on youboob of a little girl playing Einaudi in a mall and the only thing she has is a tiny 3x4 card on the music desk. I wondered about it until I realized that it's a cheat sheet of the musical form of the piece so she doesn't get lost or omit a phrase. I just did the same thing, only bigger because my ancient eyes can't see tiny letters anymore.

rogerch

Simonb @rogerch
Lovely playing, as always. Are you consciously thinking of the harmony when you're playing? When I improvise in a similar way to that (but not as well), the harmony (basically the chords) is always in my mind....

Thanks Simon!

When I improvise I’m in a state of consciousness that’s not wholly connected to my consciousness when I’m not improvising. I don’t understand what I’m thinking about when improvising as well as you would think. I listen to some of my improvisations and wonder how I did that!

That said, I think what’s going on is that after a certain amount of time with one chord I have thoughts about where to go next. There usually isn’t a grand harmonic plan for the whole piece beyond picking a particular key (and sometimes not even that). It’s more that I’m making a choice in the moment based on what I think will sound good.

rogerch

ShiroKuro rogerch Congratulations! This was quite interesting and your title is very apt. I feel like this could be used in a movie, with the intrigue and yes, mystery that you created. You said you did several session, I’m curious how similar and different the piece was each time.

Thanks ShiroKuro! I think I have four different recordings of varying lengths and quality. I could share them all with you if you’re really interested after I get back from my work trip. They all sound somewhat similar and I think the one I used is the best of them 😀

Sophia

navindra However, as I near the end of Book 1, I've realized that I have quite a bit to learn and as the arrangements have become more complex, they've become more interesting.

Thanks! Once again I found myself in 100% agreement with everything you said. Alfred 1 is okay-ish, mostly. There are a few lovely pieces towards the end of the book, but most of it is rather drab. I decided to continue as well, and I'm not going to lie, Alfred 2 has its share of humdrum pieces as well. But all the same, I learned so much from all three books that I wouldn't have wanted to skip them.

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.

navindra The final piece in Alfred Book 3 is literally Moonlight Sonata!

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!

ShiroKuro you’ll have to forgive me if my next video is at the same angle! 😅

But but but... what??? 😱 Well okay then, since you asked so nicely 🤣😅🥰

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.

Player1

navindra Edit: And yet, every time I see a Faber video, I'm so envious.

The pieces in Faber are just as horribly arranged as Alfred's pieces are.

Player1

ShiroKuro

You need a boom tripod for overhead shots.

ShiroKuro

Player1 You need a boom tripod for overhead shots.

Probably, but I also don't want to buy another item! 😅 I have a system now and I'm hesitant to disrupt it! 😃

Player1

ShiroKuro congratulations on your recording! I’m sorry the tremor is such a factor for you, but I’m glad you continue to play. I worked on this piece years ago but never polished it. It’s a truly lovely piece isn’t it!

It's captivating how the piece is played so effortlessly by those who have polished it. Passacaglia really showcases hand independence too. In the video I linked above if you watch the LH you'll see how it "snaps" to the left to play the base notes then returns to the same tempo speed as the RH. I still haven't got that on automatic yet and it's a good illustration of the difference between beginner and intermediate - speed.

Sophia

KevinM That is a beautiful piece, almost Bach like. I thought you played it very well, everything was in place - dynamics, rubato, musical playing. In short, I loved it a lot!

lilypad

pianocat - Ave Maria + Prelude in C - What a cool performance! To be able to play both parts so well. Loved the split video screen. I didn't comment at the time, but I'm very sorry about your cat.

lilypad

WieWaldi - Blueberry Hill. Nice! You bring a very soulful style to it. I'm eaten up with jealousy over your excellent tremolo technique!

lilypad

rogerch - Mystery - I would say that was a very successful experiment with an altered scale as a jumping off point for an improvisation. You created a mysterious contemplative mood with it that I enjoyed very much.

Sophia

lilypad A beautiful piece, so pensive. I think you played that beautifully. Okay, there are a few minor flaws, but I second someone else's sentiment that I much, much prefer a warm and sensitive rendition played with feeling, than a mechanical performance played with clockwork precision. But the perfectionist in me absolutely gets why you wish you had tried it a few more times. It can be quite the dilemma at times 😋

WieWaldi

Player1 Passacaglia by Handel/Halverson (piano arrangement)
You played this without sheet-music? That's amazing. Only a few notes of only half a page - this is what I call a cheat sheet! What you did was very solid. There were sometimes a few small pauses, which shouldn't be there. But I must admit, this is minor compared to what you did in your last recital. You improved a lot in terms of musicality and rhythmic continuity. Considering your handicap with the tremor this is a huge step forward. You must have worked a lot for these improvements, you can be truly proud of yourself.

Player1

WieWaldi

Oh no, I had the sheet music. I just played the piece so much over the course of 6 months or so that I couldn't help but memorize it.

Player1

ShiroKuro

Falling into the abyss isn't a "system."

KevinM

I don’t know what the problem is. You just fall into the video like Alice in the looking glass and enter the musical landscape world created by Einaudi and ShiroKuro. Didn’t that happen for everyone?

Sophia

I think it did Kevin 😃 Though it also reminded me somewhat of an Escher drawing... who was, as well all know, a great artist. So perhaps we can agree that Shiro created Art here (with a capital A) 😂

KevinM

Sophia perhaps that is why I liked the perspective I really enjoyed the Escher exhibition in The Hague.

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