PIYW #10 — Meta Feedback

rsl12 · 2026-07-16T08:05:24+00:00

Update 2: 15 September 2026 "Play 'Last Song' Your Way" is now live! Click to listen. rsl12 Platybat KevinM TulipAcid TC3 You can continue to use this thread to discuss your preparation of the piece, or to discuss any other matters regarding Play It Your Way. Update 1: 16 July 2026 PIYW #10: Play "Last Song" Your Way Play It Your Way is a quasi-monthly event for beginners, professionals, classical, jazz, or pop pianists and everyone in between! We are starting work on "Last Song" by Alexis Ffrench . Use the links below to find the sheet music you like, and when you are ready, post your performance in the submission thread. Perfection is not expected! Previous PIYWs: PIYW #9: Play Chopin's "Wiosna (Spring)" Your Way PIYW #8: Play "How Long Blues" Your Way PIYW #7: Play "Over the Rainbow" Your Way Full List of Previous PIYWs Thanks to KevinM for this month's selection! Please suggest pieces for future "Play It Your Way" events by using the suggestion box. The theme of the next PIYW (to be announced in August 2026) is "Jazz or Ragtime", but feel free to submit good ideas across all genres. Guidelines This is not a contest! It is meant to be a casual and fun event. You can use this thread to discuss your preparation of the piece, or anything else related to PIYW. To submit a recording of your performance, go to the submission thread. All PIYW submissions will remain hidden from public view until 15 September 2026. However, there is no deadline for when you need to submit your performance. Although most participants submit their recording before that date, you may submit at any time. Use the recital schedule to plan your participation in future recitals! "Last Song" by Alexis Ffrench (2009) From Wikipedia: Alexis Ffrench (born 1970) is a British classical-soul musician, composer, producer, and pianist. Ffrench's music has more than a billion streams and his albums Evolution (2018), Dreamland (2020) and Classical Soul Vol. 1 (2024) reached No. 1 in the Classical Music Charts. From the footnote to the ABRSM edition: [Ffrench] says of this piece: "Last Song was originally written for my daughter, Savannah, when she was a very young child, as a piece to accompany her early ballet dances. For me, it recalls the innocence of childhood and the wonder of possibility. I hope it resonates with you too and becomes part of your story. Happy piano playing." Links to Sheet Music / Lead Sheet You are not limited to only the music linked below. Feel free to find or create your own version. You do not have to complete or perfect the piece to submit it, and don't be afraid to simplify or shorten the piece. Improvisation, backing tracks, and backing humans are all allowed. Sheet music: Note: This is a Grade 6 (intermediate level) piece, but we have come up with some easier options. See this post. USA https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/se/ID_No/446751/Product.aspx?utm_source=halleonard&utm_medium=referral&campaign=search (3-page version, $6) https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/se/ID_No/1555674/Product.aspx?utm_source=halleonard&utm_medium=referral&campaign=search (2-page version, $4. It's the same as the 3-page version, just more crowded on the page!) UK https://www.fabermusic.com/shop/last-song-d12063 (£2.50)

TC3

rsl12 I've forgotten it already ...

ShiroKuro

Well darn, I hate that my instincts were right. -_-

Why am I not remember what app @KevinM said he was switching to for videos... Was it Vimeo? Or that was the one he had problems with? (my memory is rubbish, I'm sorry!)

KevinM

ShiroKuro I was switching away from Vimeo. It was taken over by an Italian private equity known for asset stripping. In this case it sacked nearly all the engineers and support staff, and is now living off its good reputation extracting income until there is no more good will left to be extracted as the product slowly deteriorates in quality.

KevinM

I bought the faber music UK version of the score. It has no fingerings and I am going to need to add lots of fingers to this score, plus indications of which hands to play certain bits.

If anyone has done this already, I would be happy to plagiarise someone else's worker as a starter?

ShiroKuro

KevinM I’m happy to send you a pdf of my score with fingerings later this evening.

ShiroKuro

KevinM thanks for that! I wil plan to avoid Vimeo then !

KevinM

ShiroKuro yes thanks. That is appreciated. Your score for miracles has been very helpful even where I have made different decisions to yours having yours as a guide worked really well.

ShiroKuro

KevinM Your score for miracles has been very helpful even where I have made different decisions to yours having yours as a guide worked really well.

I'm glad it was helpful! While watching your video, at first I was thinking that I wished I could see your fingering, but then I thought maybe it's for the best not to, because I don't want to lose the tenuous hold on Miracles that I have at present, and thinking about alternative fingerings is probably dangerous! 😃

ShiroKuro

Speaking of fingering, I don’t like my fingering in measure 32, for those Bbs. But I also don’t like the ABRSM fingering there. I talked to my teacher about it she said my fingering was fine but… probably I just have to play into it.

what are you all doing there?

Mine:

ABRSM:

diretonic

Your fingering seems natural enough to me. Also 5,1,4,2,(5+1) which gives you legato to the A in 33.

ShiroKuro

diretonic Your fingering seems natural enough to me.

That's what my teacher said. I think I just need to play it into my fingers.

TC3

I haven't begun to work on the ending yet (I'm prepping for a gig this weekend ... ) but what you're doing seems reasonable, even preferable. I'll probably do that too!

ShiroKuro

TC3 I'm prepping for a gig this weekend

Nice! What are you playing?

TC3

ShiroKuro Thanks for asking! I'll start another thread so as not to derail this one ...

rsl12

It's almost time to vote again! The theme for the October PIYW is "Jazz or Ragtime." If you have any suggestions, make them in the suggestion box. I'll open up voting on August 1.

TC3

I thought I should report on my progress.

I have no progress to report. 😃

I was super focused on our gig this last weekend, and then have been taking it pretty easy this week ... I'll get back on it soon, promise!

rsl12

There's still LOTS of time, so no worries about that! I have a progress recording, but it's pretty clean, and I feel like my final recording will sound so similar that the practice recording is not worth sharing. I should be done soon.

ShiroKuro

I meant to post about this. I am not ready to record (Aug PT recital comes first for that) but I've been enjoying playing it!

For PIYW, I'll play it as is, but I wanted to find a way to do a repeat, so I decided that after I finish my PIYW recording, I'll keep it in my rep with a repeat. The plan is to play through measure 23, add a measure, return to the beginning and then play through to the end. My teacher helped me with the repeat, I'll share it later if anyone is curious.

rsl12

ShiroKuro yes, I could see a repeat working the way you are thinking. Are you changing anything the second time through? (not just in terms of notes, but also in how you play)

ShiroKuro

rsl12 Are you changing anything the second time through? (not just in terms of notes, but also in how you play)

Probably no change in notes (I don't have that kind of skill), but probably dynamics. I haven't practiced it with the repeat enough yet, so I haven't decided.

But basically, when I play it, it feels like I want more of the music and it ends too soon, so I wanted to add a repeat.

Simple (musical) greediness I supposed! 😃

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