PianoTell Recital (model) Ideas

Pallas

I have never participated in a recital, but I would love to. I have commented on a recital before, & I've watched several in their entirety, and -- with nothing but sincere admiration, gratitude, and appreciation for how recitals in the other place have happened -- I'm wondering if this is another area where we might distinguish ourselves.

What if we made a PianoTell YouTube channel, where each recital has its own playlist? People who don't make videos could convert their audio into a video format to post. My husband does this all the time for his role-playing game podcast. It's easy to use the basic video tools to add a card with info on the piece, or anything participants want to say, for viewers to look at while listening.

I don't mean to steal anyone's thunder, or take over anything, or intrude on anything. I just have a lot of thoughts bubbling in my brain all the time and I have to make this post so I can go practice.

If this idea gets traction, I'm a willing volunteer, not to lead it, because I don't have the skills. But I have time, willingness, and a cooperative spirit.

Imagine just following a single link, click, arriving at a playlist, playing all, and leaving comments in each video's comment section?

Do you have ideas? Is there already another thread? If so, perhaps my post can be moved to the right place.

BartK

I don't think there is another discussion. We can talk about ideas here.

I had a short chat with @Sam where he suggested simply having everyone prepare their submisson and publish it on the same date. I'm a bit sceptical and think this would result in a lot of chaos. I think we still need some kind of coordination but I don't have a solution yet.

In the short term I'm not sure what we are going to do. We can continue on ABF but now Gombessa will not be able to participate. What shall I do about the voting for themed recitals 2025? I was supposed to make a poll thread tomorrow.

Pallas

BartK What shall I do about the voting for themed recitals 2025? I was supposed to make a poll thread tomorrow.

You are in a terrible position, and I feel for you. Whatever you decide to do, just know that I'm in your corner. You are clearly doing the very best you can in a tough situation. An argument can be made that you ought to continue your duties as usual, and do your best. There would be nothing wrong with that. Autonomy is very important. It's also ok for you to change your mind. But either thing has to be your choice, to meet the needs of your own heart, which are just as important as anyone's.

What kind of support would help you most? If there's anything I can do to be supportive, just tell me. I appreciate all your hard work, and I respect your feelings.

keff

BartK I am in two minds about whether or not recitals should take place here when they are still available on PW. However there may be people who do not belong to PW that would like a recital space and people that would wish to post their recordings both here and in PW.

We have a Member Recordings forum and suggest this should be the home for recitals if they do start. Let us assume a recital takes place every six months. All it takes is that a responsible person creates a new thread with a simple title "Recital for 1st July 2024' say. Participants only reply with their recorded contributions and a few words of description in a set format. Participants should then be discouraged from adding additional posts unless they contain different recordings. On July 1st participants would be expected not to add to the thread, which would then be considered closed. If people want to comment on a performance it is done in a separate thread 'Comments on Recital dated 1st July 2024'.

This method will not keep individual performances hidden until the due date but personally I consider this not a big issue. Generally I was overwhelmed with the number of recordings being released together over on PW but I accept others may say this is the point of the recital. This method may not archive performances, which I believe is achieved on PW, but I'm not sure if this is necessary.

Sophia

BartK In the short term I'm not sure what we are going to do. We can continue on ABF but now Gombessa will not be able to participate. What shall I do about the voting for themed recitals 2025? I was supposed to make a poll thread tomorrow.

I don't envy you your decision, Bart. It's a tough situation to be in! You have my back too, whatever that is worth 🙂 (yeah I know, that's like someone from the peanut gallery whistling at the performers on stage) 😆

Sam

BartK I am going to carry on with the recitals at Piano World as long as l can and as long as there is interest. So, yes, go ahead with the poll. The themed Recitals and ABF quarterly recitals will continue at Piano World.

Which is not to say that we can't also do recitals over here. I corresponded with Navindra about it several days ago. My idea was that if it is possible to schedule a time for a post to go public, then we could announce the recital and start a thread for it with instructions in the first post and the deadline for everyone to use. The performers each make a post with their recording and comments, scheduled to go live at the deadline. Then we can have the feel of an online recital, with lots of things to listen to and comment on. And there is considerably less for a recital admin to do.

As far as uploading and storing recordings, I don't think that is necessary. It is something we did at PianoWorld to avoid dead links - the recordings now take about 47 Gig for 18 years of recitals! Treat the recital like a live one, and have the performers pledge to keep their recordings live for a month, after that, it is history.

As far as Gombessa participating in the recital - anyone can participate - you don't need an account at PW. But unless you have an account, you cannot comment.

Gombessa

What a kind thought, thank you both for that! I really love the good nature, kindness and thoughtfulness of all the participants here.

For what it's worth, please don't change anything on account of me. I think if the PW ABF recitals get disrupted, that would be a net loss for the piano community as a whole.

Also, while I'm not certain, my strong hunch is that the recitals codebase crated by Bob Muir and Sam S is not at all integrated with the forum, in particular the ban list, so I'm guessing I can still submit pieces when recitals.pianoworld.com opens (but if not, so be it, no hard feelings). I also defer entirely to the recital maintainers whether it would be appropriate to participate, and will respect their wishes.

If recitals either move here to PianoTell, or a new recital system spins up, all the better and I'd be honored to be able to take part!

Pallas

Gombessa Thank you for weighing in. Will you please report back on whether you can participate in the next recital? I just want you to know that if anyone makes decisions based on the ban, it's absolutely not your fault, and not your responsibility. None of this is your fault in any way whatsoever. I hate that you were banned, but I'm making my decisions based on how I want the world to work. I'm voting with my feet/fingers. For better or worse, I'm an idealist with a big, squishy heart. So if no one has been unfairly banned from the recitals over there, I will be able to participate in good conscience, as long as everyone can also view the discussions.

I would love for someone to educate me on how it works. Thank you.

bSharp

keff We have a Member Recordings forum and suggest this should be the home for recitals if they do start.

Maybe that is an easier solution? Don't have scheduled recitals. When your piece is ready, post it to Member Recordings!

Pallas

keff We could ask Navindra if a submission form could be created, and the recital thread automatically activated on the correct date. If not, I would certainly volunteer to help support a recital effort any way I'm qualified to do, and probably others would as well. There's a lot of energy here. What we've been doing with other topics is just putting in a request to Navindra (I think @twocats has been making a list) and just asking questions about what's possible. Doesn't hurt!

bSharp

The recital is not tied to the user database, anyone can submit an entry. I wouldn't have a problem with seeing the recitals move to PianoTell though. If that ever happens and you need help, let me know.

keff

bSharp Thanks for the reply. Agree that is an alternative although the recital community may be less obvious....but then again we will have a member recording community.

Pallas

bSharp

bSharp Maybe that is an easier solution? Don't have scheduled recitals. When your piece is ready, post it to Member Recordings!

I really, really love deadlines. I find them motivating. I also really love themes, because they help my creativity. And when something's important to me, I'll plan other things around the event rather than miss it. I don't think everyone who does recitals checks in every day, just when there's an event, and then there's a defined period to pop in an check for comments and so forth.

But I'm absolutely going to post recordings whenever I want, and I love that there's an area for it that feels inclusive!

twocats

Pallas putting in a request to Navindra (I think @twocats has been making a list)

Actually it's not my list, it's Navindra's! In the future I'll post the feature requests directly to his to-do thread instead of tagging him elsewhere to keep it all in one place.

Pallas

twocats Thank you for the clarification. I really appreciate that. And thanks for doing that work!

Sgisela

I like the idea of recitals, as opposed to posting to the Member Recordings section ad hoc. I think it helps with participation, both in making a submission and taking the time to listen to the other participants. Of course, people should post to Member Recordings whenever they want! But I know that I, for one, probably would not do so. In part because if there’s no deadline, I’ll make a better performance some other time! (And ‘some other tine’ most likely will never come to pass).

Also, with this new format, I think we can have this less tied to an Adult Beginners thing. While I know that most participants were not beginners, since the switcheroo, I’ve communicated with someone who never really looked at the ABF because she wasn’t a beginner. But I think she’d probably be game to participate in an e-cital.

ShiroKuro

Sgisela I like the idea of recitals, as opposed to posting to the Member Recordings section ad hoc.

Me too. Of course, people can (and should) keep sharing their ad hoc recordings, but having a special recital is a great motivator, and wonderful to listen to!

Pallas

I was talking with @WieWaldi and @Rubens in another thread, and this came up: "I'm wondering why not make a forum of its own: PianoTell Recitals, right on the Home page. One-stop shopping, the forum itself has explanatory text to explain who is invited to recitals (everyone!)."

I'd love to hear thoughts about this idea. Anyone care to have a conversation about it? BTW, I'm on an airplane, so if I don't reply with my usual jet fighter reflexes, I'll for sure circle back around to find out what I missed.

JB_PT

Pallas why not make a forum of its own: PianoTell Recitals, right on the Home page

Personally I like this idea. Remember that on PW there is a recital database - you can always go back and review old performances. I don't think we'll have that here since we aren't uploading to a DB. If we have a special forum for it, at least it's all in one place so you can go back and look at old recitals later (although I understand that not all of the performances will be available forever).

Rubens

Bumping this thread with the latest discussion from the other thread.

I believe the ABF (or Learners Lounge) is not the best place to host the recitals because the more advanced pianists may be hesitant to participate. A few people agree with me, a few disagree. What I noticed is that those who agree tend to be the more advanced pianists/learners.

Edit: oops didn't see Pallas' post.

Pallas

Rubens Two invites to discuss a new idea = Double the fun!

Pallas

Rubens A few people agree with me, a few disagree. What I noticed is that those who agree tend to be the more advanced pianists/learners.

If the recitals had their own front page forum, and there are enough people who want to participate, what would be the up-side, down-side, benefits / drawbacks of having a mix of recital types?

Such as:
PianoTell Open Division! Everyone invited, from new learner to pro! Let's Play!
New Learner Expo! A welcoming and supportive recital for those just getting started!
Second-Chance Salon! For those returning to the piano after a detour!

I'm just kidding with the titles, but I think we could really have fun with this and make a distinctive PT recital culture that emphasizes inclusion, appreciation, and a shared love of the piano across all genres and levels of play. It could be so much fun.