The ABF Fast Pieces Recital is looming, and playing fast is not a strength for me.

I've been working on the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata #13 (Op. 27 #1). I first learned it several years ago but I never got it up to performance level. Now with just a few weeks to go I'm not sure I can have it ready in time. Actually I'm not sure if I'll EVER be able to play this piece well enough to share! I haven't given up yet though.

As a backup I've been working on Heartsounds by David Lanz. I've played this one before as well. While Heartsounds is much easier than the Beethoven it has a couple of tricky spots. I think I can have it ready in time.

As a backup to the backup, I've been pushing the tempo on my improvisations. I may end up submitting a somewhat fast improvisation. 🙂

  • TC3 likes this.

ShiroKuro It's a non-credit group class held once a week with around a dozen people.

      lilypad Oh wow! That's great! How do you like the group class set up?

        So many beautiful pieces! Thank you, all.

        I'm still picking away at some RCM prep B stuff; currently "Carillon" and "Leaping the Waves with Dolphins". My teacher also has me doing some Dozen a Day exercises and mixes in some bits from Alfred's Basic Adult Piano. Some of the local teachers get student's together a couple times a year for a recital. I was working on a simple duet arrangement of Ode to Joy by Timothy Brown for the next recital, coming up soon, but it turned out that my partner will be unable to attend. I'll be doing the Carillon piece instead. It's a bit daunting to have so many of the young student's playing so much better live, but at least I'm not the only adult beginner there.
        edit: Almost forgot another piece, an arrangement of Piano Man, but I'm struggling with the rhythm in it.

        I'd probably learn faster with private instruction, but I love being in the company of other piano players and the ensemble work is fun. The class size is small enough that there is ample time for the instructor to address questions or difficulties that any of the students may have. I have to admit that I'm looking forward to the end of the semester in a few days when I can get back to working on my own stuff.

          lilypad That also sounds like a great way to work on the nervousness some of us feel playing in front of others.

          Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

              I am working on Sonatina in G by Muzio Clementi - also known as "Groovy Kind of Love" . I am just finishing up Page 3 of 4 and have been working on this since the end of January. I feel like I am never going to complete it!

              Also working on an intermediate version of Sound of Silence. At least that one is a little easier for me!

              TC3 I don't get too nervous in the class because we mostly play all at the same time. I'm pretty dedicated to practicing what the teacher has assigned and am relatively well prepared to play on the rare occasions that the teacher asks for a volunteer to play something. If no one else comes forward, I'll volunteer.

              I'm also in a Meetup group of Portland (Oregon) Piano Players. I'm one of the least accomplished players there and I try to play first or at least early on in the meetings.

                  I'm working on the first piece in this video, called Music Box. I'm a sucker for pieces that use the far upper register of the piano.

                  I'm also working on a couple of other late-beginner/early-intermediate pieces that I can't find good recordings of: "Toccata-Rocket" by Jason Sifford and "A Lincoln Tribute" by Carol Matz. The latter is part of a suite of Washington, DC-themed piano pieces published by Alfred, and it turns out they have an intermediate-difficulty piano suite for every single U.S. state plus a number of other locations inside and outside the U.S.

                  Finally, I'm working on Kabalevesky's Etude in A minor, op. 27, no. 3. The version in ABRSM indicates the tempo at 100 to the quarter note, which is a bit ridiculously fast for me right now, but I'm working towards getting it to a satisfying level.

                  My teacher also wants me to work on Debussy soon. I'm a bit skeptical because the easiest Debussy piece I know, Page d'album, is still like way above anything I've ever worked on. Guess we'll see.

                  I have been rather distracted away from piano practice since the weekend but seem to have got some mojo back today. This morning rehearsed a piano duet with a friend who was seeking more experience with duets. We hope to perform it at our piano group on Saturday. It is by Ernest Markham-Lee and called the Lost Lagoon depicting what he calls a sheet of water in Stanley Park Vancouver. Does anyone know Stanley Park?

                  lilypad I'd probably learn faster with private instruction

                  You played jurassic park in one of the 'pw' recitals, right? I had never heard the jurassic park music before that, and the way it sounds ... progresses ... the 'chord' sounds/sequence combined with the piano timbre is very very powerful indeed. As in totally captivating. Every once in a while, I run through those sequences. It is amazing.

                  Update : just checked in google (lilypad jurassic park abf recitals. Thanking goodness my memory hasn't failed me hehe. Yes indeed ... that was you!

                      For the past few weeks, I've been working on:
                      My Funny Valentine, Autumn Leaves, Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise, Beautiful Love, and The Shadow of Your Smile.

                      I have been working on Beethoven Sonata F minor Op. 2 No. 1, and my first two Schubert pieces, Scherzo No. 1 in B flat, and Impromptu Op. 142 No. 2. All challenging for me, but I'm loving every minute and so grateful for my wonderful teacher who pushes me just enough! 🙂

                      lilypad Very cool - I did this one time. It was SO hard to get up there and once I was done I couldn't remember anything about my performance. 😐 I'm glad I did it but not sure I could work up the courage again!

                          SouthPark Yes. That was quite the stretch piece for me. Thanks to someone on PW asking for fingering advice on a piece, I discovered another arrangement from that movie that is even stretchier. It's called "Welcome to Jurassic Park". Almost twice as long as what I played before and has more of the themes in it. I found the sheet music for it on musicnotes.com.

                            JB_PT This just happened to me at the May meeting. I played Bach Little Prelude in C, BWV 939. It's just one page, but my performance seemed to be over in no time. I remember thinking. "Wait - did I play everything I was supposed to?".

                              Beethoven's op.14 Nr.1. And it is very hard for me, especially the speed factor - I 'm not sure I will be able to play it as fast as it's mostly played.

                              10 days later

                              Pallas > So I am considering adding an Ab scale to my Molly program. Surely I can treat a new scale like any other method book piece!.

                              Great idea! I haven't been sufficiently motivated to practice scales, chords and arpeggios except whatever new key I'm learning. The Molly Gebrian experiment might do nicely for learning new keys while also imposing a schedule to keep the old one in my fingers.