I'm in a weird post-competition spot where I'm trying to figure out my next milestone. If I decide to go to WIPAC, will probably try to resurrect one of the bigger pieces I've played before and whatever pieces I need to round out the program. If I'm done competing for the year, I'm definitely going to start chipping away at the Scriabin Fantasy!

In the meantime, have just been noodling on some smaller pieces that have caught my ear:

  • Bach-Petri - Sheep May Safely Graze
  • Fauré-Wild - Improvisation on 'Après un rêve'
  • Handel-Kempff - Minuet in G minor

"You're a smart kid. But your playing is terribly dull."

    lilypad Metelka is fantastic. If you're inclined, I recommend looking into Metelka's full collections - "Modern Piano Studies" (which Mouse Dance and the RCM 6 Little Nocturne are from), "Little Virtuoso", "The Secret Garden", and "Illusions".

        Earlier I posted that my piano teacher wanted me to work on a Debussy piece. She changed her mind and said it might be best to leave that for later, and gave me Cecile Chaminade's "Idylle", op. 126, no. 1, to work on instead.

        She also wanted me to find something from the Classical era, but I'm not a huge fan of the easier material from the stalwarts of that era (Mozart, Beethoven). Haydn is a possibility. I found a Sonatina in A minor by the Czech composer Jiří Antonín Benda's (1722-1795), one of 34 sonatinas he wrote and somewhat of a fixture on syllabi, so I might tackle that too. Piano lessons are going on summer break for two months.

        Schubert Sonata #18 in G Major D.894 - just the first movement so far

        plop_symphony Thank you for the tip on Metelka. I listened to the first 2 studies from "Modern Piano Studies" and liked them a lot.

        I don't take exams, but I use exam board repertoire books to find graded music for my level. I've really enjoyed discovering modern composers that I find in their books.

          @"plop_symphony"#p688 Oooh, I like the Benda sonatina! I'd never heard of him, am going to look it up. Every time I log in here I find another piece to distract my squirrel brain.... 😆

          11 days later

          Well, I finished the motley group of 3 pieces I started in early June and started another motley group:

          "Manhattan, 1928" from Piano Adventures Level 4 Performance book.
          Beethoven - Ecossaise no. 4 WoO 83
          Miles Davis' "All Blues" arrangement from "Jazz Easy Piano Solos" book.

          I'm also relearning Burgmuller's "Limpid Stream" from Op. 100 for a fast pieces recital on "that other forum". It's currently at a very sedate 72 bpm.

          5 days later

          Fiesta Espana. in my Faber 3B book is on my music desk. Yuck. Seriously, yuck.

          Still working on Wolf but going to put it down for a bit because I need a break. I might pick up Beautiful in White but I'm still just thinking about it and haven't decided.

            Pallas

            I couldn't take it anymore so I did a Bob Seger and "turned the page." It's just a rehash of syncopation anyway. Most of this book is going to be review and filling in the theory gaps that Faber Adult book 2 didn't include. Both book 2 and 3B end with Cannon in D as the last piece, and some of the other pieces are repeated verbatim, so at that end point you're at the same place regardless of which book you use.

            Next new piece is "Snowfall." It looks playable. Haven't checked it out at all yet so I could be wrong.

            I can play Wolf with pedal (poorly) all the way through and it's memorized because I've played it so much. My tempo for the jumps is still off but I'm setting is aside for now rather than work on it any more.

            I have 4 books of music to pick from and I don't seem to want to play any of it. I really want to learn Beautiful in White but the version I want to play doesn't have sheet music so I'll have to transcribe it from a video. Do-able but tedious and that tedium is the reason I haven't transcribed Ailein Duinn and Smoke Rings in the Dark yet. (Not that I'm ready for either of those.)

            I will find something to learn but right now it's back to lessons.

              Player1 My memories of "Fiesta Espana" aren't good either. Both difficult and and possibly a least favorite piece in the book.

              After two not very inspiring pieces in the Level 4 book that teach E major chord inversions, I'm working on a piece from the Performance book of the series that I absolutely love, "Manhattan, 1928". It's like Nancy Faber has somehow channeled George Gershwin to write the piece. It's not easy with lots of jumps, hand-over-hand, etc., but worth it in the sound that comes out. Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger?

                  lilypad

                  Just watched it, definitely a drowsy blues piece. You'll do fine with it because you're more than good enough.

                    Pallas

                    Most of the Faber stuff is terrible. There's a few pieces which are nice, like Lunar Eclipse, but most are terrible and it's not really worth buying the book for maybe 1 or 2 pieces.

                    Lunar eclipse:

                      It's been a months since I turned the final page of Faber Adult AIO Book 1. Instead of going straight into Book 2, I decided to take a gap month (or two). I am going back through Book 1 again and try to practice things I skipped, such as counting out loud, or singing the lyrics, etc. I also added Faber's Classic Companion book 1 to my practice, to learn some new piece on my own without help from YouTube teachers (although Faber do have demo videos for this book).

                      Today I am going through Rise and Shine, which I learned to play 2 months ago. There's lyric in the print. With some practice I can kind of hum along. Then I thought, maybe I should go on YouTube and find some performance of this song to see how it's reallly done. What I found made me really laugh out loud:

                      Looking back, my playing needed some major cheering up 😉

                        iternabe I remember seeing a YouTube teacher that recommends taking a break between method books. I'm two pieces away from the end of the set of books that I'm on. I was going to continue on to the next set without a break, but now I might take a break before starting the next set and see how many grade 3 bucket list pieces I can manage before the new year. Then I'll start on the new series and also start on grade 4 wish list pieces.

                          Pallas

                          I recommend the Angeline Bell books for extra curricular music. She has several so you can choose one that matches your musical preferences and style. Between those and the extensive number of Wunderkeys books there's a lot of music out there suitable for early learners up to level 4 or so.

                          Most of it sounds better than the arrangements in the method books too.

                            Pallas

                            I think Bell's pieces are better. Dow's music certainly is. A lot of Robertson's stuff sounds like the same basic RH melody, played on the same keys. It's all a monotone musically. At least to me.

                            One thing I was really wanting was music I could use to improve my technique and musicality. Some call this being more lyrical, and it is to some extent, but it's actually more than just that. If you look at videos of people playing beginner music you start to notice one thing they all have in common - choppy fingering. If you look at more advanced players you start to see something different - a lightness where the notes are played almost by stroking the keys. It's that difference which I was looking for.

                            If you look at your own videos (and mine too) you'll notice that it's almost like you're playing stacatto all the time. Your fingers go down then up, move to new keys, go down then up, move, etc. There's no fluidity because the music is broken into pieces rather than being a whole.

                            Part of that is because beginners have no technique and this is the only method we can use to hit the notes. But, when I played Bell's Butterflies it was different from that in both the musicality and physical movement of playing.

                            https://rumble.com/v4lvex0-butterfiles-by-angelina-bell.html

                            Watch the last few seconds of my LH in the video. You'll see that it's much lighter and more graceful than anything I'm playing in my method books. The RH is like that too but it's not as noticeable.

                            This lyrical quality is what makes the music sound better and makes it more attractive to me. Robertson's music that I've sampled doesn't seem to have that. It still might have it in stuff I haven't listened to, but I've yet to find it.

                              12 days later

                              I am doing the most basic HT Root 5th version of Let It Be—a slowed-down version at that! If I stare at my hands, I can do it okay, but I'm trying really hard not to develop a bad habit. It is incrementally improving.

                              I've been working on the "3 Romances" by Schumann for oboe & piano (with my wife). The greatest challenge is to play at the (quick) tempo, and for it not to sound panicked. I had never played Schumann, and had been told his music is sometimes awkward to play (but beautiful).

                              Initially I thought there's no way that can play these pieces, but over the weeks I've been working on them, they've gradually become "doable".

                              As a contrast to the generally serious Schumann, I'm also playing a piece of fluff by Rossini, what's probably the shortest selection (in Eb) of "Quelques Riens" (a few nothings) from his collection of piano pieces "Sins of my Old Age". Apart from getting used to some jumps, this one won't take a long time.

                              Haven't touched my piano in more than a week. I'm going to try and find the time to sit down with it today and work on a new method book piece. Hah, it's been so long I don't even remember the name of the piece I'm supposed to play.

                              grin just went and looked - Snowfall.

                              I will probably continue later today working on "House of the Rising Sun." I need to practice playing and singing at the same time. This is for early next week when our practice group meets again. Yesterday I already added the chord chart and sheet music (ultimate-guitar.com/Musescore.com) to forScore on my iPad. What is interesting is my wife and I each have an iPad with forScore installed, and because of the forScore syncing ability, if new sheet music (or annotations) are added to forScore on one iPad, it automatically syncs that new sheet music (or annotations) to forScore on the other iPad. I really like that convenient syncing feature.

                              I work on improvising and sight reading every day.

                              In addition, I'm working on the Allegro molto e vivace movement of Beethoven's Sonata 13. This is a piece I've been working on sporadically for a few years, and I intended to play it for the July ABF Fast Pieces Recital. I realized it wasn't going to be ready in time so I submitted Heartsounds instead.

                              I made a lot of progress though, and I'm now targeting the November recital. Here's a recording I made right before the Fast Pieces deadline:

                              Some of the things I'm working on:

                              • It needs to be faster. I can play most of it faster than this recording, but the left hand octaves near the end were a limiting factor
                              • Very light pedaling to connect notes across jumps
                              • Better staccato, especially in the parts with staccato in left hand and legato in right hand
                              • Cleaner playing

                              I'm continuing to make progress so maybe I will have a good recording by November!

                              I question how much effort I'm willing to put in for a piece that's a little over two minutes long, but I think it's good to push myself outside of my comfort zone so I'm persisting for now... 🙂

                                rogerch

                                Good job, very well memorized! Keep up the good work.

                                  Pallas

                                  I'm so sorry for your loss Pallas. I'm glad the music is helping you to get through this.

                                    I am working through Faber Classics Book 1. This piece "Prince Denmark's March" has a trill that I've never encountered in the method book. After lots and lots of practice, I finally get something that is maybe passable? It still does not sound quite right to me, but I am having a hard time telling what it is.

                                      iternabe I am working through Faber Classics Book 1. This piece "Prince Denmark's March"

                                      That music sounds excellent. That is a very nice tune indeed. Thanks for playing that for us to listen to. I like that one.

                                      That is exactly what it is about. The more you play that tune ... the more your mind/brain/body gels with it ... and the more you will explore ... to play it in your way. And the way you're playing it now sounds good to me. Great start.

                                        Iternabe - your playing and music before inspired me to play a short portion of the tune - but using the sort of standard issue patterns (like arpegg etc) - to try to generate some nice sound from the piano over here. I was thinking about what to play - and then got a bit stuck - but then ended off with a basic trill or short ornament. I generally don't use trills in my music - but trills certainly can sound nice when used sparingly. And I do like the sound of trills. This really short bit is really inspired by your vid. My playing here is simple notes - but fortunately the piano sounds nice to compensate a bit hehe.

                                        LINK1 PDM - WAV

                                        LINK2 PDM - FLAC

                                        (flac file is three times smaller - both audio above have the same content).

                                        It's only an example of what I mean about exploring etc. I didn't think too much about it -- but what happens is - with more thinking, it's possible to build and refine or evolve it in some direction - where the essence is still in there. Best regards.

                                        11 days later

                                        I am working on "Caro Nome" in Faber Classics Book 1. It's a nice tune, but all those staccatos in piano are so tricky to control. After getting it roughly in shape, I wondered how the aria should really sound, so I looked it up in YouTube. What a delightful surprise - it's so beautiful!

                                        Still not playing, just pecking at the keyboard every few days. Once I get back in the saddle I'll move on but for right now, just keeping Wolf under my fingers. Not trying to polish it, just keeping it semi-fresh.

                                        Hi

                                        Mostly working on my grade 8 pieces. A Scarlatti Sonata in D, an Impromptu in b minor by Coleridge=Taylor being the main focus at present. Also as a long term piece I've also started working on Chopin's Grande Valse Brillante Op. 18, over the last week.

                                        Cheers

                                        Simon
                                        All round average Jazz, Blues & Rock player.
                                        Currently working towards ABRSM grade 8.

                                        I just finished working on a Mike Springer arrangement of "Misty", so now I'm starting on an easy piano arrangement of Benny Goodman's "Stompin' at the Savoy".

                                        13 days later

                                        Opened my Faber again. Oh joy! it's more of the same old, same old. 🤮

                                        Short term project is Angeline Bell's Balestrand. 2 pages and I can finger my way through the first page (terribly) already. I need to back up and break up what I'm playing until I can play the segments properly. Maybe by the next PT recital it'll be ready. I said maybe so don't go getting your hopes up.

                                        Also started on Willie Nelson's version of Always On My Mind. I can almost play the RH for the first line. I emphasize almost because the melody is kicking my butt. It'll sound better after I learn the LH and put it together, but for right now it's just not working well because it's still too early in the learning process. This piece is a long term project of at least 6 months or so.

                                          Player1 Angeline Bell is a treasure and also a machine, writing so much new material in such a short amount of time. Did you see that she's just gotten yet another sheet music book out and has two more in the pipeline?

                                              plop_symphony

                                              Interesting news, I hadn't heard.

                                              I know that she takes inspiration from other music when writing her own pieces, which I'd consider normal. Maybe that's what drives her muse.

                                              Andrea Dow is just as prolific in her composing. They aren't the same and each has its own feel and technical/proficiency requirements to play their works well. I have books from both composers.

                                                I generally have 5 pieces in the works - a sight reading quick study, a Piano Adventures lesson piece, a classical piece, a non-classical piece and relearning an old non-classical repertoire piece that's been forgotten.

                                                My current batch of 5:

                                                Piano Man - Piano Adventures Adult Popular 2 book (4 page not-so-quick study piece for sight reading practice).
                                                Jazz Reflection - first piece in Piano Adventures level 5 book.
                                                Khachaturian's "A Little Song" (aka "Ivan Sings" or Andantino) from his Pictures of Childhood Book.
                                                Zigzag by Lee Evans.
                                                God Bless the Child (repertoire piece that I relearning).

                                                You all are juggling so many things, I am envious. So far, besides scales and arpeggios, my practice has always been limited to two pieces. Right now, they are:

                                                • Variations on a Theme by Haydn - polishing the pedaling and dynamics
                                                • Aria (Theme from La Traviata) - learning

                                                Once I can get a good enough recording of the second piece, I will start the next new one.

                                                  iternabe

                                                  Those of us on the lower levels also have lesson pieces to contend with. These weekly or bi-weekly pieces, plus a short term piece, and a longer term piece, usually makes 3 things going on at once. Which for most people is manageable without burning out.

                                                      Player1 I only started in January 2024. I am on the lower level! I will have lesson piece again when I start Faber AIO book 2. No long term piece yet, and I am fine with that.