Does anyone fancy a piano chat thread?

[LemonViolet]

I’m awaiting delivery of a new piano, squeee!!! I haven’t played regularly for 20 years. I got to grade 6 as a teen, failed grade 7, carried on tinkering for a bit but have not really lived anywhere with a piano since age 18 so am well out of practice.

Whilst I hope/plan to put a baby grand in our front room, once it is done up - which may be some time - at the weekend I just realised, what am I waiting for, I want a digital anyways for playing at less sociable hours, so went ahead and ordered myself a nice Kawai digital and it arrives on Friday!!!

There’s a music chat thread on the extracurricular board but that’s more parents discussing their offsprings’ exploits, I have seen on the music board it’s quite pianissimo but there clearly are other grown up women around here playing/learning/relearning piano for our own pleasure, entertainment, therapy etc! So thought I’d post to see if anyone else is interested in hanging out on a piano thread to chat about our piano journeys, successes and failures, pieces we like, what we’re practicing etc?

It could be called the piano bar or the pianist beaker, seeing as this is MN

If there is one I’ve just failed to find, please point me in that direction.

I’m not sure I’ve ever completely mastered a piece, I basically always mess about with whatever takes my fancy at the time! This is probably what lessons are for…but I do enjoy my time at the piano and don’t intend to take any grades so is it necessary?

@haveringwavering She's great, isn't she? I think they're all really good teachers.

@GravityFalls I think this is a benefit of being an adult - it’s a hobby and nobody gets to tell you how it Must Be Done. If you want to ‘mess about’ then that is great if that makes you happy and brings enjoyment.

I have probably ‘polished’ exam pieces, but even then I never seem to be able to play with no mistakes no matter how much I try. Other pieces I get to good enough for me.

Can I mention something else for those just getting back into: piano stools.

I played for hours when my piano first arrived and I got SUCH a numb bum! I had the basic piano stool that came with the piano and it was very hard. I asked for a better stool for Christmas and my family grouped together and all contributed to a lovely padded height adjustable stool. It causes bottom bliss for me still.

Ha yes I went for an adjustable stool! I’m a short arse and nothing is ever the right height for me. Although the mechanism is quite stiff to adjust I had to get DP to help as my wrist strength is crap from old injuries. It’s nice black velvety fabric although I think I might recover it with something more colourful when I get to doing the study where it lives.

Had a very very long and stressful day at work today. And it was very nice to come home and just spend 10 minutes playing through some of the beginning of the baroque pieces book. Very calming. I think the piano will pay for herself very quickly in mental health points.

@How2Help

Can I mention something else for those just getting back into: piano stools.

I played for hours when my piano first arrived and I got SUCH a numb bum! I had the basic piano stool that came with the piano and it was very hard. I asked for a better stool for Christmas and my family grouped together and all contributed to a lovely padded height adjustable stool. It causes bottom bliss for me still.

I still dream of my dc playing duets or trios . I bought this piano stool during lockdown, it felt like such a luxury. Gone up in price since though.

www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/Deluxe-Duet-Piano-Stool-with-Storage-by-Gear4music-Gloss-Black/8KF

Spent many happy hours playing duets as a child. One of my favourites is the Dvorak Slavonic Dance in A Flat Major, which I played as my GCSE ensemble piece . It gets more and more frantic as you get to the end!

@How2Help "Cote have you ever had a go on an organ? I’m quite tempted but hands and feet and stopper things is probably a step too far for my brain!"

I did play an organ for about an hour, in a beautiful cathedral. It was a wonderful experience! The sound is so powerful, it is almost like it passes through you. I just played my favorites by Bach, Handel, Frescobaldi, Fischer, and Rameau without the pedal. I would LOVE to learn to play the organ with the pedal register one day.

"Bach’s Toccata and Fuge is one of my favourite things to listen to"

Mine is his Passacaille. It is an absolute masterpiece!

@LemonViolet: I understand what you mean about playing being relaxing. It's so therapeutic.

Glad you're enjoying your instrument.

What are we all practising now?

@Undervaluedandsad

It looks great but beyond my budget at the moment ☹️

www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/SDP-2-Stage-Piano-by-Gear4music/1D57

I have one of these. I'm a novice, but my brother recommended it to me. He knows what he's talking about.

I'm in love with mine.

@LemonViolet

This is the best thread I've ever seen on MN, and 'pianist beaker' is a stroke of genius. Nice work.

@Bloodybridget

My new digital piano, a Yamaha, very much cheaper end of the range, arrived today. I'm pleased to have it, but feel weirdly inadequate and pessimistic about my prospects of really improving (am pretty much a beginner, not even grade 1 standard). Nearly everyone on the thread seems to have achieved some competence as a child . . I am such a slow learner now. But I will keep reading the thread and hope it encourages me to keep trying!

I'm with you! Grade 1 exam in November. I'm 45

My mum wouldn't let me do music GCSE, and wouldn't buy me lessons, so it all stopped for me before it started. Never had lessons as a kid.

I got a teacher on tutorful.co.uk in January, and I'm just getting to the stage where I can laugh at my cock ups, and don't feel terrible about presenting 'unfinished' things, and 'works in progress'; it's been tough, because there are many, many cock ups, and once you've learned something, you move right along to yet another thing you can't play

I pay £10 for half an hour tutoring each week, and it's basically enough to make me practice each day, because it really shows if I don't.

I think it's easier to learn as a kid, because a high percentage of the things you do when you're a kid are in the process of fine tuning, or completely new to you. As adults, we are much more accustomed to 'knowing our shit' and not wanting to get things wrong. Also, I'm finding that this learning process just is slow; it's not like learning how to cook a particular recipe, where you have a couple of goes, do a tweak or two, and you're there. It's just endless repetition.

Have you come across this guy? I found him the other week and now I'm improvising jazz - it's amazing!

I like Piano Jonny too. I find a lot of the youtube teachers a bit annoying if I'm honest though. Some of them tend to burble on too much.

@How2Help just now getting around to replying to your long post- thanks so much for all the detail. What you've said about your lessons and attitude to exams really sounds familiar. The feeling of completing something I started earlier seems like an achievement, even though I haven't got anywhere near "completion"- to be honest, getting grade 5 would be amazing,
let alone grade 8.
For me, having a teacher bridges those gaps when the place I need to be seems very far from where I actually am. Having a teacher see that I'm struggling with a section which is understandably hard, and showing me a more effective way of making it work is one of the most rewarding aspects of the perseverance- and like you I doubt I'd ever get to exam stage without her!
I do need to find some non-exam music too though, so am interested in the suggestions on this thread so far. I've never heard of Einaudi- what kind of playing level are his pieces?
I remember having a couple of Bergmuller books as a kid- someone mentioned a book of mixed pieces up to grade 5 which might work for me. Open to any other suggestions- don't remember playing Bach but it seems lots of people on here find him therapeutic- why is that?
@Bloodybridget I hope you're feeling more positive about your situation now. How is your new piano?

Thankyou! I’m so happy people are enjoying talking piapiapiano!!!

Shall was asked MNHQ to move this thread somewhere permanent? What do you guys think, the music forum? I want to make sure new pianistas can still find us.

Today I have been practicing my Bach and Chopin pieces that I want to get proper done - tried to see how much of the Bach has naturally settled to play from memory - the answer is about 4 bars!! I also played some things from Romantic Sketchbook 2 and Baroque Keyboard 2 as well (I’m not sure about wider Baroque stuff….like me some Bach but not found other pieces yet that call to me).

I also took at a look at this book of pieces by African composers

Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora Volume 1: Early Intermediate (Piano Music of the African Diaspora) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0193868229/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_R63B54KGSQ3JNK172DHV?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

This pianodao review convinced me to try it pianodao.com/2020/10/03/piano-music-of-africa-and-the-african-diaspora

I’m really enjoying this piece “Dusk” by Nkeiru Okoye, finding it quite playable (once you get your head around a 6b key signature!) and I guess I’m
playing at grade 4-ish from my other current stuff. from

Oooh... what Chopin piece?

Great thread. I have a Yamaha digital but haven't played much for years. I have 3 guitars that I was playing a lot and I'm hoping to get back to them and the piano soon - just recovering from some health issues involving some arm surgery.

I've always loved Chopin and that romantic, melancholy style but I was thinking of getting into blues and I have a boogie-woogie primer. Anyone else? The thing that tends to limit my playing though is speed. And like a few others I think - I tend to get enthusiastic and go at a piece - but then never really finish learning it properly so I can half/two thirds play a lot of things.

Never heard of pianote - just looking at that now.

Lover of blues here.

Waltz in A minor, it is familiar I used to play it when I was younger. I think it’s about grade 5 standard so an “easier” Chopin

This was my teenage showpiece - the Chopin C# Minor Waltz .

Aah I love Chopin. I have a book of waltzes and one of mazurkas 🥰

Played some more Clementi and Kuhlau today. Was just thinking about the week ahead and feeling a bit anxious, looked at the piano and knew playing for a bit with my headphones on would help ❤️

@LilaGrace thanks, I'm still feeling a bit meh about the whole thing . . also we have family staying with us this week including a very rambunctious 5 yo so peace and quiet/headspace at a premium! One month to practise before my first lesson.

That c# waltz is lovely. The pianist's fingers in that youtube clip are weirdly loooong.

For soma reason, I find very long fingers on a pianist rather unsettling (mine are short and stubby)

Off to test my fingers this afternoon! Fingers crossed ( haha) that after a 8 year gap I can still make these 64 year old hands move enough to warrant buying a digital piano.
Worked out that I’ve played the piano from aged 7-58 so 51 years! Hope it’s like riding a bike!

Will report back this evening.
Ps I’m also on a “ kindle” thread and now thinking I need to upgrade to left handed friendly kindle oasis! Mumsnet can be quite expensive....

@LemonViolet I’ve never ever been able to play anything from memory! Despite my musical background ( I did specialise at teacher trading college and have A level music) I’m a visual and kinaesthetic learner definitely not an aural learner which seems strange to me