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.

@LemonViolet that Chopin waltz in A minor is lovely. I'm going to make that one of the pieces I try out as it looks more accessible than most of Chopin other stuff. As much as I love Chopin I'm definitely not ready for most of his- maybe in a year or two....
@Knittingnanny let us know how you get on- I hope it goes well. Would love to hear how you find digital v acoustic too.
@Bloodybridget lessons will inspire you, I'm sure! Before my first lesson I practised a couple of pieces and tried (and failed) to perfect them so my teacher could see roughly what level I was at. So maybe you could set yourself a target like that?

Well I’m back from my test run!
I loved sitting at the piano again but struggled to sight read a grade 3 piece. However did manage to get through a slow Beatles song. It all came back to me, especially how I was able to simplify music that was too tricky and still make it sound sort of ok! My arthritic fingers didn’t seem to be a problem with simple lines.
I definitely will need my reading glasses as I struggled to see the notes and will have to have shorter finger nails.
So, next step is to find my nearest Kawai stockists and plan some days out ( or just order it!)
I think I will enjoy getting back into playing for pleasure

how I was able to simplify music that was too tricky and still make it sound sort of ok

I'm doing that with Nimrod, @Knittingnanny, and I'm not Grade 1 yet. It's sooo satisfying

I'm currently polishing this Chopin:

It's a bit disheartening to find that whatever you're learning there is always a 5 year old Chinese kid on YouTube who can play it better than you ever will.

I actually started learning it in lockdown last year. We had a very strict lockdown here and we weren't allowed out even to exercise. I played it rather obsessively and then when we were allowed out I couldn't stand it anymore! I do love it though so I am trying to rid it of its bad memories!

Can I join? I had 'unoffical' piano lessons as a child from a lovely old lady at my church. Spent 10 years going to weekly lessons but didnt know grades existed

I had a fairly chaotic childhood but one of my fondest memories is trying to learn Bruce Springsteen's Jungleland on the piano. I never got past page 4, but I still have the same music book and as I now own a digital piano that DD promised she would practice daily on that isnt been used, I have claimed it and have set myself a goal!

It is lovely to read all the pp's returning to their love of music!

No piano for me today I think - managed to burn my hand making lunch and it stings so much 😭

@Serenissima21

You look very young in the video...

@Serenissima21

I'm currently polishing this Chopin: It's a bit disheartening to find that whatever you're learning there is always a 5 year old Chinese kid on YouTube who can play it better than you ever will.

I actually started learning it in lockdown last year. We had a very strict lockdown here and we weren't allowed out even to exercise. I played it rather obsessively and then when we were allowed out I couldn't stand it anymore! I do love it though so I am trying to rid it of its bad memories!

That's a beautiful piece, Serenissima21.

One of my favourite memories is going to see Yundi Li playing at St George's Hall in Liverpool with my piano teacher in 2013. She died soon afterwards, so it's a really precious memory. Here's the programme.

You look very young in the video...
Well, it was a few years ago now. I have a couple of grey hairs now.
That's a lovely memory @DreamingofBrie. I haven't been to many concerts although I did go to a concert featuring Valentina Lisitsa a few years ago - I say "featuring" as it was a mixed programme and she left straight after her pieces. Very enjoyable. I also went to a fantastic concert of piano music played by Hugh Laurie and his band.

One thing I've really missed is the concerts - I used to be a regular at the Liverpool Phil, but haven't been since the pandemic. I was really looking forward to the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Sheku Kanneh-Mason this year, but it was cancelled. The programme for this season came through last week so I'm going to try and book a few concerts.

One pianist I love to see (there are others!) is Nobuyuki Tsujii, who is blind but you wouldn't ever know to listen to him. I'm possibly at this concert! He toured China with Vasily Petrenko and the RLPO a few years ago. I went to see him every time he performed at the Phil!

@DreamingofBrie agreed re the concerts. I'm seeing Isata Kanneh-mason in December and have booked various other concerts this year to make up for the lack last year.

Where does everyone buy sheet music from? Individual pieces rather than whole books- is there somewhere you can preview them and download- or buy online?

@LilaGrace, I'm seeing Isata Kanneh-Mason in September, playing the Clara Schumann Piano Concerto!

@LilaGrace: I use Musicroom mainly (although not for a while now). I like physical music but feel I should be more tech-savvy.

@DreamingofBrie how exciting! I can't wait to hear live music in a real concert hall again!
@Buggerthebotox I prefer physical music too. Ideally what I'm looking for is somewhere I can preview the music online and then order a paper copy- does Musicroom do this?

You can print them out yourself from the digital copy.

I also like ebay for second hand music books. Really cheap usually and lots of bundles.

I sent a request to book 7 concerts for next season at the RLPO last night! I had to choose between the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto and Beethoven's Emperor - went for Tchaikovsky as I saw the Emperor in 2019. Petrenko is back as Conductor Laureate for a few concerts, so I've booked to see him a couple of times. Excited now!

I’ve not been to a classical concert in so long.

I did manage to play a bit late last night (so grateful for headphones! Didn’t matter that littlest was asleep and the others were watching TV in the same room!) - for some reason I had a craving to play Chopin, can’t think why 🤔🤣 can’t remember which ones, I am rubbish at even taking a note of which key I’m playing in. I just go with “the third one in the book” etc 🤣 I did try one I hadn’t played before though which was nice, managed the first couple of pages before my brain gave up.

"Is everyone aware of IMSLP - the massive, free online resource of pieces out of copyright?"

Yes! It is a brilliant resource. I continued to buy music books for years because I just don't like battling with sheets of paper while playing but I now have a large iPad and the fantastic forScore app can download music scores directly from IMSLP It has changed my life. We are away for the summer now, and for the first time in years I didn't have to pack 10 different music books to practice. And if I feel like playing something, I just download it from IMSLP in 2 minutes!

Is everyone aware of IMSLP - the massive, free online resource of pieces out of copyright

I can't find the original PP of this comment, but thank you even though I can't tag you. I hadn't hear of this, and now suddenly feel like I own a library of scores :)

That sounds a brilliant website
Well I’ve emailed my nearest Kawai showroom and might be organising a day trip to Bonners at Eastbourne which is about 80 miles away!

I second eBay for second hand music. I got Frank Bridge 3 Sketches for 99p, ‘Rosemary’ is something I always wanted to play… I can’t yet but I’ll work up towards it!

I just can’t get on with downloading stuff. Either printing it out myself or looking at it on a screen. I never got on with a kindle either mind.

Had a mega stressful day at work, came home and played through my Bach and Chopin - they’re almost ok now, don’t think I can quite call them ‘active repertoire’ yet but maybe nearly, at least with the music in front of me - and then just played leisurely through some of the easier things from Romantic Sketchbook 2 and also a William Alwyn book I bought after liking one of his pieces in the Sketchbook. The rest are just as lovely :-)

I remember now liking some of the more impressionistic ‘modern’ now 100 years old music, like John Ireland ‘Island Spell’….. I must find the music for this again. I used to love playing this.

Today I really felt ‘right’ coming home and playing, not practicing, and feeling I was doing ok and it sounded like proper music.

@DreamingofBrie love that C#m Chopin - can you do it now? Love how the first 50 seconds or so you think, this doesn’t seem so bad, and then…..whoomph!

@Serenissima21 that Bm one is gorgeous too

Feel like I could spend a lifetime slowly working through all Chopin! Very slowly!

@SingToTheSky hope your hand is feeling better

@PumpkinButternutSquash welcome! I’m listening to Bruce Springsteen now to remind myself of that. Sounds like it’d be really nice to play the piano part just as an instrumental.

@Knittingnanny excited for you to be trying out pianos! Glad your trial run went well :-)

Can I join?
I'm nowhere near the level of some of you. 😊

I started taking lessons when I was around 25. Had lessons for a few years but barely practiced!
We then moved and I never had the spare cash to continue lessons.
I still have my piano. An electric one with weighted keys. I would love to be able to play it properly one day, but I am massively time poor these days.

I am joining in too! Cool thread 😎
In childhood I used to be grade 8, then had a massive gap of not playing at all, and returned to playing consistently maybe 3 years ago. Now I am hovering around grade 6 level realistically. Hoping one day to get back to where I was as a kid.

I used to have an old 1930s small upright (didn't play it much, was mainly dragging it around with me when I moved many time in my life) but I changed that for a brand new K200 Kawai 2 years ago.

Now I am playing a bit of Beethoven, Moonlight sonata first and second movements are reasonably good. Third movement scares the pants off me, but I shall brave it 😬 Also poking around Beethoven's Pathetique, but I am not playing it anywhere near fast enough. Also playing a bit of Michael Nyman, there is something about his film music I really like.

But what I really like to get to grips with is jazz piano. I am slowly practicing some Boogie Woogie, but it's not quite coming together yet. One day..