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.

So glad you enjoyed it. Roll on May 22 (lockdown permitting).

I love that jazz piece! I might get the current grade 7 book and have a go

On a different topic anyone going to John Rutter singing day in London in April? I’m very tempted as it’s on my list to do. I missed his day in Portsmouth a few years ago as I was on holiday

Sounds like you had an amazing weekend Daphne so glad to hear it! I’m going in June. Really looking forward to it!

Thanks for the YouTube recommendations as well.

Well a significant decision was made in my piano lesson today.

I'm doing grade 6 next year and grade 5 theory :). I'm going to play the Chopin mazurka, snurretoppen and the Nikki Iles blues piece as I utterly adore NI.

And to say Thankyou to my wonderful teacher for kindling the joy of piano I've bought her the Nikki Iles Christmas 2 😀

That sounds a lovely 2022 plan
@DaphneDeloresMoorhead

Exciting @DaphneDeloresMoorhead. Good to have piano goals!
I've just heard about this new performance exam where you just do 4 pieces - no scales, aural etc AND you do it at home on your own piano. I'm quite tempted to give it a try, wonderful not to have to slog through all those scales. What's everyone playing at the moment? I'm really enjoying Evening Bell by Granados and Toccatina by Kabalevsky. Both new composers for me and v different from each other.

What Board is that @DaphneDeloresMoorhead?

ABRSM

Nice one Daphne! Sounds like Finchcocks has got you all inspired and motivated.

I’m still pondering around going for a grade 5 exam, I must sound like a broken record - if I did it would be the home-recording performance exam version. I like that it gives you an own choice option as well! I’ve been playing a lot from the grade 5 ABRSM syllabus with this in mind.

However work is very, very stressful right now - I’ve recognised that I’m teetering on the edge of full on proper, get-signed-off level of burnout/breakdown, and I think I need to avoid any extra pressure in any other area of my life right now. So maybe next year. We’ll see.

I’ve been enjoying a lot of the pieces from Granados Cuentos de la Juventud, I really like his style. I still can’t get the 3/2s in Cancion de Mayo though, although I can do them happily in other places! It’s somewhat infuriating.

I’m feeling very inspired by all your progress and recommendations, keep them coming! Finchcocks sounds and looks wonderful Daphne.
I’ve been floored by all the Christmas shopping and prep and now away for 2 weeks with no piano. Going to have to make NY resolutions about making time for practice because I love it when I do! In the meantime, Happy Christmas everyone!

Dh and I weren't allowed to sleep together at my parents house until we got married - and I lived there ! I had a single bed and DH had to sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs.

When we got married and I moved out my parents bought a double bed with great fanfare and we were given the parental approval to sleep together.

I was 30 at the time (boomerang child)

Whoops. Wrong thread 😂

Haha, nice story though Daphne! My parents were the opposite, I had boyfriends staying over (in my single bed) from the age of 15 but I guess they thought better under my roof! My Mum came into the sixth form common room at break time once when I was 17, with my contraceptive pill, as she’d been checking each morning (unknown to me) and noticed I’d forgotten. Pre mobile phones so literally walking around dozens of students “anyone seen Lemon? She forgot her pill!”

Anyway back to piano and the present day!!! It has been very helpful the last few days. I have temporary reduced my work hours for MH reasons, it was that or sign myself off with stress and exhaustion quite frankly and thank goodness boss has understood (well there’s no cover for me if I go off so it was kinda like it or lump it!) So I’ve had a few days with a lot more time at home, and I haven’t been productive but mostly slept, watched Netflix, and played piano. It is so relaxing to just tinkle away. Feel better already. So what if the house is still a state.

Daphne how much of the syllabus do you explore before deciding on your program for the exam? What timescale are you thinking?

It's been ages since I checked on this thread- have just been catching up with everything you've all been up to. We've had an offer accepted on our house and are in the process of buying a new one so there's been very little time in the last couple of months and my piano playing has suffered- but I'm slowly getting g back into it and really enjoying it.
@DaphneDeloresMoorhead I was also at Finchcocks- with David Hall- for the theory weekend in October, it was such a fab weekend- loved being able to just play the piano with no childcare responsibilities! And I agree- David is a phenomenal player. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn't do- on the Saturday night he gave an amazing recital, and for part of that he "sight read" the grade 6 book! His knowledge of how music is assembled is just incredible.
I'm back at Finchcocks in February for the Chopin weekend and we've been asked to prepare from a list of pieces selected by the host. I'm preparing the post humous nocturne in C sharp minor but it's hard- I think that's partly why I've not played as much recently. I've been too over ambitious!
I also started looking at the grade 5 exam book but don't like any of the pieces- though I haven't looked at the extra options not in the book. Daphne- how did you decide on grade 6? Have you taken grade 5 before? There's a big difference between grade 5 and 6 scales but the pieces I'm playing are grade 6 and above (though the damn nocturne is too far above!) so I'm wondering if I should take grade 6 instead.

I've also been exploring some jazz with my piano teacher and have loved that. Does anyone have any recommendations of a good place to start with easy jazz as a contrast to some of the harder classical stuff? I also like Nikki Iles and learned one of her pieces a couple of months ago.
Hope everyone is well and ready for Christmas- I've really missed this thread!!

@LemonViolet did you manage to get hold of the theory books? How did you get on with them? Sounds like work has been stressful, so I hope you can recuperate over the holidays and do lots of playing.

@LilaGrace yes David is lovely, so clever.
I did g5, learnt the pieces for g6 but couldn't be arsed with the theory as I was pretty lazy. Grade 6 pieces are easier than the material I've working on so it seemed to be a good place to start. Plus I need to do that theory. I've just picked the pieces I liked best

@LemonViolet I'm aiming for November. I think I can have the pieces ok by June - I self taught Nocturne 72 in 2 months without any teaching input to a reasonable level and that's a grade 8 so i feel confident. Part A and B will be fine, the part C less so as I've changed my mind to a jazz piece which is going to be a challenge. The scales section seems easier than my grade 5 scales from 1991. I don't have any problem with scales so should be ok. My sight reading is pretty good so I think all things considered I think November is realistic.

@LilaGrace the microjazz series by Christopher Norton is fab, I think I got the first one at grade 4. "Picnic piece" is a favourite of mine.

Oh blimey, I forgot what I came in to say 😂

Did anyone get any nice musical gifts ? I got a raspberry leather music bag. It's even nicer in the flesh, not so vibrant. Can't wait to take it to the first piano lesson of 2022

@LilaGrace: have you thought about Pam Wedgewood for accessible jazz? She's cocktailly rather than edgy or cool but her arrangements are nice and not too difficult.

@absolutelynotfabulous I haven't heard of her but will definitely look her up- thank you. I like the sound of cocktaily!

@DaphneDeloresMoorhead I remember Christopher Norton from when I was younger- I thought he was amazing.
Re the Nocturne 72- how many hours a day would you say you spend practising it, on average?

Maybe half an hour, maybe more, sometimes less.
It's not perfect yet but I can play it through. Just needs polishing up

I seem to have accidentally deleted my account so now I’m knittingnanny2!