Instrument players - come and chat!

[NeverEverAnythingEver]

I thought we could have a thread to chat about playing! I play the piano (not as badly as I fear but not as well as I hope) and have recently tried my hand at chamber music. Would love to hear what other people are doing.

CoteDAzur Here's a picture of the instruments they used in Rameau's Dardanus.

Meanwhile, I remembered and dug out our Korg keyboard which is in the exact dimensions of a piano, which somewhat replicates the piano experience. And I can plug a headset in (which I don't yet have but will buy today!).

And this meaaaaaans.... I can buy a piano without worrying about a silent mechanism! I'll just get a good piano, and will practice on the Korg if (when) it gets too much for DH & DC or when I get the itch after DC go to bed

Ooo - may I join you? Another former grade 8 flautist about a hundred years ago. Then a couple of years ago I started on classical guitar; currently around grade 5 standard. I've been on a couple of guitar ensemble weekends which have been wonderful, and a group of us now meet about four times a year to play together. Boy are strings hard compared to woodwind!

Welcome fran

Fellow obsessive musicians will be thrilled to hear that I found & bought a headset so I can now practice all night in silence AND a JBL Bluetooth speaker so I can listen to my Baroque music in the kitchen AND I found a rather old but immaculate German-made (as opposed to the Czech or Chinese-made crap even Berstein comes up with these days ) SEILER upright piano that sounds perfect! DH will kill me be so happy for me & the kids

Welcome fran

You can never have too many instruments or too much music Cote. I'm sure DH will agree with me.

Cote I'm full of admiration! I hope your DH appreciates your resourcefulness!
Mine has been a little resistant to some of my piano wishes - or possibly just realistic about cost and space!

Mr Slant my piano would have an interesting story to tell, built for someone who travelled in the time of the Raj with brass pins or screws everywhere instead of glue so that it could cope with the heat and humidity and be adjusted as necessary.

I had it restrung/refurbed in about 1997 and have a file somewhere with lots of interesting facts that I have forgotten.

Thanks Cote and MrSlant!

Hello all, may I join too?

G8 Voice and G4 bassoon, plus A Level taken a very long time ago. Used to sing with the college choir of where I worked in Oxford before having the DSs but have done very little playing or singing since (apart from helping my DNephew years ago when he decided to take up the bassoon - now much better than me G8+ age 19 and playing principal with a youth orchestra!).

However, DS2 has been playing the violin for about a year and joined the local 'junior orchestra' a couple of terms ago. At the end of last term, they invited parents to join if they could play to help the children out, so I've been practising for the last four weeks with some really ropy reeds. Had the first session last week and had great fun, although I could hardly speak afterwards as my lips had turned to jelly!

I've now bought myself some new reeds, which are going to take quite a bit of playing-in, but it's such fun. Just been playing the study pieces I got as a teenager to warm up, but can now play more than two octaves and am even remembering some of the accidentals!

DS2 has now decided, having been to a concert his cousin (bassoonist) was playing before Easter, that he wants to play the viola and is very excited that he should be getting it on Tuesday. I'm just rather glad it's classed as an 'endangered' instrument and we get 25% off the lessons!

Welcome Pigeon

Regarding the cost of the piano: Although great quality, it's 2nd hand which means if I take out a consumer credit, I'll be paying 90 pounds per month for 5 years, with no downpayment. It's not a bad deal!

"my piano would have an interesting story to tell, built for someone who travelled in the time of the Raj with brass pins or screws everywhere instead of glue so that it could cope with the heat and humidity and be adjusted as necessary."

That's fascinating! Can we have a picture? (Of the inside)

Welcome to franmouse and Pigeon. I didn't feel able to welcome people because I've only just joined the thread myself.

I have a quite nice beginner viola in a cupboard - I would love to learn but I a) can no longer afford lessons and b) now live in a flat. Maybe in five years or so! I'm sure piano will keep me busy until then.

Oo second fascinating and request for pics Barchester!
I am just playing a crappy keyboard. I can't afford, and don't have room for, an actual piano.

I live in a flat Dixie. I'm fortunate it's ground floor and in an old building. Still paranoid my neighbours can hear the keyboard and...guitar.
Yup, instrument no.2. It was cheap on Gumtree so of course is currently in a guitar shop being repaired. Love the classical guitar stuff.

I'd also love to play the cello. Also wouldn't mind returning to the clarinet, also played as a kid/ teen, passed grade 5.
Took guitar for a bit but as guitar teacher said, 3 instruments is like taking 5 A-levels. (This was in the days before kids got 6 at A*). I was basically like, yeah, and? This was me

I even purchased an adjustable chair from Argos, so I can be at the perfect height keyboard stand out of stock though Existing table is too high and having to angle my arms up really isn't good. I have a tv stand that might work, if I can rearrange stuff.
I will shut up now

I am not sure it looks any different until you take the front off cote. When you do that you can see that every key has a brass screw and pin and that the ivory is not glued on but pinned on with a brass tack. Everything else just looks normal, I suppose everything else is very adjustable anyway.

It is 97 years old and my piano tuner absolutely loves it, says I would have to pay a lot for a similar quality sound.

I have always coveted a Bluthner boudoir grand and thought I would like one for my 50th birthday (next year) but I really don't have the time to play that I used to so I am not sure about that now, maybe life will be less hectic at 60! My examiner friend has one and it hers the only piano that I love the sound of more than mine. I still look at them and think about it though.

Barchester - Next time you have it tuned, do please take a picture for us.

It's funny how the older pianos tend to sound so much better than the new - even top brands having their pianos at least partially manufactured in Indonesia, China etc is not helping.

I played several Yamaha pianos yesterday. Their keys are lighter than the German pianos I'm used to (which is bliss for trills & ornaments) but I really don't like their "bright" sound. No doubt there are different kinds of Yamahas, but those were the ones there.

Broken - Don't give up hope. You can have a piano in a flat (I do ) and people even give away pianos, as discussed downthread. Sorry, i hope I didn't come across as pampered and princessy, boasting about 2nd piano I was just very excited as never thought DH would agree to it.

Welcome Pigeon - I love the bassoon! Gorgeous sound.
Barchester - I'd love to see the giblets of your piano too!
Broken - good to see another guitarist here. When does your guitar come back from the repair shop?

Never - Would you post pictures of your Gavotte sheets, if you have noted the fingering on them? I'm struggling with the end of Gavotte and some of the Doubles (3rd & 5th, primarily) and would like to see how you are playing them.

Cote no you didn't sound princessy at all nothing to say sorry for. My comment wasn't 'at' you, just in general. And thanks, one day...
I might see if I can use a piano somewhere once a week or something. There's a community centre near me that seems to do the usual classes.
Hi fran it should be back on Fri. Exciting.

On far too difficult pieces...I came across Schumann's Traumerei on YouTube. Beautiful, I thought. Doesn't sound too difficult. I downloaded and printed it. So. How do you do that, unless you're a freaky four-armed alien?! I can only manage to stretch an octave (am only 5ft0). Gah.

I find sometimes I seem to have too many fingers (playing scales) and sometimes not enough (pieces)! Looking forward to my piano lesson tonight anyway. I can manage the Waltz in A hands separately (mostly) but not a clue how to play hands together just yet!

Been busy! Will look at the Gavotte this afternoon cote! And Traumerei. Don't think I ever played this properly though ...