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.

Hello Cooroo
The Beethoven F minor is lovely, sounds difficult.

Would I be very insane to enter myself for grade 4 piano? The exam would be early June to mid July. Deadline is Friday so I have time to decide and dissuade myself slap myself into sanity.

I quite enjoyed Beethoven's F minor concerto, especially the last movement which was nearly Baroque.

Anything similar, preferably in minor key, that I should check out?

Hello!

Been busy ...

Cote I haven't played much the past week. I can plough through the doubles slowly but nothing like fluent yet. It will probably take a while!

I'm spending more time on the Beethoven D minor sonata (no 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2) last movement... That's going to take a while too.

Broken The more I hear Mozart the more I like it. Not all of it is simple, and the simpler it is the harder it is to play... I've never managed to play any of his sonatas to my own satisfaction, but would like to do the A minor one at some point. Are you going to enter the exam? Have you got pieces ready already?

For some reason I'm thinking about . A great piece to play!

Yes the 1st sonata. Only the 1st movement - it's one of the grade 8 pieces but one is enough for me. And what unnatural hell might they have added to the scales? I haven't dared look. Chromatic contrary motion starting on different notes made me wonder if ASsociated Board are pure sadists!

My favourite guilty pleasure is Dance of the Watergrass from grade 7, which I love.

I had my old childhood piano and rarely played as it was in the living room plus we have neighbours. Then I bought a digital one and it changed my life as I can play with headphones whenever I like!

CoteDazur thanks - I just played through the last movement which I'd forgotten belongs to this sonata. It was lovely (more Andante than Prestissimo), and the cantabile passage is heartbreaking.

I love the last movement. I remember learning it that many many years ago but I never managed to play it properly.

If I remember correctly I heard András Schiff talking about this first sonata. Apparently having 4 flats is unusual - usually you would want something less intimidating so you can sell your music. And the dedication to Haydn apparently was not glowing enough and Haydn was not pleased.

Got a job! Which is brilliant obviously but leaves no time for spending all day at the piano. Plus this time of year we have lots of sports overlap as seasons start before others finish! I'll be back soon, I keep listening to radio 3 and thinking "I must tell them all about..." then another day has passed and I've not managed to even say hi.

Congratulations on the job MrSlant!

Congrats, Mr Slant

ah, nice to have a link to Grieg's music, just before going to bed. It was my favorite piece my mum used to play when I was little.
and for what it's worth, she didn't like Mozart, "too sweet"

Congratulations MrSlant
Never, nope haven't seen the pieces, that's what I mean, entering would be crazy One is minuet and trio from Haydn's sonata in A flat which is lovely, and I remember playing as a kid. I'm convinced it was grade 3 telling myself it must be at the easier end, and knowing it will help me. I've printed it out from the Internet. Anyway, probably a stupid idea.

Thank you! I am missing my piano time though. I need to remember my priorities, like feeding the children and having money to buy sheet music .

So I have my lesson today and can't wait to go to the Conservatory for my practice before the lesson, but I have to work now. Boo!

Meanwhile, since Gavotte & 6Ds is going fairly OK, I'm now looking for the next piece I want to work on. (Btw, don't you LOVE being an adult student? I choose what I want to play and just say "No" to what I don't like )

How do you all like ? Looks fairly easy but such a lovely melody! It's part of , which I might also start with the Prelude at the beginning. So much to play and so little time!

I really like , too. They are all part of Bach's Lute-harpsichord suites, the Prelude of one my sausage fingers can be seen to play downthread.

Cote How do you decide a piece is "done"? None of my pieces are ever done ... Apart from a Satie piece...

Well, I don't think I ever reach perfection in anything I play, either It's just that when I play a piece well enough that I don't need my teacher's input anymore, we pass onto another one.

Do you all know of ? I watched that documentary in astonishment and something nearing red-hot jealousy

How... HOW can a BLIND person just hear a song ONCE and then not just play it exactly as heard but also from ANY key???

I was especially at the bit starting at 7:20.

Thanks for posting that ! I'd never heard of Derek but it's an astonishing story. When he starts to play arpeggios along with the orchestra I burst into tears, I'm not sure why. The poor guy is missing so much, and yet his music is so full of joy.
Thanks for disrupting my morning and making me late for work!

I must watch that Cote, thanks for posting!
Had a late piano lesson last night as rescheduled from usual time and just about played half of Waltz in A hands together! Teacher has suggested buying a Hanon book as well to warm up with for practice. I am also working on the Chopin Sostenuto and a few stretches that are challenging for my fat little fingers! (I think some pedalling is called for!)
MrSlant congrats on the new job and Broken - go for it! Important thing is to those scales!

"Thanks for disrupting my morning and making me late for work!"

You are welcome, Cooroo

Hello, 27 year old film grad with G2 clarinet (obtained at about age 13) here :) Today will involve buying reeds to get back into playing again. Have also been offered long term loan of a flute to mess about on, so that'll be fun come Monday :)

Welcome Lollipop

Hello Lollipop!

I've spent a bit of time making sure I can play the piano quartet pieces I'm proposing to play ... One has straightforward rhythm but lots of flats, the other has straightforward notes but funny rhythm ... Out comes the dreaded metronome!

I had my lesson yesterday and my teacher suggested that I bring out the metronome for the first part of the Gavotte - where there are lots of ornaments and I tend to get creative with timing.

It's progressing nicely but the last two Doubles are difficult!

Cote Certainly the two performances you linked to for the Gavotte are quite creative with the tempo ...