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.

Well, I have to say that is a very cute musical problem, Alexandra.

I'm thanking the gods for Youtube right now - I'm spending a lot of time playing and replaying snippets with a pencil and staff paper figuring out what my part is meant to be (covers band!).

This evening I've been trying to recover my ability to play altissimo F sharp something vaguely like in tune. I've got an old sax without an Fsharp key - which I would use as an excuse, except i know I used to be able to do it fine . . . Thank the gods also for electronic tuning aids

Welcome Didi

All I can say is that the more you practice the easier it gets, and pieces you think of as impossible become possible, even a joy, to play. You just need to put in the hours.

Also, it's wishful thinking that we can help our kids on an instrument we start together. They learn so much quicker than us!

Hi Didi go you! Violin must be tough. I would love to play the cello one day but am freaked by the idea of not having a key or fret to press It must be frustrating to go back to London's Burning guess what I played on my guitar earlier level if you were at a decent level on clarinet as a kid, but you should progress quickly as you have the understanding there, whereas your DD is just beginning to read music etc.
Good video here:

In other news, I did it, entered for grade 4. Pieces, sample sight-reading and scales ordered so on the way. The Haydn is lovely and doesn't look harder than the pieces I've played lately really, which I am sick of feel are 'done'.
I like scales, had a look online and am confident I will be ok - F major contrary motion is evil though. The idea of aural is terrifying me . You would think a grown adult who has done job interviews, given presentations and trained people would be able to cope but I'm surprisingly nervous. Ah well.

Cote 3 hours I've been doing half an hour to maybe 1.5 hours most days, thought that was obsessive!

Broken good for you! DS2 will be doing his in July and I thought he'd choose the Haydn but he went for A3 Vanhal in the end - that's very nice, too, but he isn't a fan of the A pieces - he likes the later ones.
I know what you mean about the aural - it just isn't the same as doing a presentation! My top tips are trust your instincts and don't rush through it!
As for practice, I need to do more - I am still making stupid mistakes on Waltz in A. On the other hand I have a book of Hanon finger exercises arriving today!

Broken - if you look for Music Matters on YouTube he does some really good training for ASB aural. You have to pay for the whole thing but I found it very helpful and got about 40 minutes worth of grade 7 for a tenner.

Good luck for Grade 4, Didi. You are braver than me. I can't bear the thought of theory lessons, homework, and especially exams so won't be going for formal Grades anytime soon.

I laid off the keyboard this weekend, helped by the fact that we were out for most of the day for birthday parties. So I practiced for about an hour per day. I should find a way to keep it at 1 hr/ day because my wrists are beginning to hurt quite badly, and it got to the point when I'm neglecting work (as can't properly work at home anymore from stopping every 15 mins to play "just one more time" ), family etc. Kids have been eating sandwiches and pizzas for a good few weeks and I feel a rebellion brewing in the ranks

Yes, good luck for the exam Broken. I hated them so much as a child/teen that I swapped flute for sax at least partly because it was the one instrument where you could get free school lessons without having to commit to taking exams. (I couldn't face taking grade 5 theory so could never go beyond grade 5 on the flute.) Of course now I wish I'd persevered with the theory at least . . .

I can't imagine learning a new instrument now from scratch Didi - getting back what I used to be able to do is hard enough. I know exactly what you mean though about having to force yourself to start when it's too hard. Great to give a good example to your dc though :)

Loose - We are soon going to need to see a video of you playing Waltz A, so better get working

Since I know that y'all are interested I spent about 2.5 hours on the harpsichord today, mostly working on the Gavotte & 6Ds. It is such a fantastic piece, with so many different styles and variations, that I never tire of it! (Well, I don't but my poor wrists do)

Meanwhile, I'm again roped in to take part in a concert in a church at the end of the month. Since I have totally panicked and did miserably the last two times (seriously, WAY under my usual performance when alone or just with my teacher ), I now have a new strategy: I don't think about it, I don't worry about it, I just blank my mind when I'm playing. I'll see how that works out & will report back with the results.

If anyone has any pointers, do share. I don't get stage fright; I'm a fairly confident person. But when on stage and playing my instrument, I start thinking of exactly where my fingers go and that's when I fuck up! Do help if you have any helpful tips.

Cote that may be some time! but I do need to increase my practice time.
Not sure about the performance thing - my teacher recommends a bowl of pasta before a performance as she thinks carbs deal with adrenaline surges. DS2 advises not looking at the audience! He carries this to extremes in my view. But I think what you describe is a kind of hyper awareness?

Betablockers?

What are Betablockers, Sadik?

Pasta before performance sounds like a good excuse idea

The last time I played in front of an audience I didn't panic until half way through.

The pasta does help, really! In almost any situation...

I was kind of being facetious, Cote

More seriously, betablockers are medication commonly used to treat heart problems / high bloodpressure. They're also often used (as in, prescribed by a doctor) on an occasional basis to deal with performance anxiety. Not just creative performance - I've known people take them before an interview for example as a one-off. There's an article here and another here although they're talking more about professionals using them on a regular basis.

It's kind of like having a stiff whiskey before performing, but without the same level of effect on response time / technique. (I guess in the same way it's probably fine as a one-off but not great as a long term solution!)

Pasta probably a safer answer . . .

Beta-blockers sound good!

How do I get some?

Thanks, everyone.
Good luck with the performance Cote.
Beta blockers are for anxiety, and high blood pressure and heart rate.
I mess up when recording myself Sadik Tempted to have a vodka before my exam, and a Diazepam. I'd be awful, but wouldn't care Carbs make me sleepy. I think, easy to say, but getting the pieces absolutely on autopilot and not thinking is the answer. Will try that in the exam. Might seriously ask GP for beta blockers.
Loose I thought you'd already done grade 4? Or you mean your DS is making mistakes? Sorry if I'm being thick. The waltz in A is nice but too chord-y for me. It also has a stretch of a 12th I know, pedal, but yeah. I'm going with Ninette's Musette and Uzbuna.
The Vanhal is lovely. I like all the list A pieces, usually prefer it geek unlike your Ds.
Haydn is getting there, Uzbuna only just starting with but seems to work well under my fingers. Practice time

Cote x post, as above ask your GP.

Cote How fast are you playing the gavotte? I've just wheeled out the metronome and did 100 quavers per minute and that's sorting out the rhythm...

I meant - I'd like it to go faster but not quite sure quite how fast it should be. After all it's a gavotte.

And what are you playing in the concert?

I'm doing 96 in the beginning and then trying hard not to speed up in the 1st Double. I slow down a bit with the 3rd Double just because I think it sounds much nicer. The last two I go at snail's pace for now.