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.

I'm playing l'Entretien des Muses in the concert. All those ornaments will be hard with shaking hands.

Yes, grade 4 is thankfully behind me! DS2 is doing it in July and there is some fine-tuning going on at the moment.
The Waltz in A is grade 5 but I have to play it very slowly! I'm doing Sostenuto as well -and now Hanon finger exercises, which are good for me....

Aaahh, a different Waltz in A, duh Slow is fine. It's necessary before playing up to speed. Well done for your grade 4. I don't have a date yet, hoping as late as possible ie mid July. Eeep.

I do Hanon too, they are good.

Broken - no wonder that was confusing, just checked and seen there's a list B one in grade 4! The Weber one in grade 5 is good when you come to choose your next pieces! The trio is a bit tricky - dreaded ornaments again! - but I'm working on it. DS2 is playing Allegretto, the Merry Peasant and Bow Chikka Wow Wow.
My teacher is relieved that I'm playing these very slowly but it's mainly because I'm very forgetful about fingering until I've played loads of times.
The Hanon is very useful - I am really hoping this makes my fingers more flexible. Also, later on in the book it covers All The Scales!

I had my lesson yesterday, and my teacher said that she was "amazed" by the progress I've made I'm now racing through Gavotte and its first 4 Doubles, doing pretty good with the 5th Double, and then sort of surviving with the 6th. It looks like I'll master it within a few weeks.

The harpsichord really shines with this piece, by the way, changing the tone with each Double and sometimes the repeats. I look forward to playing it well-enough to show you what I mean in a video

Well done cote!

I'm ploughing through them slowly.

I told DH and he said "Well, you certainly practice long enough!". I don't think he appreciates hours of error-prone G & 6Ds on he piano every weekend

I'm sure you will play it much better than me, Never

Not sure why that smiley jumped to the middle of the sentence. I had put it at the end.

cote I've seen your vids. I doubt if I will play this better. But let's not have a competition!

I'm seeing my teacher next week so she can tell me I've got all the ornaments wrong.

No competition, God no! I would lose so spectacularly

I do hope you post a vid, though, as I'm curious to see what you do with it on the piano. I'm loving playing it on the harpsichord where keys are much lighter & ornaments are easier to play properly, but it's not looking good on the piano. NK obviously does it brilliantly but she is a multi-jointed freak of nature, as can be seen in how she plays the last two Doubles

A bit cross - waited 45 minutes for DC to come back from school trip. That's time I could have practised.

It can be so frustrating when things get in the way of practice!! I've missed 2 days through family and work stuff but determined to make up for it today! On the upside, DS2 has been practising well so I suppose that's something...

I'm travelling now and sorely missing my piano

Haha Loose exactly, that's what confused me damn internet communication. I can see why those pieces would appeal to a young boy. The Frohlicher Landmann is so bouncy and happy, can you believe the same guy composed Traumerei? (The notes admit he bashed it out in an evening). It just sounds like the theme tune to a small kids' tv programme I think as an adult I went for the pieces with more emotional complexity, since my technique is crap that's where my strengths lie. I don't like Bow Chicka Wow Wow at all. Does he have the exam date yet? I'm checking the website obsessively, but asked for the last week so doubt I'll hear anything yet.
My pieces are getting there. Slowly.
It's definitely annoying when things get in the way of practicing.

Broken Yes, he goes for very upbeat stuff! We have to curb some of the thumping enthusiasm! No exam date yet but will be right at the end. Good luck with the preparation, I'm sure you'll be fine!

I quite like the Frohlicher Landmann.

I generally don't like slow stuff and prefer to make a great deal of noise, in a minor key.

Practice is always tricky at the weekend. Seems like endless tasks to do.

Never I do, too, and it's just as well because he also plays it on the cello for fun! I must admit I'm not great at playing quietly and often have to correct the dynamics on my own playing so shouldn't be too critical of him.
Just having a cup of coffee before plunging into piano practice. Or maybe taking washing out of the machine...

I don't dislike the Frolicher Landmann. Haha yes just as well Loose.
Welcome Alexandra meh don't feel rubbish. Life gets in the way. I played clarinet as a teen, it's a beautiful instrument. Relearning might be a next mission after the piano. I need musical friends (irl) to play with!
Next pieces? I go from never wanting to see a piano again after this grade 4 to thinking about grade 5... I'm not inspired by ABRSM pieces from a look on YouTube, prefer Trinity's totally didn't print two of them out
I'm enjoying Bach's minuet in G major (114), nice easy piece, and a beautiful Czerny study in A flat which is grade 3, as a break from the exam pieces. And the Entrée gets an outing to warm up sometimes.

The community centre piano is awful tbh, one of those old heaps that's fine for plonking for dance classes, little kids' lessons, choirs etc but you have to really bang the keys or barely hear anything. So I'm getting no dynamics really. Unlike some of you I don't do loud and banging, tend to be too quiet and tentative (in case I make a mistake ). Ugh. I'm saving up for a cheap digital piano I think, but that's long term. I want a good piano tempted to book a couple of lessons for someone to go over the pieces.
Do. Not. Talk. To. Me. About scales and aural put it this way, I had better ace the pieces. Ok tbh scales I am fairly good at and as long as I find time to learn property will be fine. Aural...I can't sing... Oh and sight reading I am terrible at.
Hopefully 6 weeks to go yet though.

I saw someone posted a link to practice aural tests, not keen on paying but might bite the bullet, thank you

Broken - Sorry about the state of the piano at community center. Why don't you go into a large piano shop and ask about credit options? They would be used to doing that sort of thing. I got mine with a 5-year credit and the option to give it back no strings attached after two years, if I don't want it anymore. Then it would be as if I rented it for 2 years.

If you want to get an electric keyboard, I recommend the KORG ones that look & feel very much like piano keyboard, same key size & touch.