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.

Your touch will get stronger & you will have more control as you practice more and more demanding pieces. My finger & forearm muscles have certainly had a workout these past six months!

Very nice indeed Broken! You must be delighted!

Heard this on the radio. Am tempted.

I'm happy with it , just finished practicing. The minor scales are evil. Uzbuna has come together at last.
The Raindrop prelude is lovely Never, go for it!

Alexandra Well done! Am envious.

Alexandra very well done - I bet you sounded amazing!
It's a bit of an effort practising piano in extreme heat so can't say I distinguished myself in my lesson tonight. Useful stuff on scales, though. Hopefully will be a bit better this week...

Oof, the heat last week was awful, I did very little useful practice. It's cooler here now.
Well done Alexandra
Feeling very discouraged today just not there, and exam in 2 weeks. Teacher said I didn't have a pulse I think I do. Fed up tbh.

"Teacher said I didn't have a pulse"

Change teachers, if you possibly can. An encouraging, pleasant teacher makes a world of difference!

Well done, Alexandra

My teacher wants me to start doing basse continuo in an orchestra but all I can think of is "When I make a mistake, I'll never catch up".

Broken No pulse?

How about trying to seriously overemphasise the beats first, and when it becomes ridiculous stop it and go back to "normal". Sometimes that works.

Do it cote! It will be fun! As for catching up, it depends on what the score looks like - would your score contain other parts too?

Broken not sure if that's a shock tactic by the teacher but it doesn't sound very helpful unless they had constructive feedback.
Two possibles - you may be unconsciously pausing a split second before a difficult bar or holding notes down too long.
Or it's there but you're speeding up or slowing down. Either way, play slower counting out loud or record playing and count when you listen back.
There can't be complete absence of pulse - maybe slightly erratic but that's understandable.
Alexandra is that our shared teen? Because I'm having to bite my tongue a lot at the moment

Oh, meant to add Broken my teacher looked full of gloom 2 days before my exam - you have plenty of time to polish all the pieces!

I can't stop listening to Purcell's Here The Deities Approve and really really want to play it!

Is there a transcription for keyboard? Or do you want to play the accompaniment and find someone to sing with you?

My teacher said that Purcell transcribed it himself for solo keyboard (well, harpsichord ) and called it .

It's beautiful.

I've been learning keyboard 10+ years now, and still on the beginners books! Got a Casio that is 20 years old, and still sounds good. But sometimes juggling jobs around the house, practicing gets pushed to one side. Perhaps if I get one of those Styleaphone's can practice it while boring programs are on the TV?

Cote That is very nice.

At least he transcribed it himself, not like Bach, leaving it to Busoni and other octopuses.

Hi Doreen!

I think headphones are really useful when you want to squeeze in a bit of practice at unsociable times. I aim for 10 minutes a day and mostly do get it...

Can I join? Got G8 Piano a while back, bought a new piano recently but not playing much. I need a kick!

Welcome bugger & doreen

Hello Bugger! I can't even remember how I managed to get a G8 all those decades ago, but it took me years to get a piano, and a few more years before I decided to find a teacher. It's great once you get back into it! Join us!

Thanks never! It took me 35 years to get back into piano, but I did eventually and I'm loving it!

I even teach a bit now......trying my best to complete a teaching diploma.

I've got a theory G8 too.

Anyone going for a performance diploma?

I am definitely not going for any diploma. I can't even play a piece straight through without mistakes!