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.

Good luck today Broken! (Is it today?)

Heard this I really like the scherzo movement.

Sorry - it's Mendelssohn's string octet, composed when he was 16.

Barenboim is on Marr in a minute talking about Jacqueline du Prè. (Not sure accent is right).

That was pleasant, Never. But I miss counterpoint in this sort of piece, dammit So many instruments and just one melody - why?

I get my kicks from hearing how the different lines interact. How one little change in one line changes the colour of the entire phrase. It makes me happy. Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet makes me happy like that.

I like that sort of thing, too. A lot

I like it much better when it is different but equal melodies interacting, though. Not just 1 melody and chords in the background.

Like Bach does so well.

By the way, I have now come to the end of Handel's Air & 5 Doubles slowly and with mistakes galore and it's very satisfying to play The keyboard here where we are on holiday is killing me, though. It has weighted, springy keys that you have to physically push and then they spring back! What fresh hell is this?!?

Is that not a piano?

No. It's a cursed spawn of hell, put on this earth to torment piano players and ruin their technique if not their joints in the process

I've not practised ANYTHING the entire week ...

I can't stop myself from practicing, even on this crappy keyboard that is fucking up my technique

I'm pretty good with Handel's Air & 5 Doubles now and am dabbling in the Allemande from the same suite, and a beautiful little Rameau Menuet.

Sympathies Cote

cote Did you bring your music with you on holiday?

Yes, I brought my sheet music to holiday Rameau's entire keyboard works + Handel's Keyboard Works #1 (HWV 426-433)

In my defense, it's a long holiday!

I'm tempted to bring the Rameau Gavotte with me. :) And maybe a Chopin to learn.

Do it!

I'm now very 'fluent' with Handel's Air & 5 Ds and its nearly as satisfying to play as Rameau's Gavotte & 6 Ds. I think I even prefer Handel's 3rd D to Rameau's 3rd D ("weird technique" throughout, where little finger plays the melody in both).

Terribly weighted, springy keys are ruining my technique, though. I will have to work hard to make my touch light enough for the harpsichord in September.

We are still working through the finer points of the Rameau. Then I'm going to start on something else while keeping the Hungarian Dance on the boil.

I'm really curious to see how your version of Rameau's G & 6 Ds will differ from mine, since I learned it on the harpsichord with the guidance of a harpsichord teacher. I would be interested to hear (no, really) what your piano teacher said about how to play its various parts as well, since I play it in piano like I do on harpsichord and it's a struggle!

Hello slightly scared to post when you lot are proficient musicians. Been lurking for a while stealing ideas for pieces to try.

I got to grade 6 24 years ago. I recently reaquired my piano to teach my nesrly 7 year old and started playing myself.

I was shocked how much i could do and remember in a short time but also feel so far behind where i used to be. I get bored by really easy stuff but cant play the tricky stuff. To be fair ive been trying to play mozart, probably a mistake.

I am not getting a teacher. Just working through burgmuller and first lessons in bach, czerny school of velocity and hannon (blast from the past), whilst trying to play random grade 4 level pieces like fur elise and other popular pieces but am losing focus.

Hello zen!

"I get bored by really easy stuff but cant play the tricky stuff."

That's me too!

Welcome, Zen

Since you like Bach, why don't you start with Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach? There are a lot of beautiful pieces in there that are not terribly challenging.

Thanks
Ive got first lessons in bach 1 and 2. Is AMNB included in that? I was thinking of getting preludes and fugues.

What do broken you mean by "Bach 1 & 2"?

Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach is a book by itself. It is the collection of pieces J S Bach composed/used to teach his children, compiled by his second wife A M Bach.

Hi Zen, yup know what you mean, my fingers don't follow what my brain wants them to do Merely 21 years here,was grade 4-5 as a teen but didn't do exams after g3, just passed grade 4. I am still happy with what I remember, am really trying to be patient with myself and fill any gaps, not rush ahead to g5-6 pieces when I can't get them. I'm enjoying Classics to moderns books 3 and 4, 3 is probably g3/4 and 4 g4/5. I've also ordered 'best of' g4 and 'g4 piano solos'. My new strategy is to learn a lot of pieces to 'can bash through it' level, to cover any gaps in technique.
I didn't say 'Bach 1& 2' Cote, except was on about invention #1 a while ago...?