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 think the Anna Magdalena notebook was for her (AMB), as she was a good singer but had less developed keyboard skills? I may be wrong.

And that's very dedicated of both of you to take music on holiday I'm going to the Scillies, given the ferry crossing last time

Not you but Zen said: "Ive got first lessons in bach 1 and 2". Not sure why I wrote broken there?

I seem to remember that Bach's prelude and fugues are quite difficult. In fact, even the 2 and 3 part inventions are not easy. But they are more manageable.

I always recommend Kabalevsky's op 27 Thirty Pieces for Children - I think they are small, manageable, and beautiful, with unexpected changes in harmonies, and properly dramatic stuff, all in a couple of pages.

Ah I see Cote, damn autocorrect, should've realised

Sorry I'm late to this thread as only discovered the music section .

Lapsed piano, cello and clarinet player. I always promise myself I will start up again but never do. Where I live there are no opportunities for adults to play in ensembles.

I kept all my ABRSM exam books and love playing through all my old pieces - brings back happy memories from many moons ago,

Welcome Littlewhistle

Hi Littlewhistle your post reminded me that I acquired some old abrsm piano books - must have a look through and try something new!
Meanwhile, most of Waltz in A is sounding fine hands together but there's a tricky trio section to focus on for next week!

I have only just discovered this thread too!

Anyone who know me will
Instantly recognise me - I have just bought an oboe after 20 yrs of not playing, having been at post grade 8. I also sing and have recently begun to learn to conduct our local choir.

I haven't read many posts on here, but I am loving playing so much at the moment and would love to chat music more.

I've been playing my new oboe in short bursts, a couple of times a day, but finding it completely exhausting - slack embouchure! But all the notes are still there, so I am optimistic!

Hello Littlewhistle hello sunday!

What pieces are you all playing?

Cote We are mostly trying to play the Rameau so that it would make musical sense on the piano. Also thinking of its historical context and what the audience would have expected.

Has anyone gone to refresher lessons as an adult? I lack the motivation to practise something - as soon as it comes to a tricky bit I give up and miss it out! I think if I had to do it for a lesson each week then I would actually practise it.

I am thinking of treating myself to a saxophone (I have money to spare now that both DC are through uni - woop woop!).

Littlewhistle I have a piano lesson once a month or so. I find a piece I like to play and ask my teacher how to play it properly. I've done this for a couple of years now (after a break of 20+ year ) and it's been really nice.

My husband has weekly piano lessons and has done for the last five years. He had left school nearly forty years earlier with a pass in G2 piano and it was something that he wanted to pick up so he found a local teacher and started again.

He had a bit of a hiccup once he'd got to G5 as he needed his theory certificate from the late 1970s. He knew he'd taken it because he had G8 violin but he couldn't remember the year or who had entered him and that's what ABRSM need to find it and issue a duplicate certificate. Fortunately they found his G6 theory (which he couldn't remember taking), issued a replacement certificate for that and he was good then for taking the rest of the piano exams. He says that the exams gave him some structure and confirmation that he was actually making some progress.

I have weekly lessons in term time - I started from scratch in middle age so not a refresher at all! Somehow I now find myself learning grade 5 pieces! I think there are some drawbacks to doing exams - terrible nerves for one thing!- but it definitely means I have to practise and challenge myself.
I think grade 5 will be my limit, though.

I did G7 piano and have always regretted not doing G8 so would like to go back and finish it. However I get really nervous playing piano in public (don't have the same problem with other instruments for some unknown reason). I can't even play in church in front of 20 people so don't think I'd be able to do myself justice in front of a stony-faced examiner!

In my (limited) recent experience the examiners have been very nice so don't let that put you off!

DH was fine with the examiners, it was the pianos that gave him the problems. He only plays ours and his teachers so to be faced with a different one at the exam centre threw him each time. The exam board didn't do a lot to accommodate a working candidate so he ended up travelling to odd places in order to get a time and date he could actually attend so it was a different piano each time round.

Alexandra The transcribing sounds exciting. Do you use any particular software? And how are you doing the backing track?

Transcribing sounds interesting!

How is everyone doing? I'm still on the awful keyboard (waaah!) but I've pretty much perfected Handel's Air & 5Ds we'll see what my teacher thinks about that and started the Allemande from the same suite.

I also started Variation 21 from Goldberg Variations which is just exquisite. Somebody stop me

Not going to try to stop you Cote - sounds heavenly and I'm quite jealous! I do hope the awful keyboard isn't stressing you too much.
I'm managing some piano practice in between working from home, feeding ravenous youth and so on. I found Bach's Intervention no II in G minor and would love to be able to play it. So far I have managed the right hand and very slowly put a few bars together but I do this with the headphones on so as not to offend anyone!

I can't find Bach's Intervention no 2 on Apple Music. Do you have a link, by any chance?