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 a pedal moron too, used it in one of my g4 pieces, was a struggle to learn. I don't think it's generally used in baroque music, as Cote said the harpsichord didn't have any.

Kudritskaya is certainly using it a fair bit in the vid...

The thing is that when you play harpsichord music on the piano it's not played on the harpsichord any more ... But there are many different schools of thought on this, I'm sure. It's enough to put you off playing harpsichord music...

I’m looking for solo harpsichord pieces

I don't have quite so many bright ideas there - even the Vivaldi Harpsichord pieces have orchestration around them in the originals.
re: the Rameau - that is a lovely piece indeed. Do you have your own harpsichord?

re: pedal - every teacher I had taught me firmly that 'less is more'. Excessive pedal tends to be used to cover up mistakes and misfingering. umpteen years later when my children were learning this was still orthodoxy.

No, I don't have a harpsichord. I play the ones in the conservatory that I go to. You can see my favourite downthread - I posted several videos.

My teacher is pressuring me to get one but they are huge, and a nightmare to (frequently) tune & maintain. They are beautiful but fragile instruments. I have a piano at home that I play as if it's a harpsichord

I agree that for pedals on piano, less is more. You want the effect but you don't need to tell everyone the mechanism of the effect.

That Rameau piece is beautiful indeed. Hopefully your teacher will agree to ignore the imitators, Cote. As for pedal, less is definitely more although I think there’s no human way of playing Chopin without it!

I don't think Chopin is Chopin without the sustain pedal. But then by his time the piano is very different from the piano in, say, Mozart's time.

Friends, I need your help. My teacher has agreed that I can go for Anthony Young's simple but imho beautifully poignant piece rather than Duphly. The problem is, I can't find the sheet music anywhere. Do any of you have access to a music library? I would very much appreciate it if you could send me a photo (or better yet, a scan!).

None at our music libraries. :(

Thanks for trying anyway, Never.

It doesn't even come up in any google searches. You may have to learn it by ear, Suzuki-style...

I know. I tried online resources already

Where I work there is a music department - they don't have it either. Surely your teacher can get hold of it?

Someone has taken out all the Albeniz from the library and there's only one left. I'm going to have to learn this one instead.

Just the Prelude...

I found it!

The only question is: Do I really want to do this to myself? Having to read music from a handwritten manuscript, that is.

That's a nice one, Never!

Well done cote for hunting that down!

You can actually sightread most of the prelude...

Great news Cote!
Had a good piano lesson last night and very useful focus on tricky bits in my grade 5 pieces. I think I’ve only got one bit in the Chopin Sostenuto where it’s physically impossible to play without the pedal! I do have small hands, though!
I’m hoping to get a lot of practice in this week so I don’t forget all the good advice from last night.
I need to work on sight reading but I think I might do that by trying different pieces for now rather than the exercises in the ABRSM book.

I’ve been pointed in the direction of this thread so just wanted to introduce myself. I’m an ex piano player. Learned as a child but haven’t played in about 13 years. I’m 28 now and looking to start learning again. I never sat exams before so that’s what I’m hoping to do now and possibly even become a piano teacher in future, that’s if I can get to the required standard Have any of you picked an instrument back up and found that you have learned quicker as you’ve worked harder at it as an adult?

DayDreamer Ask cote. She practises like 15 hours a day.

I do about 10-30 minutes about 3-4 days a week. I'm not doing exams though, so not seriously measuring progress. I just find whatever I like, learn it, consult my teacher, and practise until I'm sick of it, then find a new piece and so on. I don't think I played as well technically as when I was younger - then I used to practise hours... But I certainly enjoy it a lot.

My level when I quit piano as a preteen was about the 5th page of Anna Magdalena Bach I’ve definitely come a lot further.

No, not 15 hrs but averaging about 3 hours per day these days

I didn’t learn piano as a child so it’s hard to compare although I did flute to grade 4 level. I think I enjoy piano a lot more and so have been more motivated but some weeks aren’t great for practice. Have done 2 x 30 minute sessions a day this week but can never match Cote!

We have house guests for a few days so I just managed a half hour yesterday Maybe I should pretend to teach their kids the piano. One by one. All day long

I've been working a fair bit the past few days but practice back on the books this week. :)