Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

[CoteDAzur]

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another

How is everyone doing?

I'm ploughing through my Bach's C minor partita.

The early morning exercises are going quite well. Main thing now is working on all the 'tricky' bits in my pieces. Trying to focus on problem bars and giving them really focused attention. Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two steps back!

Hi all, just checking in. Learned a new piece - with my piano seat higher, so I’m hoping there may be an improvement in my hand position but I’m not convinced.

I’ve been really struggling to get my practice done the last few weeks... teething 1 year old. My scales have definitely deteriorated so I’m hoping to get those back to where they should be before my next lesson.

That's lovely Your hands look great, too. Do you notice a difference in how you play with the higher stool?

Meanwhile, I finished but not perfected . It starts with a Prelude, then a beautiful slow Sarabande at 1:40, and ends with a lovely Gigue starting at 3:50.

I play the Prelude a bit slower than Olivier Baumont simply because of all the triple quavers starting at 1:06, but it's still beautiful. Have I mentioned that I love Bach? I do, with all my heart.

And now I have started . I'm half way through the Allemande you hear at the beginning. It's beautiful.

Lovely Cote ... you are an inspiration. Your experience definitely helped push me to find a teacher.

I've had a difficult week from the practice POV. DD in the middle of mocks so piano banned when she is at home. And I am ill again, it's been an exceptionally bad winter for bugs.

I am working on some exercises that involve ascending and descending thirds, the usual scales and arpeggios and trying to make some headway with the latest Scarlatti sonata (which has been going nowhere due to lack of time). Need to get started properly on the c minor fugue too. The prelude is very nearly there though.

Thanks Cote. I feel better playing with the stool higher. I thought it would take a bit of getting used to but it felt much more natural.

Wow, they are beautiful pieces of music. You are very talented to be playing to that level.

One area I’m struggling is sight reading. I only really read music by reading the intervals between the notes but if the interval is too big, I need to physically work out which note it is, which takes time. I don’t know why I can’t just say the notes as I see them, I have to start at the bottom of the stave and work my way up. Hoping this will come in time as I’m working hard on it.

Sightreading ability really is correlated with practice (though I suspect it might be fundamentally harder for some learning disabled people like dyslexics). Get a book of easy music (the ABRSM graded collections are quite good) and gradually work your way through them.

And reading intervals is a very very important part of sightreading especially on the piano. You will find that all good sightreaders rely heavily on intervals.

Identifying individual notes on the staves by sight will come with practice. I'm a good sight reader but I still have to work out (using intervals) notes high above or below the top line of the stave - those notes don't generally occur often enough for me to have become instantly familiar with them.

Love hearing all about your musical adventures! How are you all recording your pieces? Just with phones?

Away from piano at the moment and missing it dreadfully. Am dreaming in Schubert though - have started working on one of his Impromptus with my teacher after we sacked off the Debussy My Bach prelude is nearly there too, but it ain't half a workout.

Which Schubert impromptu Jaffa? The dreamy one with the bass?

Thanks everyone. I wouldn't call myself particularly talented or terribly inspirational I just get obsessed with things I enjoy doing and often end up with repetitive strain injuries. That's what happened with running and I'm trying to avoid it now on the piano/harpsichord: I practice for about 2 hours most days but try to alternative demanding/fast peaces with lots of ornaments with easy/slow ones and stop when my arms start hurting

Meanwhile, I discovered Fischer Has anyone heard of him? German contemporary of J S Bach, apparently. His music sounds like a cross between Handel and Rameau (to me) and so modern! He has a series of beautiful music called Musical Parnassus that includes some lovely little Chaconnes and Allemandes. I can't wait for the book of sheet music to be delivered so that I can start on .

Broken - That's a very quaint video You appear more confident than in your previous one, I think.

Never No. 4 in A flat major. My teacher and I are currently arguing with various over edited scores. It’s actually a bit more straight forward than I hoped, as there’s quite a lot of repetition.

I'm waiting for the clock to turn 9 AM so that I can start banging on the piano without neighbors turning up with torches and pitchforks

cote.

Jaffa I love that one. I have the ABRSM edition. I did find it hard to play the chords convincingly (IYKWIM). But it's such a beautiful piece.

Cote Are you a pro? I’m envious of your practice regime but I wouldn’t cope with the pressure!

Never it’s just lovely. We’re mainly complaining about IMSLP freebies, which is fair enough. I have a Barenreiter edition which is okay.

I’m at my mum’s house now and she’s kept all my old music exam result sheets. My results for the pieces were always very good but sight reading and aural abysmal. Plus ça change...!

No, not at all. Just slightly obsessed

I don't like having to perform on stage, actually.

What a lovely thread! I've been lurking for a while.... I started piano lessons back in November, after a 20 year break. I learned the flute at school and got grade 8, also had piano lessons but it never really clicked. I got grade 2 but it didn't feel at all natural. Fast forward 20 years and now I'm about to take grade 3 and it is sooo different - I absolutely love my lessons now, thoroughly enjoy practicing and feel like I'm making real progress. I suppose it is partly due to being older and appreciating things more, and also my piano teacher is rather more inspirational than the ones I had at school. I've also stepped out of the shadow of a very musical sibling and am learning purely for my own enjoyment rather than as part of my education, if that makes sense. Long live the piano 😊

I don't like performing either but have signed up to play at my teacher's end of year show in early July, because I am a masochist . I am playing the Bach prelude no 2 from the WTC and also the accompanying fugue if I get my act together, as well as a fairly easy Scarlatti sonata and an accompaniment for a flautist.

Learning is very different as an adult. I enjoy the things I hated as a child, like scales and exercises. And I don't think about how hard things are or what level I am at (there is no question of doing any exams).

I think I might tackle a Schubert impromptu next (I like the one DD played a year or two ago), it is probably "too hard" but I am optimistic that it's do-able.

I've lurked for a while, always such an interesting lovely read.

I've recently been bought a saxaphone and had my first lesson last week

My teacher is lovely and asked if I'm wanting to replicate 'Baker street' anytime soon??

She could tell I'm a child of the 80's

Ooh 'Baker Street' is a reason to learn sax in its own right
Agree learning as an adult is very different -especially enthusiasm for scales! I haven't been able to as much as I hoped as work got in the way but doing my best. I occasionally play in the music centre concerts although usually with shaking hands!

I'm the opposite about scales - I loved scales when I was learning as a child but these days I don't do any.

Welcome Only & Fluke

I have two concerts coming

... up in April and another one in June.

I'm practicing like a beast in preparation although I don't know what I'll be playing. I'm practicing all my repertoire every day anyway!