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Original poster

Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

999 replies

CoteDAzur · 07/11/2017 17:02

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another Smile

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18
NeverEverAnythingEver · 10/04/2019 14:10

C8H10N4O2 Some of them seem to like playing cards a lot. :D

NeverEverAnythingEver · 10/04/2019 14:11

I'm still playing my Mozart sonata in C and finding that I can't play the semiquavers as quickly and evenly as I like ...

RaiderOfTheKitchenCupboard · 12/04/2019 15:03

Got a new guitar at the weekend, really pleased with it :) And I may have embarked on a new accessory buying spree too, oops (case, strap, picks, etc...)

www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product/tw4-mini-e-koa/

Mistigri · 15/04/2019 10:11

Raider, looks lovely! Good to see other brands are now making these "travel" sized folk guitars which are a great size for smaller guitarists. My DD's first guitar was a Taylor GS mini.

LooseAtTheSeams · 16/04/2019 08:17

Raider that looks like a great guitar! Keep updating us on what you're playing. And buying! DS2 started playing guitar when DH bought a classical one for £10 from the borough music service. He now has a rather expensive electric one!

Original poster
CoteDAzur · 23/04/2019 06:56

Hi everyone. I lost this thread again Blush since I last posted, I went to a concert of Mongolian overtone singers, following a conference on overtone singing.

The explanation is that the vocal chords make the fundamental note(s) and then the tongue is stuck to the palate in varying positions to create the higher notes in what is basically whistling.

It still sounds like magic, though Shock

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Original poster
CoteDAzur · 23/04/2019 06:57

Enjoy your new guitar, Raider Smile

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NeverEverAnythingEver · 23/04/2019 20:06

Overtone singing does sound like magic.

I'm enjoying my Mozart Sonata in C very much, more than I expect!

Tintini · 24/04/2019 15:19

I like hearing about the music everyone's playing - I always listen to the pieces and it's nice to get the variety. Also nice to see Raider's new guitar. (I must NOT buy a guitar. I can't even play guitar. They look so nice though.)

Fluke, to answer your question from ages ago (sorry for delay - Easter holidays) - I don't play in any groups at the moment. I know what you mean about playing at home alone. It is hard for me to maintain enthusiasm for playing from sheet music on my own on an instrument like the flute...just one melodic line (I need harmony!) and it just feels like practice rather than playing and enjoying the music. I think that's one of the reasons why I stopped playing flute for 20 years.

Also, after being in lots of friendly music groups at school I found all the ones I tried to join afterwards too serious. And because I was unable to play by ear and didn't understand how music was constructed, 'jamming' in jazz/pop/folk styles (which might have been more relaxed) wasn't an option either.

Now I play flute loads at home but the big difference is that I'm exclusively playing by ear, improvising and playing along to backing CDs (eg the Jamey Aebersold ones). This makes a massive difference to me and makes me feel like even on my own there's harmony going on and and I'm making my own music. It feels really different (and for me, better).

I'm hoping to join a group at some point but I think it would be a style that would reflect what I'm doing at home, so likely not classical (much as I enjoy classical music).

RaiderOfTheKitchenCupboard · 26/04/2019 22:34

I have been playing some cheesy 80s rock recently, haha! And have ordered some more books (song tabs and a guide to chords and scales), a humidifier, guitar polish and lemon oil cleaner. I’ll have treat my old classical guitar to a clean and polish, it’s feeling neglected!

Original poster
CoteDAzur · 03/05/2019 06:28

Humidifier and lemon oil cleaner? I've never heard of a guitar being pampered thus Grin What are they for? I wonder if my guitar is deprived of life essentials.

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Original poster
CoteDAzur · 03/05/2019 06:48

Meanwhile, I just started working on #7 from Bach's 2-Part Inventions. It's my exam piece and I have about 3 weeks to practice it Shock

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LooseAtTheSeams · 06/05/2019 09:59

Cote that's amazing - good luck, I'm sure you'll be brilliant! It sounds very demanding.
I have Satie's Gymnopedie 1,2 and 3 to keep me busy for now.

Tintini · 06/05/2019 12:26

Good luck Cote. I have so much respect for all of you doing music exams - there's something about them that I find rather terrifying...more so than just performing. But the sense of achievement afterwards must be great.

Feel like I've settled into my piano lessons now and I like my teacher a lot. The lessons are so different to when I was younger - I guess because it's a different dynamic to both be adults. Rather than being set tasks, I'm finding my own way to explore music and he's giving guidance along the way.

I'm focusing at the moment on playing songs in my 'difficult' keys (ie lots of sharps or flats). Part of it's a psychological thing I think - these aren't actually more difficult, it's just that I've got more experience in F, C and G so my fingers automatically go there. Need to get out of the mindset that the black notes are scary!

FlukeSkyeRunner · 06/05/2019 22:11

Tintini lessons as an adult are fab once you've found the right teacher 😊 I started looking at g6 pieces now, hopefully with a view to taking the exam in the autumn. I'm still looking at other pieces, but will gently get the exam pieces sorted and make sure my scares etc are up to scratch. I did G3,4 and 5 in one year, which was a great experience, but I'm enjoying taking it a bit more slowly and consolidating at this level for a bit.

I've been vaguely thinking about taking the performance diploma on my flute at some point - I did g8 20 years ago, so a bit rusty. I might get some of the recommended pieces and see just how much I have forgotten!

FlukeSkyeRunner · 06/05/2019 22:14

Oh and I agree about the harder key sigs. I play the organ at church and have avoided hymns with more than 2 flats for ages... So I'm making an effort to learn some now to give me more confidence and also help with sight reading in those keys. I naturally find sharps easier.

FlukeSkyeRunner · 06/05/2019 22:20

Scales, not scares... I generally aim not to scare people with my piano playing! 😂😂

LooseAtTheSeams · 07/05/2019 08:21

Agree lessons as an adult are very different and much more enjoyable!
Enjoyed playing the Satie last night. Teacher has suggested having a go at Bach Prelude (and Fugue but I'm not doing that) no 2 in C minor. She also likes the one in C sharp major so I'm guessing that's on the horizon! I got up early to try the first few bars of the C minor slowly hands together before heading off for work.

Tintini · 07/05/2019 09:35

Fluke at first I thought 'scares' was some kind of street name for 'nerves' - like you've got to get your scares under control for the exam.

Wonder what it is that makes lessons as an adult much better? More autonomy, don't get 'told off', you really see the point of what you're doing?

My teacher is a fair bit younger than me - maybe the different age dynamic (vs child with adult teacher) helps too.

Tintini · 07/05/2019 09:39

Early morning playing is a great way to start the day Loose!

FlukeSkyeRunner · 07/05/2019 16:36

For me, adult lessons are wonderful because I can choose what I play with my teachers guidance and I genuinely love the music I play - I'm there because I really want to be. I even enjoy doing technical exercises which I would have hated as a child. Plus my teacher has very much become my friend, so there is a very different dynamic.

As a child my piano lessons were just another part of school. Now they are very enjoyable in themselves and also help me to do something I'm passionate about. For me personally I was in the shadow of a very musical sibling as a child so I didn't try very hard and that showed... Now I practise lots daily and am making real progress.

Mistigri · 08/05/2019 12:00

Wonder what it is that makes lessons as an adult much better?

  1. You're paying for them.
  2. You actually want to do them
  3. You have realistic expectations

I'm missing my lessons :( but I am playing again after a period of being too busy. I'm polishing/ revising old pieces and memorising them properly, so that I have an "airport/ train station piano" repertoire Wink

Mistigri · 08/05/2019 12:04

Enjoyed playing the Satie last night. Teacher has suggested having a go at Bach Prelude (and Fugue but I'm not doing that) no 2 in C minor.

This fugue isn't difficult for a fugue (3 part not 4 part) and can be played quite slowly. I recommend it as a first fugue tbh, as it's really good practice for learning to bring out the different parts.

I found the prelude quite hard to learn as it has a lot of modulations and it doesn't "flow" in a logical way (unless you are Bach) - it's very easy to sightread but hard to play well at speed. I'm not sure it's much easier than the fugue tbh! The presto bit is really hard to get wired.

LooseAtTheSeams · 09/05/2019 08:51

Mistigri you're right about the Prelude - I'm not convinced I will ever play this at speed! I might have a go at the Fugue...

Mistigri · 09/05/2019 20:17

Loose you'll get it, because it's not actually that difficult. Listen to the Glenn Gould version which is at a more manageable speed. It's hard to learn by heart because it's quite repetitive but with lots of modulations, but it's the sort of music you can play quite easily with your eyes on the music rather than on your hands.

The fugue doesn't need to be played that fast. It's harder than the prelude but not dramatically so. Some odd fingering required to get the right phrasing.