Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part II)

[CoteDAzur]

Previous thread is here.

We filled one thread, so here’s another

I have found the c minor prelude ridiculously hard to learn given how easy the notes are.

I want to play the prelude just for the last two bars.

The dcs seem to like Bach but DS1 informed me the other day that his favourite composer is Chopin. This was interesting because he doesn't play piano and never mentioned Chopin before although I have caught him trying out the Chopin G5 piece a few times - right hand only. It does explain the look of pain on his face when I try to play it, though! (I sort of apologise mentally to Chopin each time I practise!)

Thanks, Cote and Mistigri. Cote, you're right, was maybe a bit nervous and 'just let me get through it without glaring mistakes' - although it's a fairly easy piece I resurrected. Ah well. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
The Haydn is now up, people!
Bach is definitely reassuring. I enjoyed playing his music as a teen, it's so logical - I I liked baroque and classical, hated playing anything discordant in general, preferred to know if I hit a wrong note. I was definitely the kind of DC who liked things where there is are right and wrong answers

I like the Chopin g5 piece, although not a huge Chopin fan in general. Sophisticated taste there by your DS1 Loose!

I love Chopin when I was a teenager. Now I like a few pieces only. But there is a lot of badly-played Chopin ...

Oops. That sounds like I'm casting aspersions. I meant by professional performers - interpretations I don't agree with and are therefore WRONG.

Never I told my piano teacher about the pained expressions at home and she said even the finest musicians get harsh criticism!
She's also decided my sight reading will improve no end by giving me a new, short piece to learn each week. This week it's The Sick Doll by Tchaikovsky.
It's a great plan - not quite sure how it'll turn out, though!

I'm now learning the Sarabande in Bach's Partita #2. It's not too hard.

We get to hear a lot of Chopin in this house as DD is a big fan.

Finally getting there with the c minor prelude and have started work on the fugue ... hmmm. I am learning another Scarlatti sonata too (F major/ K82) - like the c minor prelude it looks easy but is difficult to learn and hard to play well. I can sight read it OK (slowly) but so far that is all I can do.

Teacher seems to think progress is being made, but it is slower than I would like, considering the time I put in!

I really fancy that C minor prelude and fugue - but that would mean I'm learning three pieces in C minor. My teacher has noted that I like minor key stuff, but all in C minor but be carrying it too far ...

I will be interested to see whether the fugue is easier to learn than the prelude. It doesn't seem too bad (but appearances are deceptive).

I don't play the prelude very fast, and actually having listened to a lot of different versions I much prefer the slower recordings.

Hi everyone, sorry I’ve been away for the cyber world for ages. You may remember me, I was in search of a piano teacher but couldn’t find a good one to teach me at my house in the evenings once the kids are in bed. Anyway, I found a solution and now my piano teacher who taught me as a child (and lives hundreds of miles away) is teaching me via Skype. I’ll upload the first piece I’ve learned for her.

That's great. I'd love to see them.

What is it like to have piano lessons on Skype?

Well, we’ve only had the one lesson so far and it was surprisingly good. I’ve known her for as long as I can remember so it’s not uncomfortable although she is the scariest teacher known to man; she really doesn’t like mistakes, lets put it that way. She has a heart of gold though. She always says, “practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” She’s in her late 70s now but when she heard from my mum about my piano lessons that I’d had with my other teacher, she called and insisted on taking over.

Does anyone know what sort of grade this piece is? I know it’s quite basic, I think she’s easing me in gently. It’s taken me 10 days to learn though.

Nicely played.

I would have thought grade 2 ish?

Have you practised with the metronome? I find that pieces with this sort of contrast in rhythm tends to make me speed up.

I’ve been practicing with the metronome. I have struggled with the contrast in rhythm so I’ve started playing it with the metronome but when I try without it, I can’t help but speed up. I suppose I’ll just need to keep up the practice. I found this piece harder to learn than the grade 3 piece I learned recently, interestingly enough. I think it’s the rhythm that complicates it for me.

You have to do it with the metronome until you feel the beat in your tummy. It's like that when I tried to learn the 3rd movement of the Pathetique. 2 crochets or 8 semiquavers or 2 sets of triplets to the beat. Not easy ...

Thanks Never, I’ll keep working on it.

NIcely played, Mummybo!

If I may make a suggestion, the angle of your wrists suggest that your seat may be a little too low. Put it up a bit and hold your hands as if there are eggs sunder stuck to your palms (I know, it doesn't sound the same in English )

Thanks Cote. I really appreciate any feedback. My goal is to improve and I’m really grateful for any thing that helps me on my way to one day (hopefully) being a very competent pianist. Seat is up and working on the hands

Also, is this normal?

Since coming back to the piano, if I learn a new piece, then go back to play a piece I could play perfectly last week, it’s as though my fingers have completely forgotten it and I can no longer play it? I’m hoping that’s just a teething problem and that, as time progresses, my brain will be able to hold more than one piece of music at a time has this happened to anyone else? Or is it just me?

I don't know if it's normal but I "forget" pieces after I abandon them. But they do come back after a few goes.