Well, i'm glad I can say the recital went well. There were 20 of us all told. I was about a third of the way down the list, and my teacher mixed up the list pretty well. Besides piano or keyboard students like myself, there were also those learning guitar or drums. There was a 12 year-old student who played beautifully, and one of the pieces was his own composition, a jazzy, bluesy piece. One of the older students, an adult played one of his own compositions, too, a love tune to his wife, which was quite sweet.
A few of the students also sang whilst playing. I can carry a tune, and sometimes it's even the right one, but trying to play and sing at the same time has proven a bit beyond me at the moment, so I applauded most sincerely at those brave several who made the effort, even if not all of them carried the tune well.
A few needed to start over or had a moment where they clearly lost their place and had to recover, but the crowd was very kind, and everyone was greeted with applause when they were done playing.
For my part, I played both of my pieces about the best I've ever played them, which made me happy. I could finally relax afterwards and am glad that first recital is out of the way. Would I do it again? Yes, I believe I would.
A friend filmed it on her phone but has yet to forward a copy to me. She did say she wasn't sure that she had enough battery power left, so i'm not sure that I shall ever see it. Still, I very much appreciated her coming to see me, and I nearly burst into tears when she said, "I didn't come to hear you play; I came for YOU." Never underestimate the power of someone wanting to see you succeed.
The next piano player after me has been playing longer, and you could hear it by how he touched the keys. "He plays better than you," my friend said. I agreed with her, and she said, "I'm not saying that to judge you, you know," which I also knew.
Funny thing is, I've heard beginning fifers and I want to encourage them to play, practice often, and when i'm in a jam session with them, I always ask them what they can play, so that they can take an active part. And yet, I have a hard time bestowing that same kindness on myself. I'm learning, though.
Showing posts with label piano; piano recital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piano; piano recital. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
On a more cheerful note...
My goodness, the last few blog posts from me have been dreary! Besides the weather, death, and taxes, there has to be something else on the docket. And, there is.
As regular readers may remember, I got a new-to-me piano in August, and promptly started with piano lessons, so I could really and truly learn how to play. Bass clef comes to me very slowly, but that's better than Not.At.All. which is how it was when I first started, so my sight reading has gone from Not a Snowball's Chance in Hell, to Slower than a Dirge.
Since I'm doing this for fun and because I want to do it, I'm enjoying the process for the most part. I have gotten in my own way on a few occasions, and I still sometimes am amazed that I am not a prodigy. These are tunes I know, so why can't I just look at the notes and play? Like magic?
What I have found is that if I play a bit every day, even just 10 or 15 minutes, it makes a difference. The pieces I have to work on are short, and as previously mentioned, most are tunes I know, so it's just learning to read the music, know where to put my fingers, and when to touch the keys that's needed.
My piano teacher has two recitals a year, one in the autumn and one in the spring. I was still very new when he was lining up students for the autumnal recital, and when he asked some weeks back if I'd play in the spring recital, I surprised myself by saying yes. I am to play two numbers, and he will accompany me on both. He's doing the same for all his students in this recital. The last one was mostly for his younger students, and this one is for all those over age 12. There are quite a few of us, as it turns out, so a week from tomorrow, I shall make my debut.
I've told those who helped me move the piano into the house, in case they want to see the aftermath of their efforts. In some ways, I hope they don't come, so if I make a mistake, it'll be in a room full of people I don't know. But, if I end up playing well, I'd like for them to hear it.
When I first started my lessons, my piano teacher asked me what I wanted to play. I told him I didn't have anything specific in mind, I just wanted to be able to play. Since then, I find that the two bluesy pieces in my student book have been fun, and I have learned the first part of Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. Something happens to me when I play ragtime. I feel the music really flowing from my fingers to the keys in a way it doesn't with some of the other pieces, where I play the notes but don't "feel" the music.
It's still very early days yet in my piano playing chapter, but I do think I'm in love with Scott Joplin.
As regular readers may remember, I got a new-to-me piano in August, and promptly started with piano lessons, so I could really and truly learn how to play. Bass clef comes to me very slowly, but that's better than Not.At.All. which is how it was when I first started, so my sight reading has gone from Not a Snowball's Chance in Hell, to Slower than a Dirge.
Since I'm doing this for fun and because I want to do it, I'm enjoying the process for the most part. I have gotten in my own way on a few occasions, and I still sometimes am amazed that I am not a prodigy. These are tunes I know, so why can't I just look at the notes and play? Like magic?
What I have found is that if I play a bit every day, even just 10 or 15 minutes, it makes a difference. The pieces I have to work on are short, and as previously mentioned, most are tunes I know, so it's just learning to read the music, know where to put my fingers, and when to touch the keys that's needed.
My piano teacher has two recitals a year, one in the autumn and one in the spring. I was still very new when he was lining up students for the autumnal recital, and when he asked some weeks back if I'd play in the spring recital, I surprised myself by saying yes. I am to play two numbers, and he will accompany me on both. He's doing the same for all his students in this recital. The last one was mostly for his younger students, and this one is for all those over age 12. There are quite a few of us, as it turns out, so a week from tomorrow, I shall make my debut.
I've told those who helped me move the piano into the house, in case they want to see the aftermath of their efforts. In some ways, I hope they don't come, so if I make a mistake, it'll be in a room full of people I don't know. But, if I end up playing well, I'd like for them to hear it.
When I first started my lessons, my piano teacher asked me what I wanted to play. I told him I didn't have anything specific in mind, I just wanted to be able to play. Since then, I find that the two bluesy pieces in my student book have been fun, and I have learned the first part of Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. Something happens to me when I play ragtime. I feel the music really flowing from my fingers to the keys in a way it doesn't with some of the other pieces, where I play the notes but don't "feel" the music.
It's still very early days yet in my piano playing chapter, but I do think I'm in love with Scott Joplin.
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