Albert's Profile - Tonebase Piano Community

Re: What is the last tonebase lesson you watched?

I really appreciated Jon Kimura Parker’s insights into the Rhapsody in Blue as I prepare it for 2024’s 100th anniversary!

Albert
1 yr ago
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Re: Do you have a technical routine? Please share!

My favorite exercises are scales and double notes. There’s so much that can be done with scales, with different touches, articulations and dynamics. For advanced players,…

Albert
1 yr ago
7
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Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: DOW: What's the most memorable feedback you've received about your playing?

Once I played a competition and got only this feedback from a judge: “You are talented. Why did you play Mozart?”

Albert
2 yrs ago
4
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Re: What classical composer most makes you think of the beatles?

The first composer who comes to mind is Bach. It’s hard to hear the F major Invention anymore without thinking of All You Need is Love. Then there’s the Bach invention-style interlude in the middle…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: What advice would you give your beginner-self?

My best advice to my former self: Listen to your teachers! Seriously, listen to your teachers!

Albert
2 yrs ago
3
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Re: Week 1: Getting down to Business

Oh, I did something dumb: I had started learning the revised version of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Sonata before switching to the original 1913 version midway through only very recently.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
9
Unfinished Business Challenge!
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Re: What is the most memorable moment in a music lesson you’ve ever had?

Still early in my piano studies I got to work extensively one summer with Harvey Wedeen, who chaired the piano department at Temple University and taught artists including Marc-André Hamelin.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
7
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Re: What's the most challenging piece you've ever learned and how did you tackle it?

@Lc I often use this phrase as an example whenever my students think only they have to work hard to play beautifully. There seems to be an especially narrow zone for this phrase to sound natural and…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: What's the most challenging piece you've ever learned and how did you tackle it?

@Lc Congrats on learning the 4th Ballade! That’s an incredible achievement for anyone, let alone an amateur. As a professional, I think I’ve had to work even more on the opening than the famously…

Albert
2 yrs ago
2
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Re: What's the most challenging piece you've ever learned and how did you tackle it?

I've somehow managed to learn and perform some pretty heavy-duty pieces, from the Hammerklavier Sonata to Alkan's Grande Sonate and numerous etudes, as well as Godowsky-Chopin etudes, Ligeti etudes,…

Albert
2 yrs ago
3
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Re: Musical theory path

Hi Peter, would be happy to. Maybe someone from tonebase could comment here if it’s alright with them? Again, I’m here to learn myself and to contribute to the community wherever I can.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: Musical theory path

Hi Renato, one of my lockdown projects was writing software that solves this exact problem for students. It shows any chord exactly as it is used in a piece of music,…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: I'm a beginner, and confused about the fingering on this measure

@Roy James-Pike Can we kindly keep things amiable? This is just piano playing, not politics. We're all on the same team here, after all. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong,…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: I'm a beginner, and confused about the fingering on this measure

@Roy James-Pike In writing, like in music, sometimes how we think we sound isn't how we really sound. That holds for me as much as anybody else. Let's strive for a friendly tone on tonebase.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: I'm a beginner, and confused about the fingering on this measure

@Roy James-Pike I didn’t suggest the fingering is incorrect—in fact, this same fingering is one that I suggested as a possibility. I’m also not sure why you seem to feel the need to be defensive.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: I'm a beginner, and confused about the fingering on this measure

@Roy James-Pike Thanks for your clarification—appreciated. If I may, a mordant isn't an application of rotation (wrist, forearm, or whatever one prefers to call it) in any method I'm aware of.…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: I'm a beginner, and confused about the fingering on this measure

@Roy James-Pike The human wrist doesn't rotate. It's a common misconception in piano teaching to refer to "wrist rotation." In any case, this mordant is most easily played with finger articulation…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: When is your favorite time of day to practice?

I also like to practice in the morning as much as possible since my mind is usually fresh. It's not always possible to do, but I try to shape my day around piano practice since it requires full focus,…

Albert
2 yrs ago
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Re: Wrong note?

@Ben Laude You have enough on your plate already! Happy to help with this small detail in any case.

Albert
2 yrs ago
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