Week 4: Post your Progress!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK FOUR Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between August 21 - 26th I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
Post your progress on your pieces! If you are able to perform or play through sections of your music, share it with us! Let's celebrate your hard work during this past month!
We will have a watch party featuring your recordings that you upload down below on this thread, but if you would like to play LIVE please considering joining the "back to school" recital!
Assignments:
1. Record a run-through or performance of your piece!
2. Post it below
3. Write down the progress that you have seen in the last month and share that insight with all of us!
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I'm abysmally late to the challenge...sorry all! I was afraid to commit so I didn't post--due to travel I wasn't able to practice till two weeks ago, and I wasn't sure I'd have time to make any meaningful progress to post.
Turns out I had some time, and was able to make some meaningful progress on Chopin's Mazurka Op. 67 No. 4. I considered it "unfinished business" since I had only barely put the hands together at the end of the recent 2-week intensive with the awesome Jarred Dunn. So, here's a submission! (I know, this is technically after week 4, so if Dominic wants to leave it out of the watch party, that's totally OK.)
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Marc M This is beautiful! Great work! I have been reading through Chopin's Mazurka's for my sight reading practice. As I go along I mark ones that I want to go back and really learn. I haven't gotten to this one yet, but this will definitely be on the list. Thank you!
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Jennifer Mehta Natalie Peh Vidhya Bashyam Michelle R Alexander Weymann Thanks everyone! I'm grateful that I can share it here.
Scriabin wrote some mazurkas also (see Feinberg's on YouTube). They're sort of like Chopin's, except the melodies and harmonies have that unique early Scriabin beauty/drama. And the dancing feels a bit more...alcoholic? Anyway, now that I know a little bit about mazurkas, maybe I'll do one for a future challenge.
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Marc M that sounds very polished! Well done
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Marc M Beautiful playing! I like how you shape the tempo of this music.
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Juan Carlos Olite Derek McConville Thank you!
To get a better feel for how to shape the tempo, I practiced playing along with the Fou Ts'ong recording Jarred had recommended, as well as a Friedman one that I like. It was an amusing exercise, and quite difficult at first.
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Marc M Very good advise! Thank you Marc!
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I wasn't sure I'd have time to record/post another video before this challenge fully wrapped up, but was inspired by Alexander Weymann and Marc M postings to sneak in a late submission. Still unfinished but (I think) much improved over the course of this challenge! Thank you everyone for your lovely submissions - I look forward to catching up and viewing them all!
p.s., I think this video is too long to include in the watch party. I just wanted to post it here for anyone interested. I'll probably keep posting update recordings on my YouTube channel after this challenge ends.
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Judy Kuan Wow, Judy. This is beautiful. I'm so glad you took the time to record and post. It would have been a shame to have missed watching and hearing your progress with this piece. Thanks for sharing!
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Judy Kuan amazing job on this huge piece! Again, I especially enjoy your delicate touch in the lyrical passages and the coloratura ornaments. My partner (who has a degree from Eastman) was listening from the kitchen and said: "That piece has such a beautiful melody! Who is playing it?" and I said "It's one of the people from tonebase, Judy." and he said "You're kidding! That's really, really good."
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Michelle R Alexander Weymann Thank you so for listening and your kind words
It's easy to hone in on mistakes when I'm listening to my own recordings, even knowing it's an important part of the learning process, and it's very heartening to hear when you enjoy listening regardless! -
Judy Kuan Wow! Great playing! As Michelle says, it would have been a shame to have missed your excellent interpretation! Beautiful sound and sense of phrasing, perfect to Chopin. Thank you for sharing your video, Judy!
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Juan Carlos Olite Thank you!! I am just watching your video now of my dream piece and noticed we use a similar easel on top of our (closed) pianos to hold our music
Am enjoying your performance and will likely comment more directly in the video -
Judy Kuan Bravo!! So glad you were able to share. Amazing playing with so much color and variety of expression!
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Judy Kuan For me your playing here has such life and buoyancy, thank you so much for sharing this!
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Hi all,
I am also going to jump in at the last minute with two brief recordings of my wife, Kay Hanna, playing music of Ola Gjeilo (4 min total music). In relation to the theme of the challenge, Kay has gradually been building a small collection of recordings on my YouTube channel (@rushwayne1612), and these two Gjeilo pieces are one's that Kay has always liked but never taken the time to polish and record. We finally captured them via Zoom video recording just Sunday afternoon, each on the first take. They are "Moonrise" and "January," pieces that come from the collections Night and Stone Rose respectively, by Ola Gjeilo.(Moonrise)
https://youtu.be/NbaLHt2QclQ(January)
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Randall Wayne lovely playing by Kay as always. Very nice pieces and thanks for sharing.
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Hello everyone! This challenge was really great. Last week I have played for my friends Beethoven‘s Pathetique, Bach Toccata e-minor and Chopin Nocturnes op 48/1 and op 62/2. So now it’s finished. Thanks for you help.
Now I need some new pieces.
