Week THREE: Share your love! (Watch Party is next week!)
Hello and welcome to the WEEK THREE 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 February 6 - 13 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
Because the WATCH PARTY is next week, February 14th at 11am PT let's do the following this week!
1. OVERALL GOAL: Record your piece!
2. OPTIONAL: say a few words about why you choose your piece, and what you love so much about it BEFORE or AFTER you play! (Before is nice, because then we can listen with a guided imagination through your words!) You can submit two videos (one of your words and one of the music) I will then put them together into ONE video.
3. OPTIONAL: Record your piece at least TWICE! Why? Because we want you to submit your favorite recording, and tell us why you choose the one that you did. Was it because of technical reasons? Musical ones? It is important to practice evaluating your work through words!
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With all of the glorious music and playing in this forum, I feel a bit silly submitting my little piece!
But I enjoyed working on it, and I hope it will encourage more beginners to participate and submit their playing for these activities.For me, "If I Were a Rich Man" is a song of longing and desiring for something which is beyond - I think this sums up much of the human condition. Music seems to both fulfill and increase the desire for this "something," which is one of the reasons I enjoy playing and listening to good music. Also, being in the Nerds of Tonebase subgroup, I appreciate the correct usage of the subjunctive in the song's title and lyrics.
Of the two recordings I made, I chose the one with mistakes because it had more life in it. I found the more "correct" one a bit dry. The way I want to play it is a few years away, I think, but over the three weeks I noticed much improvement, which is why I joined this challenge.
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Michelle R Great playing, Michelle! I love this melody!
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Sindre Skarelven Thanks, Sindre!
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Here's Kay Hanna's final video of "Blue" by Ola Gjeilo. We recorded this in the afternoon Sunday after Kay put on a Zoom concert in the morning (35 minutes of music for friends) including "Blue," which is her current most-loved piece by Mr. Gjeilo. We went through five takes for this - the others did not have enough record volume, we discovered on playback. We also recorded Kay talking a bit about the piece but that take turned out not to be audible at all! And by then she was exhausted so we stopped. But basically she said that when she plays this piece, she imagines the composer gazing at the sky, enthralled by what he is seeing and barely able to contain his emotion.
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Randall Wayne What a beautiful and heartfelt performance! Thanks for sharing!
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Randall Wayne Kay (and Randall), this was a total treat! I’m a fan of Gjeilo’s choral and piano works, and I love everything about how you interpreted this piece — so sensitive and gorgeous! Thank you!
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Randall Wayne Kay Hanna, this was absolutely beautiful. Your playing took me on a journey.
I'm a fan of the composer's choral works but don't know his piano works well. Thank you for introducing this piece to me.
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Randall Wayne Wow! I love this piece and tHe playing! Thank you for introducing me to this composer. This why I love the piano.
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Randall Wayne when you play every note speaks! Thank you so much for sharing, Randall!
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Randall Wayne What a beautiful and emotionally moving piece! Thank you Randall for posting Kay Hanna's "Blue" by Ola Gjeilo! The melody grabs the heart and doesn't let go!
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Randall Wayne Gorgeous playing, Kay Hanna. You get and transmit the emotional message of this piece with the perfect tempo, phrasing and sound. Thank you so much for introducing this music to me.
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Randall Wayne Beautiful playing! The dynamics was so well done!
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As for my own participation in this challenge as a performer, I have been working daily on the Prelude from Cesar Franck's Prelude, Fugue, and Variation, but I haven't progressed far enough in my memorization/fluency work to attempt a recording. There's still too many places where I lose my concentration and forget the notes- not too surprising since I've had significant sleep trouble for the last week! I thought I could at least record the first page, but even that is not happening today. Oh well, maybe next time.
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Randall Wayne I also love that piece, so I hope you’ll keep working on it. I’d love to hear it whenever you do decide to post it.
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Randall Wayne Yes, please keep working on it. It doesn't have to be memorized. We would love to hear it as it is today!
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Darrell Jenkins & Libby Craig Thanks for the encouragement!
For me I'm afraid it really does have to be memorized as my sight-reading is just not good enough to take up the slack, at least when my concentration is low as it has been today.
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I have been trying to work on the Chopin Berceuse opus 57 and managed to make an initial recording 3 weeks ago and the final one just now just in the nick of time (I hope). I almost didn’t make it but wanted to see if I could challenge myself to do this even if it’s not perfect. I allowed myself one take, due to being at night and not wanting to disturb upstairs neighbors. Thank you all for listening and I love being part of this safe community for enjoying music! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Alice Lin That was lovely!
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Alice Lin Such lovely music - calm and soothing even with all that happening around you :)
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Alice Lin such a beautiful Berceuse! Thank you!
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Alice Lin Alice, this Chopin is absolutely beautiful! I like the unedited recording, it was as if we were right there with you enjoying your recital. The sound was so clear and you completely capture the serenity of the Berceuse. Thank you!
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Alice Lin Absolutely lovely!
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Alice Lin Beautiful and very special with such delicacy playing!
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Alice Lin Nicely played, Alice!
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Alice Lin Beautiful and calm playing!
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Libby Craig Priya Viseskul Andrea Buckland Vidhya Bashyam Juan Carlos Olite Michelle R Sindre Skarelven Thanks for your kind words and encouragement guys!
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