WEEK THREE Updates: Main Thread - Wrapping up the party!
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 November 15-22nd I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music:
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- Waltz you worked on:
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
Sample daily update:
- Waltz you worked on: No. 1
- One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
- One thing you found difficult: Shifting the Hands was a bit tricky to get smooth!
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
-
Waltz you worked on: 1
one thing you found easy: practicing
one thing you found difficult: keeping focus while attempting to make a video while playing from memory.
-
Susan Well done Susan for accomplishing the piano technique and the audio technology!
-
Sindre Skarelven Thanks! Still having to think a little too hard in the second half.
-
Roy James-Pike thank you! I actually have been so busy lately I did not take my new mic that I ordered off Amazon out of its package yet…. I would like to try another recording soon with the mic and see how it compares. Not sure if I can find the time before this challenge ends.
-
-
What I worked on: Waltzes 12-16
What was easy: participating in the Challenge moved me to FINALLY start learning the seemingly untouchable waltzes – 7, 8, 13, 14, 16.
What was difficult: striving to beat one of my most enduring dreadful habits – hesitating before the downbeat.
We practice and overcome one hurdle at the time, as in anything in life: learning the music, understanding a little something about the character of a piece, finding what it brings to Op. 39 that is different from other waltzes, finding the courage to connect it to the waltz before it and the one that follows…repeat…repeat…repeat, with each repeat bringing its own set of inestimable rewards. I am grateful.
-
Monika Tusnady well done!! I like your smile at the end, a job well done. Nice voicing with each hand!
-
Monika oh my! I enjoyed it so much I watched it twice in a row. So beautifully played and you definitely brought out the different character of each waltz. Your love of the music is clear.
-
Susan O Susan, how kind of you! We work away at the music, don’t we, not knowing when or how we will reach a point of rest. Great expectations, as Dickens would say and worthwhile ones, too.
-
Monika Tusnady it’s so great! I didn’t hear any wrong note! Great level of concentration. May I ask, do you have any advice in order to not make any errors? No matter how much I practice I always hit 2-3 notes wrong
-
Monika Tusnady ¡¡Chapeau!! Monika. What an amazing work have you done with this challenge. You play absolutely musically. I enjoy and admire your playing very much. Only I can say: ¡¡Chapeau!
Tomorrow I'll try to make a video with three o four waltzes, it has been impossible for me to learn more this time (I've had a lot of work at school...)
-
David Bermudez O David, you are so sweet! In fact, I play many wrong notes but try to focus on 1. the right ones and, most importantly, 2. the direction of the music, the end goal of every phrase, and the shape the phrase needs to have to get there. We’re human, aren’t we, and perfection cannot be our (realistic) goal; what we can do is be a better pianist and person today than we were yesterday.
-
Monika yes, very well said.
-
Monika Tusnady Wonderful playing, Monika! Well done getting threw the entire set, chapeau!
-
Sindre Skarelven Thank you, Sindre! Chewing my way through these waltzes has been unspeakably rewarding!
-
Monika Tusnady Simply gorgeous! Your playing inspired me, sweet friend.
-
Gail Starr Thank you! These challenges give me a reason to want to do well - which is a receding target, as we all know, but one that we see with increased clarity at every level of playing!
-
-
Well done Monika! You've inspired me to look at No 16!
-
Roy James-Pike That’s interesting! No. 16 was a killer for me: though I understand it as “the last waltz” before the last adieu, perhaps, the ending seems like such a quick adieu i.e., there’s still something there that I’m missing! Isn’t there always?
-
Monika Tusnady I agree that no.16 is the hardest! So contrapuntal and the right hand needs to have internal-hand independence! Bravo!
-
-
Another week of distractions! I focused on No: 3, No: 5, No: 9 and No: 15, none of which is in a condition that is ready to share. I am using these challenges as a stimulus for scale and arpeggio practice, which I have evaded until now, to my detriment, so whatever the scale of the piece becomes part of my practice. I am at one with G# Minor presently.
-
Roy James-Pike It seems that these “distractions “ are very positive in your case!
-
Roy James-Pike That’s great that you’re still getting your practice in, even when you’re busy!
-
-
Hey everyone! Just want to let you know that I was not able to practice Brahms this week. I suddenly got a few extra gigs coming up in short time that I need to focus on. So I will not be doing challenges for the next few weeks.
That being said, I will finish this project later and maybe post a video when it’s ready :)
I have enjoyed following everyone’s progress threw these waltzes, it’s been a great challenge and an awesome month Dominic has put together!
-
@Sindre Skarelven I stand with you in thanking Dominic for the wonderful Gifts of a Month of Brahms!
-
Sindre Skarelven Of course we will be waiting your video, as always, Sindre!
-
Juan Carlos Olite That's good to know! I will post a video then, when it's ready!
-
