Welcome to the tonebase Piano Community!

I'm from Portland Oregon. I've played piano off and on for most of my life. I had stopped playing because I really couldn't find the right fit for a teacher and I wasn't progressing much at all, in spite of a lot of time invested in practice.

At the time there weren't online resources such as Tonebase... but this has opened a whole new world for me. The world-class resources are amazing and even though I do have a teacher now, I find I get so much inspiration and motivation from Tonebase - Penelope, Simon, Ben Laude - who gets access to great coaching like this!

I'm working on the Brahms Intermezzo Op 118 No. 2 - enjoyed the Tonebase lesson on it - now that I have most of the notes and fingering, I'm going back to the tutorial to start to refine the piece.

Also working on a few more simple pieces to keep some momentum going - my sight reading is atrocious so I'm also focusing on that - I realize it is making everything much easier and more fun when I don't struggle with that bit.

Thanks for the progress tracks and other new tracking tools - just gets better and better every time I log in.

Hi everyone! I'm Ben from Seattle. I've lived here for close to a decade now. I grew up in the bay area in California. There are too many food choices so I'll choose a favorite wine instead - Duckhorn's Merlot from Napa is what we consistently use for special events.

These past few months I've primarily been focused on the first movements of Schumann's Fantasie and Beethoven's Waldstein. I've also been working through Gryaznov's transcription of Borodin's Notturno (String Quartet #2) and few other small works.

I enjoy discussing music and learning from others and I think this community is perfect for that!

Hi: I am Jennifer. I was born in Shanghai, grew up in Houston and now live in NYC, where I have access to decent soup dumplings and BBQ.  However, for the real deal, nothing beat their birthplaces!
 

I learned piano as a child in China for about 2.5 years. I hated it. After a 30+ years of hiatus, I bought a piano on a whim over 2 years ago. It has been a love affair ever since.  
 

I started taking weekly lessons a year ago from a teacher who inspires me. I am almost done with Rachmaninoff’s Lilacs, and will start with his prelude 23/10 soon. (Schin — I’d love to hear your experience of learning this piece). Bach WTC preludes are a staple that I work on on the side. I also pick up random smaller pieces, like Ginastera’s danza de la moza donosa, which I find the tonebase video illuminating. 
 

I love meeting people who are obsessed about piano like me, and to learn and support each other. 

Hi Jennifer, I really love Lilacs! All the polyrhythms were tough, but it all comes together so beautifully. I can't help but fall in love with Rachmaninoff more and more. 

However, I did not realize there are two different Lilacs transcriptions for solo piano, one 'easier' and another more 'difficult'.. the easier one was more widely available and it was the one I ended up with. Now I am spending time trying to learn the other one to see which I like better.

I love soup dumplings too, I hope to try it in Houston!

Schin -- Yes, there are two versions, and Rachmaninoff performed and recorded both versions.  My teacher said that the more technical difficult one is more orchestral and emotionally open vs. the easier one (which I am working on) is more intimate.  I can definitely see that. 

The polyrhythm is not easy, but I find the polyphony to be very challenging -- definitely a good exercise for hand and finger independence. Hahaha, I can talk about Rach and Lilacs for hours, and don't want to clog the thread here. If you are interested, feel free to email me at [email protected].

Hi, 

I grew up in the tidewater area of Virginia, and have lived the past 30 years in Prague.  My favorite hometown food would be steamed Chesapeake Bay blue crabs with butter.

I am currently working on too many things :-) while preparing to record some recently discovered  pieces by Scottish composer Geraldine Mucha along with some other stuff.  Also Medtner, Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Debussy...  But actually I am not working too hard because it is summer and I like to bike.

As for what to get from the community, perhaps a sense of community.  Over here, I rarely see my colleagues socially, and no one wants just to play duets or two piano for fun, which is something I miss.  I love piano, and get the sense that Tonebase folks do as well.  Also, I very much like learning from a variety of artists with different backgrounds and experience.

Hi Everyone,

-I moved all over the US as a child, so I'm not really from anywhere. I have lived the longest periods of my life in Texas, Arizona, and California. My favorite food from any of those states would be a good Chile Relleno. 

-I am currently looking through the entire Little Preludes and Fughettas of Bach, many which I played decades ago and am revisiting, while others are new. I am bringing back Chopin's Fantasy Impromptu, performed with ease 45 years ago, and now am trying to have the stamina to get to the end without exhaustion! I'm also working through Levels 9 & 10 of the RCM program, going through Forrest Kinney's Chord Play series (awesome!), and reading Jeremy Siskind's "Playing Solo Jazz Piano", also recommended. My biggest challenge is practicing without getting evicted. ;)

-I am thrilled to be part of Tonebase. I watch the livestreams with Ben, Dominic, and the other wonderful teachers while eating my lunch and feel like I'm part of a piano community! I am committed to working on my skills, so Tonebase is perfect for pushing me along in my musical journey. 

It's nice to meet you!

Hi everyone! This is Jame from Spain (I think I'm the first one person from my country!).

As first ambassador of Spain, and specially of the Mediterranian region (Valencia), I'd recommend you our famous "Paella". It is so famous that it even has its own emoji! 

Currently I'm working on my personal reconciliation with the piano after some years with no playing because of personal issues, so I'm restudying some pieces from different styles just to have fun.

I hope to learn a lot from you, meeting nice and interesting people to share thoughts and passions. I'm so glad to have found ToneBase to make it possible!

Let's build the best piano community! You can find me everywhere as JAMEDAY