Read Me and FAQ
WELCOME TO OUR LATEST TONEBASE PIANO COMMUNITY PRACTICE CHALLENGE:
Preparing Your Pieces For Concert - A Checklist!
Community Concerts have been a staple of tonebase's interactive environment for some time now! What is a community concert? It is a private zoom meeting (not recorded) where tonebase members can perform music that they have been working on lately for EACH OTHER! It is a judgement-free zone. One of the best ways to learn, is by DOING. Something we encourage wholeheartedly here at tonebase!
Perhaps you have played on one before, or want to play on the next one coming up! Maybe you just want to get your piece to the next level!
This challenge is for you!
During this month I will assign a different practice tip each week specifically designed as a lead up to a COMMUNITY CONCERT on January 7th, at 11am PT.
What if I can't join this concert, don't want to play on this date, or I just want to be in the audience?
That's ok! You can still get ALOT of benefit out of focusing on your pieces in new ways with performance in mind. Give these strategies a try and see where it takes you!
What are we doing?
We are aiming at taking our pieces to the next level by preparing them for concert level through a preparation checklist. Each week, a new concept/tip/focus will be posted and you should try to employ that in your practice! Post video updates of your practice to keep yourself accountable!
Our goal is to do one of the following things on January 7th:
Perform on the tonebase community concert! 
Support our friends by being in the virtual audience for the concert!
Perform privately for some friends, family or even just yourself!
Pat yourself on the back that you tried your best and practiced some new things!
When does this take place?
Challenge start: December 12
Practice days: December 12 - January 6
Community Concert: January 7th, 2023 at 11am PT
Zoom link right here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85908307717?pwd=VnFWbWd3QTYwdStjMjI0c0JITldzQT09
HOW TO START:
1. Pick a piece you want to take to the next level! (It should be a piece that you have already learned the notes for, and you want to prepare for concert level. Or it could be a piece that you feel is easy enough to learn in 4 weeks!)
2. Start following the checklist of strategies starting December 12th!
If you are comfortable with it, add a video or audio of yourself practicing the concept!
3. Practice every day and try to post 2 videos a week!
Why are we doing this?
Because we want to challenge ourselves to practice every day
Because learning together is more fun than learning alone
Because we get to share our progress with others (whether video or just text)
Because new music is wonderful and these pieces were written especially for us!
Because we want to meet our fellow tonebase community members
Because we get to hear new music which we might not play ourselves
Ask any questions you might have below!
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I want to participate too. Like Gail, I won’t have much access to a piano over the holidays as I’ll be traveling but I’d like to do the weekly assignments. I can focus on the Rach Prelude Opus 32/12 or Chopin Nocturne Opus 48/1
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Hi Dominic
. I recently joined Tonebase. I’d like to participate - have not decided which piece to play yet. -
I’m in! A beginner piece which I can play and is almost memorised: Melody from Schumann’s Album for the Young.
Thank you Dominic - developing performance skills is my focus for 2023.
And now I’ve made myself accountable for this learning commitment! -
I’m eager to get tips for myself and to pass along to my students. Thank you for having a community prep. I’m thinking to work up Chopin’s Ocean Etude.
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I would love to participate, but where I am, 11am PT is the equivalent of 5am. I'm not too keen on waking everyone up
. Is there any way I can still perform but at a more appropriate time?-
Hannah We can perhaps offer you the option to record something beforehand?
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Dominic Cheli that sounds like a good option. I'm assuming we'll arrange something closer to the date.
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Thank you Dominic for this new Community Challenge! I would like to participate playing one of these two Scarlatti Sonatas: K27 or K141. I will follow the practice tips with both and I will choose one of them for the Community Concert...
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Looking forward to taking part in this challenge as well.
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Hi Dominic Cheli , I'd like to participate with Bach's prelude and fugue no. 2 (c minor), book 1. Thank you!
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Great challenge! I would like to participate with Mozart sonata in A-minor K310. I can play the first movement in the concert (Or the whole thing if it's time).
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Now that I’m in Europe for the next 2 months, this challenge is no longer at an ungodly hour!
I’d like to try to participate to bring up 1-2 pieces one notch up, or at the very least to be a virtual audience If I get cold feet! Very curious all this while about past community concerts that I’ve not been able to watch. The piece I’m thinking is one that I’ve just learnt the notes this past week and on the way to memory sing it - The Lark by Glinka / Balakirev.
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May I join? I'll try my hand at Jesu, joy of man's desiring. (Myra hess)
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Angelina Tan Of course you can join! yay!
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I would like to participate in the challenge! Although I can’t practice piano before/after Christmas due to a family trip, it will be fun!
I’m currently practicing Chopin Ballad No3.
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I’d like to join in as well. Am thinking about which piece.
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I would like to join. I would like to play Chopin's Nocturne E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2
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I would love to join though the timing doesn't work for me for the next couple of months. Would you consider running this challenge again some time later next year?
Personally I'm considering only performing slow pieces for the time being ... until I feel more confident in controlling my shaky fingers during performance!!!
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This is a great idea! I'll be following and practising with the checklist, and maybe post a video too!
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Will we be able to sign up or follow along here?
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Dominic Cheli and all, wow!! Looking forward to hearing you all!! XXXX Such times as these: joyful, full of hope ... are what make life worth the living of it. +
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I will not be at the piano as much as I would like the next few weeks, but would like to take Schubert’s Impromptu Op 90 No 3 to the next level. Looking forward to the tips/strategies.
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Can I still sign up for this now? Or is it too late?
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AJ I'm pretty sure you can jump into a community challenge whenever you can - it's best to start at the beginning, of course, but not an absolute requirement for these challenges!
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Michelle R Thank you so much! I just posted my video last night in the Week 2 thread
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