Week 3: Progress Check!
WELCOME TO THE LATEST COMMUNITY CHALLENGE!
For this challenge "A Fresh Start" the goal is to pick a BRAND-NEW piece to work on this month.
This is the time to finally open that score that you have been thinking about and get to work!
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN WEEK 3?
1. Let's share how our practice is going by posting a video, or writing some comments about our past week!
2. Practice your piece!
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Here’s my week 3 post. A bunch of neighbor notes, some missed “musical moments”, and played a bit too fast. Much to work on but I have the general feel for the piece.
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Heng-Pin Chen Thank you!
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Vidhya Bashyam Sounding good! Definitely coming together. Also...audio sounds improved! Did you change something with your setup, or is it just me? Haha.
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Marc M Thanks! I keep moving my external microphone (apogee hypemic) to find where it sounds better- in the piano, on the piano or next to the piano! I think this was on the piano- maybe I should just stick with that location if it sounds better (and until I can do a better set up like you have).
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Finally got some time to record it. For No 1, I need to work more on the shaping of phrases/voices. No 2, I am still trying to find a better interpretation of it. No 3, from bar 47 to end, my left hand chords are not secure yet.
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Heng-Pin Chen Really skillful dynamic control and voicing on No 1, and I love your contrasts in character between the three of them.
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Heng-Pin Chen Bravo! Just so enjoyable to listen to your interpretation of this set of pieces!
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Heng-Pin Chen oh my gosh really beautiful! I really loved 1 and 2 but they all sound superb!
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Heng-Pin Chen Beautiful playing! I know #1 really well, and remember all the work my son put in on voicing and phrasing - your choices are lovely. I don't know #2, so hesitate to comment on it. There are some quite beautiful moments, but I can't really feel where it's going at other times - which could be the purpose of the piece! But I found that I couldn't settle in to listening to it. #3 is so much fun. I enjoy the lightness and sparkle you bring to it. Fantastic job on these three pieces! Just wonderful.
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Heng-Pin Chen That was very beautiful, Heng-Pin! The clarity in the voices, and dynamic contrasts is coming really well threw. Well done!
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Judy Kuan Thank you for your comment :)
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you! I still need to polish and memorize them.
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Andrea LeVan Thank you for liking them :)
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Michelle R You are absolutely right on No 2. I am still looking for how to interpret the piece better. I don't really understand it yet and still searching for the direction. It's too short to make it musically well. The only thing I can do now it to make the "notes" in beautiful singing tone. I'll definitely keep exploring more on the piece.
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Heng-Pin Chen I love how things lead up to that middle voice at 1:47. Nice work!
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This is where I am at the moment. I feel a bit stuck with this piece. It never seems to come out exactly how I want it to. I'm not quite sure how to achieve the moods and contrasts I want to express, but we'll see.
Hopefully I'll be able to play and record on a real instrument next week. I only have a digital piano at home and it's just not quite the same.
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maijahildur I think you're sounding really convincing and flowing! Agree that digital instruments have limited dimensions and look forward to hopefully hearing this on an acoustic!
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maijahildur Sounding great! Very melodic and flowing!
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maijahildur wow I thought that was absolutely beautiful and I do think it can be more difficult to get big dynamic contrasts on digital piano’s. I have also had a digital for a very long time but am so excited to be finally getting the Kawai K300 hybrid with the aures digital system in a few weeks, so it’s going to be interesting to really hear the contrast that can be achieved with an acoustic again. I though you did an amazing job though with bringing out the expressiveness of the piece even with the limitations of a digital
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maijahildur Amazing and can't wait to hear you play on the acoustics! I love the shimmering sound of this piece.
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maijahildur This is really pretty, Maija. Your playing put a smile on my face. In the first half, I imagined a young girl on a farm in spring. She had an egg basket, and was happily skipping to and fro gathering eggs, playing gleefully with the chickens, but then she slipped in the mud and things took a different turn! I thoroughly enjoyed listening!
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maijahildur Great playing, Maija! I love it!
I think it's quite typical that we can feel a bit stuck after that initial period of first learning a new piece. At least I completely recognize that feeling. But it seems that you know what you want, and then I'm sure you get there!
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maijahildur I really like this piece and your tempo and fluidity.
My Chinese name translates to "birch tree" (flower character with wood radical), so I certainly must add it to my bucket too.
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Michelle R What a perfect story! It truly fits.
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maijahildur Wow! You've brought this piece to a super solid level in such a short time. Thank you for introducing me to this piece. You'll do a great job on an acoustic instrument...I think you'll enjoy the added resonance.
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maijahildur I agree, it flows nicely.
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