• Welcome to The Audio Annex! If you have any trouble logging in or signing up, please contact 'admin - at - theaudioannex.com'. Enjoy!
  • HTTPS (secure web browser connection) has been enabled - just add "https://" to the start of the URL in your address bar, e.g. "https://theaudioannex.com/forum/"
  • Congratulations! If you're seeing this notice, it means you're connected to the new server. Go ahead and post as usual, enjoy!
  • I've just upgraded the forum software to Xenforo 2.0. Please let me know if you have any problems with it. I'm still working on installing styles... coming soon.

Playing piano again!

PaulyT

PaulyT

Behind the Curtain
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Superstar
Well, I'm off to church in a few minutes, and for the first time in about a year and a half, will be playing piano in public. I'm doing all the hymns and special music, subbing for our usual organist who's out today. I have no idea how to play a pipe organ! :eek: So I'll be using a plain 'ole Steinway B grand piano (actually it's a beautiful instrument, and my favorite model of the Steinway line), which we don't use often enough in my church anyway, IMHO. :laughing:

Wish me luck! It's not a huge deal, but I'm nervous anyway.

But more importantly, preparing for this has convinced me that I need/want to start taking (classical) lessons again. I miss the music, and I want my daughters to grow up having it in the house on a regular basis. Plus I'm also going to start my older daughter (almost 8) on lessons at the same time. Fortunately I have a very good teacher and friend, who I took with for many years up until my second daughter was born. I just hope I can find time between work and video games and bourbon drinking and yoga to get a little daily practice in! :eusa-whistle:
 
Good luck with this Paul, and good luck today performing!

It can be hard to find the time to fit everything in sometimes. Hope you can find a way to manage it all.

I know I get frustrated sometimes trying to squeeze in all the activities I want to do weekly.

Let us know how today goes, it may be the first step in a new direction for you.

D
 
Go get em Paul!!!!

Just curious about one thing....................you have been classically trained for many years, why do you think that you need lessions again???? Is it a dicipline thing??
 
Correct me if im wrong didnt Dean Martin accomplish drinking and piano at same time :D

Good luck wish I had a talent like that my whole family was musical except for me I didnt have the displine to keep with anything I wanted to play and play now.

I envy you all that can.
 
Thanks, gents. Went pretty well, I didn't screw up anything really obvious except for forgetting the "amen" chords at the end of the doxology (the short verse we always sing after the offertory). :laughing: Oh well, no biggie. My solo pieces went fine, as did the accompaniment of our tenor in a short song, and had a few compliments from folks afterward. Not a hugely crowded sanctuary today on NY, sort of like Christmas morning last weekend with maybe ~80 people in attendance, where normally we have ~150.

Heeman, lessons serve a few purposes for me. Yes first it motivates me to practice more regularly. But it's also about continuing education in musical interpretation. Classical piano, since the notes are already set down (that is, unlike jazz), is all about interpretation, expressing some musical nuance through the notes the composer has written. There is always something more to learn. And despite the fact that I've been playing (with the occasional hiatus) since I was 5, I'm nowhere near the level of someone who's been trained as a concert pianist. And yeah there's some technical skill to improve on as well, that's another never-ending road; but it's more about the music for me now.

I do feel that all the time I've spent on critical listening to music - of all sorts - over the past few years has sharpened my ear, both for the tone of the piano to some degree - and I love playing in our big sanctuary on a full-size grand - but even more in the recognition and appreciation for a musical line. So even though a lot of the music I've been into has been non-classical, it all applies still in the expression of a musical idea. I feel a new maturity in that sense, and I look forward to seeing where it leads.
 
PaulyT said:
Thanks, gents. Went pretty well, I didn't screw up anything really obvious except for forgetting the "amen" chords at the end of the doxology (the short verse we always sing after the offertory). :laughing: Oh well, no biggie. My solo pieces went fine, as did the accompaniment of our tenor in a short song, and had a few compliments from folks afterward. Not a hugely crowded sanctuary today on NY, sort of like Christmas morning last weekend with maybe ~80 people in attendance, where normally we have ~150.

Heeman, lessons serve a few purposes for me. Yes first it motivates me to practice more regularly. But it's also about continuing education in musical interpretation. Classical piano, since the notes are already set down (that is, unlike jazz), is all about interpretation, expressing some musical nuance through the notes the composer has written. There is always something more to learn. And despite the fact that I've been playing (with the occasional hiatus) since I was 5, I'm nowhere near the level of someone who's been trained as a concert pianist. And yeah there's some technical skill to improve on as well, that's another never-ending road; but it's more about the music for me now.

I do feel that all the time I've spent on critical listening to music - of all sorts - over the past few years has sharpened my ear, both for the tone of the piano to some degree - and I love playing in our big sanctuary on a full-size grand - but even more in the recognition and appreciation for a musical line. So even though a lot of the music I've been into has been non-classical, it all applies still in the expression of a musical idea. I feel a new maturity in that sense, and I look forward to seeing where it leads.
Click to expand...

I am glad that you did well today..... :text-bravo: I knew you would!!!

I guess the lessons will help you reach your own goals with respect to that wonderful instrument and music.

Dedication and practice along with a great teacher is a perfect receipt...........best of luck, my friend!
 
Congrats Pauly, glad to hear you jumped back on the old horse. I somehow had a feeling based on your comments on "my Christams present" thread that you would take it up again seriously.

I envy anyone who can read music and actually play an instrument and make it sound like music, cuz so far that sure ain't happenin with me.
 
Well I have been playing off and on since I started this thread, but I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that only just TODAY have I actually set up a real definite piano lesson - both for me and my 8yo daughter, for later this week (while she's off for her spring break). I'd e-mailed back and forth with my teacher (who I also consider a personal friend) a few times since Jan., but for various reason hadn't gotten around to getting the lessons started - mostly I'm a terrible procrastinator, and also because I still wonder just how the hell I'm gonna fit something new and substantial like piano lessons and regular practice into my chaotic schedule. You all know my mantra, "too many projects." Well hopefully this one will truly stick. But I really really want to get my kids started on this as well, and my daughter's asked a few times in the past month when she's gonna start lessons, as a number of her friends are doing so; may as well take advantage of some peer pressure as long as it's in the right direction! :laughing:
 
That's awesome Pauly. I had to make myself come downstairs and practice first thing this morning cuz I figured my brother and I were going fishing. We did and I am glad that I got in a pretty good hour of practice.

Procrastination is always the hardest part. Once I get started or get going then I am good.

Get after it brother.
 
My daughter and I had our second lessons today - her second lesson ever, she's off to a great start and was able to read some music with both hands in her lesson today. She seems to be enjoying it a lot and is soaking it all in quite rapidly from what I can tell so far. I'm also enjoying getting back to some serious playing and lessons again myself; I find that the past several years of intense music listening, and major broadening of my horizons in music outside of classical, has really changed how I hear and approach my own playing - for the better. Even after only a few lessons after my ~5 year hiatus, I can sense a deeper musicality, some more definite musical intentions in what I'm playing, rather than just trying to get the notes right. My technique's not quite up to where it was before, but I'm confident it'll come back.

I've managed to squeeze in some practice time, not easy, but maybe playing less video games will help. :oops: And advanced lessons aren't cheap, so there's some juggling of finances involved, but I really want my kids to grow up with music being played on something more than just the stereo; I'm intentionally practicing my own music when the kids are around so they get more exposure. Hopefully it'll all pay off!
 
PaulyT said:
I find that the past several years of intense music listening, and major broadening of my horizons in music outside of classical, has really changed how I hear and approach my own playing - for the better. Even after only a few lessons after my ~5 year hiatus, I can sense a deeper musicality, some more definite musical intentions in what I'm playing, rather than just trying to get the notes right.
Click to expand...

And that there's just magic! :text-bravo: :text-bravo: :text-bravo:

My life hasn't gone the best in a lot of ways, but I'm so thankful for the musical experiences, and exposure, that I've been blessed with.
 
Botch said:
but I'm so thankful for the musical experiences, and exposure, that I've been blessed with.
Click to expand...
I'll echo that statement with a great big :text-+1:
 
Botch said:
PaulyT said:
I find that the past several years of intense music listening, and major broadening of my horizons in music outside of classical, has really changed how I hear and approach my own playing - for the better. Even after only a few lessons after my ~5 year hiatus, I can sense a deeper musicality, some more definite musical intentions in what I'm playing, rather than just trying to get the notes right.
Click to expand...

And that there's just magic! :text-bravo: :text-bravo: :text-bravo:

My life hasn't gone the best in a lot of ways, but I'm so thankful for the musical experiences, and exposure, that I've been blessed with.
Click to expand...

:text-+1: :text-+1:

That's great to hear Pauly.


Dennie :eusa-clap:
 
So I've been back at it for a little over a month, it's going well. I'm very happy to be playing again. And it's coming back pretty quickly; I played the first movement of Beethoven's "Appassionata" sonata today, and while I'm not exactly Van Cliburn yet, I think I'm doing a respectable job - and it's a pretty hard piece (which I had played before, so I'm not learning this one completely from scratch). It's my favorite of the Beethoven sonatas, it's a seriously cool piece.

My daughter's doing well too, she can read both treble and bass clefs, can play with both hands together, and is now working on learning time signatures and note values (e.g. quarters, eighths, etc.). She's not the most patient in the world with practicing, but is really enjoying learning to read music. It's kinda fun to watch.
 
Excellent news.

Practice is the hardest part for me, I have been so busy for the last several weeks that I have not been practicing like I should.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top