2/25/16

Hey all,

I have had such a busy week/weekend that I was not able to post on time, but here I am! So I have my midterm piece chosen and I am making some progress on my timing. Now its time to focus on some more technical things, like finger bending on the keys, because I am guilty of not putting my hand on a piano correctly. I also think I have been doing a solid job of reading the notes, but I could use some more work, and that all ties into my timing. Hopefully I can get some more practice in because that midterm is sneaking up on us!!!

While i'm finding it difficult to read the music sheet, i still try to play some songs by hearing lol!!!

Video (2/22)

Hi everyone! The piece I am working on is called "La candeur" by Burgmüller. Here is a clip of the beginning of the song.

Hey guys!
Here's my video for the week. Clearly i have the first part down pretty well but i am still working on the second part. Its a little slow but i have all the notes correct and the rhythm, so now i just need to work on getting it to full pace.

Hey guys! I finally got swipe access to the piano labs (yay!) so I practiced more than last week. I've been trying to get jingle bells down for the past few days, which was difficult at first. I struggled with getting my hands to both be playing at the same time, but I've definitely seen improvements this week. There's a mistake or two, but here's the link to my video for this week!

2/18 and Video

Hey guys,

So today I worked on Star Wars and I think that is going to be my midterm piece, but I also worked on Somewhere Over the Rainbow today, and this video is of the very first time I played it right out of the book no practice, so notes are wrong, timing is off, its a mess, not to mention my voice.... anyway I am sharing this as a way to show my progress with this song through the semester. Good luck to you all, see you/meet you at the midterm!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnzgKmVDUkQ

Beauty and the Beast

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11_eHalve5XWKGwXPGy82tSap5m-QNOAaKw/view

Thank you for all your posts!

Please post at least one video this week. Let me know if you have any issues with this.

Thank you for all your hard work!

Laura

Tempo and New Piece

This week I have been working on maintaining a better tempo with "Beauty and the Beast." I am still looking for another piece to begin preparing for the recital but I keep finding pieces too difficult with convoluted chords and fast beats that I can't keep up with. I tried "What's This?" from The Nighmare Before Christmas and "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, but their too difficulty. Anyone know any good places to find more beginner friendly music? Thanks!

This week I've been practice Aura Lee on page 17 of the book. I've been practicing win my left hand which I'm not too good at yet.

2/16/16

I started working on Divenire by Ludovico Einaudi and the intro is going pretty well but I'm having some trouble trying to get my hands to coordinate during the more complex parts. I've gone to the piano labs a few times and I've noticed that the keyboards are much easier to play this particular song on due to the length I've had to stretch my fingers for the chorus. Lastly I've finally figure out the most effective way to use the foot petals when playing, which is something I've had some trouble deciphering.

Me playing page 77 in book 1

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=syqOua0JTjc

Hi everyone!
this week i have been playing the beginnings to a few songs trying to decide one i like for the midterm. I went on the website music notes which Bill recommended to me last class. I like the arrangements on there for a lot of modern songs, which sometimes can be hard to find. It's also pretty cheap, so its a good website everyone should check out!

2/11/16

So today I was mainly focusing on my music for the show this past weekend, so plunking some notes got me up to speed on my reading, but I also did a warm up of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and recorded it on the first try. I will post later, but its pretty bad! haha not horrible for my first run of it and having to read it on the spot. Still working on my timing for Star Wars and looking for that perfect midterm piece.

Hi everyone!

I'm enjoying reading about your experiences so far.

This week, try to post a short video of your playing. Remember, this does not have to be a full piece, just something that represents where you are in your piano journey.

Touch base with me if you're having trouble with videos- most people choose to upload them to youtube, then they'll be accessible to you by clicking the video icon and choosing "my videos."

Keep practicing!
Laura

First Hour of Practice Ever!

I have a huge appreciation for professional pianists.  The level of dexterity is insane and I have a long way to go.  On the upside, I was finally able to jingle bells (or at least the version without A and B).  If someone knows how to upload videos let me know!

Hey Everyone! I was practicing a beginner's version of "Beauty and the Beast" and almost have the whole song down (timing still needs work). I was wondering if anyone knew how I would play the measure with the flats and the sharps that I pasted above. Thanks!

Hey guys sorry I am late on the scene. I have access to way to many gmail accounts....anyway!! Hope everybody is enjoying their semester and piano playing. When I got the chance to meet a couple of you I heard you were beginners, and I know there are some veterans around. No matter your level keep doing your best you're going to have so much fun!!! Anyway, enough about you lets hear about me. Today I had my first meeting with Laura since last semester. Of course, gotta work on my timing and reading what the instructions surrounding the notes are. I realized that my ability to sight read has not left me, but can definitely be improved. I am playing "Star Wars" which is the main title. Its a great way to start my semester. Can't wait to get it down.

First Practice

My name is Kerry Podest and I'm a sophomore business major with no musical background or experience at all. I practiced today in the keyboard room because I still don't have access to the piano labs. I read through the first few pages of the book and did the hand warms up they mentioned. I'm doing better than I thought with playing without the letters written in the notes, but I'm having trouble figuring out the beats and count stuff. I hope that more practice this week will help me figure it out!