PS AdagioM, if you like Bluebird, you might also like Moments, which I recorded I think at the beginning of the pandemic:

Bluebird is lovely! I just downloaded the music and it is a delight to play. I haven’t been playing at all so that was a perfect way to begin. Also my piano desperately needs tuning.

quote:

Ravel's Sonatine

One of my all-time favorites!

I'm not playing nearly as much as I would like - COVID overtime really kicked my butt. When I do play now, I've noticed that the two years of inactivity has really affected my dexterity . So for now I'm mainly doing things that don't require huge reach or super complicated chords--things like Handel, Hayden, some of the Beethoven Bagatelles, etc.

I've mentioned before, but there is a composer named Jon Schmidt who has a composition, "Waterfall," which is pretty easy (very repetitive) and super fun to play--you all might like it, and you can get the sheet music from his website (I think). At any rate, I got it without going nuts, but I can't remember exactly how.

I realize that this is the composer playing, but honestly I feel like it's a bit too fast.

I'm happy for your tenure - and very happy you're playing again. I wouldn't worry about the gender your composer is identified with - work on things you enjoy. You've actually got talent. That makes things easier.

Have you tried any of Fanny Hensel (Mendelssohn)? My teacher always felt she was a superior composer for the piano than her brother.

Waterfall is so pretty! Maybe I'll play that next. I don't really like the synthesia (is that what's called?) but it matches his playing, which is very "sparkly!"

quote:

a composer named Jon Schmidt

He always plays fast!!!

He has several solo piano score collections, I got one from the library one time, I found it to be... not accessible to me! His compositions are really challenging and often at a really good clip.

For those who don't know, he's the piano half of The Piano Guy, and a really good arranger.

I find that a lot of times, solo piano arrangements of pop songs are kind of blah, but he did this arrangement of Perfect (by Ed Sheeran) and it's such a great arrangement. I've played this but not really polished it. His arrangement is great though!

Been playing organ. Have one at home (in the video, below), became proficient on YouTube subtitles/captioning thanks to Pete Buttigieg doing it before anyone when he ran for POTUS -- he had all the tech stuff in his commercials LONG before any other candidate.

I like being the whole orchestra. I take simply tunes -- usually American folk tunes or Welsh/Anglican or English Baroque hymns, arrange them, write variations, record them, and upload them to YouTube. Very fun, very educational, and very liberating.

Here's one I did on American river-oriented songs, with subtitles, when the river where I keep my RV (the "Tippecanoe") flooded last July 4th...

Always original arrangments. Nothing pre-printed.

Enjoy... Set the video to 0:00 to make sure you get the closed captions. If they don't come on automatically (a trick I learned from Pete Buttigieg) just turn them on manually.

Mary Anna... I read that you got tenure a while back and big congrats on that. You've come such a long way -- such a struggle and so committed. I'm gratified that I was able to meet you in person so long ago.

I've moved away from sheet music/written music. I improvise and then make up something that feels right to my heart that hopefully resembles the original music.. Just where my heart is taking me.

Very enjoyable though. Still got that Steinway in the master bedroom. Just had it tuned about 4 months ago, from my USAPianoTrucker days.

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna:
I've been fooling around with ... the easier Scriabin preludes,

Which ones, out of curiosity? I've been playing through 4-5 of the minor key preludes in Op 11.

I've also been playing a few Rach etudes-tableaux and some easier Ravel pieces.

I think the only female composer in my music bookshelf is Clara.

quote:

some easier Ravel pieces

That reminds me, I have a few of these in a book of French composers, I've been meaning to try one of the Ravel pieces.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna:
I've been fooling around with ... the easier Scriabin preludes,

Which ones, out of curiosity? I've been playing through 4-5 of the minor key preludes in Op 11.

I had never played Scriabin until, several years ago, I was noodling around in an anthology of twentieth century music and found Op. 13, No. 3, Op. 11, No. 9, and Op. 16, No. 4. They were in my slow-and-pretty-and-not-too-hard wheelhouse, so when I saw the Henle edition of Opus 11 at a music store's going-out-of-business-sale, I grabbed it. And then didn't open it for years.

I've just been sightreading in it this week, so haven't settled on which ones to work on. No. 4 is pretty readable, so I think it's a keeper. So is No. 5, except those huge broken chords at the end are giving me fits. I think No. 32 is achievable.

But those are all slow. I want to try some of the faster ones, but haven't decided which. I listened to all of them and was terribly daunted, until I remembered that I don't have to play them at ludicrous speed. Which ones do you recommend?

I've also always been daunted by Rachmaninoff and I know you play him. Do you recommend any of those?

I bought some Clara Schumann at the same sale, Ops. 6 and 16, but the editions are terrible. The music is hard to read, and the pieces are difficult enough that I really need fingerings. I've worked a bit on one of the preludes and fugues, Op. 16, No. 3, but I've kinda hit a wall without those fingerings.

Ken recommended Fanny Mendelssohn. I'd like to try her, but I'd have to music shop--which I probably will do, but Quirt would tell you that I don't need more music. At least I'm getting good use out of my vast collection lately. I'm really enjoying reading through a lot of new stuff. I read through one of Fanny's brother's Songs without Words, Op. 102, No. 4, and liked it well enough to keep working on it.

Maybe I'll drag Amy Beach out again and see if I like her this time.

quote:

Quirt would tell you that I don't need more music

My approach to sheet music purchases is Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Mary Anna -

Rachmaninoff is tough because even the 'easier' preludes and etudes there's usually one page where he reminds you that he plays like Rachmaninoff and you don't. lol

Probably the most accessible prelude (and it's gorgeous) is 23/1 in F#m.

Here's Ashkenazi playing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xCR3HjYwyw


Probably the most accessible etude (and again GEORGEOUS) is the G minor in Op 39. It does have one fast passage that takes work.

Here's Lugansky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnokX-cu3sU



As for Scriabin I think I've been playing 11/4, 11/10, 11/14, 11/16 recently. 11/14 is the more difficult of those. 11/16 seems to me a nod to Chopin's funeral march, it's even in the same key.


You know 11/4, ever heard Chick Corea riff on it?


Watch this, just try not to hear him say the word 'song'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OthNenOt5Q

Also speaking of Scriabin he has an accessible etude, Op 2 #1. I might have played it at a piano party with you at some point, it was in my fingers back then. I've since picked up 8/11 and played with 8/2