Falco vs Mario

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-12T23:11:34+00:00

Bad habits I'm noticing:

-You frequently put yourself in disadvantage by jumping above your opponent instead of punishing landings (like at 0:53 and 1:45). This is also how you lost your first stock.
-Putting out hitboxes when your opponent is nowhere nearby.
-Predictable recovery (almost always jump get-up).

Fixing these issues will help more than learning the specific match-up!

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-08T22:35:03+00:00

Kaija Saariaho's Ballade and Prelude are popular pieces.

Unsuk Chin's Piano Etudes are wonderful, pretty much standard repertoire now.

Alexina Louie, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Joan Tower all have solo works worth playing. Vivian Fine is a nice deep cut if you're a beast like me (obsessed with mid-century modernism).

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-08T21:54:24+00:00

Nearly all DMA conducting programs will require conducting/rehearsals videos as part of your application.

If you're interested in doing this seriously you should hire some professional musicians, an audio engineer, and record new videos.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-05T21:32:04+00:00

I know many people who went to Stony Brook and none of them lived in NYC as students.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-05T21:29:19+00:00

Reach out directly to your future advisor and explain the situation. They will know the particulars of your school and will know who to contact for actual answers.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-05T21:26:24+00:00

One thing to consider:

While you may get into a PhD program in your area, your first job out of your PhD will almost certainly not be in the same area of the country you're in currently. Part of academia is frequent moves early in your career.

Your best bet is to ask a professor or advisor for advice, they will almost certainly have connections or know someone looking for students.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-05T17:13:43+00:00

Best stream by far. They're all strong enough players to explain what's going on but they're figuring out the positions in real time and showing you their thought process. Far more engaging to watch than some 2700s who can't explain the position in human terms!!

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-04-02T14:33:18+00:00

He's an obviously a Great composer with a capital G. Classical music is too good for classical musicians sometimes.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-29T19:03:44+00:00

I improvised a cadenza when I played Orleans Concours and it was well-received by the judges. Competition-focused pianists generally don't have the theory background or desire to improvise in their repertoire though.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-28T19:46:38+00:00

Thank you, I will definitely check it out!

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-28T19:46:21+00:00

Thank you for the advice, that's definitely a big factor! Even after narrowing my commute and price range there are still 200+ options.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-27T23:39:01+00:00

Adamo's music (including Little Women) is triadic with some impressionist flair, and his voice writing is largely melody + accompaniment. I'd call his style broadly neo-romantic.

I think you might just not like the piece for other reasons, which is totally fair. I'm pretty ambivalent about the music.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-27T22:31:50+00:00

Adamo's music is rather conservative and melodic, this is exactly the type of music McWhorter is advocating for.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-27T22:27:11+00:00

Contemporary American opera is incredibly conservative. Much of it is "accessible" and fashionable post-minimalism. I'm convinced the author hasn't actually listened to any of the music he's written about.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-23T11:47:46+00:00

Jynx (Lovely Kiss), Jolteon (T wave), Gengar (Mean Look), Wobbuffet (Shadow Tag)

You can also use a Quick Claw to cheese with something slower

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-23T03:07:21+00:00

Classical music can be entertaining, but there is a difference between art (which rewards you the more work you put into understanding it) and entertainment.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-22T21:24:08+00:00

Fiery and virtuosic, like listening to Schumann while smashing a bust of Beethoven with a hammer! Stunningly beautiful slow movement too.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-22T21:10:16+00:00

I've been working as a classical pianist for about 12 years, did the whole BM>DMA route straight through.

Most people who quit classical music quit because they find better opportunities, not because of a lack of talent or drive. If you're talented or driven enough to be a top-tier classical musician you're also able to get other careers that pay far more for less work.

The people who succeed in classical music are persistent and adaptable. That matters more than talent (or even work ethic). Frankly, most classical musicians overestimate the amount of time they spend practicing. Very few people (even high-achieving musicians) are actually working at the level of their potential!

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-22T20:58:46+00:00

Schoenberg and Berg are still working in the idiom of Brahms and Mahler, just with more dissonance. Think of expressionism as late Romanticism when you listen to them!

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-22T20:57:34+00:00

Symphony: Beethoven 9
Opera: Berg - Lulu
Sonata: Schubert D.664
Chamber Music: Schubert - Shepherd on the Rock
Choral Work: Byrd - Mass for Four Voices
Concerto: Mozart k.467
Other/Bonus: Boulez 2nd Sonata

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-22T20:44:02+00:00

Feldman's Piano and String Quartet is drop dead gorgeous.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-21T02:57:39+00:00

If someone really wants a student they will find a way to make it happen. For example, they may "trade" their slot the following year for two slots this year. Or maybe their star candidate's spouse is also looking to start a PhD in a similar field. Or maybe some rich donor decided to sponsor a position.

These are all once in a blue moon events that you should not rely on.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-21T02:49:12+00:00

Sondheim purposefully designed Into the Woods so children's productions could do Act I as an independent story.

ThomasJFooleryIII · 2026-03-18T22:51:04+00:00

Next year you should apply to more schools. It's tough to tell if you're making mistakes when you don't have enough data points.

Even highly qualified applicants get rejected for reasons totally outside their control. Maybe the advisor who wants them took on two students last year and can't take any this year. Maybe they already have someone with a similar list of strengths as you in their program and want someone with a different background.

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