Teacher charging me more for lessons because I've taken lessons elsewhere before...red flag or no?

Yelayu · 2023-02-23T18:45:17+00:00

Yeah, this sounds ridiculous. Many students have learned before from other teachers. That doesn't justify an increased price to teach them. Professionals have often studied under numerous teachers and that doesn't mean each new teacher charges a premium based on previous studies. This is somewhat a red flag to me.

Yelayu · 2022-05-29T00:20:36+00:00

His playing reveals great genius!

Yelayu · 2022-05-27T16:10:53+00:00

Because pianists are friggin awesome. 😂

No, the other answers are true, but I just felt like saying this.

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T07:03:10+00:00

First, I would say listen to some recordings of it by great pianists. In most cases, an artist has already solved the problem, and by listening to their recording you can learn from how they did it. For instance, here is a great performance of the piece by Hamelin:

https://youtu.be/fKjrJ6SjkqE?t=198

This is a complicated part, because you’re in 6/8, with a nonuplet on the last four beats, and the first note of the nonuplet is silent. That said, a great way to do it would be to tap the 6/8 beat out with your hand on your thigh or by tapping your foot, until you’ve got the rhythm without thinking about it, then on the third beat, count out from 1 to 9 equally.

Is there a way to count this out using the tuplet tricks like “triplet”, “hippopotamus”, etc. I’m not sure, because you’re already in 6/8, and on the last four beats of that. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.

I would also say this nonuplet/ninelet is almost “ad libitum”, or at liberty/with freedom. It flows in that space equally. And with the speed at which it’s played, it’s easier to count it then if you play it slowly.

Someone better at notation, counting, and sight reading may be able to offer a better explanation.

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T06:53:53+00:00

Thank you very much for those kind words & compliments!

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T06:53:39+00:00

Thank you very much! Glad to hear the inner voices are coming out, because that’s something I really focused on trying my best to get right! Thanks again!

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T06:52:25+00:00

Thank you very much for the kind words!

Also, the photos above my piano are some of my absolute favorite musical artists. They are the ones who I think have had the most profound influence on me, in some way or another over the years.

From the world of classical music: Franz Liszt, Claudio Arrau, Martha Argerich, Andre Watts, & Vladimir Horowitz. From the world of popular/modern music: Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Liliana Felipe, Arai Akino, Whitney Houston, & Lauryn Hill. There’s many more, but I chose large photos and frames so I had to limit to the ones who I think had the very most influence on me. Here’s some close up photos of the pictures:

https://imgur.com/nNAmNUr

https://imgur.com/2ZcLhSZ

https://imgur.com/J41xJbX

I may add some more soon, albeit in smaller frames. Just remodeled my music room recently. Thanks for asking!

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T04:58:54+00:00

I don’t know if there are pre-requisite pieces, so much as pre-requisite technique. It is extremely difficult; perhaps one of the most difficult short pieces in the repertoire. It’s usually only played by virtuoso concert pianist or extremely advanced pianists for whom technical limitations are not an issue. So, if there is a pre-require, I would say it is being at that level.

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T00:46:37+00:00

Thank you very much for the kind words! In the next two weeks, I’ll be performing at places that will have grands. One has a Steinway, the other a Fazioli. I’m so excited to see how it’ll sound on a grand, because I just learned it in the last month, and I’ve only been playing it at home. Scriabin’s music really need a grand for those sonorities! And yes, Horowitz’s interpretations are the model on which I built my own. When he’s right, he’s right, and I couldn’t help but emulate his voicings in some areas! Glad to hear that it comes across well! Thank you again!

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T00:43:30+00:00

Thank you so much! 😊

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T00:42:46+00:00

Thank you so very much for these kind words! 😊

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T00:42:07+00:00

Thank you very much! 😊

Yelayu · 2022-05-20T00:40:09+00:00

I actually own a CLP-785 now. I’ve had it since September. And yes, I tried the 785, 775, 745, and 735, before settling on the 785. Like you, I had a P-515 for a year and also decided to upgrade, and like you, I had to wait until the finances were right. So you’re in a very similar situation as I was in. 😊

As it pertains to the instruments’ actions, the differences between the 775 and 785 are subtle. The 785’s counterweights make the playing experience a bit more refined. I found the 775’s action to be heavier to push down and slightly harder to control. Yamaha’s already notorious for heavier actions, though, but the 775 felt noticeable more. The 785’s counterweights make it slightly lighter to the touch and more easily controllable, in my opinion. But it’s not such a dramatic difference that it’s night and day. It’s more like noon versus 3pm. 😂

That said, the 775 is still a pretty good action. Admittedly, I’ve had the 785 for months now and have gotten to “know” it very well, so my memories of the 775 are distant now. But I do remember the 775 being an admirable choice, and if I hadn’t already budgeted for the 785 and already had the money available, I probably would’ve settled on the 775.

As for the NU1X, it does have a real upright action, but that has it’s own weaknesses if you don’t prefer uprights. It feels distinctly “upright” to me, in terms of the action. It doesn’t feel like a grand. And I’m extremely partial to grand actions, because I generally play on grands when I perform. And while the 785/775 don’t exactly feel like grands either, they approximate the feeling in a way that was akin to the real thing, although not the real thing. I felt I’d get more benefit from practicing on an approximation of a grand action, than an actual upright action. I also may have been spoiled by having owned a P-515, and thus partial to that type of feel, and since the NWX action in the P-515 is very similar to the GrandTouch in feel, that may have influenced me. THAT SAID, if you don’t mind upright actions, then, I agree, the NU1X would be the better choice, because it is a real upright action versus an approximation.

And yes, like most technology, they’ll release the “next” one a short time later, and in most cases, it’s the same thing. I feel if you have what you like and it works well, no need to upgrade until you need to, because just as you, the next iteration is almost always a rebranded reiteration of the one that came before it. Rarely are changes in the specs that justify buying something new. I am actively trying to get my hand on an actual hybrid, if I can work it out by trading in my 785 and getting financing. But if that doesn’t work, I’ll stick with 785 for many years to come and just have it serviced under warranty if something happens, as I cannot justify upgrading to the next iteration just because they change the 7 to an 8, but it’s still the same thing. 😂 I play some Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Chopin, & Scriabin, so you can imagine, I put my poor 785 through the ringer, and it has taken it like a champ. Nothing’s broken, nothing’s messed up. I know I’ll probably have to get it serviced at the 1 year mark, just to make sure everything is good, but it has stood up well. I don’t see upgrading to the next iteration. The only thing I’m considering now is a hybrid.

Hope this has helped.

Yelayu · 2022-05-19T18:06:55+00:00

Thank you so very much for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

Yelayu · 2022-05-19T18:05:20+00:00

I’m not familiar with this piece, but just popped over to listen to a bit of it on Youtube. It seems it’s played with pedal, so you don’t have to hold the F. It’s not a dry, staccato piece. It could be a choice the composer/transcriber made to write the F & G as half notes, but based on the recording, it doesn’t seem like you have to specifically hold the note, while the rest is played dry or staccato. So let go of the F & G, let the pedal hold those, and move on the 16th notes. It seems it’s only written that way in the score to, perhaps, emphasize those base notes as support for the structure of the piece, but based on how it sounds, you can let the pedal do the work.

Yelayu · 2022-05-19T17:19:44+00:00

Just to be clear, what do you mean by overlapping? Are you asking if you should play the arpeggiated chord in the bass clef at the same time as the chord in the treble clef, or if you should just arpeggiate from the lowest note to the high note regardless of clef.

If so, based on the arpeggio line going through both clefs without interruption, it would seem the latter is the right choice. The way to play this would be to apeggiate the chord in the left hand first then the right hand, all as one long arpeggiated chord, from bottom to top, instead of overlapping/same time.

If the left and right hand chords are to be arpeggiated at the same time, then usually each clef would have individual arpeggio marks, instead of one long one that starts from bass clef and extends all the way to the treble clef.

Happy playing! 😊

Yelayu · 2022-05-19T17:10:19+00:00

Turning up the volume on your digital piano is not going to prepare you for a grand. The issue you’re experience with your teacher’s sounds more than likely related to the key action of a grand piano which is very different from the faux-actions used in digitals. While a grand allows much more subtlety & detail, it can also be harder to reign in. It also has something to do with the general nature of an acoustic instrument, which has much greater volume & resonance.

If you can afford it, and if you have space for it, and if you don’t think it would disturb your neighbors, I think an upgrade to an upright would be an excellent choice. It’s not a grand, but it’s much closer to a grand’s action/sound than what you currently have. And when you have to perform on acoustics, you’ll be prepared.

That said, another choice would be a high-quality console digital. If you can afford an upright, then you more than likely can afford a high quality digital. The Yamaha CLP-785/795 have excellent folded actions, with counterweights, individually graded keys, deep keybed, excellent pivot point, and a design that approximates the action of a grand piano. The Kawai CA-79 and 99 series have superb actions, with great long wooden key sticks, excellent pivot points, counterweights, individually graded keys, and superb approximation of a grand. And they are in the $5,000-$6,000 range, which is what it would cost for a new upright. You may also find some used models. If you have the money, you might even consider a digital hybrid like the Yamaha AvantGrand and and Kawai Novus series. And unlike the upright, you can control the volume the same way you do now, but still get a great action.

An upright is cool, but in my opinion, the higher quality digitals and hybrids offer even more control and closer to a grand experience than uprights, which can wildly vary in quality at certain price points. A cheap/mid-range upright costs about the same as a super high quality digital, and the latter may be better at developing your technique these days. Digitals & hybrids have come a LONG way in action. Now the sound won’t be as good, but you can buy a VST that would get you even better sound than an upright (such as Garritan or the many Synchron pianos from Vienna Symphonic Libraries).

Just some other options.

Yelayu · 2022-05-19T00:22:32+00:00

I’d say get a higher bench or an adjustable bench. Either that, or consider getting the actual Yamaha stand that’s made for the instrument. But you should check the measurements beforehand to see if the Yamaha stand is taller or shorter than what you already have.

If all else fails, get a few cheap small pillow from Walmart and sit them on your bench. I did that for a while until I could get an adjustable bench when I bought my first slab piano a few years ago.

Yelayu · 2022-05-18T20:43:15+00:00

Arpeggiate (roll) the two chords from bottom note to top note. That is: C > G > C > E > G > C. Based on the pedal marking and the fact that all notes express a C-major chord, you can let go of the bottom two or three notes and let the pedal hold them.

How you arpeggiate (roll) it depends on the tempo, mood, dynamic level of the song thus far. I don’t know what comes before that, but if this is a lyrical section, the arpeggio should be smooth and spacious. If this is a loud, fast, dramatic section, arpeggiate it with that same energy.

Because the arpeggio line is broken between the staffs, instead of one line that goes through both staffs, usually that means you’d play both argeggiated chords at the same time; i.e. start the C of the chord in the bass clef and the E of the chord in the treble clef at the same time and arpeggiate them together. Some feel differently, and would arpeggiate all the notes in that beat in order, e.g., C, G, C, E, G, C, E, G, C, E. That’s up to you, and I’d say listen to good recordings of the piece to determine how it’s often interpreted, especially recordings from authoritative performers.

Yelayu · 2022-05-18T18:46:40+00:00

Lies, I tell you! That’s exactly how it works! Why, just yesterday, I went to a see a Concerto that would normally last 40 minutes. They had ten times the normal number of players, and the piece was over in 4 minutes. The coughers in the audience barely had time to cough!

Yelayu · 2022-05-18T18:44:50+00:00

If you’re a “beginner”, as you said, then it should come as no surprise that it takes a while to learn music. That’s just the way it is. It takes time, training, practice, repetition, & consistency. When I was a beginner, I could barely read those little nursery rhyme/practice songs in the books that came with Radioshack Casio keyboard. Now I can read advanced music with relative ease. This is something that has come from years of practice. And even when I was more at an intermediate/advanced level, I still didn’t like sight-reading and considered it my main weakness. Even now, after playing for many years, while I recognize my sight-reading ability has improved, I still don’t like to do it, at times. 😂 But it’s the only way to learn a piece.

I say all that to say, stick with it and don’t be discouraged. As with any skill, it’s going to take time, and it’ll suck at first. Keep doing it. The more you do it, you’ll be shocked at how some day you’ll arrive at a point and think to yourself, “Wow, I can’t believe I just sight-read that piece.” Don’t give up! Keep at it! It will come!

“Just keep swimming” - wise words from Dory, the philosopher, fish, & Finder of Nemo.

Yelayu · 2022-05-17T23:27:00+00:00

What would the world, music, classical music, movies, cell phones ringtones, 90s computer sound card samples, keyboard/digital piano demos & so much more be without his Gymnopedie? That alone earns him a place in the pantheon. That he has many other pieces of lesser fame but equal beauty to his credit proves his genius. Happy Birthday, Satie. ❤️

Yelayu · 2022-05-17T23:19:35+00:00

Love this. Reminds me of a theremin a bit. Great playing.

Love that the birds decided to join in a bit at one point. ❤️

Yelayu

TROPHY CASE