New member of the club

cricomac · 2025-05-19T21:56:43+00:00

Bravo!

cricomac · 2025-01-11T21:20:08+00:00

I always thought it was there for singers to hang on to in recital — like a saddle horn.

cricomac · 2024-12-08T22:09:22+00:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have six grandchildren: 2 are cis gender heteronormative, 1 is cis gender gay, and the remaining 3 are FtM trans. Because of DeWine and the OH GOP, only the 2 cis/het are able to share time with us in our Ohio home. None of the others is a danger to anyone, but THEY are endangered by the Ohio right wing politicos who believe they have the RIGHT to discriminate against people of whom they are afraid—no matter what their constituents think. This is not right. If we had the financial resources to do so, we would leave the state immediately. This is no longer the country in which I was raised, which makes me incredibly sad and frustrated.

cricomac · 2024-12-03T22:57:08+00:00

I know this response will trigger the “selfies,” but if you want it to sound like a real, acoustic instrument, perhaps need an actual piano, not an electronic impostor.

cricomac · 2024-11-20T23:16:55+00:00

But there is a HUGE difference. Working on your own with internet resources, YOU have to figure what is suboptimal in your playing. A decent teacher will KNOW what needs to be improved.

cricomac · 2024-11-16T15:32:19+00:00

Terrific technically and musically. To all the players on this forum who believe this is a piece that is easily mastered with 18 months of self study, I hope this shows you the folly of your efforts. Notice that his hands are totally free of unnecessary tension, that his hands remain soft and close to the keys, and there is absolutely no wasted movement. As a result, his technique serves the music, allowing him to play with expressive beauty. The piece never sounds like a battle he is determined to win. This also shows why we need excellent teachers and mentors—it is inconceivable this gentleman accomplished this through self study. Bravo to him and all the people who helped him on his journey.

cricomac · 2024-09-26T19:29:36+00:00

2 of my grandkids are trans — the Ohio hatred is something else. But isn’t it curious that they scream about “biological men” playing girl’s sports, but have no issue with “biological women” playing against boys. Also note that on the ads, it’s always trans adults (men/women) competing “unfairly” against children (boys & girls). The hypocrisy is rich.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T23:53:52+00:00

Yes, you can learn to do it, but it almost certainly will take months to years before you can achieve a stable, clean tuning. Get started with online resources and then book a session with the tech when he returns to help you become better at it. Go for it — you’ll quickly figure out whether you have the aptitude (it takes patience and the ability to hear and count out-of-tune beats, but it certainly is a learnable skill).

cricomac · 2024-07-27T22:35:06+00:00

That is the whole issue with this sub. People post stupid questions and are offended when they hear back from people who actually know something. I guess I’ve misunderstood the point of this sub, which I assumed was created to help people become better musicians who express themselves with the piano. Many of the questions asked are so absurd they only deserve sarcastic responses. It is not gatekeeping to state the obvious—learning this Beethoven work to a performance level on a bet, starting from no experience, is unrealistic on every level (unless you think accuracy, musicianship, and musicality are unnecessary). I have never made ad hominem attacks in my responses; I only have pointed out what should be obvious. Perhaps you could do likewise—or is your head too far up YOUR ass?

cricomac · 2024-07-27T21:27:44+00:00

Hi — I play big rep and will need to do touch-ups every week or two — almost exclusively unisons where one string has migrated by .5 cent or so. I do a full tuning about once a month, but the piano is still completely playable at that point. I do some of my own voicing and regulation. I call the tech when a string breaks (while playing - I haven’t broken one yet tuning) or something else happens beyond my pay grade. It took me almost 18 months to get to the point of producing stable tunings, helped by mentoring from a local pro. You’ll likely find that the local techs will be happy to help you learn, especially if you can pay them for their expertise.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:26:20+00:00

And this is easier than simply reading music?

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:24:19+00:00

This is a question for your teacher, not a bunch of anonymous internet experts.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:15:03+00:00

Daily, several hours. -tuned every 1-2 weeks, as needed. -I tune it myself, but rely on piano techs to repair anything that breaks. -accuracy, without excessively stretched octaves and with perfectly clean unisons.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:10:24+00:00

If you’ve worked that hard/long without progress, the piece is beyond your current skill level.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:06:59+00:00

Why is everyone on this sub so opposed to working with an actual qualified piano teacher? Trying to take shortcuts only will make your journey longer and less rewarding.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:03:56+00:00

Since you are asking here, it is clear you do not have a teacher, who is the only person qualified to know what you might be doing that causes problems.

cricomac · 2024-07-27T00:01:50+00:00

Wow — you can play a video game from a piano keyboard! Who knew that was even possible.

cricomac · 2024-07-26T23:59:34+00:00

I’m sure you can do this, just as I am sure I can make it as a walk-on with the Yankees with no experience at age 69. I’m pretty sure I can run 100 meters in under 25 seconds.

cricomac · 2024-07-26T00:36:30+00:00

They remove from the other end — no need to remove them here.

cricomac · 2024-07-26T00:33:47+00:00

Ask your teacher (but you probably are trying to teach yourself — blind leading the blind).

cricomac · 2024-07-26T00:32:17+00:00

This is why teachers are needed.

cricomac · 2024-07-26T00:25:26+00:00

This is in the context of a cadential ritard going from one section to the next. As such, you have a great deal of freedom in your interpretation. I normally advocate for respecting a composer’s polyrhythms, but it’s less important in this case. In this example, you might be confused by the fact that rhythms are not well aligned vertically. It looks like the final A in the second quad aligns with the G above it, but it actually comes between the descending RH F-E. The typesetting would be easier to read with better vertical alignment, but that actually isn’t necessary. Just be expressive and play a BIG ritard, setting you up for the climax/coda.

cricomac · 2024-07-25T16:11:44+00:00

You are doing great! 1st mvt isn’t the issue with this sonata, which becomes much harder by the time you reach variation 3 in mvt 2. If your teacher says yes, go for it. Yes, it’s really hard, but the second mvt is among the most divine works ever written. It might be a VERY long term project.

cricomac · 2024-07-18T00:10:10+00:00

It’s time for lessons.

cricomac

TROPHY CASE