Piano room humidity min/max

wtg

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

@wtg What would have been appropriate in an ancient English Norman Cathedral?
Hmmm, French national anthem?

Earlier in the thread you said you like to play along with Stephanie Trick, so I thought maybe you'd give that Boston a workout with something like this:

Link to video

back at ya....

AndyD

@wtg That woman can stride!

But look on youtube for her playing Memories of You. (It's not stride)
The one in her flowery dress is a beautiful improvisation and that's what I've been learning from. Her ever so slight hesitations and fumbles make it even more endearing and authentic. Lovely transition from straight into swing.
Looking at her playing the same song in her black dress you see her LH can only just reach some 10ths, pinky clipping the whites.

Sorry, I guess most here will be playing classical. What about you, and what piano captured your heart?

wtg

Link to video

That is very nice...

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

I guess most here will be playing classical. What about you, and what piano captured your heart?

See a note, play a note. Tin ear, too. Which means that my piano needs are pretty basic, and my Roland keyboard works for me. Also saves me a ton of money, as I don't yearn for a really nice acoustic! It would be wasted on me.

I took piano lessons when I was a kid but I have zero musical ability. I've left behind the Rachmaninoff preludes of my youth, for which the world is eternally grateful.

I really don't play much these days, but when I do, I'm just noodling along, playing some pieces from the Great American Songbook.

As far as music I listen to, it used to be mostly classical but now I just stream The Jazz Groove and listen to whatever they're playing.

I'm trying to be as low maintenance as possible as I get older.

AndyD

@wtg That's the video.

The GASongbook is all I need too, a wealth of melody and harmony, and my daily fix.
Of course I'd love to be able to play Rach the way Gilels can, his playing of prelude 5 shows how! And I occasionally try, deafening the dog .
But Yuja playing Rach concertos 2 and 3 is beyond my skill.

To some extent I'd have to take issue about the quality of a piano ever being sufficient, in that an even better/best instrument will surely encourage practice and musicality.
A Grotrian grand would be a lovely partner to our Bluthner B, talk about 1st world luxury.

AndyD

AndyD

Enjoy

wtg

Thank you!

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

Looking at her playing the same song in her black dress you see her LH can only just reach some 10ths, pinky clipping the whites.

Link to video

AndyD

Which do you prefer?
It's a tune I've only recently rediscovered because of those two videos.

I remembered a version on one of CD's played by Buddy Defranco:

Link to video

He takes the basic tune and right from his first breathy line weaves a hypnotic sound.

(Tatum is rampant in the background, no doubt on purpose, and he let's rip in his solo.
My favourite part is 5.15 to 6.05 when they're like two butterflies fluttering together in the sun.
Buddy is sublime)

wtg

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

Which do you prefer?

The second one, where she's wearing the black dress. Also love the Tatum version. I mean, it's just a great song...

The first time I heard Memories of You was in a 1950s movie, The Benny Goodman Story. No, I'm not old enough to have seen it as an original release in a movie theater; I watched it on DVD with my Mom.

Goodman played the clarinet for the movie soundtrack.

Link to video

Big_Al

I returned to this thread to discover the postings of "Memories of You" recordings, which I really enjoyed. The Tatum version was a bit too ornamented an improvisation for my taste after listening to the two pretty straight recordings with only slight ornamentation. I Iiked the Goodman better, but it was very short and sweet.

Watching all four in a row reminded me of something I sometimes do on YouTube when I search for a favorite song by title. Usually, I find a number of covers by different artists and, if I'm in the mood, I'll listen to the version I was looking for and then a couple of other ones for variety.

Big Al

ShiroKuro

@Big_Al said in Piano room humidity min/max:

I'll listen to the version I was looking for and then a couple of other ones for variety.

I love doing that!

wtg

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

Of course I'd love to be able to play Rach the way Gilels can, his playing of prelude 5 shows how! And I occasionally try, deafening the dog

Ah, yes, I used to massacre that one also, but it's been a very long time...

If the dog is looking for a change, maybe try the op 3 no 2 in C# minor

Or pick one from here:

Link to video

It's a live recording.

Big_Al

Browsing YouTube brought up this rendition of "After You've Gone" by Emmet Cohen and friends:

Link to video
Wistful songs are a staple of the Great American Songbook.

When I play, it's very likely to be something similar. One of my perennial favorites is this (I brought it to Kluur's Chicagoland piano party):

I noodle through a stack of sheet music now and then as well, some I inherited from my father and some I bought myself.

Big Al

AndyD

Wtg
Benny Goodman... my wife bought a cheap clarinet earlier this year and I'm hoping she'll play like that
But then I got her a really fabulous Iwao flute some years ago and she's no James Galway.

Thanks for Lukas Geniuasus. He is the nearest to Gilels I've heard. Did he play all the preludes one after the other live?

AndyD

Big Al
That music you posted...
I learnt Oscar P's solo version of Isn't it Romantic
And the Steinway Standards version of My funny valentine (vol 6?)
And can fumble through the other two. Lovely tunes.

I can't play fast jazz other than learnt ragtime. My limitation...

AndyD

Pique
Enjoying your book, currently in the middle of the search

wtg

@AndyD said in Piano room humidity min/max:

Thanks for Lukas Geniuasus. Did he play all the preludes one after the other live?

Yes, apparently he did.

https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Dec/Rachmaninov_preludes_PCL0078.htm

He is the nearest to Gilels I've heard.

There may be a reason for that.

I stumbled upon an interesting bit of trivia about Lukas' grandmother and teacher, Vera Gornostaeva, while diving down into some internet rabbit holes....

Vera Gornostaeva was born in 1929 and studied in Moscow with Heinrich Neuhaus, who also taught Richter, Gilels and Radu Lupu.

And Gornostaeva, in turn, taught Gilels' daughter Elena.

https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Feb/Gornostaeva_piano_1012.htm

wtg

Here he is doing the complete Chopin etudes.

Link to video

Generally speaking we Lithuanians have a lot of stamina.

However, our piano playing skills vary widely.

wtg

Vera teaching a 10 year old Primakov.

Link to video

AndyD

That woman becomes a part of the piano.
She sits and is simply fabulous, what touch.
My old piano teacher was a bit like her, you'd never guess this kindly 80 year old had such talent. She'd sit and suddenly become a concert pianist.

Suddenly I was reminded of Barenboim materclassing Lang Lang