WTF-Beta

I mentioned this to a coworker a few minutes ago and he realized he has to renew his passport as well, and he's going to be traveling in the summer.

So thank you @jon-nyc you're saving us all!

@Bernard said:

It appears the fear(?) is that one won't develop their own voice if they listen to others, but I don't believe that would happen unless one is passive at the piano. Artists, for instance, spend time copying the masters... the masters were very good at what they did, why not check it out?

I agree with both of those points that I bolded here.

@Bernard This is such an interesting topic! I don't play classical music, so the issues are different. Especially because for most of the pieces I play, there's a "definitive" recording, by the composer.

Also, I usually have decided to play a piece because I've heard it and want to play it, IOW, I want to play what I heard. So I don't really care if I'm "not developing my own voice." I'm more interested in "developing my fingers" so that I can play the piece!

Separate from that, here is my general approach. 1) I heard the piece and became obsessed with it and decide that I want to learn it. 2) I start learning it. 3) If there's something I can't figure out, I listen to it. 4) Once I get it mostly playable, I generally have a long period where I intentionally avoid listening to the original, partly because I want to play it at the tempo I'm trying to polish. 5) At some point, I go back and listen to it (perhaps for the first time in a few weeks, perhaps a few months), and at this point, it's usually very educational to do that.

Ok, more info, from NYT
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/us/politics/trump-passports.html

Now there are plans to release a limited-edition U.S. passport bearing the president’s likeness.

The State Department revealed the plans on Tuesday, saying that the new passports would be made available in commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary this summer. A “limited number of specially designed” passports will be released, according to Tommy Piggott, a spokesman for the State Department. They will be available for any American citizen who applies for one at the Washington Passport Agency when the rollout happens and will continue for as long as inventory lasts, the department said.

So, to me, that suggests that those of us applying in May from random post offices around the country should not be getting this "special" passport. Right? Right???

I hope that's true....

Still more reason to get the renew app in asap.

BTW, it looks to me like this photo would be on the inside page:

https://x.com/StateDept/status/2049216026911355386?s=20

@jon-nyc good luck!

I don't know if I can get my renewal application in as fast as you, but I'll do my best.

Just fyi, I was talking to a colleague just now, and she said her renewal got delayed because her initial photo was rejected, her rec was to do the photo at the post office (which is what I did the last time I renewed).

@jon-nyc said:

I'm going to renew it now, and pay for an expedited process.

same. I would pay extra to avoid having his face on mine.

Noooooooooooooooo. I have to renew mine with in the next several months, if I do it soon, could I escape this monstrosity?

this is disgusting.

Yeah that is rather terrifying.

I downloaded the original article. Will have to steel myself read it..

@Axtremus that was such a cool video!! Thank you for posting it!! I am going to share it with one of my friends here who teaches Chinese linguistics, I bet he can use it in with his class.

@Mark that was really gorgeous!! Your playing is lovely!
(I wish I could play this... I just think Chopin is beyond me, probably for the foreseeable future.

@Mark said:

I just noticed how loud this recording is when you turn up the volume. I need to re-mix it at the very least. It's was recording with just the iPhone's built-in microphone.

I listened to it through a bluetooth speaker and I thought it sounded fine in terms of overall volume and all that. Your piano sounds great too!

@Mark thank you!!

I would love to hear your Chopin!!

@wtg I love the mechanical pencil one!!

@Steve-Miller oh wow!! What a saga!!! So glad you got it fixed! Esp because flickering lights are the worst!!!

This sounds like a very promising development, even if it's at the level 0f 20-40% right now.

@mik I'm glad your brother is having such success!

@AndyD I feel like lighting has gone over the top these days. Like, with an interesting light fixture, a little goes a long way. You don't need an unusual shade or statement light fixture in every room!

@jon-nyc said:

As someone who is involved in several of them, let me remind you that online support groups have a built in sample bias. Most people find them because they’re having issues. That can make it seem like everyone has horrible issues with the surgery, when in reality most people who don’t have issues never find or post much in the group.

I know, and I totally get that.

But I do feel like there's a lot the doctors don't focus on, and it's frustrating to feel like you can only find about some of those things from random strangers online.

For example, the stuff I mentioned above about "prehab" (exercises, strength training I could/should be doing in advance of the surgery). And all the logistics. I received a big packet of info, and no where does it talk about renting a wheelchair or knee scooter, that kind of thing.

The doctors are only thinking about the spot they are going to operate on, but that spot is connected to the rest of me....

Wow, very pretty, @andyd !

@Bernard said:

I think that's the germ I need for this piece. An aria! Chopin loved bel canto opera.

Awesome! I suspect that image will be all you need to give is the shape you felt it was lacking.

@Bernard said:
Yeah, you definitely would not want to hold tension in your hand for the duration of the arpeggios.

Exactly. I worked on this (score below) in one lesson with my teacher a bit and it’s better in terms of less tension, but not great. I’ve found spots/ways to release the tension, but it seems to me there shouldn’t be tension in the first place. So I want to take it back to my lesson, but we’ve been busy with my jury piece, so I’ve put it on hold until that’s finished.

But in this one (score below, which is octaves) and the other score I posted (which are the arps), I think my problem, or whatever it is I’m doing, is the same. My hand isn’t that small, I think one problem is that I might be stretching more than I need to. And then another problem is not releasing that stretch, so the tension builds. And then I think I need to use my arm, wrist, move my elbow etc., in ways that I’m not doing ….

Thanks for listening everyone!

@Bernard said:

I'm now on the 3rd and final op post Nocturne by Chopin in class: Nocturne No. 21 in C Minor, KK IVb/8.

Oooh this is such a lovely and compelling piece!

It's a challenge because it's very repetitive, the first half page is almost all I chord alternating with V7. I can't find the climax of the piece--I'm not even sure there is one! It's almost a meditative piece. In this regard, it's just as hard as any of the others, but in a different way.

I can imagine! Chopin is always devilishly hard in any case, but there’s something about this…maybe it’s what you said, the meditativeness, lack of obvious climax…

Have you tried recording yourself and listening to the story you’re telling, or trying to find the story you should be telling, but aren’t?