UK Piano Page Piano Forum

Hello all

I'm Nicola and I'm attempting to become a pianist. Currently around grade 6-7 level and constantly improving after playing the clarinet from 7 years old and getting to LRSM level, I decided my real love is the piano. So, heres to a diploma before 2017 ...

Hoping to do Grade 6 in the summer to get some exam experience (not done one for a number of years) ... but I accompany my clarinet students. (don't tell them I prefer piano ... )

Also love classic cars especially ones with a big V8 up front ...

Welcome to the madhouse, Nicola - we'll egg you on when you need it!

Hello!

I'm new here so I thought I ought to say Hi! I'm involved in the piano trade, although with instruments pre-1840ish rather than anything later, so I thought I should check out these forums to see what's going on out in the big wide world...

If you're interested in what we do our website is http://www.musicroomworkshop.co.uk

I'd like to join the trade forums too, but apparently i can't use the pm service to contact the mod until i've participated and posted a few times (unless some kind mod would like to turn this facility on...). Guess i'll be lurking around to see where I can chirp in!

cheers,
rob durand

Sorry didn't introduce myself before ploughing headlong into the Advice Forum.

My name's Richard, originally from Cambridge but now living (retiring?) in mid-Lincs having spent the last 25 years living in London. My musical education started very early (probably aged around 4-5) as my parents were both members of the Salvation Army - the musical side of the church was such a great introduction, and I was taught to read music about the same time as reading the written word.

I took up the Clarinet at age 6, progressed through the grades, finally achieveing an ARCM Performer's Diploma at age 15 when I sort of 'gave up'. Took up the piano at age 9, just about scraping through Grade 8 at age 16. I was never going to be a natural pianist though, sadly, much as I love playing it.

Did the usual Music College auditions on leaving school after A-levels but as I was sick of education, my music teacher suggested joining the RAF as a musician. So I did, in 1984. I was shocked (in a good way!) at the quality of musicianship of these guys, many of whom had come from music college backgrounds, and so settled into a long and enjoyable career, seeing more of the world than I ever would if I'd just stuck to teaching. I became Principal Clarinettist of the RAF Central Band in 1989 and remained there until early 2010 when we moved to Lincolnshire. Also done a fair bit of freelance work - shows, orchestral and also worked with the BBC and the late Ron Goodwin on soundtrack recordings. Recorded in many of the big studios in and around London. Recently achieved a DipABRSM in conducting/musical direction.

Interests include motorcycling (beeng riding bikes for nigh on 30 years now) and also fiddling with hifi which has been a life-long passion. Been married for 18 years now, and we have 2 beautiful young daughters.

You forgot 'just bought myself a nice piano'! Pull up a chair, Gromit!

Gill the Piano wrote:You forgot 'just bought myself a nice piano'! Pull up a chair, Gromit!

oops sorry, so we have

And rather lovely it is too.

Hey there everyone!

My name is Tom and I am a Muse fanatic (some might say that one is a bit obvious given my username!)

I'm a guitarist and a singer, but am wanting to improve my musical ability and am getting some piano lessons on a semi-regular basis from a friend. I used to have lessons when I was younger, but it was not out of passion but out of parents! Fair to say I didn't keep it up, (regrettably), so now am trying my best to get up to speed.

I have my own band which I've resurrected after laying dormant for a few years, and am also involving myself with some functions bands on the south coast of England.

If anyone wants to check out my band website and listen to my music (please feel free to critique it too, I love getting constructive feedback from musicians who know what they are talking about!) please head to www.weareneko.webs.com

Thanks for having me here, I look forward to being able to have some great conversations on here.

Tom

Hello, I thought I'd introduce myself!My name is Brennen and I primarily came to the forum to find an unusual model of an Eavestaff after I saw one recently! I have been looking around the forum and it is a massive hive of activity! My other interests involve pianolas, I only have one, a push up at the moment and it's very good (I know some people hate them!). I just hope that the Eavestaff that I am looking for won't crush my hopes and be one of those awful ones with the faulty pins as I also love to play myself and just having it dreadfully out of tune will truly make my ears bleed (although I do like a bit of honky tonk but not too much!)

Phew! A little long winded!

Hello from Manchester in the UK where the sun is shining at last!

Looking forward to meeting you all.

Hello
I live in Lancashire and am keen to do more piano duet playing.
Tim

Hi from Warwickshire.
I am a late beginner and will be taking my first piano lessons next week.

Welcome! let us know how you get on, won't you?

Gill the Piano wrote:Welcome! let us know how you get on, won't you?

Thank you Gill, I am very much looking forward to learning piano skills. I'll never be a concert pianist, missed the boat for that years ago. I just want to learn for my own pleasure and reach a good standard so that I can help out at Church.
I don't know what happened to my first post which seems to have disappeared after I edited it and inserted the word 'lessons' Do all our posts need to be approved first?

I recently purchased a YAMAHA keyboard in readiness for my first piano lessons.
In the meantime until next Wednesday, I am playing around with a few tunes and probably not using the correct hand/finger position. I have sussed out how to play Ode to Joy in the C position, from youtube clips, and also I am keeping up my sight reading by trying out a few tunes, such as Flow Gently Sweet Afton, Mull of Kyntire and Auld Lang Syne and a few other easy pieces.

But the fun of being an older beginner is the fun! You're doing it because you want to, not because of any parental pressure, and there's no anxiety about exams because you don't have to take them if you don't want to. I'm learning the classical guitar and am blundering my way along but enjoying every minute. Well, nearly every minute!

Although I have joined this piano group I am actually an accordian player! I am self taught having started on a small 12 button Hohner instrument almost forty years ago. Over the years I have bought and sold on several accordians until finally acquiring the perfect instrument for my style - a 48 bass Hohner. These weigh around six and a half kilos which is comfortable for those occasions when I am playing standing up at festivals or at outdoor venues. I play regularly for dance groups as a "Morris Musician".
I use a Yamaha Clavinova at home for fun - mainly jazz and boogie. I hold no music qualifications whatsoever and simply had the torture of one winter of Saturday morning piano lessons as an eleven year old when the endless repitition of playing scales almost turned me off music - thank goodness I discovered pop and jazz to sustain my interest in music!

Hello,

As you can see my name is David.

I'm trying to get back to playing the piano after numerous breaks and false starts.

My main passion is blues and boogie woogie which my uncle plays by ear! unfortunately the gift wasn't past down to me and so it's going to have to be hard work!

At my disposal is an ancient (but treasured) old Waldemar that belonged to Great Grandmother. Woefully out of tune (but basically intact) I have to rely on a *Yamaha keyboard for practise.

Other interests are photography (I have Nikon D200 of which I am just irrationally proud), history and historical buildings, spirituality ,meant in the broadest sense of the word and my parents as they are getting old! I also turn wood occasionally.



(I had piano lessons as a kid but I'm afraid the situation didn't last).





David


*eventually I'm looking to upgrade this.



David

Hello my name's caroline. I'm from plymouth and i've just started teching after a break bringing up my children. Nice to meet you all

I go through bursts of using internet, then realise its time consuming and i could be praxtising

So will log off and perfect my scales. Love scales, relaxing, love sight reading, do one easy piece per day and aim to cover all key sigs, my brain hurts and i get mad sometimes when the page goes blank but i keep plodding!!!! Getting old so its hard!!!

Hello every positive poster xxxx

Hi I'm Natalie
I joined this forum a while ago when I needed some advice about buying a piano. I now have a reconditioned Erard upright which is my most precious posession in the whole world even though everyone warned me not to buy it and it does have a fair few quirks. I started playing the piano about three years ago on a cassio digital piano. I live in Weston Super Mare. If anyone lives near Weston and wants a digital piano they are welcome to it, if they can come and collect it. Although I did personalise it by painting it ,so it looks crap but sounds ok.

I play guitar but I am rubbish at it and I can't play an instrument if there is anyone else(apart from my piano teacher) in the room. I hope to get over this one day as my ambition is to become a piano teacher and I really want to be able to play rachmaninoff's piano concerto no 2 even though it is probably impossible because I am not a musical genius.

I am really enjoyed buying my piano and I'm reading a book called 'a grand obsession' about a woman's quest to buy the perfect piano. I like hearing other people's stories about buyinh instruments.

Hello again Natalie.

How many keys has your Casio got - and is it touch sensitive??

Yes I know Weston like the back of my hand. I am from Brum after all. Went there on my honeymoon in 2005. There was a beach motorbike race going on at the time (that might be the sort of thing that would interest Feg from this forum!)

There used to be a music shop somewhere opposite the Dolphin centre but last couple of times we went it had closed down. But there are loads of good music stores in Bristol, and Mickleburghs Piano as well!!!

See what you mean about going blank when you have to play in front of someone else, when I first started to learn we had someone down to stay and he really wanted me to play him something so I learned an easy version of 'Scarborough Fair', practised and practised until I was almost note prefect, however when I actually played it to him, I just completely seized up with fear!! I still get scared every time I have to play to my wife even!

I love Rachmaninov's P.C no2. It was played by one of the finalists at the Leeds Piano compo in 2012.

Ah yes, both of my neighbours are from brum. They used to come here on holiday and have now decided to live here. I'm a manc myself.

Piano is a celviano Ap200, full size and touch sensitive. It was a damaged display model. I paid a carpenter to make it so it was stable and could stand upright and then I painted it in a very strange fashion.

http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and ... -Piano/AJJ

It looks a lovely piano. Perfect for my conservatory!

Do you think you can please Email me a picture of it?? I'm very interested in the artwork on it (also the piano itself if it's for Freecycling!) You should have my email in a PM. Thanks.

Natalie, your choice of piano is entirely yours. I drove a Morris Minor for 25 years; it's a lifestyle choice. Think of it like playing a period instrument. As long as you don't expect it to sound like a new Yamaha or something, no harm done! Good luck with playing; I know the feeling of hating performing but it does do you good if you can try now and then. Go to a piano shop where nobody knows you!

The wierd thing is I genuinely hate the sound of every Yamaha piano I've ever played. I played loads when I bought it, way above my price limit. I played a steinway and everything. The pedals are deeply insensitive on my Erard, the highest notes are really thin and weak, but I genuinely like the tone of the mid section more than anything else I've ever heard. It makes me feel slightly gothic.

Pedals can nearly always be adjusted; ask your tuner, they should be able to help. Unresponsive pedals are a pain, so see if s/he can do something.
I love the idea of a piano making you feel gothic; has it got candleholders you can put (black! ) candles in? And play lots of funeral marches, wearing black nail varnish...

Like Julianne Regan from All About Eve sort of thing (gothic piano damsel)

Also check out Julie Murphy, not goth but very retro sultry piano folk from Wales.

I just realised I haven't answered the question about the digital. I am afraid my house situation has changed and we have a lodger, so the ability to put on headphones is helpful. I'm hanging on to it for a bit longer, but will let you know when that changes.

Hi everyone, I'm Larry and I'm a pianoholic!

Ive been tinkering with various keyboards since I was a kid but always wanted a piano. Well following a house move I got a Casio Celviano AP450 as a Christmas present for the next two years. And its brill!

Im teaching myself piano slowly, and can play any piece by ear with my right hand. I just need to get my left hand doing its own thing!

Practice practice practice!

And I'm Larry's piano!

Hello everyone.Bob here from Nottingham. Just stumbled across this website so thlought id give a shot.
Many players from East Midlands here ?

Dave Brum is from Brum. He's gone quiet of late - computer probs perhaps? Anyway, he's doing really well and practises so much he shows the rest of us up... He was saying about wanting a piano group - perhaps you could start one with him!

Hello, I'm starting again. I've had a piano in the house for about 3.5 years after about 40 years without one. I have a Baldwin model R built in 1911, black ebony finish and it looks and plays really good for it's age. It's in my living room with a lot of room to spare, not like the usual living room where the piano takes up most of the space. In fact is all started when we stored a Sohmer model 57 for our church and I decided that the room would not look right without a grand piano in it. so for over 2 years we had 2 grands in the room with lots of space to spare. I never realized just how big our living room was, and since the living room is open to the room above, (basically a balcony all around), the acoustics are really good.

Since there was one member with Daleks in his avatar, I couldn't resist joining.

That was me...I used to have a pic of me in my smart car (the make. It is far from smart in real life - more a rolling shed) as an avatar but it vanished and since my bro once said that it was smaller than a dalek I thought I'd use that instead.
So glad you've got another piano and that you're enjoying it so much...are you going to have lessons now? Go on, you know you want to...

Gill the Piano wrote:That was me...I used to have a pic of me in my smart car (the make. It is far from smart in real life - more a rolling shed) as an avatar but it vanished and since my bro once said that it was smaller than a dalek I thought I'd use that instead.
So glad you've got another piano and that you're enjoying it so much...are you going to have lessons now? Go on, you know you want to...

I have considered lessons, but money is a problem and practice time is difficult, and I don't want to spend money for lessons and then not be able to practice enough to justify them.

The other question is that since you have Daleks in your avatar, are you a Dr Who fan? The first episode I ever saw was in the 80's, when the local PBS station was running the series, and I saw "Robot" from the beginning. I've been a fan ever since, but not rabidly so. Currently one of the local TV stations is running the series on their Retro TV station. I now have most of them on DVD, before that I had most of the episodes on VHS tape, the those tapes are now gone.

Well I used to like it as a nipper (Patrick Troughton & then John Pertwee) but from behind the sofa, like most kids, in case a dalek got me. Not so keen on the modern jobbies except for David Tennant whom I thought was wonderful!
What level do you play to? Have a mooch in the local music shop - there are so many good books out there now. The other thing you could do is to look in second hand bookshops or charity shops for used music - I've picked up some great bargains. The main thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun.

Gill the Piano wrote:Well I used to like it as a nipper (Patrick Troughton & then John Pertwee) but from behind the sofa, like most kids, in case a dalek got me. Not so keen on the modern jobbies except for David Tennant whom I thought was wonderful!
What level do you play to? Have a mooch in the local music shop - there are so many good books out there now. The other thing you could do is to look in second hand bookshops or charity shops for used music - I've picked up some great bargains. The main thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun.

I've seen most of the original series, Hartnell to McCoy, but I didn't care for Colin Baker, I think the series got a bit bogged down then. I've only seen a few of the newer series, including the first where McCoy regenerates.

I'm really not sure where to rate myself, I play a few serious pieces, but I don't sight read and it is taking me a long time to learn a new piece or relearn a piece I had played before. The pieces I play well are Beethoven, Moonlight sonata, 1st movement, & Fur Elise - Debussy, Clare De Lune, but not at as fast a tempo as most. Rimsky-Korsakow, Song of India, (my own arrangement), Bach-Gounod, Ave Maria, piano. Chopin, Trauermarsch, 2nd movement only. I'm working on Debussy's Reverie, and Chopin's Nocturne Op.9 No.2 40 years ago I could play several more pieces but I've been away from the piano, and have lost most of what I used to be able to play.

A few years ago I picked up an 8 volume set of "The International Library of Music, Pianoforte Compositions, copyrighted in 1935 that has approximately 1,150 pieces of classical music. The set looked like it had hardly been used, and I found in the local Salvation Army store, so it was really cheap, ($15.00 for the set). I had also been buying sheet music off EBay, and I could pick the pieces I wanted. The biggest problem now is practice time, I just don't get as much as I would like to have, which is odd since I'm retired and both of the Grandchildren I was taking care of are now in school.

Best wishes,breakup, for your return to piano. Your existing repertoire appears to make a solid foundation. Sight reading improves with practice and I would encourage working on sight reading starting with simple pieces.

I made a restart on piano some 25 years ago after a gap of almost 30 years. At one point the only note I knew on the stave was middle C and I had to work all the others out. Also couldn't sight read. I have had a very good teacher for the last 10 years and now find Mozart piano sonatas relatively approachable.

Good luck.

I said it was odd that I'm having trouble finding time to practice now. When I had the grandchildren I could sit and play anytime when they were not napping, but when I did sit down to play it would only be for a short time till the 4 year old girl came over and wanted to play too. Have you ever tried to play classical music with a 4 year old telling you, you could only use this much of the keyboard, or was playing on the keys while you were trying to play? That really made playing fun.

I'm just a bit self conscious about practicing with other people in the house, I really don't have a problem with pieces I know, but learning new ones is difficult. We have house guests in the one part of the house. The family has been here since Nov.15 '14 when on a Sat. evening I got a phone call from the wife, who had just driven the husband to the hospital with a heart attack, asking if she and her son (36 years old and autistic) could park in my driveway and sleep in their car. They had nowhere else to stay. Well there was no way I was going to let someone sleep in their car in my driveway, so I told them to use the one bedroom. One nice thing about it is that he likes to cook and meals are ready when my wife gets home, the down side is that once they move out, my wife is going to expect me to do the cooking. Neither of them are working because he is retired, and she is trying to get disability due to bad knees, the son is very dependent on them taking care of him.

breakup wrote: Have you ever tried to play classical music with a 4 year old telling you, you could only use this much of the keyboard, or was playing on the keys while you were trying to play? .

Yes, and I've tried to tune a piano with 3 year old twins belting away at the keyboard, one each end, while the mother simpered indulgently... you need a cage for the kids (we call it a playpen, but it's a cage, nonetheless) and the kids can pretend to be lions in a zoo. Or sitting quietly writing to Amnesty International...

There's a couple of big fat books called something like The AMSCO Piano Library - they have a brilliant selection of pieces like the Moonlight, but only the 1st movement (because that's all anybody ever plays!) and nice bits you may not have known existed. It's spiral bound so it stays open on the piano and it's like having a whole shelf of music condensed into a couple of books. Have a look next time you're in a music shop.

Never took to McCoy. Baker lives up the road from me and shouts in the village shop a lot. Well, projects, but when it's early on a Sunday morning it feelslike shouting. All I want is my paper and a sneaky choc bar to eat as I travel between churches, not to be projected at...

Gill the Piano wrote:

breakup wrote: Have you ever tried to play classical music with a 4 year old telling you, you could only use this much of the keyboard, or was playing on the keys while you were trying to play? .

Yes, and I've tried to tune a piano with 3 year old twins belting away at the keyboard, one each end, while the mother simpered indulgently... you need a cage for the kids (we call it a playpen, but it's a cage, nonetheless) and the kids can pretend to be lions in a zoo. Or sitting quietly writing to Amnesty International...

There's a couple of big fat books called something like The AMSCO Piano Library - they have a brilliant selection of pieces like the Moonlight, but only the 1st movement (because that's all anybody ever plays!) and nice bits you may not have known existed. It's spiral bound so it stays open on the piano and it's like having a whole shelf of music condensed into a couple of books. Have a look next time you're in a music shop.

Never took to McCoy. Baker lives up the road from me and shouts in the village shop a lot. Well, projects, but when it's early on a Sunday morning it feelslike shouting. All I want is my paper and a sneaky choc bar to eat as I travel between churches, not to be projected at...

I'll have a look, but honestly I have so much music now that I will never get to.

Funny, but we never used a play pen for the grandchildren, they just crawled around wherever they wanted to. They also used to keep a lot of toys under the grand pianos, it was like a little hideaway for them.

Have you ever seen Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes? he did a version of The Hound of the Baskervilles and he was a pretty good Holmes, but the supporting cast was adequate at best. Sometimes it looked like they were reading their lines from cue cards.

I hope you meant Colin Baker, I can't imagine Tom Baker shouting at anyone.

Gill the Piano wrote: Or sitting quietly writing to Amnesty International...

I would think that for Amnesty International to become involved, you would need to move out of the country, which might not be a bad idea, under the circumstances.

Yes, Colin. I think he can't help himself, he just projects automatically!
A different country might mean you'd get more practice done - not a bad idea...

Gill the Piano wrote:Yes, Colin. I think he can't help himself, he just projects automatically!
A different country might mean you'd get more practice done - not a bad idea...

Or a different country would mean different women, and you wouldn't get any practicing done, (I assume you're a man, other wise read it the other way round.)

Nope, I'm a female!

Hi there everyone im new here just joined, my name is Dario D'Aversa, i'm a pianist and i write songs here is my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dariodaversadd if you would like to listen to my songs, mostly classical minimalistic.
Here is other links to my youtube channel feel free to subscribe if you like what you see http://youtu.be/GZKyNSlIi6A

Hi,

My name is Robert Chappell. I am from London, UK. I like to say hello to all members.

Glad to be a part of this forum.

Hallo everybody,

just registered to this forum and reading through the various posts.

I started playing the piano at the age of 6, had a teacher until 18. Now I am just playing for myself, also occasionally composing. Some of my home recordings can be found on the IMSLP website (International Music Score Library Project), most of them have been copied by Museopen and are disseminated by them as well.

http://imslp.org/wiki/User:C._Stephan

I own a 1968 Sauter upright with a retrofit Pianodisc GT2 mini silent system. I like romantic classical music but also Yiruma and jazz standards as well as modern popular music.

Greetings from Hamburg/Germany.
Constantin

Hi
I am new here, just signed up.