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IT'S SO GOOD I FEEL LIKE WRITING IT IN UPPER CASE......but I won't

On Friday 22nd I'm having a piano lesson for an hour - from a good teacher as well.

Hopefully my fortunes will change

Excellent news. Male/female teacher? How long's the lesson if you have to go to Wales for it? Pob lwc!

We've been exchanging Emails for a week or so, she has a website and a Twitter and she's given me some very sound and constructive advice. She says she wants me to succeed with her help, and I agree with her. I'm actually looking forward to it greatly, and the fact she's in Wales doesn't bother me. If she can help me to ditch the past and move on then it wouldn't matter if she was in Newcastle or even Poland.

She's also helping me with my Internet connection as there's a possibility of lessons via Skype.

Great. Now stop belittling teachers. I have rung piano 4 solihull quoting your message to them a year later. Its very sad u feel so bad towards them. Good luck dave
Slander is not nice and i hope the lady does not get to see your rant towards her. Remove it fast.......

(original comment deleted)

Now, Good news. I've got a piano lesson next week. Yay!!! And I've had another email from my new teacher, she's SOOOOOOOOOOOO helpful!

So, I'm going to need some more piano books, she'll tell me which ones to look out for in the music shop. I really cannot wait, at last I'm going to be a piano learner very very soon, thanks to my new teacher in the Land of Song. Excitement abounds, without the champagne!

Pob lwc, cariad; ac anwybyddich yr twpsin clewiwr.
What books will you be using? Perhaps you can just use Complete Piano Player? Or Fanny Doodah? It makes more economical sense to use books you already have.

Gill the Piano wrote:Pob lwc, cariad; ac anwybyddich yr twpsin clewiwr.
What books will you be using? Perhaps you can just use Complete Piano Player? Or Fanny Doodah? It makes more economical sense to use books you already have.

Diolch yn fawr Gill. Twpsin wir. 'Ynfytyn' yw gair sy'n golygu'r un peth That's the word I learned, possibly a North-South thing?? I learned mostly northern words, eg goriad rather than allwedd, llefrith rather than llaeth, pres/arian, fo/fe etc.

I'll let Amanda tell me what books to buy. I may even be able to get them on Oxfam's online shop (and help the Philipines DEC appeal, two birds, one stone). She did say something about 'working out a piano action plan' for me, which gives me the impression she's got my case pretty well sussed.

Tell her which books you have already and make her aware that you want to avoid unnecessary expense. Dunno about the ynfyntyn - looks like a bad scrabble hand! I just looked it up in my dictionary.

Shall we continue on the Cymraeg thread in t'other room???

More good news, the piano is now plugged in and I'm ready to go. Had to do some good old grade 1 scales, and had a go at picking out the intro to 'Up The Junction', not one of my favourite songs I have to say (happen/Clapham), but I remember it from childhood, plus it was playing in Sainsburys this week.

Doesn't matter what you play as long as you're enjoying yourself! Unless it's a b*njo, of course...

Another trip to Sainsburys, and yet again Up the Junction was playing, followed by Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner, also heard twice this week. I think I visit Sainsburys too often, but it's just their free wife I go for in their cafe, plus their Danish pastries!

When I used to play the Lumberjack song that always used to make me smile. Certainly a better beginners piece than Ode to Joy.

A free wife? Is Teresa not enough???

Or wifi

Ah, now you've disappointed me; I was envisaging a bohemian Brummie for whom one wife wasn't enough! Bet Teresa's relieved though. Or perhaps not...

You could say I have three wives as it's a case of 'love me, love my cats' here!

Meow meow!!

Eric has the same situation every Friday afternoon when I have my mates round for ginnything...he has 3 wives the, 4 if Chrissie is over from am*rica...

Only four days to go now

And only nine until I get unlimited broadband, not connected with learning the piano - but pretty handy for piano lessons through Skype

Will she do Skype lessons for you?

Hope so, have to wait and see. Had an emu from Amanda today. Have to pay a visit to the Library of Birmingham this week and pick up (if it's on loan) Piano Time 1 and 2 by Pauline Hall (Oxford Piano Method). Two months ago I gave a copy away.

If you gave it away to a shop, go & see if they still have it. Or try other charity shops - Oxfam often do good second hand music books.

It didn't go to a shop, I passed it on to a local piano teacher. However our shop has got some Pauline Hall extra curricular piano books in. Nothing on Oxfam's online shop tho.

There's an Oxfam books and music in Knowle, just outside Solihull that has boxes and boxes of sheet music, however it's many miles from me.

I now have Piano Time 1 so I'm all ready to go now!!



Cannot wait, quite literally.

Excellent. We shall want a full debrief upon your safe return from forrin parts...

I may not have the time to post a full report until Saturday, however I shall maybe say a few words if I'm not too cream crackered after the long drive back in the dark!!

Up until today I have never thoroughly enjoyed a piano lesson. Thank you so very much, Amanda.

HOORAY!!!!

The Welsh dragon has well and truly worked its mystic magic......

I have plenty to go on, another Youtube channel and some more uploads...and possibly another lesson in January. If I do get any money at Christmas, it will go towards a January lesson.

I have such a lot to go on and normally my head is like a sieve. But I remembered everything Amanda taught me, every single detail of what I should do, how I should play etc. and every single reassurance she gave me.

Duets - What great fun, and so educational. Every piano learner must do them!!

Onwards and upwards!

See if you can get the Diabelli duets from the library, Dave; they're lovely for sight reading as they stay in one hand position throughout and they sound lovely.

Only one problem there Gill, I have nobody to duet with here! I could get the duets (I'm sure the Library will have them) and maybe take them to Wales. I was thinking of booking another lesson with Amanda some time in January.

The rate I'm going I'm going to need lots more easy one hand and dead easy two hand beginners' piano books as A has told me not to play the same stuff over again. Play it once. So every Oxfam Books and Music in Greater Birmingham is going to be scoured by myself. Plus I may need 'Piano Time Pieces' and possibly PT2 sooner than I think!

Had a chance to practice my new playing style on a 'foreign' piano, at the church hall where old Grandad 'ere does his keep fit.

Excellent. Perhaps they'd let you stay on to practise for a while if you promised to lock up for them?

That would put the caretaker out of a job, which I wouldn't advocate. However I would advocate some more trips into central Birmingham to play in the LOB and at the digital piano shop in Smallbrook Queensway, whilst pretending to be a wealthy customer wanting a new black box.

Well get there a bit early then and have a twiddle while the Keep Fit Sadist is setting up...

That's exactly what I do, it's usually scales, arpeggios and Hen Wlad fy Nhadau...although I have to learn to play that in my new style. I have made two videos from Piano Time 1 this evening to upload to my new Youtube channel when I get my unlimited broadband tomorrow. Which Amanda will see.

I really need Piano Time Pieces now as I'm running out of things to play

Now I'm on Youtube, done four vids of me playing and sent links to Amanda. I eagerly await her verdict.

No links for us?

I shall PM you a link to it Gill as channel is strictly private. All four uploads are on there now, each one took me ONE HOUR to upload. No feedback on them from Amanda though as yet.

Well you have feedback from me...well done!

Thank you Gill. Because of my 0.01 Mbps internet each one of those videos took me one hour to upload. I have three more on this machine that need to be done, which will make seven. Strange though that Amanda hasn't gotten back to me yet!

Amanda's pleased with my four uploads, which cheered me up considerably as I'd had a crappy evening's practice last night.