New Piano Showcase category and forums!

[markymark]

New Piano Showcase Forum has been put in place due to popular demand.

Remember you can either upload a file directly.
If that is not doable, then simply video your performance and upload onto Youtube, Facebook, etc with the link to the site posted on the forum.

Post your own improvisations, performances or even exam pieces for feedback.

[markymark]

I haven't gotten around to connecting my stage piano to my laptop yet. My laptop isn't well and the stage piano is in the church. Our school is getting a prilimenary visit from the new inspector. It's not an inspection but he will spend some time looking around our classroom and talking to the children. Anyway, once this is all over, I'm going to try and connect my computer to the stage piano and then I might have something to report back. I couldn't get my old Clavinova to connect to the laptop properly which is why I was initially put off.

[markymark]

Does the YDP131 not have a USB connection?

[markymark]

I tried to record a performance tonight, but I was using a dictaphone-type device that is obviously best used for recording vocals signals. I'm afraid my piano was too powerful for it and the sound was distorting.

What is everyone else doing?

[louttrim]

am looking forward to hearing Mark play immensely!!!

the only way you lot'll hear me play is if I rig up the video camera, and if you knew me, you'd know that was v unlikely to happen!!

Lx

[Barrie Heaton]

I tried to record a performance tonight, but I was using a dictaphone-type device that is obviously best used for recording vocals signals. I'm afraid my piano was too powerful for it and the sound was distorting.

What is everyone else doing?

Nothing in the school music department to record on

Barrie,

[markymark]

I have come across a processing software called Total Recorder. You can download it on trial and see how it goes. It allows you to connect a digital instrument to your computer and to record your performance. You then get the option to produce the recording as a MP3, WAV, etc.

It's just getting time to set it all up! I have a weekend music commitment coming up on Friday and Saturday so not sure when I'll get time! At least if I can get it going myself, I can advise others to go about it. Acoustic recorders (the ones that capture the sounds properly) are far too expensive so this is definitely the better option, me owning a digital instrument and all...

WATCH THIS SPACE!

[Gooday]

For acoustics, the dynamic range of the piano causes some problems as catching the quiet bits can mean the loud bits are distorted, but I've been able to record something recognisable on a cheapish point and click digital camera (canon) without too much distortion, though it's far from cd quality. Just recently bought a tascam dp-04 (mini mixing desk with 2 built in stereo mics.) That was about £150 on the internet (RRP 200!) That works really well and is at cd quality (in theory) but the down side is that it's brutally honest. I took it to some practice rooms, thought I'd played well and that the grand sounded nice, but actually I could hear some real pedalling problems and general messyness

Somebody on my course uses a Zoom, which I think could also work well. There's also the Boss micro recorder which is smaller, but maybe aimed more at guitarist with all those effects built in. Similar sort of price I think.

I was going to post a link for my chopin nocturne but somebody in college IT managed to tape over it so I didn't get to see it

[markymark]

Okay, just bringing this to the fore again....

Remember, particularly for those of you who are doing grade exams, this is a brilliant opportunity for you to post your performance progress so far and for other more experienced players to pass on some tips or advice.