too good a review

[tds]

those who perform,

how do you take a review that you honestly think is better than how you were, or how your performance went?

i asked coz i received one--one that was way too flattering, to a degree of untruthfulness. too embarrassed even to think of it, i was....

tds

[pianistimo]

you're probably harder on yourself.  that's why.  enjoy it.  but, ask a friend who went (esp. if they play the piano) what they thought.  friends usually tell you the good with the bad.

[tds]

yeah, but we know when things are being grossly exaggerated. besides it never came across like a normal compliment would. when i first read it, my reaction was more like "HUH?!", then i bursted to laugh a second later. my family did almost the same thing when i read it again to them, tho i must admit mom looked insistently happy.

[pianistimo]

a great review never hurts, i would think.  i wouldn't know because i've never gotten one.  actually i think i'd make a great critic.  i always have something bad to say with the good -except for my teacher whom i think is perfect    it's funny, but before i heard him play i thought there is never in the world a perfect performer.  there's always something wrong with something they do visually, or technically.  then, i saw perfection.  (that's probably what your critic thinks of you).  what can you say when you like it?  nothing.  you just sit for 10 minutes afterwards thinking - did i just hear what i thought i heard? 

the only time i literally heard a pin drop was when i played liszt's 2nd or 4th ballade 20 years ago.  someone dropped a pen.  that was the only sound.  to me that was like 'yeah, they're listening and they like it.'  that was the greatest compliment i ever got.  of course, i'd been practicing 6-7-8- hours per day/night.  3 hours at a time.  now i have to pay others to listen to me.  i'd have to hand out tickets saying - here, it's on the house.  (i'm not terrible, but i have to catch up a little - from this leg.  i can pedal now, though, which is good).

the first three granados spanish dances went over well 20 years ago, too.  now i'd like to learn all 12.  i learned the waldstein to get into wcu - and that was fun - as i had a few listeners outside the practice room door sometimes.  brahms paganini variations i'd worked on, too, about 3 years ago, up to speed.  then, i though, ok, the pinnacle of pianism is mussorsky's pics at an exhibition.  i've been working that for a few years - but i think it's a few more off.  even though i don't like 'bravdo' on it's own merits, i do think ending a program with something firey is a good idea.  guess that i see piano as not trying to impress the audience as much as the composer.  if you imagine the compsoer there and if you think they liked what they heard - it's a success.  you kind of know in your own mind if it would go over or not.

[donjuan]

i know that feeling.... hate it because it feels like everyone is just humouring me.  The feeling is entirely in the head most of the time (unless you are performing for family members, when they applaud you no matter what <-- this really pisses me off btw)

If it's written up in some article though, then be happy!! 

[tds]

thanks be to God, from all the reviews i got, all has been very positive. a rather recent review said that my performance of haydn b minor sonata hob xvi/32 was that of "musical perfection" ( not that perfection was what i ever wanted to achieve! ); "a truly extraordinary rendition of waldstein" yet said another critic. and those were still within somehow normal, i.e what you often hear or read in reviews.

the too good a review i was talking about contains some unjustified comparison with one of musical giants, and showed abit of ignorance ( excuse me ) on the originator. now you got it?

donjuan, yeah it was mostly in my head, and funny that i didnt want it to spread away lurking inside other heads--that way the embarrasment would easily be multiplied. u know what im saying?

a great review never hurts, i would think. i wouldn't know because i've never gotten one. actually i think i'd make a great critique. i always have something bad to say with the good -except for my teacher whom i think is perfect it's funny, but before i heard him play i thought there is never in the world a perfect performer. there's always something wrong with something they do visually, or technically. then, i saw perfection. (that's probably what your critique thinks of you). what can you say when you like it? nothing. you just sit for 10 minutes afterwards thinking - did i just hear what i thought i heard?

the only time i literally heard a pin drop was when i played liszt's 2nd or 4th ballade 20 years ago. someone dropped a pen. that was the only sound. to me that was like 'yeah, they're listening and they like it.' that was the greatest compliment i ever got. of course, i'd been practicing 6-7-8- hours per day/night. 3 hours at a time. now i have to pay others to listen to me. i'd have to hand out tickets saying - here, it's on the house. (i'm not terrible, but i have to catch up a little - from this leg. i can pedal now, though, which is good).

the first three granados spanish dances went over well 20 years ago, too. now i'd like to learn all 12. i learned the waldstein to get into wcu - and that was fun - as i had a few listeners outside the practice room door sometimes. brahms paganini variations i'd worked on, too, about 3 years ago, up to speed. then, i though, ok, the pinnacle of pianism is mussorsky's pics at an exhibition. i've been working that for a few years - but i think it's a few more off. even though i don't like 'bravdo' on it's own merits, i do think ending a program with something firey is a good idea. guess that i see piano as not trying to impress the audience as much as the composer. if you imagine the compsoer there and if you think they liked what they heard - it's a success. you kind of know in your own mind if it would go over or not.

yeah i guess you're right. it doesnt hurt, it just makes ME uncomfortable. heh, yeah, youre prolly make a great critique! and a wise one, too! do you agree that being a critique is never easy mainly because of the massive moral and professional responsibity attached to it?

re. your piano teacher. youve always mentioned about him with great admiration! that in itself is wonderful to see. i wanna see him perform. i really do.

re. you can hear a pin drop in your own recital. i totally agree with you, that is prolly the REAL greatest compliment one could possibly obtain. in this musical quietness, magic is often present.

re. your repertoire. wow, its super!!! go girl!!!

hehe, tds

[pianistimo]

well, i'll probably never be a major newspaper critic but i'd like to be one in my head mostly.  to be able to give musically accurate critique and not overly praising or overly critical.  it seems that you have to reach a certain level of accomplishment - and i know i'm not there yet - but it's a way to learn actually.  to put into words what you heard, what you liked, what you didn't like, what you remember of the music.  i am in awe of my teacher and other s like him that say 'oh, you missed that A.'  how did they know it was an A - i'd do well just to say 'you missed a note.'  of course, no one puts that in a critique.  more like - impressions and overall interpretation.  but, i'd like to hone the fine stuff. 

i practice on my husband.  he probably doesn't like me saying that my piano teacher plays so perfectly, and would prefer to hear something bad about him.  but, when we go to concerts we talk for awhile afterwards.  i can't imagine going to a concert and having no feelings about it one way or the other.  like music going in one ear and out the other.  to me music has lasting power if it is really good.  you can still think of a good performance years later. 

[tds]

i practice on my husband. he probably doesn't like me saying that my piano teacher plays so perfectly, and would prefer to hear something bad about him. but, when we go to concerts we talk for awhile afterwards. i can't imagine going to a concert and having no feelings about it one way or the other. like music going in one ear and out the other. to me music has lasting power if it is really good. you can still think of a good performance years later.

did you tell your husband that someone from the pianoforum proposed you? ( did it come with a ring diamond too? )

yeah, memorability is one of the signs of performance quality, or lack thereof. often times, things have to be tested thru time, and memoribility rides on the very medium.

hey pianonut, i think you are the woman of the month. that's my take for the day.

[pianistimo]

you're sweet.  which proposal are you talking about?  (trying to make myself feel good today - since i found out last night at the ymca i am the first person to find the absolute minimum speed for turning the bicycle on).  but, my leg is getting better so i'm feeling better about things in general.  my husband is a true love because through thick and thin (good and bad) he's there.  so - anyone who proposes is just crazy.  i wouldn't leave him for a thousand diamonds.  he cooks too well.  and other things.  plus, we've been together for a very long time (20 years) so we know each other pretty well.  it would be hard to find someone that knows everything about you and still loves you the same.  he remembers our anniversary every month and takes me out to dinner. 

happy valentines day to you anyway!  from a like-minded piano person.  that's the only thing my hubby may never fully relate to  (like ball games for me).

[tds]

and by now, you and your husband should have received "The Happiest Married Couple" Award from the White House. and of course a big congratulation from lil tds

ps. r u sure, u were only proposed once here?

[pianistimo]

i forgot how many because i deleted the messages.  (maybe 2 or 3?)  and one that didn't propose but signed Love with a capital L, and one that said he knew what i meant about the horse?  (i don't even know what i meant!)  sometimes i just write and then realize that maybe my writing makes sense sometimes and  maybe it doesn't.

i tend become infatuated with any pianist that is near enough to play on a piano (if they play well).  so, knowing that carl cranmer (my teacher or old/young teacher) is playing the schumann pc at neumann college on march 5th at 3:00 pm - i printed out the map.  but, then i thought - ok if i go alone - i'll be tempted to stalk him afterwards (just kidding) - so then, i told my husband about the concert and we're going to sit in the back incognito.   

after being married a good long while i can attest to the discipline of keeping your mind from wandering.  and, being completely honest at every point (we tell each other everything now) even if we have to confess we looked at someone the wrong way.  i don't usually stare at carl as long as i do my husband (is that a brownie point?) speaking of brownie points, my husband has the most beautiful brown eyes in the world, and when i shut my eyes i can see them - so i think he's still got me.  he gets away with a lot though.  (that's how you know when you really love someone - they can get away with being messy or whatever it is that peeves you - and you love them just as much anyway).

[tds]

signed Love with a capital L,.....

as a graphologist, i would not only notice the word "love", regardless whether the letter 'L' is capitalized or not, but also HOW the writer writes his personal pronoun I, his name and your name. this can be very revealing. alas.....most things here are of non handwritten stuff.

neways...would you stare at me long when you see me play piano. and yeah, if i had the chance, i'd be playing just for you.

[pianistimo]

you would?  i like that.  sometimes i don't even want to go into a lesson.  just want to sit outside the door and listen.  there's something calming and peaceful about it.  if i didn't have music - i'd be definately more uptight and stressed.  the physical effort of practicing - and also,the relaxation you get from practicing and/or listening for an hour. 

my husband sings, and i used to put a tape of his singing in the taperecorder and listen to it while falling asleep.  am sure you'll find plenty of women to ogle you whilst playing. if you lived nearby or perform someday in pennsylvania - i'll come to your concert.  especially if you play the waldstein.  say, what makes the 'i' and the persons name uniquely written when they like you or visa-versa?

[tds]

i wonder why i cant sing. well, i can, too. hhmmmm, no, i cant. well, i can too....darn!!, my dogs look at me wierd when i "try" to sing. hell, what they know!? but again, what dont they know!

ok ok....neways,

dear dear pianissimo,

tell me that you WILL stare at me when am playing. and you'll fix my bowtie, gimme that super sweet smile...and and  yeah...all that....

heh, for instance

look at the follwing:

I love you

I love you

I love         you


k, do you feel anything with the above samples?

[pianistimo]

can't say that i do.  why don't you post a pic?  *hint: going down a firepole.   ok.  thalbergmad was the one that inspired that.

at my age, anything turns me on.  when women reach 40 you really have to watch out.  of course, shortly after that they simply burn out.  i've been told i'm getting close to that.  you just start going on a rampage to do everything you didn't or wouldn't take time for (yourself) to do before.  you put yourself a little higher up on the work order.  so i go and practice the piano like i'm 18 again - and come home exausted.  now, i practice mostly at home (with this broken leg) but i miss the library books and journals, and getting fingering from the music library on basically anything i want.  the music library is a gold mine.   

now, i know what i want - but i kind of have to pace myself.  anyway, i rarely read letters anymore.  i scan them.  (i do save them for later though).  i figure that if a guy wants to get my attention, he'll wave a bandanna over his head in orbiting motions whilst letting the car alarm blare.

[tds]

can't say that i do. why don't you post a pic? *hint: going down a firepole. ok. thalbergmad was the one that inspired that.

heh

at my age, anything turns me on. when women reach 40 you really have to watch out. of course, shortly after that they simply burn out. i've been told i'm getting close to that. you just start going on a rampage to do everything you didn't or wouldn't take time for (yourself) to do before. you put yourself a little higher up on the work order. so i go and practice the piano like i'm 18 again - and come home exausted. now, i practice mostly at home (with this broken leg) but i miss the library books and journals, and getting fingering from the music library on basically anything i want. the music library is a gold mine.

dats coo. back at my college, we got people running about naked in the library, in mail room, etc. i thought of doing the same but i got too busy, oh well...

now, i know what i want - but i kind of have to pace myself. anyway, i rarely read letters anymore. i scan them. (i do save them for later though). i figure that if a guy wants to get my attention, he'll wave a bandanna over his head in orbiting motions whilst letting the car alarm blare.

ive seen some guy waves his banana over his head in orbiting motions.....

[pianistimo]

naked in the library!  wooh.  was it in the french section or the music?  nothing happens in our music library.  the only thing unusual is that the copy machines suddenly start working when you leave. 

the last time i saw a naked man that wasn't my husband was on a bike trail.  i happened to look up this hill and there he was (must have been 80) crunching around in the woods with nothing on.  i don't know his motivation - and didn't stop to ask.  was going to tell someone - but though, hmm considering his age - i think he was out for the thrill and no one would see him if they didn't look.

tds, have you been watching the olympic dance/skating?  i'd say that's a thrill in scandalous attire and actions without paying the full price (in fact getting an award for it).  just last night the beautiful french couple (whom i think we're married, thank God) did #100 from the kama sutra (guessing on the number).  in mid-air she did the splits on him at a 50 degree angle.  i think the american couple did a similar thing - but much less of a sudden shock considering she aimed slightly higher.  (could that french girl have made a mistake?)

[tds]

there was once a naked man in the mail room who was holding a handycam, shooting everyone's facial expression.

yeah, and that i wont do. just the thought of being naked in a crowded public area is hard enough.

but to go naked and running around quickly just to crack people up is still a possibility.

[tds]

#100 from the kama sutra (guessing on the number). 

i actually wanna see what # 100 looks like.  cant even remember what the # 1 was.

ps. i have a slipped disc

[pianistimo]

how did you get that?  not running around naked, i hope.  don't want you getting thrown in jail.

those hurt!  i hope you get it back in place soon.   

[tds]

i think the disc has gotten back in place, coz it aint hurtin me no more ( thank God ). but, i have a slipped tounge sometimes. is that normal? it aint hurt to much, heh. or yet...

[pianistimo]

did you have a stroke or something?

[tds]

whahahahahaaaa.......

NO, only a slip of the tounge, sometimes. btw, do you believe in freudian slip?

[pianistimo]

no.  just spiritual slips.  freud himself slipped from his staunch beliefs only once, and that was to a christian named pfizer.  mostly he thought christians were hypocritical, but this one man he actually apologized to before he had an article published.  when he wrote the letter he addressed it 'dear man of God.'  guess that was a slip on his part - but not really. 

[tds]

coo! why i havent heard the story before? oh well, what have i heard?!

who is this 'dear man of God' he was referring to? such gentleness of heart

[pianistimo]

pfister was said to have 'warmth and enthusiasm' vs. the cold and hardened psychologists who used to visit the freud household, too.  maybe the way you can tell when you get an honest review is that people say something in passing on the spur of the moment - or if you ask someone a question that they weren't expecting and they answer it for you fairly quickly.  kind of like handwriting.  the subterraneous matter comes out. general anesthesia might work on others.

was interested to hear about your 3 am rehearsals.  doesn't that tire you out for the performance the next day, though.  and, why would you try to read while practicing.  does that inspire mistakes that you don't expect - thus enabling you to practice those spots?  do you normally play fairly flawlessly?  do you go through each piece as if you were performing it at 3 am the day before - or do you still work thru passages? 

did a bit of research on the ecole de normale in france yesterday.  did you know (you proabably did) that cortot began the school?  that the same guy that built the champs d'lsay built the school?  and, that paul badura-skoda teaches there?  wish i could visit sometime!

[tds]

was interested to hear about your 3 am rehearsals.  doesn't that tire you out for the performance the next day, though.  and, why would you try to read while practicing.  does that inspire mistakes that you don't expect - thus enabling you to practice those spots?  do you normally play fairly flawlessly?  do you go through each piece as if you were performing it at 3 am the day before - or do you still work thru passages? 

did a bit of research on the ecole de normale in france yesterday.  did you know (you proabably did) that cortot began the school?  that the same guy that built the champs d'lsay built the school?  and, that paul badura-skoda teaches there?  wish i could visit sometime!

hehe, its not so much of rehearsals, pianonut. its more like a test. you know you are ready when you can play your program at any time of the day/night, and any day of the week. there have been guests visiting our house and ive played my entire program for them without warming up. its a piece of cake. of course i know i can, been practicing it that way twice everyday, and interestingly enough dont feel tired after finishing the last notes of the 2nd go.

why would you try to read while practicing. does that inspire mistakes that you don't expect - thus enabling you to practice those spots? do you normally play fairly flawlessly?

yeah, thats the was the original idea. i havent done this thing long enough to see its benefit ( or lack thereof ). have you tried it? try it, its fun, if anything. flawlessly no. but i guess good enough to impress audience and critics. this is also the reason why i play thru my program twice a day everyday. i want to me it absolutely flawless both technically and memory wise. its another thing to report and share....lets see.

ecole de normale is a famous school. aint it named after cortot, too. a friend of mine went there for summer school, and another friend went study with badura-skoda, but in the states ( boston, if i remember correctly ). do you plan to go there this year? i am going to europe again this august thru october

[pianistimo]

between you and several others who also perform quite regularly, i've gleaned some good stuff.  i never really thought about twice a day tests (running through the entire program) and attempting to do something else (like reading) while playing to see where the weak spots are in the program.  suppose that practice makes perfect. 

i am always amazed at the seemingly flawless performances of my teacher.  i don't think i've ever heard him make a mistake.  this has been to me a conundrum because usually teachers are so busy teaching they don't have time to practice as the students do.  maybe good habits - and a very active brain.

don't think i'd do very well with my program just yet if i tried to read at the same time.  basically, i don't even have everything memorized yet.  for as long as i've worked the barber nocturne, i should have it down!  that is the difference between raw talent and raw determination.  some people just learn things really quickly.  if i was practicing at least four hours every day - i'd probably have it - but my home life is more geared around the kids right now - so an hour or hour and half is about it.

[tds]

don't think i'd do very well with my program just yet if i tried to read at the same time.  basically, i don't even have everything memorized yet.  for as long as i've worked the barber nocturne, i should have it down!  that is the difference between raw talent and raw determination.  some people just learn things really quickly.  if i was practicing at least four hours every day - i'd probably have it - but my home life is more geared around the kids right now - so an hour or hour and half is about it.

then try just with one piece you know well. am curious...

[pianistimo]

ok. i'll get up at 3 am and try to find a book to read.  can you suggest a good one?  (i think i know the answer to what will happen already).  i'll put the book up, the pages will start flipping around, and i'll get really frustrated and have to make myself some kind of rube goldberg contraption that wraps around my head and holds the book in front of my eyes with the pages in place.  when i get done with two pages, i'll blink and the pages will turn.  (can you actually turn pages, too?)

the hardest thing i've tried with piano is playing bach with the voices reversed - for instance playing the left hand above the right hand and keeping the bass notes the same as for the left hand, and the treble the same as for the right hand.  can you do this?  (i tried it - but i think i ended up playing the treble notes with the right hand). 

say - you have a similar sillhouette to elton john.  you leave some guesswork to be done here. 

[tds]

hand crossing test is easy to me somehow. btw, i am quasi ambidexterous ( spelling? ), and i guess we all, pianists, are to a certain degree.

i put a better silhouette of me on my profile. me no elton john. me is me. me. yeah, me.