VIDEO!my improv (tried to do it with style) you like it? please watch!

[mkaykov]

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6897473452310143900


my improvs, i tried to copy cziffra, but I believe it doesn't sound like him at all................



https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7166967532762278587

what do you think, do you like my technique......

I believe it lacks clarity........

please listen, and comment, it means alot to me.

Mikhail, 15 years old.

many thanks

[da jake]

LOL @ the insane self-promotion. Who do you think you are, Muhammad Ali? 

The Carmen one is a lot more interesting, musically...which still happens to not be all that interesting musically.   

Anyway, you have good technical skill and are only 15. So...good job there...buddy.

[orlandopiano]

Nice job.

[lostinidlewonder]

Nice scales, a little too cliche playing for my taste. The boom bang stuff with heaps of fill ins looses its effect and I wanna hear more of the melodic lines. Will be interesting to hear you play around with different chord shadings and to highlight your melody playing. Especially when that LH takes the Melody in the deep bass, why isn't there more elasticity in it, its dying to be appreciated and broadened. What about some gliss to give differnt effects to your heaps of scale runs? Entertaining

[emmdoubleew]

Technique 10/10.
Musical substance 0/10.


Please do something different than arpeggios and scale. Add variety to your improv. Expand your "improvisational vocabulary" so that you have more interesting things to do. Good potential.

[jre58591]

Technique 10/10.
Musical substance 0/10.

ill have to agree there. try to expand beyong cziffra and perhaps look to other pianists that have been known to improvise, like keith jarrett, marc-andré hamelin, and earl wild. all of these men ahve broken ground in improvisation also.

[mkaykov]

ill have to agree there. try to expand beyong cziffra and perhaps look to other pianists that have been known to improvise, like keith jarrett, marc-andré hamelin, and earl wild. all of these men ahve broken ground in improvisation also.

absolutely, I agree the musical value of my improvs is very little.

perhaps you can give me actual themes to improvise on.

take care.

[franz_]

First of all, I don't believe this is pure improvisation.
What I think is that you have a really good technique for a 15 years old boy, but your videos are just 'look my technique and my scales'. They where pretty cool and you had nice things, things that Cziffra could have done, but don't forget the music. In your second video we can hear the 'Hava Nagila'. These were just the melody in octaves with enormous arpeggios. I liked it, but don't think just about technique. Technique is a way to pronounce music. You have a very good technique, now make very good music.

[donjuan]

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6897473452310143900


my improvs, i tried to copy cziffra, but I believe it doesn't sound like him at all................



https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7166967532762278587

what do you think, do you like my technique......

I believe it lacks clarity........

please listen, and comment, it means alot to me.

Mikhail, 15 years old.

many thanks

*sincerity check* from your videos, youre obviously very proud of yourself, so why dont you cut the crap and stop trying so hard to act humble?  The contradiction makes it hard to respect you.

I felt sick when you said 'I'm finished, thank you' because when Cziffra said it, it was like he was a slave -a performing monkey for the cameras- while you are not; you got all dressed up for this 'improvisation' and you had to do the little PBS-style speech at the beginning... it's really not convincing, I'm afraid.  Also "I could unleash for days" is a terrible thing to say about yourself.  Good improvisors would have left comments like that to other people to say.  Yes, I did -I felt sick --> to know that Cziffra's legacy is being so warped in the hands of today's youth.

The difference between Cziffra's improvisation and yours, is that he doesn't hit dead ends and use the same trick over and over again.  He also builds it up to a climax rather than have it go crazy from start to finish.  and his improv is actually improvised.

When I saw that you were going to do that Jewish one, I was really hoping you would simply play the melody and the proper rhythm initially just so that we know what theme you are going to 'improvise' on.  I really could barely recognize it..  and then I was hoping you would build it up to a lively dance with a stamping beat (like the ending of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11  ) before doing the arpeggios and bombastic things, which mustnt be overdone!

absolutely, I agree the musical value of my improvs is very little.

perhaps you can give me actual themes to improvise on.

take care.

believe me, the problem isnt with the themes..

--------
that said, I really do envy your right hand technique

[franz_]

*sincerity check* from your videos, youre obviously very proud of yourself, so why dont you cut the crap and stop trying so hard to act humble?  The contradiction makes it hard to respect you.

I felt sick when you said 'I'm finished, thank you' because when Cziffra said it, it was like he was a slave -a performing monkey for the cameras- while you are not; you got all dressed up for this 'improvisation' and you had to do the little PBS-style speech at the beginning... it's really not convincing, I'm afraid.  Also "I could unleash for days" is a terrible thing to say about yourself.  Good improvisors would have left comments like that to other people to say.  Yes, I did -I felt sick --> to know that Cziffra's legacy is being so warped in the hands of today's youth.

The difference between Cziffra's improvisation and yours, is that he doesn't hit dead ends and use the same trick over and over again.  He also builds it up to a climax rather than have it go crazy from start to finish.  and his improv is actually improvised.

When I saw that you were going to do that Jewish one, I was really hoping you would simply play the melody and the proper rhythm initially just so that we know what theme you are going to 'improvise' on.  I really could barely recognize it..  and then I was hoping you would build it up to a lively dance with a stamping beat (like the ending of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11  ) before doing the arpeggios and bombastic things, which mustnt be overdone!
believe me, the problem isnt with the themes..

--------
that said, I really do envy your right hand technique

Loved your critique.

[da jake]

*sincerity check* from your videos, youre obviously very proud of yourself, so why dont you cut the crap and stop trying so hard to act humble?  The contradiction makes it hard to respect you.

Bang on. He actually edited the first post after he saw my first reply. The initial post was something like "look at my incredible skill...blah blah blah".

[henrah]

my improvs, i tried to copy cziffra, but I believe it doesn't sound like him at all................

Don't try to copy other pianists, especially Cziffra. No one will ever be like Cziffra.

[jamie_liszt]

How did you get such good right hand technique, its amazing. What type of stuff did you play to get it that good?

[franz_]

How did you get such good right hand technique, its amazing. What type of stuff did you play to get it that good?

Oh boy... it was just such a fun 

[piano121]

Well, you now... you got some harsh critiques here. Mostly, because you are too proud of yourself. Some times it happens in your age. Specialy, when the people that surrounds you treats you like a wonder. Some times, going a the public arena like this forum, and showing your stuff to lots of diferent people, turns out to be a umbleness lesson.

That said, I agree all this stuff lacks musicality, and the comparisson with Czifra was not a very good idea, indeed. Specialy in a web forum

But, tecnicaly, you rock big time! Now, just use this thing you have in some real music, forget about imitating other people. I´m sure that with your technique you can handle lot of beautifull music.

[sinspawnammes]

You have good technique, but that doesn't make music.  Seriously, I had to turn off my speakers, because if I wanted to hear 6 minutes of scales, I would have played them at M.M. 90 and sped it up on my computer 

At 15, I'm impressed.  I know impromptus are meant to show off technique, but you can't bang on the piano and play the same arps over and over and expect to make people bow down.  Btw,

"INSANE IMPROV!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Style of barere, Cziffra, Liszt, Horowitz, virtuoso, unleahsed piano, INZANAE!!!!!!!!!"

is a bit of an overstatement.  I know plenty of people who can improv like that, they're equally boring to listen to.

[Derek]

Not bad. When I started improvising, I couldn't even play the piano! You've got a lot of technique available to you from the very beginning! 

You probably are already---but get comfortable improvising in all 24 keys...some of the other advice above was good--try using all sorts of different chords and positions, and definitely experiment with rhythm.

Good luck in your musical endeavors!

[ted]

It's a very good start and, at your age, it is important to acquire the art of objectively learning from criticism without taking any of it to heart. Improvisation at its finest is a profoundly spontaneous expression of our most precious musical impulses.  It is not for nothing that the greatest creative minds in piano history have, virtually without exception, prized it above most other functions. During its best moments there comes an ecstatic inevitability wherein one feels, as it were, a channel for an infinite succession of transporting ideas. The conscious and unconscious come into perfect balance in a sort of feedback loop, producing a transporting state almost impossible to describe in words.

There are many other ways of doing it, such as the "mental arithmetic pattern" way, and the "bag of tricks" way. While their development is very clever, by no means to be despised, and many professionals use no other ways, they cannot, in their nature, touch the deeper responses because they exist only at the conscious level. A bag of tricks is just a bag of tricks no matter how big it is.

Therefore I concur with the essence of the previous comments but I would not have couched it in such harsh terms. Discouragement does nobody any good, especially a young person. Improvisation is bigger than a lifetime and you are young with plenty of time and obvious talent. In addition to the excellent advice of Derek, I would tend to try removing speed and virtuosity altogether; let the improvisations stand on music alone for a while. A good way to do this is to improvise musically compelling slow movements.

It also has to be said that your best improvisation will be when you are yourself, not Cziffra, not Jarrett, not even Liszt or Bach - yourself. Finding exactly what "yourself" is, and bringing it out, is an immensely satisfying, life-long activity. It can also never do any harm to find a teacher who improvises; I know they are rare but they do exist.

[lisztisforkids]

A lot of you guys are really way to uptight. The kid can play the piano however he wants, who are you people to tell him otherwise? I mean look at LangLang....

 Sure hes not the most musical or the most inventive. But he's 15, I wish I could do that crap at 15.

[henrah]

So do I; but it's the imitation of Cziffra that annoys me. Granted you have an excellent technique kid, but really read through what Ted and Derek have said. Their comments can help you improve greatly, and I'd love to hear an improvised slow movement from you. That's where the heart lies...

[tompilk]

i already commented on this over at gamingforce,..
Have you posted this absolutely everywhere possible? lol...
I do loathe the self-promotion... and don't ever *try* to be like anybost else other than yourself...
awesome technique... but all one volume...
try to maybe give this a rest, play some chopin noctournes or something,..
Tom

[mkaykov]

*sincerity check* from your videos, youre obviously very proud of yourself, so why dont you cut the crap and stop trying so hard to act humble?  The contradiction makes it hard to respect you.

I felt sick when you said 'I'm finished, thank you' because when Cziffra said it, it was like he was a slave -a performing monkey for the cameras- while you are not; you got all dressed up for this 'improvisation' and you had to do the little PBS-style speech at the beginning... it's really not convincing, I'm afraid.  Also "I could unleash for days" is a terrible thing to say about yourself.  Good improvisors would have left comments like that to other people to say.  Yes, I did -I felt sick --> to know that Cziffra's legacy is being so warped in the hands of today's youth.

The difference between Cziffra's improvisation and yours, is that he doesn't hit dead ends and use the same trick over and over again.  He also builds it up to a climax rather than have it go crazy from start to finish.  and his improv is actually improvised.

When I saw that you were going to do that Jewish one, I was really hoping you would simply play the melody and the proper rhythm initially just so that we know what theme you are going to 'improvise' on.  I really could barely recognize it..  and then I was hoping you would build it up to a lively dance with a stamping beat (like the ending of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11  ) before doing the arpeggios and bombastic things, which mustnt be overdone!
believe me, the problem isnt with the themes..

--------
that said, I really do envy your right hand technique

absolutely, thank you for commenting.

don't worry about critising me, that is why I posted it hear, to hear peoples opinion.

thank you for commenting!

P.S I will try to work on better musical form in improvs, also, sorry for my idiotic Cziffra quote, I am idiotic, and I know it.

take care, keep the comments coming!

[Kassaa]

P.S I will try to work on better musical form in improvs, also, sorry for my idiotic Cziffra quote, I am idiotic, and I know it.

And daSDC knew it

[mkaykov]

And daSDC knew it

can you play piano at all? can your fingers move? No? Then do not critisize so harshly.

all of you guys are jealous of my technique.

go practice hanons!

and scales!

[instromp]

can you play piano at all? can your fingers move? No? Then do not critisize so harshly.

all of you guys are jealous of my technique.

go practice hanons!

and scales!

o0o0o0 maybe u shouldnt have said something like that on here ......i think this will cause you to get "flamed" by the other members....

[mkaykov]

o0o0o0 maybe u shouldnt have said something like that on here ......i think this will cause you to get "flamed" by the other members....

the other members can suck my balls\!!!!!!!!!!


*** their slow fingers!

[nanabush]

o man ur crazy! You can play the same arpeggio for 3 whole minutes!!!! HOLY CRAP  wow I wish I had the same level of right hand technique as you!  And you could unleash for days? wow some sorta prodigy!

[mkaykov]

o man ur crazy! You can play the same arpeggio for 3 whole minutes!!!! HOLY CRAP  wow I wish I had the same level of right hand technique as you!  And you could unleash for days? wow some sorta prodigy!

sarcastic, eh??

well, I will work on variety, but at least I can play an arpegio!

unlike most of the people making obnoxios comments.

[mkaykov]

Not bad. When I started improvising, I couldn't even play the piano! You've got a lot of technique available to you from the very beginning! 

You probably are already---but get comfortable improvising in all 24 keys...some of the other advice above was good--try using all sorts of different chords and positions, and definitely experiment with rhythm.

Good luck in your musical endeavors!

of course, thank you for your advice.

[mkaykov]

the other members can suck my.................(sorry for the profanity)


*** their slow fingers!

[instromp]

the other members can suck my balls\!!!!!!!!!!


*** their slow fingers!

LMAO!!! But now who's making the obnoxious comments?

[mkaykov]

LMAO!!! But now who's making the obnoxious comments?

true.

biggest appologies, I just snapped.

sorry.

[instromp]

true.

biggest appologies, I just snapped.

sorry.

uh huh, we all have our moments 

[pianiststrongbad]

I agree with everyone else that you shouldn't try to imitate someone else when improvising, it sorta defeats the purpose.  I also agree with that there should be some more melodic line rather than just arpeggios and scales.  If you are interested in playing these insanely fast arpeggios and scales, I would listen to Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson.  They play soooo many notes, but there is still a melody somewhere to be heard (most of the time).  With that said, you have very good technique.

[donjuan]

the other members can suck my balls\!!!!!!!!!!

well ok, but first we have to wait for you to stop sucking them off yourself

[Kassaa]

can you play piano at all? can your fingers move? No? Then do not critisize so harshly.

all of you guys are jealous of my technique.

go practice hanons!

and scales!

ROFL, learn to improvise. Instead of working on one boring scale and play it for 3 minutes I'm actually learning pieces which do have any musical content. Even Hanon sounds more interesting than your pathetic attempt at improvising.

[franz_]

Even Hanon sounds more interesting than your pathetic attempt at improvising.

Applause.

[nicco]

Mikhael, i know you are young and all, but please stop believing that you are "mr.big shot" because of your arpeggios and scales. Saying things like "your just jealous", "suck my balls", "go practice hanon to become as good as me", just goes to show that you have very little understanding for what you are doing. I dont know if those comments is an attempt to sound like cziffra (who appearantly was known for being arrogant sometimes), but in your case its just pointless. Your improv-attempt to sound like cziffra failed miserably, instead you came up with some sort of czerny excersize in repeat. I encourage you to find out what improvisation means, and youll see that its so much nore then "melody in left hand and scales in right".  That being said, you obviously have much power in your fingers, but lack quite a bit in your head. So start growing up and get off that high horse of yours.

[mkaykov]

Mikhael, i know you are young and all, but please stop believing that you are "mr.big shot" because of your arpeggios and scales. Saying things like "your just jealous", "suck my balls", "go practice hanon to become as good as me", just goes to show that you have very little understanding for what you are doing. I dont know if those comments is an attempt to sound like cziffra (who appearantly was known for being arrogant sometimes), but in your case its just pointless. Your improv-attempt to sound like cziffra failed miserably, instead you came up with some sort of czerny excersize in repeat. I encourage you to find out what improvisation means, and youll see that its so much nore then "melody in left hand and scales in right".  That being said, you obviously have much power in your fingers, but lack quite a bit in your head. So start growing up and get off that high horse of yours.

of course,

and, my biggest appologies for my obnoxios balls comments.........

sorry.

[jamie_liszt]

You should learn Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Friska) By Liszt, With your technique you will own it I reckon (with the octaves and scales) wow...

[henrah]

Yes, do that do that!

[lisztisforkids]

Wow.. I actually had some respect for you.

[mkaykov]

You should learn Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Friska) By Liszt, With your technique you will own it I reckon (with the octaves and scales) wow...

I played Liszt Concerto, Liszt Spanish Rhapsody, Gnomenriegen, La Legierrza.


Now I am working on chopin etudes and nocturnes.

[instromp]

YES do it! I third on that Hungarian R. 2

[franz_]

I played Liszt Concerto, Liszt Spanish Rhapsody, Gnomenriegen, La Legierrza.


Now I am working on chopin etudes and nocturnes.

Please post sum recordings of these things.

[mkaykov]

Please post sum recordings of these things.

okay, I will post my liszt concerto.

[henrah]

Please please please please PLEASE post Gnomenreigen! I love hearing other people's interpretation of that piece, it has so many possibilities
Henrah


P.S. PLEASE!!

[mkaykov]

Please please please please PLEASE post Gnomenreigen! I love hearing other people's interpretation of that piece, it has so many possibilities
Henrah


P.S. PLEASE!!

i will, give me some time, in a few days I will record it.

first, I am uploading the Liszt concerto.

[henrah]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!

[mkaykov]

I am uploading another improv.......