Chopinesque improvisation

[ronde_des_sylphes]

A break from practice and I was testing out the recording facility on my mobile phone, which is a lot better than I expected.

Sorry, my piano is a little out of tune; I've been working too hard on it lately.

Anyway, it would be interesting to hear what people think.

audio only as I can't hold the phone to video myself and play at the same time

[pianistimo]

I can't believe how easy things are to you.  I really think you have a talent to do many things.  Not just teach piano - but to 'feel' the fun and the phrasing in music - like speaking, talking, walking - just being natural.  There's not any forced phrases or ugliness to any part.  It's very natural.  Good job!  You'd be a good composition teacher, too.  You seem to instinctively know what chords might sound good next.  REally great!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks! Improvisation has always come very naturally to me; I've improvised for as long as I can remember playing the piano. (Often, I think I prefer improvising to actual formal playing). Not sure I'd make a decent composition teacher though - e.g. because formulating chord progressions is so natural to me, I do it first and would then have to think about the theory behind it afterwards (if that makes sense). So it's a bit like I understand some things intuitively, but might not be effective at explaining them in a theoretical context.

[Petter]

I think it was amazing, most of it. The circumstances you mentioned only adds to the quality in my opinion. Sounds like something reminiscent of a silent movie or old recording.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I think it was amazing, most of it. The circumstances you mentioned only adds to the quality in my opinion. Sounds like something reminiscent of a silent movie or old recording.

Thanks! The piano is a rather elderly August Forster upright, and it has a very mellow tone. I know what you mean about old movies, etc - towards the end maybe it moved a little towards "just add strings for instant Warsaw Concerto-esque kitschiness"

[pianistimo]

you are one of my most favorite performers on pianostreet.  i keep coming back to this recording and listening.

[quantum]

Very pretty.     You certainly have captured the style.  The piano sound rather suits this piece. 

Post more please.

[pianovirus]

I always enjoy listening to your playing! This one again is really, really great!! Well in the spirit of Chopin (e.g. the typical Chopin chromatics). As others said, it's amazing how the music seems to be flowing naturally out of you, a gift I would love to have... Maybe as the only thing I could think of improving (not sure?) would be the left hand, which often repeats the same chord. Chopin would rather change the chords by choosing a higher or lower position or some inversion (sorry, bad English) I guess. So I dare to say this is a Chopinesque improv with a Thalbergian left hand      just kidding... It's really great. Congratulations and please keep posting!

[schubertiad]

I was very impressed by the improvisation. For the most part you really capture the mood of Chopin, though at about 4.15 right through to the end you seem to burst into your best rendition of Liszt 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks everyone for the comments

The comments about the left hand were especially interesting - particularly because the type of left hand figure with the differing inversions (as occurring in various points in the first Chopin Ballade) is a accompaniment figure that I commonly use when improvising. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that in improvisation I use that sort of figure as accompaniment when the melody is relatively slow-moving and "simple"; whereas here there was a fair amount of right hand ornamentation and I suspect I was subconsciously more along the lines of the left hand accompaniment to the initial theme of the first piano concerto.

I must agree that there was a bit of a lapse from the Chopin idiom towards the end

[ted]

This is quite attractive. Like one or two of the others, I would have enjoyed something more from the left hand but I'm not sure exactly what. Perhaps more counterpoint, off-beat phrases, a nebulous harmony, something to break up the repeated chords. Either that or maybe stick a completely contrasting section in the middle.

But that's just what I tend to do and isn't necessarily relevant to your objective here. Very enjoyable anyway.

[akonow]

That's absolutely amazing! You are incredibly talented. When I listened to this, I was reminded somewhat of Schumann's Des Abends and I'm sure he didn't just bust that out on the piano out of nowhere so you truly have a very enviable gift.

P.S. Find someone to hold your phone haha