How is this?

[Motrax]

Chopin Nocturne in G minor, Op. 37 No. 1

Recorded with my Optio S40 digital camera.   I did whatever sound-quality editing I could, but it certainly isn't of professional quality. It's better quality than my last recordings, though.

It's a 4.5 megabyte download, so I suggest pausing it as soon as it starts and waiting a few minutes for the piece to actually finish loading. Otherwise, you'll hear just a minute or so and then it'll stop to load more.

https://www.polarisboard.org/motrax/Music/C_Nocturne_37_1.mp3

[donjuan]

Great work!  
I dont know if it is because of the recording, but the left hand seemed too loud.  It was a little jarring, and distracting from the melody, but hey, it's probably the recording..

See if you can repeat the melody differently the second time, whether it be in dynamics, phrasing, amount of rubato, you know- the usual stuff.  I was a little bored halfway through because I had already heard the music before.  Unless you are playing Shubert or Beethoven, you must repeat differently to play in style.

But, these are just the things I would change if I was playing it.  Maybe I am wrong, hell..I probably am wrong.  It's really not my place to tell you how to interpret music, but all I am saying is, it wasnt interesting enough for me.  I find it difficult to hear Chopin's melancholy tone through it.

hmm..

[Shagdac]

BRAVO!! I loved it Motrax! Am sitting here at work and have played it 3 or 4 times already. Thanks for giving me something really pretty to listen to tonight. It was raining when I came in, so sorta fit the mood.

Please load other pieces as well. Really enjoy hearing you play.

Thanks again!
S

[Motrax]

Hehe, thanks!

Donjuan - Don't make excuses for your advice, I promise I won't be offended! I really appreciate it when I get specific feeldback, no matter how nasty it may be.  

The loud base is indeed due to the recording. I couldn't really do much about it, though I tried. My camera just isn't an ideal machine for this use.

I do actually use some of my own ornamentation. But you are right, the themes get very repetetive. I tried using a little more rubato, but I didn't like that. Personal preference, I guess.

I guess this isn't the greatest piece to have recorded in general - it is indeed repetetive, and I take a slower speed than most other recordings I've heard.

Thank you, though for your suggestions!

I'll definitely record more over the following weeks. I'm sort of hoping to make a CD before college begins. I work 40 hours a week, though, so it's pretty difficult to find the time for practicing and recording and writing my own music 'n' all that.

More suggestions or comments are appreciated!

-Motrax

[donjuan]

It's interesting how you used a digital camera to record.  I would love to put my playing on the internet, but I cant figure out how..

[Goldberg]

donjuan, if you want a cheap-ish but effective method, you might look into the IRiver MP3 recorders. I can't be sure of the exact model because I don't really have any time to look it up at the moment, but there's one around, say, $150 US or so that will not only hold MP3s but has a built-in mic that can record piano music. One word of caution, though: it's quite sensitive and you can't really have it right next to the piano to do it (when I was using mine, I had it about 30 ft away!). Once you get it right, though, the quality will be pretty good and you can USB the sucker to your computer straightaway. I used one for a few months before getting a more, em, "definitive" set up that is a few hundred dollars more expensive.

[donjuan]

Thanks for the advice Goldberg, Ill think about that..

[in_love_with_liszt]

Bravo! You have a very good touch, although I will agree with Donjuan that if I played it I would vary it with dynamics and rubato the second time, and the trill early on was a bit sluggish....but the point is that it's your performance, and you are playing it the way you think it should be. That's very good, although you should always listen to constructive criticism, it is important to find your own way. On the recording front, a mic into your laptop or PC works, just need a recorder like Creative recorder or apparently people use the default Sound Recorder too. I guess this wouldn't be too practical if your computer is big and heavy, and if the piano is far away from it....