Blues in F by Bastien -- and others (For Project "Baby Pieces")

[m1469]

Table of Contents (so far) of my "Baby Pieces" Project:

~In this post = Blues in F from "Pop Piano Styles" by Bastien(s)

~Reply #5     = Castilian Tale from "Master Class Series" by Janet Vogt and Martha Sherrill Kelsey
     https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=40932.msg454384#msg454384

~Reply #9     =  Interlude from "Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style" by William Gillock
     https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=40932.msg454689#msg454689





About Blues in F
Okay, I have done two interpretations ...  .  

The first one has me singing AND playing, the second one is piano alone.  I had started with only piano, but as I was listening back (and these are going to end up taking me more than 20 mins, for sure, and I am probably NOT going to memorize them), I started singing along and decided to record it with me singing and playing, too.  And, even though the balance between singing and playing isn't great, I like it better because it's super fun!  So, here you have it!

(ooops, it's pretty loud!)

PS -- I believe this is OK to upload, if I understand correctly.  

[goldentone]

That was fun.   I liked them both, especially with your voice.

[littletune]

This is really cool m1469!!  And it doesn't even sound like a "baby piece" at all!  I guess that's cause you play and sing so great!  I can't wait for more of these small or baby pieces!     

[pianowolfi]

I love this, I just love it

[m1469]

That was fun.  I liked them both, especially with your voice.

Glad you like them and thanks for listening!

This is really cool m1469!!   And it doesn't even sound like a "baby piece" at all!   I guess that's cause you play and sing so great!   I can't wait for more of these small or baby pieces!      

Thanks, Littletune!  It's super fun!  I'm really looking forward to posting more, too!  Though, I'm not sure I'll sing in any more of those ones that I listed in the other thread.  We'll see!  But, I will say that I like these little pieces so much because they make me want to make music with them!  I wish my students would get as excited about them as I do .  Some of them get it, some of them don't, I guess .

I love this, I just love it

Thanks, Wolfi!  

Oh, yes, BUT, along the lines of singing and playing at once, I am planning and somewhat working on singing and playing (and recording and posting) an actual aria here!  That will be a first for me, for sure!  The one that I will start with is "Und ob die Wolke" from Der Freishutz by Weber.  At some point, it would be interesting to try "Come Scoglio" from Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart ... haha ... but, that's going to have to wait awhile because I don't want quality to be sacrificed in either playing OR singing .

[m1469]

This is Castilian Tale, one that I also very much enjoy!  It really is written that it ends on V, which I actually don't generally enjoy, especially for something so short where you still have Tonic easily in your ear.  So, sometimes I'll have my students do an extra repeat to bring us back to tonic, but I played today as written, so, unfortunately it might leave you hanging a little  :-.

[goldentone]

Bravo!

[littletune]

That's really so nice! And no it didn't leave me hanging... it was cool! 

[m1469]

Thanks Goldentone and Littletune!  

You know, I listened back this morning to Castilian Tale and it's strange that I am already learning something unexpected but very important from this process!  I was more or less expecting that I would just somewhat "toss" a bunch of little pieces into some abyss of time and sound, that I kind of thought needed filling.  And, that it would, in the end, give me a certain form of confidence, like some kind of support within my foundation that I have thought is missing.  That all may very well be true!  

However, it's also affecting my perception of my overall ability and progress and potential in real time.  I went for my little walk this morning after I listened back, and I chewed on some ideas, trying to put my finger on what I was hearing.  Part of why I want to post these, aside from a sense of gaining some "performance" experience and filling some gaps, is that for some reason I listen quite a bit more objectively after I have posted.  It's like I listen from the standpoint of a listener, and not just myself, because I can imagine that other people have heard it and I can imagine what other people might be hearing.

I think the most important for me realization is in hearing why I indeed want/need to be playing the pieces I am currently working on in my current professional program.  I guess some part of me believed I was cheating because I haven't had a usual musical/pianistic route in my learning, and maybe I indeed need these smaller steps to help me bridge the gaps.  But, the fact is, I can actually hear (and also personally know) that I've just got much more inside of me than these little pieces could ever allow me to express.  I actually need bigger pieces and I can actually hear that as though I am listening to somebody else, but it's like my ear can bridge what I feel inside as needing to be expressed, with what I can objectively hear as a bigger potential.  So, I have realized that I actually belong where I am at in my current professional repertoire!  Of course, that's not a stagnate place and I think it's growing and maybe bigger steps are starting to be on the horizon, too!  But, I mean, I actually feel a sense of belonging that I've never felt before!

I think it's important that I persist with this project, but I can already sense it may need to grow into something more.  But, I still have a desire to play, record, and post those that I put in my original list (in the other thread).  I think there is more to this than one realization!

Anyway, thanks for listening, and for your comments .

[m1469]

I love this little Interlude.  I think it's such a mood for a little piece like this!  And, it's funny, I have as a student, a fairly young gal (10?) who I've had for awhile, but she is very particular about wanting "dramatic" music!  This fits right into that for her.  Fun to be able to post it .

[littletune]

Cool!  I really love it!  It seems kinda mysterious or something like that!  (or what I see when I listen to it seems mysterious  )

[lelle]

I really enjoyed this Especially the first piece you posted was very nice, and your voice suited it well. You have a great singing voice! Castilian Tale kinda reminded me a bit of the Tarantelle from Burgmuller's 25 Etudes Faciles Op 100. Many smaller, simple pieces that younger students get to play can sound too simple or (I hesitate to use the word though) "boring" but these - though I don't know if the Blues is that simple - sound great, like the Interlude, I'd loved to play that when I was 10! I searched around for the scores to these pieces but I guess they all still are copyrighted?

[m1469]

Cool!   I really love it!   It seems kinda mysterious or something like that!   (or what I see when I listen to it seems mysterious   )

Yes, that is probably a good word to describe it and another word that my 11 yr. old (I asked her today) uses to describe the music she likes.  But, there is specifically something about the mood that she enjoys when it has a darker character.  She's the only individual I've had like that so far, with a distinct and particular taste like that, so consistently, and especially as young as she is ... and especially to want music that's a little weightier in character than some others.  She's also a fairly a serious student though, too (well, at least she thinks she is ... hee hee).

I really enjoyed this Especially the first piece you posted was very nice, and your voice suited it well. You have a great singing voice! Castilian Tale kinda reminded me a bit of the Tarantelle from Burgmuller's 25 Etudes Faciles Op 100. Many smaller, simple pieces that younger students get to play can sound too simple or (I hesitate to use the word though) "boring" but these - though I don't know if the Blues is that simple - sound great, like the Interlude, I'd loved to play that when I was 10! I searched around for the scores to these pieces but I guess they all still are copyrighted?

Thanks for listening and for your comments!  The Blues one is considered to be "Level 3" and yes, these are all (I think William Gillock, too) under copyright and are not on this site (if that's where you were looking).  Yeah, that's part of what I think about when I'm test-driving pieces for students ... I think "would I have liked to play this?" (or, will I be able to stand listening to this and teaching this?) and that's where I start.  That doesn't mean it's automatically a winner with my student(s), but at least it gives me a decent pool to pull from.  I've still got books in my library that I've never looked in yet, though, so hopefully I'll find more, too !