Pianowolfi: Little Clay Bear

[littletune]

  Well this is a work in progress, but the composer said I could post it as a work in progress already because he thought there was something beautiful about earlier versions...  I really like this piece and I really hope I can play it REALLY well some day!!!!  ... and on a tuned piano (without the quiet pedal)...
But for now I will post two versions of it... the first one which I recorded on December 29 2011 already and the newer one which I recorded on February 29 2012 (I didn't know it was exactly two months later, just noticed today ). Of course there are still a lot of mistakes (specially in the first try), but I will keep practicing and I hope I can get it the way it should be!!

My first try:

My second try:

Comments are welcome!!   

Oh and thank you Wolfi!!

[rachfan]

Hi littletune,

I had missed your first performance, so played them both now.  In the second recording you play with a little faster tempo, and you display more confidence which improves the flow and musicality.  It sounded very good.  That was nice of wolfi to give you one of his pieces to play.  Super!

David

[pianowolfi]

Hi littletune

You are doing a really great job with both of these recordings! Of course there are some things that you will be able to improve in the future, but you captured the atmosphere of the piece and its mood perfectly in both of your attempts.

In the first version I like especially the fairy-tale-like atmosphere. It sounds like coming from far away, or like a remembrance. It's very tender. And I like those cute comments of your pet bird, to me they sound like he's just listening to an invisible conductor, and cueing in perfectly, you two are a good team I think!

I like the fluency of the second version, and I like how you are step by step getting more self-esteemed, and I like especially how you play the ending, like I suggested, as if the little clay bear was just quickly hiding away in a corner and saying "find me if you can"  

I am very grateful to you because you have dedicated a lot of practicing to learning this piece!! It's not an easy piece at all!! And you have proven that this composition has the potential to find a place in the heart of children, and in the heart of adults who still love the child within themselves!

Yes, I think the little clay bear feels really at home in your world!

[littletune]

Hi David! Thank you very much for your comment!! Yes Wolfi is really nice to let me play his piece!! I'm very happy about that!!!    First I tried learning it I think in the summer of 2010 already!! But I could only learn the first page and then it was too difficult for me... so in the summer of 2011  I tried again and it was going much better, but some things are still very difficult! I want to know how I will be able to play it in the summer of 2012!!!  But I'm proud that I was able to learn it as much as I did! Because I learned it all by myself and even figured out the fingering and pedal by myself... I never did that with any other piece!  I know I still have to learn a lot of things better, but I'm really happy I can play it!!  Thank you again for listening and commenting!!!   

Thank you Wolfi!!! I'm sooooo happy you like the way I play your piece!! I was really worried that you wouldn't!  You're so nice cause you don't see the mistakes but you notice the good things!!! (because I know there are still a lot of mistakes and things I could do better!) But I will keep practicing cause I really like it!! And I really like little clay bear so I'm happy he feels at home im my world!!      Thanks again Wolfi! For letting me play your piece and for being so nice!!   

[johnmar78]

nice playing 10/10 and nice composition too, Wofi. This kind of music brings me back to my childhood......very nice tune indeed. I want to play it  too...

[birba]

nice playing 10/10 and nice composition too, Wofi. This kind of music brings me back to my childhood......very nice tune indeed. I want to play it  too...

Well, I think Wolfi found his perfect interpreter for this delightful piece.  Like he said, you caught the mood in BOTH of those takes.  And it's not easy at a slow tempo, like the first one was.  You have a great sensitivity, Littletune.  The eveness of the tone is remarkable.  Yes, on a better piano, the left hand might come out a bit more.  But I really liked listening to you!  And this makes me want to meet Wolfi in person all the more!

[pianowolfi]

nice playing 10/10 and nice composition too, Wofi. This kind of music brings me back to my childhood......very nice tune indeed. I want to play it  too...

Once I got my broken MacBook back from repair I'll see what I can do There are two things that so far kept me from publishing my compositions: 1. I am constantly still editing them and 2. I am not good at all those "official" things, like looking for a publisher/self publishing website, being able to "sell" myself, arranging the copyright stuff etc.,  all that is subject of procrastination/repression   I rather work intensely on two or three new lofty projects than trying to get all that stuff done for one of my finished projects  

Birba, yes it would be soo cool to meet you!

[johnmar78]

Anytime Wolfi, when you ready, any rough copy will do the job. ATM I am doing Serge Muhle's work, he is a Spanish composer...

[littletune]

Thank you Johnmar78!! It is a really great composition isn't it?   When you will play it you can post your version too!  thanks again for your comment!!   

Thank you so much Birba!! I'm soooo happy you think that!!! Now I feel really proud!!   Thank you!   
I'm really thankful for Pianostreet and all of you nice people cause otherwise I would probably be thinking of quitting the piano already, yesterday the next door neighbour complained about the piano again!!!!   
I would like to meet all you nice people from Pianostreet too!!!     

[pianowolfi]

I'm really thankful for Pianostreet and all of you nice people cause otherwise I would probably be thinking of quitting the piano already, yesterday the next door neighbour complained about the piano again!!!!    

Really, I am getting so angry about those stupid philistine idiots!!!! Can't there be someone telling this stupid idiot of  a neighbour (give me his freaking phone number, I'll tell him something!! But I guess he understands only "playstation" and " techno" language, this freaking bastard ) what it means for mankind that people like you, Littletune, care about art, are striving to grow, to learn, trying to do their very best to keep humanity from drowning in an abyss of capitalist idiocy and ignorance and dumbness! It's people like you, Littletune, who have saved their heart, who are contributing to the best that mankind has to offer to the world!!!!

[birba]

Hear hear!  I'll second that.

[littletune]

Thank you Wolfi and Birba!! That means a lot to me!!   
Yes I think these people would always find something to complain about! And I wish I could just not care but I'm just not like that  ... but I'll figure something out!!  cause I have to!!   

[starstruck5]

I too have had problems with a neighbour regarding my piano -I was forced to buy a digital -it is hard to deal with I know, but never give up! You have a right to be creative.

Reagrding the composition -it is a wonderful piece of music, which you play with great sensitivity. It is the sort of music which manages to dance and sing at the same time!

[costicina]

Congratulations  to  the composer and the performer!!!! 

I’m sure Wolfi was inspired by your sweetness and inner grace, Littletune. You both can bring out the best of each other: a  great delight for us listeners....

 Wolfi is a special person, and that's true of you too, Littletune. It’s such a relief that this world hosts also persons like you, and not only your  hideous neighbours-type!!!!

[littletune]

Thank you Starstruck!! I'm sorry you had problems with your neighbours too!
We have bad luck with neighbours I guess! The downstairs woman is hearing thigs in her head and accusing us of doing things we don't do! The next door neighbour is complaining about piano and another one is saying I'm making the stairs dirty with my shoes as if I was the only one who could make the stairs dirty!  Oh well, maybe someday we'll move and get better neighbours! 
I'm really glad you liked the piece and the way I played it!!!! Thank you very much for the comment!!     

Thank you so much Costicina for saying such nice things!!!!!    It made me really happy! I'm really glad you like the piece and that you like Wolfi and me!!      You're so nice!!      Thank you again!!!!   

[emill]

Hello littletune

What a NICE, gentle and "child-like" piece by pianowolfi .... and it takes someone special, with the correct frame of mind and attitude to play this .... you are just "perfect" .... I doubt whether Enzo could do better!  CONGRATULATIONS to you and wolfi!!!!

And your neighbors ... my..my... maybe Filipinos are just ever tolerant ... Often I expect someone to knock at our doors to complain whenever Enzo plays sometimes up to 1:00 am, yet none of it happens. My guess ... probably the behavior is in our genes ... we have been subjugated for over 300 years by the Spanish, 50 years by the Americans, 4 years by the Japanese and 2 years by the British!!

[m1469]

Hi Littletune,

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your playing of Wolif's composition.  Very sweet and thoughtful, and I'll look forward to sometime hearing with a liberated soft pedal .  Thanks for posting, and congratulations to you both .

[pianowolfi]

Be careful emill, soon everybody on PS will try to move to the Philipines! 

Thank you so much, and thank you so much m1469!

[costicina]

Be careful emill, soon everybody on PS will try to move to the Philipines! 

...or to Italy! My neighbours too are highly tolerant, they even like our piano playing 

You did a great job, Littletune, you deserved the honour to have a piece written for you by a fine composer...Like Richter, who was honoured by Prokofiev.
Brava Littletune, and above all, bravo Wolfi!!!!

[littletune]

Thank you so much Emill for listening and commenting!!! it really means a lot to me that you say that!!!   (but I'm sure Enzo could play it better than me!!)
Oh you and Enzo are REALLY lucky that you don't have any problems with your neighbours!! I hope you never have problems like that!! I think in my country people were always under other countries too... we are independent country for only about 20 years... but it's kind of usual for neighbours to argue about stupid things here    don't know why... 
Thanks again for your nice comment!!! 

Hi m1469!! I'm really really glad you liked it!!!      Thank you soooo much!!!  I know this piece is connected with you too, so it really means a lot to me that you liked my playing!!!    And I hope very much I can play it without the soft pedal soon!! Thank you VERY much for listening and commenting!     

Thank you again Costicina!!!      

[db05]

... my..my... maybe Filipinos are just ever tolerant ...

Be careful emill, soon everybody on PS will try to move to the Philipines! 

...or to Italy! My neighbours too are highly tolerant, they even like our piano playing 

Ah, I must say I agree. People here are ever tolerant. At least when it comes to foreigners and their music. You should all come to the Philippines! Bring your own pianos though. And benches. 

And as Roman Empire would say, "In heaven, the Italians are lovers." 

LITTLETUNE and SIR WOLFI! I loved it!!! Listened to both versions... and both are lovely. Bravo!

It's interesting what a little time + practice can do to piano playing. As I prefer the tempo of the first try, I wonder what would happen if littletune did a third take, with the feel of the first and the confidence of the second...

[emill]

x x x x . . .  You should all come to the Philippines! Bring your own pianos though. And benches.  

YES .. especially the benches!!!
sorry for this slight topic diversion: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=45442.0   . . . look at the bench Enzo is using!!  what must be running through the mind of Professor Rolf Dieter Arens when he saw this?      
be forewarned .... BRING YOUR OWN BENCHES!!

[derschoenebahnhof]

Quick comment not very related to the piano: I suggest you disconnect the fish tank pump while recording

I did a few recordings with a fish tank pump on and the automatic gain control of the camera picked up more of the water noise when the notes were pp. I ended up disconnecting the pump and reconnecting it afterward. As long as you don't forget that, the fish will be fine 

Nice music from wolfi by the way!
CG

[virtuoso4]

a very nicely performed by you. Thanks for sharing. Whats next?

[littletune]

Thank you for so many comments everyone!!!     

Thank you Db05!!  I will be playing this piece a lot for sure!!! So I guess there will be a lot of different versions.    We'll see which one will be better!  Thank you very much for your comment!!   

Well Emill at my music school we had a piano bench that was higher on one side and lower on the other, and we had that for like a month or two! first it was broken and then they tried to repair it and then it was higher on the right side and lower on the left (well or the other way around I guess it depends how it was turned)    you could almost use it for a slide   

Hi Derschoenebahnhof!  yes that's true I guess I should turn it off, but sometimes it doesn't want to start running right away and then you have to pour water in first...  and usually I don't even remember... but i will try to do that if I remember next time!!! I guess sometimes it is pretty loud.    And the piano sound would be more clear. Thank you for listening and for your advice!! 

Thank you very much Virtuoso4 !!    Well next I will probably start posting a lot of my grade 4 exam pieces!!! and I will probably post a video from my recital (which I had on Sunday).  Thank you again!!!   

[candlelightpiano]

Haven's said hello to you in a while but this is a very lovely little tune, LittleTune!  You played it very beautifully and it evoked memories of my childhood, which was such a long time ago.     But you brought back happy memories.   

Pianowolfi:  I didn't know you were a composer.  You can write lovely music and choose the perfect pianists to display your compositions.

[littletune]

Thank you so much Candlelightpiano/Choo.    I'm VERY glad you liked it!!    I'm really happy and proud that I can play Wolfi's piece!!!     

[pianowolfi]

That's really sweet, thank you all so much  
Choo, a lot of my music is rather serious, sometimes even "dark" (but never destructive!) and this is one of the rather few pieces that are actually "lovely"