Jarrod Radnich's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' cover. *VIDEO*

[caryljamesthompson]

Pardon the sound lag with the video...still getting used to my video editing software program.

Video was made for a local newspaper in my area that heard about my playing...

[awesom_o]

Do you ever change the pedal fully?

[caryljamesthompson]

Do you ever change the pedal fully?

I do happen to use the pedal a "little" too much, huh?....who am I kidding, I used it WAY TOO MUCH! Need to fix that.

As Chopin once said..."The correct way of using the pedal remains a study for life."

Thanks for pointing this out!

[awesom_o]

No problem! I saw Jarrod Radnich this year at NAMM playing this actually. It was somewhat underwhelming in person.

[le_poete_mourant]

No problem! I saw Jarrod Radnich this year at NAMM playing this actually. It was somewhat underwhelming in person.

It's a pretty underwhelming "transcription" of a pretty underwhelming movie score.  Makes sense to me.

[caryljamesthompson]

No problem! I saw Jarrod Radnich this year at NAMM playing this actually. It was somewhat underwhelming in person.

That's interesting to know...makes me wonder if I can out-perform him on his OWN transcription, haha.

Anyhow, I'm forced to learn these "popular" pieces every now and then to keep these kids interested in the piano...because If I play Chopin or Rachmaninoff, I get applause...but if I play the freakin' Spongebob theme song, I get a standing ovation...what has our world come to?

[awesom_o]

The world isn't all bad... I saw a kid the other day (in person, not on youtube) with 4 fingers on his right hand playing a Beethoven Sonata!




  It was terrible.



Are you going to go to school for piano?

[birba]

Which finger was missing?  How sad.

[caryljamesthompson]

saw a kid the other day (in person, not on youtube) with 4 fingers on his right hand playing a Beethoven Sonata!

  It was terrible.

Are you going to go to school for piano?

LOL, that is MESSED UP! LOL  

The last time I had a piano instructor was at the age of 12, and I am 28 now (Oh, so many wasted years of being a rebel!).


Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a  piano instructor, however, the city that I currently reside in has very limited music resources and it is darn near impossible to find an advanced piano instructor out here...

*COOL FACT: At the beginning of this year, I had the opportunity to meet with acclaimed Alaskan concert pianist, Juliana Osinchuk, who advised me that she would be willing to give me lessons at one of her homes in Tucson, Arizona. However, it would only be about four times a year (she moves between homes alot), the drive is about 4 1/2 hours, and I didn't even ASK how much she would charge me...

So as a result, I ended up teaching myself these past five years that I've returned to the piano.

[awesom_o]

The pinky on the RH was missing. So he basically couldn't play the melody to anything very well.

caryljamesthompson,

I admire the independence of your study, but I must caution you. The level of accomplishment that is required for a musician to effectively teach him or herself is indeed high.

I had 20 years of piano lessons before independent study became an valid option.
You say that you live in an area where musicianship is a scarce commodity. You would not be the first talented pianist to leave their hometown in order to study at a higher level elsewhere.

What do you wish to accomplish through your piano studies? Are are hoping to become a distinguished virtuoso? A celebrated composer?

The compositions of Chopin which you claim to study are not child's play-even the simplest of Chopin's compositions remains a challenge for the greatest virtuosi. They call for great subtlety of touch, advanced pedal technique, and overall suppleness of the pianistic mechanism.

[jamesyorkpiano]

Have you come across Jarrod's newest pieces such as Don't Stop Believing?  I covered it recently in my first ever professional recording (I'm not claiming to be an amazing pianist, I just do it as a hobby)