Caught myself on my recorder. Started to improvise a few days back (I almost never do it), but I've fallen for it now. Wanted to upload this, but had sooo many difficulties (read: my Vitamix blurped all over me, my boyfriend is mad as hell, audio editors didn't work, I couldn't get .wma to work on my mac etc.) everywhere, so posting here was the best option I guess. Be kind

Thank you and love! <3

Emma

PS And by the way, the piece is called An ode to my tummy.

Numero, sorry but this is not the right place for your music. We don't appreciate someone tossing in a poorly-planned, long and rambling recording. Our site is all (mostly) about classical music, which you would have known had you looked around a bit before submitting this. You might want to try the Piano World, or Piano Street forums. Good luck!

I am very sorry, if I misread your forum and you don't take improvisations here. Anyway, I would've appreciated a more thoughtful response from you. I am a classical pianist, who studies the piano as a main instrument in a Music Academy. Sorry that I am not welcome to your forum, since this was my first post here.

That was a thoughtful and as kind a response I could have made, as I could have lambasted you for not being considerate of our site. If you want to submit some classical recordings, then I will of course give you another chance. Please read our guidelines; you will see that we require at least three well-produced recordings of varying styles (classical). Submitting a sloppily-recorded improvisation on your first posting will not cut it. Thank you.

Well you may be a classical pianist (though we could hardly have guessed that from your improv) but we are a classical forum ! When you join a forum the first thing you do is look around and see what it's about. It's only common sense and good manners. You don't just barge in with something inappropriate, accompanied by some silly text, and then complain if it's not received the way you had imagined. We would have appreciated a more thoughtful first post

If you are indeed a classical pianist I don't understand why you want to present yourself here with 13 minutes of meaningless drivel (sorry for not being too enthusiastic about your submission). Introducing yourself and submitting some serious music would be the way to go. You can still do that and be welcome here. Otherwise, there's Youtube where anything goes.

Sorry for the bad introduction, I really just wanted to share my improv with my friends and couldn't find a better place to do it - it was unthoughtful of me and I sincerely apologize. But to defend myself I must say certain things.

I thought your forum was awesome and I listened to a lot of players ( also improvisations). I thought, hey, maybe I could post one day. Then the day came - I made an improvisation and would've wanted to hear feedback from it. Now I have yours, not so constructive, but anyway - thanks.

I really think that the classical area should open up to new ways of thinking and playing. My playing wasn't so amazing, but it wasn't meaningless drivel, you obviously just didn't understand it. I personally think that there is not serious music and some other silly music, that should not be listened to and not to even speak of enjoying it. In my opinion there is music. I'm not at all surprised why so many people consider classical music boring, because the attitudes are exactly like yours.

I understand now, that of course you have to keep your limits because you pay for the uploads and you have a limited amount of space here in the site. And I understand that you want to keep the forum at good quality standards. However, I feel, that your attitude poisons the whole forum and sanctions (compulsory posting etc.) don't lead into anything good - vice versa. Your attitude is not improving the state of classical music in our society. In your position as a moderator, I would consider more carefully what I say to the new members of the forum.

I think there should be more than dusty "serious" recordings - that is something that keeps the forum (and the world) vibrant and alive. Wouldn't it be fabulous if every talented classical player would improvise now and then and maybe post their recordings here? Masterpieces combined with well-prepared auditions with good sound-quality are excellent, they definitely belong here and I appreciate that you people have made it possible. Maybe your forum isn't the place for anything more creative than that.

I am deeply sorry about my post, it was a mistake. Even more sorry I am, that your response was how it was. I still couldn't find a post where there would be simple and straight advices for newbies. However, your opinion is only one persons opinion and I hope that in the future I can change the attitudes and build bridges between serious classical style and the music today. Also, it is very funny, that you don't appreciate a little bit of humour. Maybe there is a gap between cultures, though.

Goodbye and good luck to your "serious" site.

Well of course my opinions are mine alone. You may want to wait for some more feedback. If others here do find your improvisation creative and interesting, and actually understand it (whatever that means) I would like to hear. If nothing else, they might be less abrasive than the admins, who are not known to gild the lily. Maybe you can yet improve the status of classical music in our society. For me there clearly is no hope

Some specific criticisms on your improv. To my uneducated ears it lacks a beginning, and ending, and a theme (or maybe I just don't hear a theme), it is about 6 times too long for its content, and the bit around 11:00, and most of what follows, is positively ugly - sorry, no better way to put it. But again, that is just my opinion FWIW. I can hear that you have a good facility, but it seems a loose cannon. The ability to produce a lot of notes is not a guarantee for good music (believe me I've heard some stuff here...).

Ok that's it from me.

Ok, as I improvise more days than I don't, I'll try to take up the gauntlet of commenting (if you're still around).

To my ears, there is very little in the way of connecting structure and contrasts. Often you're recycling pretty much the same figuration and it's not clear what there is as thematic material. The overall effect is that it comes across as rambling. There's not enough in the way of contrasts and after a while it becomes very "sameish". You could do a lot more with it by varying the style of ornamentation, finding more interesting harmonies, modulating more (often modulation can be used to emphasise structural points), using rhythmic motifs etc. Sonically it's a bit flat and there's not enough dynamic variation and a general lack of drama. Maybe I need to listen to it more to catch what I'm missing, but it feels a bit abstract and rather like aimless keyboard doodling. In fairness you sound like you have good scales.



Actually, I completely agree with that statement.

Where are these guidelines? This is the first I have heard of the 'varying styles' thing; the guidelines on the home page only state that three recordings are required. So if I submitted three Chopin etudes, that wouldn't count for an audition?

I think it's more of a de facto guideline that has developed over the years. We have not been very active in documenting the current rules insofar as they exist. Anyway this may be a great opportunity for you to sample some other composers

While it might be good to spell out the guideline a little more clearly, the banner does say "Piano Society: Free classical keyboard recordings" {italics mine}. That would seem to indicate that random recordings of any combination of notes on the piano are not what this web-site is about.

Scott

Exactly!

Yes, we've been meaning to re-write our guidelines....just never have time. I'll try to start it next time I am not so busy at work. Then Chris can correct and/or add to it. Maybe we'll get it done sometime soon....

Hush, working up two recitals (not to mention 8 juries) for a piano performance degree was a 'great opportunity' for that, and I hated it! If you guys require it I will of course play some other composers' stuff, but I won't like it.

I would not want to make you do anything you hate so much.... By all means roll on the Chopin. It's not as if we actually need anything else

Removed user (who has clearly left to be creative elsewhere) and locked the thread.