TSR Piano Society

Hohoho, I feel the same. Don't worry! The best way to start off is to get involved at school/uni. At most right now I do concerts at school and sing in a church on Sundays, but that was because my fiend asked me to.
Anyway, after that, you should probably find a person or two and befriend them because they either are well connected and/or go to a conservatoire of sorts (I go to London College of Music so my teachers there can basically get me what I want ;D). For example, I have friends who go to Royal Academy so they can find me stuff if I ask them. But really I think your teacher will probably be one of the best point of call


Posted from TSR Mobile

Bluthner's a pretty major company. These are some of the people who've used them:

Numerous royals, composers, conductors, artists, authors and performers have owned Blüthner pianos. They include Willhelm II, Emperor Franz Joseph I, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Liberace, Béla Bartók, Claude Debussy, Dodie Smith, Max Reger, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich.[4][dead link] Sergei Rachmaninoff commented that "There are only two things which I took with me on my way to America...my wife and my precious Blüthner".[3] Blüthners have been used in popular music. One Blüthner piano owned by the Abbey Road Studios in London was used on some tracks of The Beatles' Let It Be (1970) album, most notably, in the hits "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road". One was also used in the film The Sting (1973). Another (stunt piano) was destroyed in Iron Man (2008).

And I know, Steinway's still better! However a Bluthner Leipzig is pretty impressive-it's made in 1910, refurbished.

Haha, my school has 2 orchestras. The upper band and the lower band. The lower band is way to easy for me and they already have 4 pianists! (They only play with one hand) the upper band is more sophisticated but they already have a pianist. It's very awkward when you're asking to join an orchestra and they already have a pianist don't you think? That's the problem! With stringed instrument you can always add a chair but there can only ever be one pianist. I would LOVE to go to a music college, the experience must be amazing.


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

Haha, my school has 2 orchestras. The upper band and the lower band. The lower band is way to easy for me and they already have 4 pianists! (They only play with one hand) the upper band is more sophisticated but they already have a pianist. It's very awkward when you're asking to join an orchestra and they already have a pianist don't you think? That's the problem! With stringed instrument you can always add a chair but there can only ever be one pianist. I would LOVE to go to a music college, the experience must be amazing.


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

Haha I see. Well as a pianist, the most work you'll really get is either small ensembles, solos or accompanying. Or maybe if you're lucky, a piano concerto. Also, there's nothing wrong with asking! that one pianist can't cover every single project that involved a piano, so it'll be good to have someone tucked up their sleeve too
Hehe well I don't know where you live or how old you are but top conservatories only normally accept students for a minimum of 2 years (as in, they will study at least 2 years in the junior conservatoire) so for junior conservatories you'll have to be around 16 or younger before you can really consider auditioning and getting into a top conservatoire. I don't know about not-so-top (without trash talking anyone) colleges and conservatoires, but LCM (where I go) accepts anyone (no audition required) in their junior department up to the age of 19 but obviously because of this more open selection process it's harder to be so advanced like Royal Academy or Royal College. Still, it's a start and MUCH better than nothing


Posted from TSR Mobile

Oh yeah, editor I forget. If you're going to do a lot of accompanying, I suggest improving your sight reading LOADS, and/or be able to comp relatively well (so it looks like you know what you're doing even though you don't )


Posted from TSR Mobile

Definitely impressive! But I won't be buying another piano for a while after over-splashing-out on my Steinway and didn't rachmaninoff say something like "I find Steinways perfect in every way"? Oh well, I'm not arguing or anything because my knowledge of pianos is so miniskule (how to spell?) after being introduced into the acoustic piano world so late <_>'


Posted from TSR Mobile

I absolutely LOVE sight reading, unfortunately my aural is nowhere up to standard haha


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

I'm the exact opposite. I'm perfect pitched but I can't sight read to save my life.

Ah, I see. About the conservatories, are they full time college schools or more like part time (weekends/holidays schools? Because my parents insists on me having a "normal" education as well haha


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

I absolutely LOVE sight reading, unfortunately my aural is nowhere up to standard haha


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

Well as I said, I love Steinway. Bluthner are different as can be expected, and probably pieces by say Ravel, where the sound should just float out as if it hadn't been produced by a hammer hitting a string, would be better with another make. Shame you used electric for so long! I couldn't stand that! And Rachmaninov said both things. Pianists say contradictory things-my piano teacher's sponsored by Bluthner so supports them, but loves Steinway and his other sponsor bought him one, so he's had to keep that from Bluthner, and one of his students on the scholarship is now sponsored by Steinway, but his teacher's sponsored by Bluthner so you see how this gets complicated!

I'm the exact opposite. I'm perfect pitched but I can't sight read to save my life.

My ATCL diploma exam's so close now! 11th July, so I have about 2 weeks to prepare . For my diploma I have six different pieces/sets of pieces to learn, and had to write 400-700 words of progamme notes which was really hard as I had over 900 to start with which sounded really good! But I've just managed to cut it down to under 700 so everything's on track!

Ah, it's always one or another isn't it? It helps if you tap your feet to the beats to keep time and there's an app to help you recognise notes faster, called note training or something? My pitch recognition is way off, so I'm working really hard on it now!


jojotheflower, meow, over and out

Found an old book of Chopin Etudes that I've never used, and have decided I want to learn something new from it. Any suggestions on where I should start?

Found an old book of Chopin Etudes that I've never used, and have decided I want to learn something new from it. Any suggestions on where I should start?

Heh, Chopin Etudes are some tough stuff <_>' so hard to choose! Errrr.... Op25 no1 in A flat! Just because i've done it before


Posted from TSR Mobile

As you know each etude is different in its training focus. So probably start with the one that's going to benefit you the most? What's your main weaknesses?
My teacher started me first on Op.10 No.4. Not recommended.