What is your most difficult or best music piece?

For those practicing musicians, what has been your most difficult or favorite piece to date that you have worked on or are currently working on?

Well, I just finished 'A Breeze from Alabama' and that was a nice piece. I've recorded it on my blogsite. I'm working on two pieces, Kitten on the Keys by Zez Confrey American Beauty Rag by Joseph Lamb. These are only two out of the 20 or 30 pieces I'm currently working on. Kitten on the Keys piece I've been practicing off and on for the last several months. Kitten on the Keys is rather difficult to play but American Beauty Rag is slightly more difficult to play of which I've just started quite recently. What's currently driving me nuts is the Bag of Rags, especially in the ffith strain.

There is no internet link for the whole Kitten on the Keys music sheet but there is a YouTube version of it.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKLL1ajxlY&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

American Beauty Rag music sheet
http://www.ragtimepiano.ca/images/amerbeau.pdf

Bag of Rags music sheet
UCB Libraries Digital Sheet Music Collection - A bag of rags main page

Any deaf/hh musician like to share what music pieces you're working on?

I am working on this kind of stuff. Its where you get a pattern going on your feet and then overlay various drum beats over that pattern. Neil is the man!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fUlJo-ZDA4[/ame]

How many drums and cymbals do you have in a set?

i love drums. I can hear them without my hearing aids/CI when I'm in concerts. I can't do the same with other instruments.

kokonut said:

How many drums and cymbals do you have in a set?

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Here is a shot of me last year doing a festival. I have a basic 5 piece kit but I angle the kick off to my right a bit. Hi Hat, 2-crash cymbals, 1-splash cymbal, 1-ride cymbal and 1 china boy cymbal. I also have a mounted cowbell and mounted tamborine. Occasionally I mix in an electronic pad connected to my Roland TD-10 head to incorporate many different sounds.

Is there a particular difficult music piece or a favorite you like playing?

I've played instruments basically my entire life - since an audiologist told me that I couldn't play instruments or sign because of my hearing loss! seriously, that was too much of a challenge to pass up!!
Over the years I've played violin, piano, Alto and Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon - however min primary instruments are flute and piccolo.
I actaully used to play flute and piccolo semi professionally for a number of years & played in a few orchestras for about 4years (I was 16-18years old) and taught lessons until my work schedule got to hectic and I moved into an apt with thin thin walls.

I also was a professional musical instrument repair technician for 11/12 years (until I was in a car accident where I was injured and not able to work)

I'm not sure what my favourite flute/piccolo pieces to play are - There are so many great works for solo, flute & piano and flute& orcheatra that it's difficult to choose! I do like playing Mozart (K. 315 etc) - I'm not a huge fan of Beethoven regarding flute repertoire.

For Orchestral works, some of my favourites are Symphony #3 by Saint-Saëns (aka "The Organ Symphony"), and Orchestral works by Dvorák, Khachaturian, Vivaldi, Williams etc.

Unfortunately since my car accident in 2004 I've been unable to play/practice much because I have pain, numbness/tingling, muscle weakness, in my shoulder, arms & hands ... making it difficult and painful to play for more than a few minutes (When I was playing in Orchestras it was common for me to practice 3-6hours daily)

In addition to the pain issues, at this point my flute really needs a repad in order to play at it's best - I just need to get the energy up to order the supplies and then do the work it needs. It's frustrating playing on an instrument that isn't in peek playing condition

Sorry to hear that you're unable to play as you once did.

kokonut said:

Is there a particular difficult music piece or a favorite you like playing?

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I assume you are talking to me. Nothing in particular just trying to challange myself with new techniques.

RD, I'm talking to anybody in general who are practicing musicians.

I play piano every so often, I am relearning all the music I had before and it's amazing to see my fingers go where they should even though I can't hear a thing. I can tell when I've messed up, since my fingers don't feel right. Can't really explain it.

The one piece of music that I am finding it real hard to master is Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. I am working on all the pieces for The Messiah. It is slow going, but I will get there.

KristinaB said:

I play piano every so often, I am relearning all the music I had before and it's amazing to see my fingers go where they should even though I can't hear a thing. I can tell when I've messed up, since my fingers don't feel right. Can't really explain it.

The one piece of music that I am finding it real hard to master is Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. I am working on all the pieces for The Messiah. It is slow going, but I will get there.

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This piece?


http://www.music-scores.com/graphics/han_mes_hal_flvnpno.gif

Whenever I listen to the chorus sing that song, I get shivers. Very inspirational piece when you have the right chorus group and instrumentals playing it.

kokonut said:

This piece?

http://www.music-scores.com/graphics/han_mes_hal_flvnpno.gif

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That's it. I have it in a book with all the pieces from the Messiah.

kokonut said:

Whenever I listen to the chorus sing that song, I get shivers. Very inspirational piece when you have the right chorus group and instrumentals playing it.

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We have an old tape recording that I can't hear anymore that has my father on the flute, me on the piano, my oldest brother on the acoustic guitar and other brother on drums. My mother was singing. It was recorded at the church that had 45 foot cathedral beamed ceilings, so the acoustics were really great. I am hoping to get the music back into my memory for playing. I really miss it big time.

Question; How do you get a guitar player to stop playing?
Answer: Put sheet music in front of him

rockdrummer said:

Question; How do you get a guitar player to stop playing?
Answer: Put sheet music in front of him

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The opposite answer for a pianist. How do you get a pianist to stop playing? Take away the sheet music in front of him.

I play by memory a lot - don't always need music.

You need to read sheet music in order to memorize the song. Either that or you have the ability to hear music and play it exactly. Or watch videos on which keys to play and mimic the playing and then memorize.

I memorize many ragtime pieces but that doesn't happen unless I read the sheet music first and practice to memorize the notes and movements.