I have just become a member yesterday and I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion. I play piano just for the fun of it. I had a lot of piano lessens when I was young but stopped playing around my early twenties. I started again at the age of 40 and I'm enjoying it a lot now. Please let me know what you think.

Michael

I have great trouble believing this is a real recording. It sounds very much like MIDI. Only a pianist of the caliber of a Hamelin or Gibbons could rattle this off so smoothly, and then it would sound far more varied and musical. I certainly can't believe someone who plays 'just for fun' after a 20-year hiatus is playing like this.

I'm sorry to be suspicious but we've had too many dubious submissions lately. You'll have to present a video to prove you are up there with the very best.

I concur with Chris. (BTW this is Op 35, No.5, in F major)

Just listened to Jack Gibbons' rendition, just to make sure this was not his. It isn't, Gibbons is much faster yet But it sounds human.

Incidentally has this recording been made using a digital piano?

I'd say quite obviously it is. Or else a MIDI keyboard.

This recording has been produced the following way:

Piano: Kawaii CA91 digital piano
Recording software: Cubase 6 with Yamaha C7 VST virtual piano
Aftereffects: WaveLab 7

There is no video available at this time.

Hi michaelrose,

Your recording (as I stated at the other website) is being questioned there and here at Piano Society too. I'll repeat that this sounds to me like the mechanical playing of systhesized midi, and not at all like truly artistic piano playing. Where you cannot substantiate this recording with a video, as requested at both websites, my vote here would be to reject it.

David

Oh boy, here we go again....

Perhaps it was only a matter of time as this must be a new trend in (piano) society, along with GPA inflation, over-embellishing resumes, corporate bonuses, expediency, etc. The slogan "learning should be fun" rings louder than the knowledge and virtues gained from persistence, hardship, and sacrifice. Yeup, who wants to practice 2+ hrs a day when we have musical word processors capable of cut, paste, note check, delete, and speed up to Warp 2 with a few simple mouse clicks. Now that's fun. Hence a new chapter of "Bionic Music."

Instead of busting my chops on the piano, hey, I think I'll go over to the MIDI keyboard and see if I can finally record La Campanella?!.... The acoustic piano is the only vehicle capable of projecting the labor of love within the music. I'd rather hear wrong notes in the spirit of being stirred and inspired by the music. MIDI and to some degree digital pianos quantize the music into bits to the point of sounding unnatural where it no longer retains the emotive force intrinsic to an acoustic performance. As much as I love technology, electronic music, gear, the real mojo lies within the wood, strings, felt, frame, air... Not in the chips and wires.

Well said George. I'm thinking of changing the site banner to say 'The home of acoustic piano recordings' or something in this vein. Any suggestions/ideas welcome. We must and can do a bit more to ward off the growing stream of questionable recordings. I feel we have the right to reject anything we do not trust without having to endlessly argue with all these people. They'll just have to either convince us of go away.

This sounds really unhuman. If you play this yourself, then you'd better learn how to let a piece artistically speak. This interpretation is really boring.


I fully understand your good intention, Chris, but are the members like me expelled, who don't have another choice than to practice and record on a digital piano through that words like 'The home of acoustic piano recordings'??

Absolutely not. You are one of several fine players who use a digital for traditional playing and recording. Of course we need to think about such a phrase and discuss it. Traditional would be more appropriate than acoustic, I guess. Though I have to say it's very tempting to demand acoustic instruments only..... It would make our life here much easier.

Sounds good to me!

Maybe it should be the rule for new members. Existing members who have proved their worth would get dispensation for it.