Celebrate a WIN!

RuthPower

What are you proud of achieving lately? Remember - to keep that motivation up we have to celebrate the small wins, not just the big ones.

vkisamore

I have been taking riffs and applying them to written notation (mostly hymns because our regular pianist is in Florida for 3 months) just to spice them up. I've learned that it is possible to overdo the amount of riffs in a song. They have to be used judiciously to not overtake the melody. I've mostly been playing preludes at church where I can fool around and improvise a little with the sheet music. A couple of times I had to accompany congregational songs and there it was better to stick to simple chords or my husband (a not so good song leader) would get lost. I went and looked up the riffs from the previous riffing course and applied them to my music as well. My son gifted me a piano book written by Forrest Kinney which gives lots of patterns (riffs) to create melodies over. This is lots of fun and I encourage you to look up Forrest Kinney.

alexx88

vkisamore Awesome Val, taking the riffs into the "real world!" That's super exciting!

I took a whole guitar song, "Cold" by Chris Stapleton, & figured it all out by ear. Melody, chords, string parts, even the guitar solo. I also made up a really cool outro for it based on a frequent riff in the song.

I've been working on a couple of arrangements. One a little more detailed as an instrumental, the other more pared down for a vocal. Both include string parts & the guitar solo, & I also put in chords with the strings & solo. I hoping to have it ready by the end of the week to get a rough recording of it. I'll post it here.

I have Forrest Kinney's Create I & II, but I've never done anything with them.

RuthPower

vkisamore this is definitely a WIN! It's wonderful that you are putting that into action in the 'real world' and finding that somethings work and somethings don't - overdoing it is a pitfall for sure, leaving that room for the melody and making sure we are complimenting it (supportive riffs) rather than detracting.
Forrest Kinney is a very well-respected, I do like the way he breaks down his patterns - I've watched a few videos with him.
alexx88 I have to hear this arranged guitar song when it's ready!!! IT sounds amazing!

alexx88

@RuthPower Ugh this arrangement is killing me. I really like what I did with it, but I keep making mistakes trying to record it. Just spent 2 hours on it. I keep thinking of all the other musical things I wanted to do beside this tonight. Does this happen to anyone else? Do we need a struggle thread. lol

RuthPower

alexx88 it definitely happens to me! It usually takes me multiple / (a lot) of practises to get a new arrangement how I want it - especially if you're creating your own rhythms and really want them to flow nicely - don't be hard on yourself, it's definitely a project not an instant thing! We'll be excited to hear it whenever YOU are ready! But yes definitely need a #struggles thread!

alexx88

Ok. So i'm putting it out here. I figured out the entire song by ear, note by note, including the string parts & guitar solo. I also added my own spin to the last chorus before the Outro.

The melody has been altered in this version because I'll be adding the vocals. I still need to take some melody parts out here & there for that. This was recorded with my new interface, which I don't know how to use yet. Need to figure out how to adjust all the audio parameters.

It's not my best, but I'm sick of recording it lol. Time for new projects!

Hope you enjoy it. "Cold" by Chris Stapleton. https://drive.google.com/file/d/192pB2ZaoGLrWxbZRAKVapm-SxqVd9KSm/view?usp=sharing

In case you aren't familiar with the song, this is the actual version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq15HXc6pmw

RuthPower

alexx88 OH HEYYEEELLLLL YES!!! 🤘 Alex, this is so good! What a triumph! I hope you are feeling mighty proud of yourself right now - learned the whole thing by EAR, and THEN you learned the additional instrument parts + put your own spin on it... wow. This is a lot of work and you've put that work in + come out with a really beautiful arrangement. SO PROUD!
I listened to the original too to get a sense of it, and you've done well to keep that strong vibe and tempo going. If I had two teeny little suggestions it would be only that you could benefit from playing with a metronome for a spell - that 3rd chord in the chorus seems to come in a bit rushed each time. And a little more lifting of the pedal 😀 But those are small performance things that I'm sure are just because you have so much to think about already!
The recording I think came across well! I'm excited that you are experimenting with new recording gear and can't wait to hear more!!!
TIME TO CELEBRATE THAT WIN OF YOURS!!!! This is a milestone!

alexx88

@RuthPower Thank you So Much for the feedback & the tips! The weird thing about learning a song by ear, at least for me, is I listen to it so much to figure it out, but then when I start playing it, I get into my own groove in my head of how it is, & then I don't go back & listen to it, & parts don't go as I think I remember them.

I did give a listen a few weeks back, & discovered I was playing it a lot faster than it actually is. I need to go back & re-listen. Check out the chorus again. Maybe even play along with it. Quite possible I need to fix some timing/rhythm issues. I turn the metronome on a lot by accident, lol, but I never actually play with it.

I do tend to ride the pedal sometimes. Especially when I'm really concentrating on trying not to. Playing with headphones helps me with that a little. Easy fixes now that all the hard work is done!

RuthPower

alexx88 For sure, definitely easy fixes now that all the hard work is done!
I laughed at "I turn the metronome on a lot by accident" 🤣 Maybe next time it comes on by accident, don't turn it off! Haha. But yes, tempo & pedalling are easy things to not worry about because ultimately, what you're playing on the keys is what's making the music - they are just details but ones that are worth working on gradually.

alexx88

I commit to next time I accidentally turn it on, to play something with it. That will be a challenge, I'm not a fan of it to begin with. I think it makes everything sound very sterile & unemotional, but I know it is helpful & useful. I have a habit of putting papers or my iPad on the end of my keyboard, & that's where the button is. I can't shut it off fast enough. lol. Maybe I'll change the sound. Get rid of that knocking sound.

RuthPower

alexx88 yes I know what you mean, this is why I'll usually prefer to practise with a drum beat (any ol basic beat from my keyboard) than a metronome, gives it a bit more feel! 😁🤘

noellah-jeannica

Hi everyone. To preface the celebration of my birthday (debut) last week, I took my Casio Privia to the woods and had a fun little piano-themed photoshoot there — attached here are some of the nicest pics I got from it! This experience was definitely a WIN for me, as I simultaneously love music & nature. 💜

P.S. @vkisamore saw this photoset first on Facebook. Thanks for reminding me to share this with the Piano Picnic family, Val!

alexx88

noellah-jeannica Happy Birthday Noellah!! What a fun thing to do! The pictures are beautiful & you look stunning! The last one would be great for your promo flyer when you play at a hotel/restaurant 😃

noellah-jeannica

thank you so much alexx88!! I’ll definitely keep these for future use 🧡

RuthPower

Oh my GOODNESS!! @noellah-jeannica these are so stunning! And agree with @alexx88 this is such a fun thing to do for your birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Can you tag me in your facebook post? I would love to share it too!!! 🤩 This is the best thing ever - piano, nature, beauty + birthday!

noellah-jeannica

RuthPower I set the post on public and forwarded the link to your account! 🧡