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Messages - JohnK

#16
Music / Re: What Pieces Are You Learning Right Now?
October 02, 2013, 04:46:55 PM
Ah screw you guys, I could play all the Etudes by age 5!

Well, I can BS my way through Revolutionaire, so I guess that counts for something. My left hand has about all the coordination of a toddler with severe CP :P

On the topic of Joplin's music, I love it to death. His music in particular just "clicks" well with me. Same goes for Rachmaninov and Debussy. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't really get Mozart or Beethoven or Bach to really sound good. I love the music to pieces, but I guess it's just not right for me :\
#17
Music / Re: What Pieces Are You Learning Right Now?
September 29, 2013, 05:33:42 PM
Quote from: Pit0010 on September 29, 2013, 05:17:34 PMand WOW..DEATH WALTZ? GOOD LUCK BRO XD
It's simplified so that you only need 3 hands  ;)
#18
Music / Re: What Pieces Are You Learning Right Now?
September 29, 2013, 03:06:49 PM
-Debussy's La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin (The Girl With the Flaxen Hair).
-Joplin's Euphonic Sounds (mostly just polishing it up)
-Death Waltz (because why not = ;) )

Also, I have a YT channel now:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3JMEnvU5Da5kd1DKu8tRIg
#19
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 22, 2013, 03:14:43 PM
Can't really figure out how to change it to 6/4 in Notepad. I'm guessing it's just not possible.

It is rather challenging to arrange this piece. Getting that left-hand part down is a freaking nightmare, in addition to the tedious repetition in the right-hand. But yet it's still a great piece.
#20
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 19, 2013, 04:36:22 PM
#21
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 19, 2013, 02:28:51 PM
Just downloaded it, and I'm currently re-transcribing it as I type this   ;D
#22
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 19, 2013, 09:34:48 AM
Here's a little rough draft of a "Zoness" (SF64) reduction/arrangement I'm working on. It's probably the first time this piece has been transcribed for piano (or for any instrument), which is a real shame since it's really one of the finest pieces of VGM there is. The biggest challenges are the repetitive RH part and tweaking the left hand parts. Other than that, it was a breeze to transcribe and should be really neat once I get it sorted out. Anyone have any suggestions?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/y462ixbgzqsoy74/Zoness.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5p82o584tuavyy9/Zoness.mid

#23
Off-Topic / Re: DO WANT.
September 14, 2013, 12:06:13 PM
Yeah, I'm in America.
#24
Off-Topic / Re: DO WANT.
September 13, 2013, 03:04:04 PM
The local piano dealer has a 10' Fazioli concert grand. Gorgeous instrument, but I doubt it'll ever sell. Even in the biggest mansions, it'll still be too big (rule of thumb, IIRC, is that the perimeter/10 is the max size of piano you can put in a room without it sounding like crap). While there are those crazies who put a Steinway B (7' grand) into a 10'x15' living room, a piano of any size needs proper room to really come to life. A spinet or petite grand will sound fine in a practice room or small living room, but it'll be basically lost in a larger room or concert hall. Likewise, a concert grand or super-big upright will sound wonderful in the concert hall or very large living room, but it'll way overpower the space and sound dead in a small-average sized room.

Steinways aren't exactly "home" pianos. My cousins' Steinway, even when they put the cloth and Hummel creche and oodles of fake snow and other decorations on the top at Christmastime, still resonates throughout the house without a problem. Most American (and Asian) pianos, even in the home-sized models, tend to be quite loud. European pianos tend to be much quieter, probably because more people live in smaller homes/apartments.

Yamahas always felt kinda boring. Not bad, but not inspiring or interesting. Not sure what an "Overs" is. Do you have a picture of one?
#25
Off-Topic / Re: DO WANT.
September 12, 2013, 02:29:02 PM
Because you've read the word "kawaii" more times than "Kawai", so your brain automatically confuses the two, I guess. The human brain does all sorts of weird stuff, usually to save time/energy.
#26
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 09, 2013, 04:46:41 PM
Alrighty, I'll get to fixing that. Anyways, here's the MP3:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p0udsdhyavemn1i/SF-arranged.mp3
Sound's a little harsh because our house is hardwood floors throughout the first floor.
#27
Off-Topic / Re: The Introduction Thread
September 08, 2013, 07:06:50 PM
Name's John, as you can tell. Been playing piano ever since I was 7, and was something of a child prodigy (now that I'm 17, I'm just a dang good pianist  :P). My earliest memories are of me playing Diddy Kong Racing and Starfox on the N64, and I've been partial to Nintendo. Being classically trained, I never paid much attention to arranging and playing by ear. In the classical world, the sheet music is God, no matter how dry. Improvisation and interpretation and fun are big no-no's. Why? I have no idea. Some scholarly bullcrap, I guess. Doesn't stop me, anyway  8) My favorite game soundtrack is probably Banjo Kazooie or Starfox or SM64. Good memories, good games, and good music all around.

I'm mainly a pianist, but I diddle around on the organ/keyboard, uke, xylo, and drums every now and then. I also used to play cello, but that was back in 4th grade and I don't remember any of it.
#28
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 08, 2013, 06:28:12 PM
Sorry for the double-post, but is anyone else experiencing something weird listening to the MIDI? During any note that's sustained or longer than a quarter note, the piano sound gets replaced with this weird violin/organ sound. It's really weird. Have a listen:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pq1pg06bq2zeor5/corrupted%20midi%3F.mp3
#29
Off-Topic / Re: DO WANT.
September 08, 2013, 05:10:34 PM
I'm such a swank here with my Kawai upright. I do want a grand though (and we have the room, just need to convince my parents of that). They're much nicer sounding (sound goes into the room instead of into the wall or into your face), the action's faster, and dammit they just look better in a room  8)

My main beef with digitals is that they sound and feel mushy. The keys are usually hollow plastic instead of plastic/ivory covered wood, the faux actions/weights make it feel like you're playing a truck instead of a piano, and the 2 small speakers don't give it the proper presence and intimacy of any real piano. The samples also tend to sound too clean. I've played concert-grand Steinways and Bösendorfers (the most commonly sampled pianos), and I can say that there's still some dirt in their sound that samples always process out.

They also don't really last nearly as long as real pianos do. One of my cousins still has the Steinway my great-grandpa bought in 1921. It's had some repairs made and some parts replaced, but it's still a more-than-functional piano. We bought a digital piano (a Kawai) in 2002, which started falling apart around 2007 and finally bit the dust in 2012. That Steinway has survived 90+ years of (moderately) hard playing, neglect, a broken leg, and occasional years of pampered care. The digital was played hard, moved across a room, and was left to sit in the living room for 4 years. Now obviously, there's many variables and differences here. There are plenty of pianos that don't make it 'til 92, and there are plenty of older DP's (10-30 years) that are still functional if incredibly obsolete.

All this being said, digital pianos do have their functions. Most acoustics, save for some computerized player pianos, don't have MIDI or any type of recorder. They're also not easy to move from place to place. Digitals also offer a variety of other instrument sounds built-in so you're not stuck playing a piano. And if I may be honest, I'll take a good digital piano over a bad acoustic any day of the week :)
#30
Piano Arrangements / Re: JohnK's arragnements
September 08, 2013, 04:18:37 PM
Thanks, I'll give it a whirl :)