Update - Criserl :)

Hello!!!

Firstly , for those who have been following my other blog will know that my concert date has been brought forword to the 14  of December and will commence at 7pm. :)

Secondly, I'm now learning a piece by Handel - Allemande. As all of you know , I'm not really a baroque person so I don't really like that piece...I've also finish recording the first movement of Kuhlau sonatina op.20 no.1! 2 more movements to go!! And also, this time I decided to repeat the repeat section ( I hope you get what I'm trying to say here , as normally I skip the repeat section). :D

Thirdly, I will like to introduce you to BBC documentary on both Mozart and Beethoven. Each documentary is 3 hours but I think it is definitely worth your time. I got to learn so much about their lives and what they had gone through so as to have a better interpretation their music.

Lastly, I'm planning to learn the tempest sonata but not the third movement (of course). I deciding between the first movement which has about 6 pages or the second which has 4 pages... Tell me which you prefer! It will be my self study piece and maybe at a later stage my teacher will go through it with me and I may even end up performing it!

~Criserl~

Requested Post: Wish List of Music To Play

Hi! I was requested by Kate to do this post on music that I wish to play. I will probably also list pieces that I want to finish but haven't got around to.

~Nocturne No. 13, Opus 48 No. 1 in C Minor by Chopin
~Moonlight Sonata Third Movement by Beethoven
~(to finish) Invention 8 by J.S. Bach
~Solfegietto by C.P.E. Bach
~Fantasy in D Minor K397 by Mozart
~Liebestraume by Liszt
~Waltz in C Minor Op. 64 No. 2 by Chopin
~Tempest Sonata, Mvt. 3 by Beethoven
~(to learn full version) Nocturne in E Flat Major Op. 9 no. 2 by Chopin
~Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin
~Piano in the Sky by Emily Bear
~Prelude no. 4 in E minor by Chopin
~Claire de Lune by Debussy
~Serenade by Schubert

So those are some of the pieces I hope to learn one day. I have tons of sheet music, but haven't really bothered with it. I really do hope to start learning classical again. And yes, I will be uploading Silent Night this week.

I started Learning Ka'iulani by Emily Bear, and have half a page left!!! That's probably my favorite piece by her. I also started Ellen's Song, which is really easy, so maybe I'll be done with it soon. I actually really want to learn Final Journey, but don't have the songbook. I started learning it by ear, and was surprised to see it was in the exact same pitch...

Until next time,
~Vivi

p.s. what type of polls should I do?

Update - Viviana

Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't upload Silent Night. Looks like I won't be uploading it until either later this week or next week. Today was my birthday (Nov. 21), and then tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and then there's other stuff going on this week. Again, I apologize for saying I was going to upload it and didn't.

I was requested by Kate to write a to-play list or wish-to-play list. I'll get to that at some point.

Today I want to take a little time to write more on myself so you can all know more about me.

-Today I turned 15! (Nov. 21)
-I live in Chicago, Illinois. (U.S.)
-My family is from Mexico, Ireland, Spain, and France.
-I want to do a lot of traveling when I'm older.
-My favorite types of movies are fantasy, adventure, comedy, or all 3.
-I love fashion and clothes!
-I am a Christian! I live for Jesus!!!!
-I've been playing piano for 4 years.
-My favorite classical composers are Beethoven and Chopin; my favorite modern composer is Emily Bear.
-My favorite part of piano is composing!
-I live 2 hours away from where Emily Bear lives, but have never met her.
-I have 3 sisters and 1 brother, and a dog named Jax.
-I speak only English, but want to learn Spanish and French.
-I'm homeschooled.

Until next time!

-Viviana

Happy Birthday Viviana!

Hello!

Today, I would like to wish Viviana a Happy Sweet Fifteen Birthday! Woots!

You're such a special friend! It's a pleasure to remember you anytime , especially on your birthday. 

Have a great day ahead!

Here, I would like to dedicate Spinata , composed by Emily Bear and played by ME! :P






Get the latest updates about Criserl at Criserl's blog : www.criserlpiano.blogspot.sg

Hello!

Hello! I know, I know, I haven't updated since last week... The reason for that is because I just haven't had too much time to film anything. If you guys don't see any updates this week, it's because it will be Thanksgiving this week. AND MY BIRTHDAY!!! :D I'm so excited!!! I will be filming Silent Night either today or tomorrow, so look out for that video!

I probably will not be doing any classical anytime soon. I'm going to spend most of my time composing, learning Christmas music, and learning some more Emily Bear. :)  

If you haven't seen it yet, here's my new original composition, Sky. Sorry if the pedal is too much... 

Do you all think I should do a video type of update sometime? Tell me what you think! Maybe you'll hear my Chicago accent! Hahaha. I don't really know if I have a Chicago accent...

Anyway, for the new year coming up, what do you all think I should learn? Give me some requests! I will learn it when 2013 comes around.

Be lookin' out for my next update,

~Vivi

New upload! : Criserl

I've uploaded my first Dussek piece op.20 no.1 in G major.

And I would like to share a short story about this piece, listen to the 2nd movement of this piece ( rondo ).
Also, I made a mistake in the date in the start ( did you realized it ?) , it should be 02 November but it turn out to be 20 November :P


It was a bright day, a little girl and her mummy went to the carnival. The girl was amazed by what she saw, there were booths selling food and game booths too! She was so happy as it was her first time going to a carnival. Then she saw candy floss sold in one of the booths , she pleaded her mummy to buy it for her but her mummy refused to. After much pleading , her mummy gave in and bought the candy floss for her! She was happy kid! XD

Well, this is just what I think about when I play the piece... :)

If you have been following my other blog, you will know that I'm working on Emily Bear pieces. I've decided to start figuring out the notes for Spinata. The challenging part in Spinata is when the left hand crosses over the right hand.

I'll definitely be uploading Spinata next week, so look out for it!

Next week I'll have dance lessons and will be quite busy so to make up for that I'll try to blog daily on my other blog.

Get the latest updates about Criserl at Criserl's blog : www.criserlpiano.blogspot.sg

Original Composition: Sky

Hi everyone. I know, I've been posting a lot! :P

I have a new original composition called Sky. Sorry if the pedal creates too much of a muffle... I hope you enjoy! :)

~Viviana

Advice for beginner pianists + a sound test of my piano!

Hey ya'll! Last week I made a poll on what type of post I should write about, and tips for beginner pianists won! So here are my tips/advice for beginner pianists:

1. If you don't know anything about piano, I would suggest getting a piano teacher, or at least someone who knows a decent amount of things about piano. 

2. If you don't know whether you will be taking lessons for good, you should get a keyboard rather than a piano. Keyboards are inexpensive, and will last for the first year or so of lessons. Once you get to a higher level, a piano would be a great choice. 

3. I know that when I listen to a certain piece a lot before I start reading the scores/sheet music, it helps me a lot, so that I know what will always come next in the piece. So listening to the music before you start playing it is a great help.

4. LEARN MUSIC THEORY!! It is soo helpful. Believe me, learn as much as you can about it! I wasn't really taught much about music theory, so I still sometimes have trouble with it. Find a good book on it or something with lots of information. 

5. Make sure that you don't try to learn anything that is too far above your ability of skill. Two or three years ago, when I was some many levels below where I am now, I printed out the scores for Invention 8 by Bach. Totally wrong choice... I wasn't able to play it until last year. I really suggest learning easier things until you're sure you can handle something more advanced. 

6. If you're a complete beginner and you're learning all on your own, you should only play music that includes treble clef, but do this until you get the idea of using only your right hand. When you become used to only playing with your right hand, try out music that includes both hands (but nothing that includes far too much left hand).  

7. I think it's a great idea to film videos of any pieces you learn. That way, you can look back some years later and see how much you have improved! 

8. Two websites I would recommend are G Major Music Theory and Making Music Fun. They may both appear to be for young kids, but they have a lot of music and levels to choose from (not very advanced levels, though). 

9. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not good. Continue to learn no matter what. What other people think doesn't matter, but what you think about yourself matters much more. Stay positive. :) 

10. Always have fun!!! Music can be so fun if you let it be! I love learning pieces that challenge me in certain areas; it always gives me more experience. So definitely learn pieces that you think would be fun for you.

I hope all these tips help any beginner pianists out there!!

Here is a sound test of the piano, using The Love in Us. (I don't consider this a real upload...just a sound test.) I chose to play this piece since there's not too many parts that include lower keys or sharps (the lowers black keys are more out of tune than the others). The piano really needs to be tuned, so please do not give me negative comments about something I already know that needs to be done. :)

Criserl addresses rude comments...

Hi everyone!

I'm sure most of you saw my new blog skin. I've actually revamp the entire blog so if you , have not seen it do take some time to check it out!

I'm actually rather concern about how people phrase their comments. An example : Your playing lacks emotion, really bad. As compared to, I would suggest you to put in more emotion into the piece to improve the quality of the music. This two sentence have the same meaning but the first sentence has a negative tone while the latter has a positive tone. I'm really thankful for your constructive criticism but I would urge you to be polite. Thank you.

Let's not talk about unhappy stuff...

I just went for a music workshop yesterday and I really learned a lot!  A few friends and I form a group and we called ourselves CCC ( Chopin Concerto Craze ) ! LOL :P

We also learned about how Chopin feels when he composes certain pieces for example , the Revolutionary etude that I working on. It is said the when Chopin composed the etude his health was poor and when he heard a rebellion had failed ( not really sure about the history ) he was really upset and he produced some of his darkest and most passionate works, such as scherzo no.2 and this etude.

This is my favourite Chopin concerto




 ~Criserl

MY PIANO!!!! :D

Hey guys, I got my piano today!! As I said before, it's a 1947 Everett. Here are some pictures:

As you can see, it has some minor things that need some care. The tuning isn't needed as much as I thought it would. I mean, it still needs tuning, but not that badly. The lower keys black keys are out of tune, but the ones around middle C or higher aren't so bad. I think I will do a video of a sound test, but not a real recording of a song. The pedals work beautifully. The original owner must have really loved piano. I got a lot of old sheet music for songs from the 50s and 60s. The funny thing is my Grandma kept saying,"Ooh! I love that song!" Hahaha. I really have to get used to the feel of the keys. At first I was having some trouble with it, but I think I'm getting more accustomed to it now. 

More uploads will be coming soon,

~Viviana~

Criserl recommends anime about piano!

Hello!

How is everyone? :)
Today marks the start of my 1 month school holiday!

Today, I'll like to share about a Japanese anime about piano. This anime was introduced to me by one of YouTube's best pianist Umi Garrett ( most of you should have seen her videos). I am friends with both Umi and her dad, Steve on Facebook and Umi once posted about this anime on either her page or her dad's ( I don't remember :P ). This anime is called ' Piano no mori' also known as 'Piano in the forest' and Umi describes herself playing just like how the character plays in the forest, freely with her own interpretation.


So, I believe all of you would enjoy watching this really great anime and learn more on about HOW to play the piano. Through this, one will realized the importance of interpretation and how much impact it has on people listening to the music, even if one is not playing the piece note for note just like what the composer had written!

I personally believes that a piano is the only instrument that can sound like an orchestra ( excluding synthesizer instruments like an electone)  and playing it with emotion is the key to making the piano sing no matter which piece you are playing.

I really like those emails that all of you send and I'll continue to work hard. More videos will come! :)

Get the latest updates about Criserl at Criserl's blog : www.criserlpiano.blogspot.sg

More Uploads Soon! ~Viviana

Hi everyone! As you can see from the title, I will be uploading more videos soon! Yesterday I just finished Indescribable by Emily Bear and am perfecting another one of her pieces, Silent Option. The two were very easy, so I figured I should learn them. I'm also composing another piece! I just need a little more to complete it. I'm thinking of calling it Sky or something of the sort.

I'm really excited because Saturday we'll be picking up the piano!! I will be posting pictures.

The top answer for the poll on what I should post about was tips for beginner pianists. I will probably be posting that on Saturday or Sunday.

I will upload Silent Night soon. I want to wait for when I get the new piano and once it's tuned, I will record Silent Night, along with maybe one or two Emily Bear pieces (not Christmas ones though, but maybe 23 Free or Tomorrow's Wishes), and then 2 or 3 of my original compositions.

Oh, something else! I want to do a post  where I answer questions about myself and music. You can send me questions by commenting on this post or sending me an email at thepianistviviana@gmail.com

Until the next post,
Viviana

Two re-uploads and an original composition

Hola! The two re-uploads are two in which I've never filmed with my fingers showing; they are Snowdance and Once Upon A Wish. I have not gotten the piano yet, and it turns out I won't until Saturday. Maybe I will do a video that day on it, but just so you all know, it will not be tuned, so whatever I play will sound out of tune. The original composition is called The Leaves of Autumn. It's probably one of my favorite original compositions. And yes, that is Mickey Mouse next to me! :P

~Viviana

Criserl's concert program!

Hi everyone!

My concert program is finally out! I so happy to be sharing it with you :):)

Classical : Chopin's Revolutionary etude op.10 no.12 in C# minor

Liszt/ Franz Schubert Schwanengesang no.7 Standchen also commonly known as serenade. This piece is written by Franz Schubert and later rewritten by Liszt that is why there is a slash :)

Korean Pop : Tara- we were in love

Duet: Cannon in D

If there is a piece that you must listen to , then it will definitely be Liszt/ Franz Schubert Schwanengesang no.7 Standchen. Liszt is famous for his awesome way of harmonizing! This is also my first liszt piece! :)

I'm not sure if I can get a recording of the concert if not I'll just record them at home :)

And I'll have a students recital in march I guess...Really excited.

Bye! :)

Another Update (Viviana)

Bonjour! I haven't uploaded any videos this week, but soon I will! I have one completed original composition and another one that I need to finish. I will be uploading maybe next week or the week after. The reason for this is that I will be getting a piano on Monday (!!) and I don't want to film anything on my keyboard at the moment. The piano will need to be tuned and I don't know when I will have that done. I'll put up pictures when I get the piano!

I started working on Solfegietto by C.P.E Bach. I decided to work on that since I've only been composing and playing Emily Bear, so I wanted to return to classical.

One last thing, we have reach over 2,000 views on the blog!!!!

Until next time,
~Viviana~

by the way, do you guys think I should sign off as "Viviana" or have a cool nickname?? Let me know what you think!!