Thank you for 4000 followers on Keek!!

This is like the best Christmas present ever! I never knew I would have 4K of followers from all over the world.

For those who haven't seen my keek channel, do check it out : http://keek.com/criserlteo
My keek includes video of my daily life and its kinda like a vlog of me practising piano and dance or sharing about my favourite things.

Also, I would like to apologise for not uploading YT videos frequently as college is keeping me really busy and I have other commitments as well.

Once I get the Mozart Rondo down, I will definitely film it. I don't really have lots of time to practice and that is one reason why it is still quite far from perfection, but I believe I'll get there soon.

Wishing all a Merry Christmas!

XOXO

December update : Criserl

Hey everyone!!

I finally have more time to play the piano because it is now the school holidays :)

Dec 6, 2014 | Mozart Rondo k485 #practice #mozart #classical #music #piano #fun #discoverme by CriserlTeo on Keek.com

The above is Mozart Rondo and I hope this piece will be ready before Christmas. :) It is really fun to play rondo because it is fast. Apart from this Rondo, I am also working on some Haydn Sonata and Chopin Nocturne.

Your pianist,
Criserl

November Update - Criserl

Hi!!

My friend JH got me to upload my playing of Chopin's Waltz so yeap I did as requested. It wasn't super good and there were still many flaws. However, I hope you like it.




And yeah now my friend has to play Yiruma's When The Love Falls for me. :P Hahaha

I'm now practising Mozart. Can't wait to complete that and upload it for you all.

Until then,
Criserl

November Update - Viviana

Wow, it really has been a long time since I last posted anything...

Well, I'll get straight to what I've been up to -
Today I just ordered three different piano books! Two of them are music theory (Fundamentals of Piano Theory - Book 9, Book 10) and one is a big book of music from the Baroque Era to the Modern (The Library of Piano Classics). I'm really excited to see what else I can learn. :D  The Ballade (WHICH I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOREVER!! :/ ) is going much better than before. I've finally gotten to Page 11... I still have 16 pages to go...and the hardest parts of the piece are yet to come. Hopefully I'll be able to manage those.

I have finally decided something - I really like Rachmaninoff. I didn't really care for his music before, but after hearing his Piano Concerto No. 2  and Prelude in C-Sharp Minor I decided that he really was an absolutely amazing composer. I guess you could say he's one of my favorites now.

Every once in a while I might upload some videos. It's not something I really find the time or quietness to finish (it really is the quietness issue... my household is always so loud). If I ever do have some time then maybe I will record something, like my new arrangement of Silent Night, which I happen to think is the best arrangement I've come up with so far. It is a bit simple, and maybe even cliche, but Silent Night is beautiful no matter what (Oh, which reminds me of two beautiful versions of O Holy Night you ALL must hear!!! -- The Canadian Tenors - O Holy Night, -- Il Volo - O Holy Night).

Recently, I started listening to some of Schumann's works. I really, REALLY love his songs from Dichterliebe, especially Im wunderschoenen Monat Mai. It's one of my new absolute favorites ever!

For now, that's all the news I have. :)

God bless you all.

-Viviana

Welcoming September

Hey!

It has been quite a while since I've updated here. I am no longer taking regular piano classes due to my busy schedule but instead I will take holiday classes only. My promotional exams is going to take place in 3 weeks time, so after I am done with that, I can spend more time to practice piano!

Aug 30, 2014 | Franz Liszt - Liebestraum No. 3 in Ab Major (Love Dream) #piano #classical by CriserlTeo on Keek.com

The above is one of Liszt's famous piece which has been on my to-play-list for a long time. I've decided to start working on that piece and hopefully it will be done by this year end, considering the amount of time I have to practice and how difficult this piece is.

September will be another exciting month as I get to dance for Teacher's Day in college and tackle my promotional exams.

Stay tuned for more,
Criserl

August Update

Hi! Summer has gone by so fast, and now it's almost over. I've had a pretty great summer. :D How was everyone else's?

I've been working a lot on piano these couple of months. I finished learning Serenade by Schubert, but I'm not sure whether it's the full version or the theme... I might post it sometime. I've also gotten a bit further in Ballade No. 1, and it's going pretty well. :D  I'm so excited to just even be learning it... It's one of my most favorite pieces ever. I have also been trying to sight read a lot of pieces, and for sure I've gotten better at it. I'm not nearly as slow as I used to be. One of the other pieces I've been working on is Waltz No. 3 by Brahms. :D

I know I don't really post many updates or new videos, and I may not be doing so too often anyway, but maybe at least once a month. I'll be more busy this time of year, since I'll actually be starting school tomorrow. I hope to be getting a piano teacher soon... Let's hope it works out. :D


That's all I really have to say for today. :)

God bless, and until next time,
Viviana.

A Much Better Clip of Chopin's Ballade No.1

Hallo und Herzlich Willkommen! :D

A few months ago, I had uploaded a clip of Ballade No.1, but after listening to it recently I discovered that I play it a bit differently now than I did then. Plus, what I know now is a little further into the piece than before. (By the way, this new recording of the Ballade was kind of a random thing, so it's a bit sloppy in the filming of it.)

Here is the old version:

And this is the new version:

As you can hear, I still need to practice it much. At some point though, it will sound better. I also hope to record Beethoven's Sonatina in G soon. :D


Until next time,
Viviana.

June updates -Criserl

Hello!

I'm currently on holiday and school will resume in 2 weeks time. The concert that I had 2 days ago was amazing! Really grateful for everyone who turned up. :) I would also like to thank Team JJCOify, Ms Janet from Piano Melody, my friends and family. 

Bach Invention No.14 - I've learned this piece for quite a long time ago and I finally found time to upload it!

Mozart Fantasie in D minor - This piece was part of my repertoire for the 15 June Concert. 

I hope you enjoy my music.

Can't wait to blog again next time.
-Criserl 

June Update!! -Viviana

Hiiii!!! :D

So, I finished Mazurka in C and also Sonatina in G by Beethoven. Now I'm just working on the Romanze part of the Sonatina. I was trying to see what else I should work on, so I'm thinking Waltz in A-Flat by Chopin. :D  I'll try to get a recording of those two pieces I finished, although I think the Sonatina will be uploaded first.

Any ideas on what else I should learn that isn't too long?


That's pretty much all for news. XD

God bless!!!

-Viviana

Update! : Criserl

Hello!

Collage is really busy for me as there are lots of projects to do and school ends really late...I really wish I have more time for the piano.

Here is a keek of me practicing Mozart Fantasie in D minor :

May 4, 2014 | just learned this today! mozart fantasie in D minor♥ #piano #classical #practice by CriserlTeo on Keek.com

Hope you enjoy this snippet. I plan to finish learning this piece by June.

Also, there have been requests for me to share my Instagram and private blog links. I'm still considering if I should share my private blog url, but at the moment I don't think I'll share my Instagram. You can find keeks of me working on dance and dance tricks. So remember to follow and subscribe!

Stay tuned for more,
Criserl

Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor

Hello! Today while I was practicing piano, I decided to record Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor since it's been a while since the last time I uploaded it. There are mistakes in it, and I didn't play everything the way that it's written, but I tried my best. I hope you enjoy it anyway. :)

I finished learning Chopin's Mazurka in C Major, but I don't have it completely memorized. This time I learned it completely by sight reading than by memorizing. Whenever I have it sounding nicer, I will record it.

Until next time!

-Viviana

God bless! :D

May 1st, 2014.

Hello!

I believe I may (or may not) return to blogging more often. I have a lot more things to record! I may have a new upload this week or the next. I will be posting all the uploads here, so there will be no need to subscribe (besides... somehow my channel name link was not changed to my actual name... haha). 

I have sort of updated my repertoire (sort of... I was kind of redesigning the order and everything. I'm going to have to add the rest of it soon), so you can look at that if you'd like.

I've been thinking about getting a piano teacher, one that would come to my house though. I still have to ask my parents about that. I think it'd be great to have someone coach me on piano.

Today I checked out a book from the library that has some classical and modern pieces for piano. :D  There's a few I want to learn already.

I have been learning Sinfonia No. 15 by Bach, and just have a page or less to finish. It may be finished soon.

I'm not sure if I said this in the last post or not but, I had composed something for piano on Noteflight. It's a rough draft, so I'll have to make the final draft of it. Strangely, when I tried to play it, I found it hard. I did use a new technique, so maybe that's why...? I'm not sure. I have to try it again.

Thanks for reading!!! God bless.

Until next time,
Viviana.

An Update!

Hallo!!! I know, I know, I haven't posted in a long time. I just felt that I didn't really have much to update on.

I will not be posting on here for a while again, probably a few months or so. However, I will be posting on my other blog, and I may post a few uploads on here once in a while.

I deleted my Google+ account, so now I can't access my YouTube videos... :/  I do have another YouTube channel, so I will probably upload videos on there, short clips, mostly likely.

Until next time,
Viviana. :D

March Updates

After a long hiatus, I'm finally back blogging again.

Happy to say I've hit 200 subscribers on YT! Thank you.


The above is Chopin's less popular nocturne which is gaining popularity as more pianist are playing it.Initially, I wanted to upload this on Chopin's birthday but I didn't have time to do so.
I'm currently back working on Sonatinas. 

I'm now in a Junior College and life in a JC is pretty hectic, full of activities. I made a lot of new friends and Currently, I am doing contemporary dance as a co-curricular activity. :)
If you want to see me dance, follow me on Keek : https://www.keek.com/CriserlTeo

Love,
Criserl

Fun Facts About the Piano

Below is a compilation of interesting information, both funny and historical, about the piano.

·         Piano was first created in the year 1698 by an Italian named, Bartolomeo Cristofori. This is the first piano with an escape mechanism for the hammers and is capable of playing softly and loudly.

·         The piano was sort of an accident because the inventor’s attention was on harpsichords.

·         The piano has 12,000 parts with only 10,000 are moving.

·         There is a pressure of approximately 18 tons that is being utilized by the strings of the stretched steel piano. 

·         For a concert grand, it is close to 30 tons of pressure.

·         For a typical piano, there are 230 strings.

·         Most pianos have two to three pedals.

·         The right pedal of th piano is the sustaining pedal or the damper pedal.

·         The piano’s left pedal is always some type of soft pedal.

·         For pianos with three pedals, it is usually called the sostenuto pedal.

·         The middle pedal is the bass sustaining pedal.

·         The piano is known as “the king of instruments”

 

·         The word, “grand” in the piano started in 1777.

·         According to studies, children who learn piano tend to do well in school because of the qualities being attributed to discipline, the eye & hand coordination, social skills and the interest in learning a new language (which is music).

·         The first piano manufactured in Japan was the Yamaha brand in 1887.

·         The last note of the piano’s keyboard is C.

·         The first note on an 88 standard note keyboard is A.

·         The world’s largest piano ever recorded is the Challen Concert Grand that is 11 feet long an have a total string tension of over 30 tons.

·         The square piano was created by Zumpe from England in 1760.

·         Johann Behrent was the one who built the first piano in America in Philadelphia in the year 1775 with the name “Piano Forte”

·         The first piano with reversible keywords was built in 1876 by Mangeot of Paris.

·         The word, “Nickelodeon” is just a general term that is used to describe to various coin operated pianos

·         The the piano’s working section is called the action. There are an estimated of 7500 parts and they are all playing a role in sending these hammers against the strings whenever the keys are being struck.

·         For a grand piano, it has more than 35 points of adjustments and for the entire piano, a total of 3,080 adjustments.

·         Compared to other instruments that needed a piano for accompaniment, the piano can play or stand alone without any assistance from other instruments.

·         Abraham “Abe” Lincoln has used a Chickering Grand while he was at the White House.

·         A grand piano has a repetition lever that makes its action faster than any vertical piano.

·         A half step in a pitch drop can equal to a changeof 3,000 – 5,000 pounds of tension.

There are some more information that you can find every day. Share your knowledge about pianos.

 This article above is brought to you by our guest contributor Mr Eugene Hix.

  Eugene Hix 
Proof Reader/Marketing Consultant 
www.AuthoritySpecialists.com