Hermes

Ttoc6

Hungarian rhapsody no 2 is one of my favorites. The channel rosseau on YouTube has constantly had it requested but hasn't done it yet. Check out their channel for some very cool pieces and visuals.

I did a few months of piano lessons as a kid but never wanted to play. Now a days I feel a desire to learn but I know I wouldn't keep up with it. Too much of an outdoors person I think.

Enthalpic

that is pretty crazy

TMonk

@Enthalpic I'm not sure if I've mentioned but Tool is definitely my favorite hardrock band. Huge Tool fan. Lateralus being my fav, behind Aenima and Undertow. I thoroughly enjoy the The Patient - it's a real tribute to modern "progressive" music, a lot of which is electronic. Reminds me of Ravel:


This song is so sick... The climax after he hooks "I must keep reminding myself of this" is soo good




I enjoy Bolero. The original "progressive" song?




The ICP-MS seems to behave better when I play mixes like these:

mollusk

Listened to 10CC's Original Soundtrack the other night. My younger son (23 years old) loves it and so do I.

Doge

Moving to the top as this is interesting for any gear head. https://www.audiocheck.net/

This IS about me. With junior racing less, I've redirected my bike spend to audio. I'm a gadget guy anyway.
I'm on Audio forums now.

As far as listening ...
Any Bach - all day during work - bumped my IQ I'm sure.
Chris Jones - Roadhouses and Automobiles


I'm afraid my ears may to old to fully enjoy what I can now afford. Actually other than frequency I test out pretty well. https://www.audiocheck.net/
I can hear a ms difference in timing, and .5DB inflection. But in reality the cheap stuff sounds 98% as good [to me] as the fancy stuff that costs 10X as much.

Tax guy said if it streams from the work computer in my office it is a business expense (I have an LLC). All on my desk. My December purchases.
Chord Qutest DAC
Cary Audio CAD-300SEI tube amp - got 300B tube envy going on. Western Electric NOS selling for $20K a pair (no, I am not buying them)
REL Sub
Martin Logan speakers (cheap ones - Motion 35XT) looking
Sony MDR-Z1R headphones - sheepskin pads
RODE Mic - for my 3 hours talking a day.
Bunch of Moon Audio cables
Messing with players and streamers.

Hermes

https://qbi.uq.edu.au/blog/2018/01/d...ake-us-smarter According to them, the Mozart effect was debunked - too bad. There are studies that show that the playing music can improve IQ in some areas: at least for children.

I have not had interest in Bach. I played the Back two part invention which is a short simple piece. I played Mozart C major Sonata and the Turkish March.

I am not in the position to criticize Lang Lang who sits on top of the pyramid but I will anyway. The rendition below is too fast and loses some of the texture of the music at that speed. Also, he changes speed a couple of times. Mozart and Back were strict tempo. One practices with a metronome. It was Chopin who used variations in speed to create more feeling. So sure, one can put more feeling into Mozart but that was not the way Mozart would have played it.

Hermes

@doge Below is one of my favorite Bach pieces. Toccata and Fugue in D minor - JS Bach It is performed on the pipe organ at Segerstrom. I heard it performed either at Segerstrom or the LA Symphony Hall. It's mood is a little dark.

Doge

1st world problems in the top picture.

Your selection works on mute, I understand the video part.

See below for what I like to listen to - nothing to see. Kim Kashkashian on strings in wonderful. I don't use YouTube for listening, but it works best for sharing here.

mollusk

My audio is mostly old school:


B&W DM7 speakers

Sony PS-X50 turntable with a Stanton 681EEE cartridge that was my backup since 1980 and has less than 20 hours of use on it. My old Grado needs a new stylus. It is pretty good.

Sansui TU 717 tuner - No, you cannot buy it

Some nice Marantz integrated amp that I bought when my Kenwood 9100 amp died and the guys at the local high end sound shop gave me a deal when they heard my story. They all loved my old integrated amp and felt my pain. I think that they sold their demo to me at their cost.

Some high end tape decks that I never use anymore (Sony reel-to-reel and a Nakamichi cassette). I also have a Eumig 1000 micro-p cassette deck that has some issues in a closet. That was an amazing piece of equipment.


Still have my Sennheiser HD420 headphones with its third set of ear foam.


Pretty much old school, but really nice stuff.

Doge

Most of my early 80s equipment would be fine now - with a good DAC. What changes most is the source. Tapes, vinyl, radio, CDs - I think the streaming, and downloading digital format is here to stay. Folks are still fighting about MQA vs DSD vs... on more and bigger forums than this one. So similar to BF.


I looked at a few of the new B&W speakers when I bought my 35XTs. I will likely do something on speakers in the next year or so - again.

I looked up yours stuff on eBay and they have the DM7s, SONY PS-X50 and several Sansui options. Unfortunately, I have tested myself enough to know I don't need the really nice stuff. Like wine, or most things there is a level, I just can't tell the difference. I'm beyond that level now. Still hearing the right music, looking at the right stuff makes it better - just like that alloy cassette makes the tandem faster. I tossed a bunch of vinyl early 90s when I got married. Too many reasons not to get into it again. Esp since I know it won't sound better (to me) than my setup.


One of the things I noticed on this thread is it seems many watch videos while they listen. For me, it is mostly background, sometimes fairly loud (85dB - I do have a meter). A really good song can take me right off what I'm doing.

That is a reason for years, I liked it quiet when I worked. Now, concentration is not as important. I'm finding I can concentrate pretty well without vocals. I likely could have a decade ago, just didn't know it.

Doge

OK - just got the Segerstrom bit - Kristen Elise Lawrence plays locally - Pacific Symphony.
I go every few years. I likely would not choose Halloween Carols as my 1st choice.

Ttoc6

Kingdom hearts was the video game of my childhood and the last in the franchise is coming out this week. The theme song is incredible in it's original form, but this channel did a really great piano cover. For all of you pianists, how does this look in terms of difficulty? I think it's a beautiful piece!

Hermes

I like it and totally playable until the 3rd hand showed up. Nothing is easy per se just some pieces need a lot more technique, talent and practice.

Hermes

Satie: Gnossienne #1 done and dusted. Memorized and up to speed but still too many mistakes. My fingers are in base 1 and still connecting a lot of neurology. Liszt is sitting on the back burner waiting for the piano technique equivalent of an A race peak fitness.

Hermes

Another composer I have played is Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff was a pianist / composer / conductor. One of his most successful piano compositions was the C# Minor Prelude. Audiences loved it and he became know as Mr. C# minor at nickname that he supposedly did not like since he thought he had composed more important and relevant pieces. Many critics and musicians deem it "too easy" and lacking content but audiences see it differently. I learned it about 2 years after I started playing. It has a tremendous dynamic range that can take advantage of a modern piano. I was fortunate at the time to have a teacher who not only could play it but knew how R would have played it.

KIssan performed the prelude an encore after he performed Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto. He takes one through the dynamics of the piece and the classic Russian melody and texture, written in a minor key, that haunts one after it is over.

This piece is totally playable and sounds harder than it is.

TMonk

Cool, "playable" Rachmaninoff sounds up my alley. Don't know the piece by name, will listen later to see if I recognize. I saw Lang Lang do Piano Concerto 1 at Copley hall a couple years back. Was pretty good.

Hermes

Back to Liszt - Consolation and my new fav artist performing. I play this piece and it is totally playable. It is slower and seems easy. However, Liszt is never easy and note that there are different speeds in each hand. The left hand plays triplets (3 notes for every 2 in the right hand) and the right hand on beat. Poon just slays this. I do not think she ever makes a mistake.

caloso

Listening to the new Weezer cover album (the Teal Album). I'm a fan of Weezer. I'm a fan of covers. I'm not a fan of these covers by Weezer. No interpretation, no thought to rearranging. Some of these are pretty much note for note.

mollusk

My wife bought me this at an estate sale for $1.



And in really good shape..

aaronmcd

I went to Costa Rica for 10 days this month, and note for note covers were all over the radio, even mimicking voice. It was really annoying.

topflightpro

I was surprised by all the fuss over the cover of Toto's Africa. It sounded almost exactly like the original. I can also say, that when I saw Weezer last summer, it was perhaps the most boring concert I've been to. (I wanted to see the Pixies, who opened, more.) I am also firmly in the camp that Weezer produced two fantastic albums and nothing but crap since. I'm pretty sure I've uttered just about everything Leslie Jones says in this at some point or other.

Hermes

Well...through 16 Hannon drills and I can play 8 pages without getting tired. That may sound puny, and it is, but that is the pianist base training. The goal is to do the entire book of drills in different keys without making mistakes - not so easy.

I am perfecting Satie and finished going through George Gershwin's Prelude #2. It needs a lot more work but another couple of weeks and I will be finished with it memorized.

Gershwin was known for his Rhapsody in Blue among other things but the three Preludes are very cool. I really like #2 since it has the very blues / jazz feel and one can take a lot of liberties with the speed to create a different mood. The middle section is always played faster than the beginning and end. Gershwin played the entire piece too fast for my taste and my fav performance is by Andre Watts. Now I am critiquing Gershwin playing Gershwin. Oh well.

This is the best recording I can find on video.

Hermes

And here are all three of Gershwin's Preludes performed by a cello / piano duet. I like this rendition of the three preludes a lot. These guys are good although Andre Watts totally and completely slays all three preludes on a recording he made of the Rhapsody in Blue and the Three Preludes...just saying.

Doge

Roon player, Qobuz - anything better?