What's Made You Happy Today???

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Apr 2014, 06:07

Gill the Piano wrote:Wasn't Margaret Hilda's husband called Penis? Or was that a misprint?

No, he was one!

Unlike Gavin and Stacey's 'mates' (Fingers, Dirtbox, Chinese Alan, Budgie etc.etc). He could have had one called Penis. He did have a 'Jesus' though.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Apr 2014, 12:14

...and we had 'Finally' by Ce Ce Penis Ton at class today as well!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 29 Apr 2014, 19:04

Love Gavin & Stacey; it's on tonight - double episode!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Apr 2014, 19:10

Gill the Piano wrote:Love Gavin & Stacey; it's on tonight - double episode!

Their Christmas episode was knockout......Would any sales assistant in Marks show a customer how the pair of firms' knix fit by flashing a bit of their own????

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Apr 2014, 21:29

dave brum wrote:...and we had 'Finally' by Ce Ce Penis Ton at class today as well!

Plus we had this old chestnut too, and the saft berk couldn't even mime it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bXIL0DTJGo

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 30 Apr 2014, 21:18

In a piano shop in Cardiff today, takes out a piece of paper from my back pocket (which is crammed full of photocopies from CTM1) thinking it was from CTM1 but actually it happened to erroneously be Blaenwern. Showing it to my wife and telling her that I was learning this up until last week...and then going on to play half of the hymn perfectly!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 01 May 2014, 19:51

Well there you go then! Now for the second part! Bit like leaving a crossword clue and coming back to it and wondering why you were stuck...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 01 May 2014, 20:01

Gill the Piano wrote:Well there you go then! Now for the second part! Bit like leaving a crossword clue and coming back to it and wondering why you were stuck...

BUT...it's the second part that (for me) is too hard. Plus I'm still trying to nail those two homework pieces too!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 02 May 2014, 19:39

Slow and steady, a bar at a time and no pressure. If you feel like doing it, do it. If you don't, don't.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 02 May 2014, 21:52

So many things have made me happy today:

1. Playing my whole repertoire on the Library of Birmingham piano (including the half of Blaenwern I know) and getting some attention for it.

2. Going to a free Friday night jazz gig at Symphony Hall foyer next door, the first one this year as I was a regular at last years' ones and miss them something very gruesome

3. Fixing a date of June 1st for starting, after 17 years to come off antidepressants

4. Seeing a teapot with a piano keyboard printed on it (shame it was £60).

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 04 May 2014, 11:40

Sixty quid for a teapot? Good grief...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 04 May 2014, 13:49

Gill the Piano wrote:Sixty quid for a teapot? Good grief...

Quite. At the shop in Symphony Hall where I picked up a couple of coasters with a sketch of a piano on for £5 each. There's a lovely plain white 4 cup teapot in JL's with a filter in for only £14. Marijuana tea, anyone??

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 04 May 2014, 21:31

I'm going to put caps lock on for this one because I want to shout about it:

I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THAT I AM 8 BARs FROM THE END OF BLAENWERN! I AM GOING TO BE NEEDING A CHURCH ORGAN TO PLAY IT ON SOON!!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 05 May 2014, 17:57

dave brum wrote:I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THAT I AM 8 BARs FROM THE END OF BLAENWERN! I AM GOING TO BE NEEDING A CHURCH ORGAN TO PLAY IT ON SOON!!

I would never say I told you so, but I told you so...

Well done!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 05 May 2014, 19:25

Gill the Piano wrote:
dave brum wrote:I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THAT I AM 8 BARs FROM THE END OF BLAENWERN! I AM GOING TO BE NEEDING A CHURCH ORGAN TO PLAY IT ON SOON!!
I would never say I told you so, but I told you so... Well done!

It's only taken me X amount of weeks to learn it but I knew I'd do it solely in my own time. But if it was in two part, I'd have done it within a week!

I've played the right hand part of 'Aberystwyth' from A&M Revised but all those dots are extremely offputting. I mean, how on earth do you follow them all, Gill. You must be a Kryptonite!

Post by **Feg** » 06 May 2014, 18:19

Gill the Piano wrote:
dave brum wrote:I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THAT I AM 8 BARs FROM THE END OF BLAENWERN! I AM GOING TO BE NEEDING A CHURCH ORGAN TO PLAY IT ON SOON!!
I would never say I told you so, but I told you so... Well done!

See, she told you so....lol

Well done that man

Achievements like that are good for the soul, and the confidence. Obviously the threat of having to learn a two-part arrangement by yours truly was enough to spur you onward!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 06 May 2014, 19:12

dave brum wrote:But if it was in two part, I'd have done it within a week!

But the sense of achievement is, as Feg said, HUUUUUGE! Praps Feg can do you Jerusalem in 2 parts...

I was brought up playing 4 parts as soon as I could as my teacher (rightly) regarded it as excellent s**********g practice and it's stood me in good stead ever since. It's so different learning something as a kid - you don't appreciate the difficulty in the same way as an adult and I think ignorance is bliss to some extent too!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 06 May 2014, 19:34

You obviously had a different teacher to the one I have, however with me, it's a case of when something minor happens then I see it as catastrophic. I am trying not to think that way. You wouldn't believe I had a misfortunate experience with a sight reading (oh christ, I've said it

) exercise yesterday morning whereas it took me six attempts and still couldn't play it. If that had happened to me, say, three months ago, then all of my sheet music would be down the charity shop later that day. But I kept telling myself it was only a minor blip and reminded myself of what I excel at at the piano, which is playing emotionally and scales - and also looking back at my repertoire which is growing at a considerable rate. And this morning, I did BOTH exercises perfectly, i.e prepare and play perfectly once.

Once I start coming off my antidepressants on June 1st, I will see a huge difference in my concentration ability!!

Post by **Feg** » 06 May 2014, 22:09

Gill the Piano wrote:
dave brum wrote:But if it was in two part, I'd have done it within a week!
But the sense of achievement is, as Feg said, HUUUUUGE! Praps Feg can do you Jerusalem in 2 parts...
I was brought up playing 4 parts as soon as I could as my teacher (rightly) regarded it as excellent s**********g practice and it's stood me in good stead ever since. It's so different learning something as a kid - you don't appreciate the difficulty in the same way as an adult and I think ignorance is bliss to some extent too!

Jerusalem, an easy arrangement in three parts and NOT by Feg http://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_printit ... -piano.htm

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 07 May 2014, 08:48

One can engage in a soupcon of cherry picking with this, or Tippexing out the alto part (if that's the part between treble and bass, I darnow).

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 07 May 2014, 16:04

Or I could neck a couple of Bishops Fingers and say 'What the hell' and go for the fifty-finger version anyway!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 07 May 2014, 16:45

After any more Bishops Fingers you'd be playing a loada bum notes! I must print out Jerusalem and have a goo at it, as they say in Dudleeeay.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 10 May 2014, 03:49

Well? Have you ad a gooo yet?

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 10 May 2014, 06:11

Gill the Piano wrote:Well? Have you ad a gooo yet?

No, not yet. I've been trying to perfect my Blaenwern (last few bars) whilst concentrating on the stuff I've got to do for Mabel on Tuesday afternoon as that's next wick. I don't get the metre of that version of Jerusalem. That version I can't even clap along to. Why don't they just put 'and did those....' as rest and three crotchets in 4/4 if it's supposed to be easy?? Hydrofoil looks a goody and it's in a good key, F major so only one black key to worry about.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 10 May 2014, 14:57

I can now play ALL of Blaenwern! That's one down, ninety nine to go. I should be able to offer my services to the church before my 56th birthday, if I work hard!!!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 10 May 2014, 16:44

Try counting in quavers instead of crotchets. Easier to break down. Anyway, you know the tune!
And llongfarchiadau on beating Blaenwern.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 10 May 2014, 17:49

So next it's Hyfrydol. Should be easy as the first two lines are repeated so that's in fact half the tune sussed. It's the ones that are in keys with more than one sharp or flat that's going to be difficult (nearly all hymns seem to be written in those keys) although one of my homework pieces is in D.

You've just given me an idea for Tuesday. When Mabel lets me in for a lesson, I usually go straight into the piano room after myself and her dog make a huge fuss of each other (she can usually smell cats on me!) whilst she toodles off either into the lounge, kitchen, or upstairs to pray the lord, her soul to keep over the next 30 minutes because Satan's cocktail pianist is here. Whilst I wait, I can see what Blaenwern sounds like on her piano...and see whether she says anything!!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 10 May 2014, 17:55

dave brum wrote:whilst she toodles off either into the lounge, kitchen, or upstairs to pray the lord,

My money is on kitchen. Large bottle of Gordon's behind the bread bin. Or at any rate it would be if I had to give piano lessons.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 10 May 2014, 18:02

She has a massive Wyvern organ in one of her spare rooms, complete with full pedal board and when I arrive, she's usually playing odd excerpts on there. I've really missed my piano essons for 4 weeks and so glad to be going back next week

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 10 May 2014, 19:59

Don't forget we need a full debrief the the next day!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 11 May 2014, 09:19

No live news blog, breaking eyewitness up to the minute in yer face rolling news coverage then with live tweets, unknowingly assuming the human race will be actually interested then. Would have been 4 weeks since teach has played in her church also.

Oh, what has made me happy is I've lost weight this week, after a 2 week effort. I still need to lose 5kg before I'm back to what I was on 1st January, so I may not need that abdominal plate of armour then!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 11 May 2014, 15:30

You can loosen your stays a bit then!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 11 May 2014, 15:47

I still have to grab my stomach and push it in and walk sideways so I don't catch my porky parts on the bedpost when I get up for a wee in the middle of the night!

The suit I wore for my father in law's fun. still fits me.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 12 May 2014, 19:39

Eric's last radiotherapy tomorrow; hooray!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 May 2014, 19:58

Gill the Piano wrote:Eric's last radiotherapy tomorrow; hooray!

Goody Goody!! Which reminds me of finding a fantastic George Melly LP at the shop, and playing it three times.

Post by **Feg** » 12 May 2014, 20:27

I am happy today because of some good, but hush-hush news about my daughter's job.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 May 2014, 21:08

Oh, and getting something in the post from Gill that made me laugh out loud when I opened it!

I've still got that skull and cross bones sign above my piano, you know Mrs

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 13 May 2014, 15:48

Feg wrote:I am happy today because of some good, but hush-hush news about my daughter's job.

Now I'm intrigued...is she a spy?

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 13 May 2014, 15:49

dave brum wrote:I've still got that skull and cross bones sign above my piano, you know Mrs

Glad it survived the cull!

Post by **Feg** » 13 May 2014, 16:17

Gill the Piano wrote:
Feg wrote:I am happy today because of some good, but hush-hush news about my daughter's job.
Now I'm intrigued...is she a spy?

Not quite, Gill

However, she does work in the Security division of the Scottish Government so it's Official Secrets Act and liason with CPNI in London.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 13 May 2014, 18:23

Having a supercalorfragilisticexpialidocious piano lesson with Mabel this afternoon, I've missed her and her lovely Kawai grand!!!

OneHandOnly · Post by **OneHandOnly** » 14 May 2014, 15:50

Well, i started off ecstatic,my teacher is putting me in for grade 5 in July

. Now that it's sunk in i'm terrified of another exam(cue sweaty hands and palpitations)

Dave, which model Kawai does she have? i'm thinking about trading in my upright for a shiny new grand

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 14 May 2014, 17:23

OneHandOnly wrote:Well, i started off ecstatic,my teacher is putting me in for grade 5 in July . Now that it's sunk in i'm terrified of another exam(cue sweaty hands and palpitations)
Dave, which model Kawai does she have? i'm thinking about trading in my upright for a shiny new grand

Remember, you don't have to do the exam if you don't want to, OHO. After all, playing music is about the fun and self-gratification. It's not about some bloke judging you giving you marks out of 150 whilst you suffer.

No idea what model Kawai she has, apart from the fact it's a baby grand, polished and lacquered and in a mahogany colour. I may have a photo of it somewhere. That said, I wish I had room for a grand in my ex-council terrace! Or even an upright. Playing Mabel's piano is lovely but it feels so much different to mine, and even the battered old upright I practice on when I go to my Keep Fit class on a Tuesday.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 14 May 2014, 19:38

Feg wrote:
Gill the Piano wrote:
Feg wrote:I am happy today because of some good, but hush-hush news about my daughter's job.
Now I'm intrigued...is she a spy?
Not quite, Gill However, she does work in the Security division of the Scottish Government so it's Official Secrets Act and liason with CPNI in London.

O no, you'll have to kill me now!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 14 May 2014, 19:41

Well done, OHO! Can you get your teacher to put you in for your exam at a friendly centre? Round here we hAVE a forbidding chilly church with a daunting grand on a daunting platform, or in another town in the other direction you wait in a cosy front room with squishy sofas and have the exam in a little dining room on a (very good) upright. Makes a difference!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 15 May 2014, 16:29

Finding a Naxos of Mozart's complete horn works and concertos in a charity shop for £1 and a CD of 2 piano concerti by the same composer and played/conducted by Barenboim in the same shop for the same price. There was a Deutsche Grammophon of Dvorak cello concerti, and as we all know DG is a top rated classical label with Naxos being midprice. It was £1 but I didn't get it. Would have done if I hadn't already been into B&M Bargains for some weedkiller.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 15 May 2014, 17:13

Blimey, boy, you're copping some bargains at the moment!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 15 May 2014, 18:44

I could easily pop into my local shopping centre tomorrow and get the Dvorak, however it will be my first morning at home tomorrow for a long time and I've got a thing about George Melly to watch on Youtube, as well as a 1966 documentary on 'The Leeds' which was only the second competition.

My garden thermometer touched 20 degrees today and I got ALL my laundry done and dried in the heat, bed covers, towels, jeans, wife's draws, you know the score.....

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 15 May 2014, 19:13

We've had a rug out drying today; just about to go and test it to see if it's dry enough!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 15 May 2014, 19:50

It did go quite dark around 3 hours ago here but it stayed warm. It just looked like it was going to bucket down with rain. I had to bring in the last of my towels.

I feel like a bingo playing old chav woman saying that!!!