ABRSM Piano 2011-2012 Grade 7 C:3 C3 Webster Black Coffee

[Pierre1995]

Do you even know how to do a triplet? It's so straight, not jazzy and out of tempo on a blatantly swung, sleazy jazz and laid back (but still in tempo) feel piece. Respect that you can attempt for every piece in each book however. Lacking of dynamics also.

[Dylan94576]

All the notes are correct so well done on that. However, firstly the tempo needs speeding up considerably, dont take the indicated one literally for a piece like this. Also you need to take a look at your rhythm. Apart form the fact that some of it is wrong this is supposed to have a swung quaver jazz feel and at the moment its quite flat and almost straight. You need some differenciation in your dynamics too.

[donster26]

Its rather slow and i dont think it has met the appropriate speed...as the playing does not sound like jazz but rather sleepy music

[firesong4]

thanks very much

[mountainbikerXtreme]

its not even just that its underpaced, half of the rythms are off :/

[migueloord]

Zzzzzzz....



[smileteehee]

But very stiff and too slow... =(

[ShellShokdDan]

@smileteehee I think the "stiffness" could just be due to the piano being naturally loud - I've played some good uprights but some of them have been too loud when trying to play softly! And it's not really too slow; imagine a hung-ove man at a bar...

[smileteehee]

Once again... AWESOME!

[MrChrisShi]

tempo too slow... my playing Paul Francis webster and Sonny Burke Black Coffee is slightly better =)

[xViiRoWiLdFiReZ]

ii play ythis piece, you play it well but very robotic, let it move and get into it rather than just playin the notes

[AliceYew100]

very moody....

[jackocurly0074]

Meh this is not an accurate reflection of this piece at all!

[DurkaDurka2476]

This is appalling! Please everybody - don't take this as an accurate way to play this piece. If you're just showing us the way you play it, then fine.....but why post loads of other stuff on here if you're not trying to show us the way it should be played?

[24Pianist]

Are grade 7 and 8 about the same level? Or is grade 8 require a lot more work?

[DurkaDurka2476]

Please tell me that you're in the middle of practising this and showing the latest progress - rather than posting this with any sort of educational intentions!

[Ripplebreeze]

I'm learning this piece and...my hands are too small for some of the chords. D:<

[wongavery1698]

@Ripplebreeze According to my piano teacher, you should split the notes (what's that called again? its a squiggly line that vertically covers the notes, I srsly forgot). I realised that my hands are way too small for some of the chords as well.

[22222222beck]

you are really good. I'm just about to learn this song and you are really good

[aaronyanFRH]

The way i played is totally different from you. Hahas.

[Soo1996]

think of coffee when playing haha...think how tasty it is... :) not too forceful on the notes...

[pianodudeler]

Alan, what you are doing for piano students is fantastic! But students - please do listen to the Julie London or Sarah Vaughan versions of the song.

[etphonehome414]

there's gotta be more swiiing to it!

[TeamScapic]

It sounds a wee bit mechanical when you play it. I'm doing this for my grade 7 and I think the marks are given for feeling rather than get all the notes and rhythms perfect, although that is a plus! xx

[CityGround1996]

1. Bar 8, 20, and 40 are way too slow

2. You are playing it too classically, which give the impression of you playing it too slowly; it is a bluesy jazz piece, you have to play it with passion

3. You used dynamics but there was no range in sound, it was boring. It was loud or quiet, but nothing else - there didn't really seem to be any crescendos or diminuendos

[lightsaber1998]

@CityGround1996 my sentiments exactly

[janetho1030]

i wanna choose this one but it is hard for me to play 32nd chord.

how can i play it?

[TeamScapic]

Miss out the bottom note :)

[rolo920]

I think more attention is needed to dynamics , you tend to be a bit too heavyhanded ,, more contrast needed :)

And maybe a bit faster , i know the tempo marking is very slow ,, but i think it does need to be taken a bit faster to give it a bit of drive because it loses interest because the piece is a bit repetitive :)

[NSAmusicneverdies]

Put some jazz into it otherwise good technical playing man

[vanessa02468yeah]

hmmm i play it a little differently, like with a long-short beat, ya know?

[lightsaber1998]

@vanessa02468yeah you are playing it the way the cd played it, he's playing it correctly, for once the cd played it wrongly.

so it all depends on the examiner

[s200501116]

It is vely slow desu

[dragonfly3895]

Hes right its marked very slow

[MusicKandG]

i think its very good :)

[lightsaber1998]

go listen to the cd, unless you don't hav it

[alanchan1024]

@lightsaber1998 I am sure you don't have to play exactly like the CD when it comes to interpretation

[worldmusic8]

@lightsaber1998

I think this song Black coffee should be played much faster.

Imagine someone is singing along.

[thisisaaronboomz]

hehe, very slowly, not too slowly. here the original.

[alanchan1024]

@thisisaaronboomz OK, I don't think it is "too slow" when compared to the tempo indication of "very slow"

[lightsaber1998]

you played this too slowly!!!

[alanchan1024]

@lightsaber1998 It is marked "very slowly" on the music

[Luklebean123]

@alanchan1024 It is also marked 72 per crotchet :L

[EyeHawk777]

@alanchan1024

listen to the cd, it is too slow.

[alexrox321]

@alanchan1024 yes but a speed for the metronome is given, indicating the appropriate speed....this is too slow

[alexrox321]

@alexrox321 and dynamics? they don't exist in the music but your meant to make it original...and jazz is meant to have a bouncy rhythm, dotted quavers such?