Beethoven Pathetique Sonata Mvmt. 1 by Taylor Choyce

[turtlezilla9]

until I see this, I didn't believe a bad-ass truck racer, mx bike rider could possibly sit down still long enough to play a great piece of Beethoven like you had done here!

Well done!!!

[nosekta1234]

keep playing and you will be really good

[nosekta1234]

way to mall wood though in your other video

[nosekta1234]

There is a big difference between being able to hit the right notes and playing the song with artistic precision. You dont have enough experience to be playing this song. Although you can play the right notes, your tempo is way off

[nosekta1234]

good job, especially for only a year of piano. But remember, there is a fine line between dramatic pauses/accelerandos and off tempos. right after the first part, you need to go right into the theme full bore. your tempo was much too varied

watch freddy kempf play it if you want to know how fast to play the second part

[nosekta1234]

good job, especially for only a year of piano. But remember, there is a fine line between dramatic pauses/accelerandos and off tempos. right after the first part, you need to go right into the theme full bore. your tempo was much too varied

[ImpromptuCam]

wow, after nine months of piano i was still playing yankee doodle, great job.

[Cucumber1231]

LOVED IT!!! Marvelous. Impossible to think you'd only been taking for nine months....... If this is truly the case, KEEP IT UP!!!!!!!! The way I figure it, you'll be world famous in about 2 1/2 weeks . . . :-)

Thoroughly enjoyed it!! I've played forever, sat down to attempt to really learn/memorize the 2nd movement, and even if I sight read well enough to get through it smoothly, my hands nearly fell off aching! Not an easy bunch of pieces, and not for a novice. BRAVO, Sir!!

[chester151091]

Hey man, congratulations, you advanced a lot in only one year! Cheers

[EramaanViimeinen]

Lessons for a year and already playing this! I'm impressed, even though it's obviously not perfect it's pretty good!

I wish I had bigger hands!! It would make things easier lol

[TallGuyProductionsNC]

considering you were only taking lessons for a year, good

2 suggestions

SLOW DOWN on the grave sections

and bump up the tempo on everything else

[saintreven]

For only one year of study this isn't bad. I would say my two biggest criticisms are work with your metronome, and make sure that you move to the top of your chords. You should check out Maria-Joao Pires' recording of the Pathetique. It's a wonderful interpretation, and a good study for pedaling.

[Cllstnvlnst329]

You'd seriously only been playing for a year? Like..not even? That was excellent for even someone playing longer than that.

Keep it up! I'd love to see another recording of this a little further along in your studies =]

[tanaznazdel]

Great try and a great talent for such short time playing the piano.....Hey, I have a good recital piece for you....How about Chopin's Ballade in G minor.....I will asure you that you'll have a lot of fun learning that one! It's worth it to add that one to your repertoire...

[1upMusician]

Have you been playing piano longer then a year by the point you made this? Because I find it hard to believe that someone completely new could learn this.

[TAYC34]

After teaching myself a little bit about piano, I performed this piece after taking lessons for 9 months. I spent a lot of time practicing...

[comtraya101]

this is an amazingly difficult piece. srsly this is way into standard reperoire. you should not have been assigned this piece. plus your wrist must be aching because their like a foot in the air while your afingers are down at the keys. also the templo is not right at all.

[TAYC34]

I wouldn't go as far as saying the tempo isn't right at all. And this piece isn't that hard. It's hard, but only level 8. For my first performance I would say it was too much though. And my hands have to stay hight because they are so big they overwhelm the keys. They should make pianos with deeper keys for people with huge hands. Thanks for the comment!

[whawk94]

I think you handled your first performance well. Some suggestions for performing:

Learn to control the adrenalin rush/nerves. Once at the piano, take a deep breath, make sure the piano bench is at a comfortable position. It is very important to have the audience's attention in your grasp. You can do this by the way you play notes, and letting passion show in your facial expressions.

[ClaudioArrau]

TAYC34,

The prelude (Rach 23.5) was awful, BUT:

1. You have to work with smaller audiences and if most or all of them are friends or family, it is good too.

There is very much stress when performing and having others to listen. I know that, it is like yourself being part of the audience and seeing yourseft playing. This makes you not focused, and you loose much accuracy on the keys.

2. Rachmaninov's that prelude is NOT easy.. well, nothing of his works is easy.

Dont give it up!

[TAYC34]

Yeah my Rach was bad, but I posted it anyway.  I can play it far far better than I did in that performance and I really need to rerecord it and post it on here. Thanks for the encouragement.

[ClaudioArrau]

when you upload it send me a message

[katielmc]

oh my god you are fantastic for 2 years i have been playing on and off for 25 years and cant play this as well as you so dont for gods sake give up

[TAYC34]

I'm 26. I just played in my 2nd recital a couple nights ago. I played a Rachmaninoff prelude and choked (I'll post it anyway). I was too nervous. I've been in a severe depressive state over it that I finally overcame yesterday. I have decided to never play in a recital again.

[marney89]

hey man, first sorry for my bad english :) be proud of yourself everyone gets nervous when playing infront of someone, because you seem to soudenly have higher expectasions to yourself, at least i do, i was sent to piano lessons two weeks after i turned 5, and my piano teacher forced me to play at recitas when i was about 6 and when i was 13 i stopped completely because of simular condisions as you, but when i turned 16, (3 years), ago i started again because its impossiple to stop completely :)

[lindas333]

For a beginner....you are great! I've been playing piano one year longer than you and recently attempted this masterpiece. It sure sounds good to hear someone play this piece and it's not 100% perfect. I can relate to your recital nervousness. I've had that quite a bit...but as your comfort level goes up with your music...your anxiety will go down. Keep up the good work!

[TAYC34]

Thanks for all the comments. I haven't checked this video in a while, and am surprised to see all of these. This was the first piece I ever learned from an instructor, and the 6th piece I ever played in my life.

[gusgusanogustavo]

Que orrible toca debe de ensallar mas y tocarla mas rapido asi hata yo la toco

[sunmote]

respect to anyone playing this, my favorite sonata.

Serkin was the greatest!

[jaycethepianist]

this piece is a challenging one for even the most proffesional performers, iv been playing it for months and am still having trouble interpreting the emotion, but still brilliant.

[Juzbey]

Nice, well done. I think you should keep playing this! It's a great piece to play and perform. I know it's totally different thing to play in front of the audience, I've been there many times... I would like to practise this piece also. Just hesitating if I could handle it.

[zeroxshining]

mm.. its to slow but its ok keep playing...you are awesome

[jdub03]

Honestly it's pretty good, this is one of Beethoven's best and you do it justice. The only problem is that you play the intro much too quickly, and the allegro much to slowly. Hey, but I know just what you mean about being nervous in public, the trick to it is---its just like speaking in public, try to focus on the material and not yourself, how you look, or if you make a mistake.

[jdub03]

Practice doing this and in time, you will be a flawless pianist. You obviously have the talent, now separate yourself from others with your work ethic.

[xweetrain]

I like it, but keep your back straight and watch your pinkies... they don't curve. as for the 1:28-1:31, I swear the rest is only a dotted-quarter. 2:25 - next 38 measures, you could make it a bit smoother? I realize it's a performance and you might even have finished and what not with this piece... and your Gm chord at Tempo I., 4 measures from the ending of the Allegro di Molto e con brio... was more dissonant than I recall.

Nice work!

[joeyboi87]

lol Im doing a degree in music at Edinburgh university and I have leart this piece in the past, its not easy and for you to play it like you do requires a lot of skill. however with me being honest I can say that there are mistakes once you proceed into the fast section of this movement

also you play it to slow

[TAYC34]

Your weak attempt at convincing me that you are know anything about music has failed, that is, until you post your own videos.

[joeyboi87]

theres so many mistakes in that within the first 30 seconds

[TAYC34]

You don't know what you're talking about, and when people visit your profile, they will know you are a loser.

[TAYC34]

It was actually after 9 months. Started the piece in September and performed it in June. I didn't teach my self how to play before this though. I still can't read music, well, one note at a time. I memorize fast though. It took me 5 months to learn how to play this piece (not well though) and I had it memorized after those same 5 months.

[Niops]

Even this is slightly rushed. Well done, though, for only a year at the keys.

He seems to have a quirk similar to Horowitz in regard to his pinky finger.

[TAYC34]

After that performance I had surgery on my pinky and got it fixed. I will start playing again in January

[keiez88]

not bad. just loosen up a bit. your fingers are to stiff and it looks as if you're using your forearms when you should put your power in your shoulders. The allegro part needs to be faster. also if this is your first performance after a year i suggest playing something a lot easier. this is a pretty difficult piece for someone learning only for a year. Bu you definitely can develop the skill of playing well. Good luck :P

[TAYC34]

My instructor is a VERY strict eastern block lady. I didn't want to play this piece but she insisted. I played it at the tempo she wanted, even though many people play it faster on YouTube. It was very hard for me. My fingers just aren't in good enough shape after just one year.

[chrism216]

tempo??? wtf??? hahahah nah just kidding... how long have u been playin? u gotta try and play it faster though...

[TAYC34]

I started taking lessons in September of '06, and that's when I started learning this piece. I kinda taught my self before that though. I couldn't play it any faster!!

[LazyEve]

i think its just to early for you to play this peace. your fingers arent flexible enough (dont know another word). it sounds as if you have learned it on your own. where was your teacher??

your very brave but you could play an easier piece perfectly instead. good luck

[TAYC34]

I thought it was too much for me to but my instructor insisted. My next piece will be Rachmaninoff's prelude in G minor. Not so much finger work.

[davidcarterdavidcart]

nice, keep it up

[ashton200]

only advice would have to be that you should have played more in front of people earlier on in your "career", otherwise good, also when you get really good could you play it faster cos the beginning was good but i love the following parts to go fast and smooth, good luck with everything

[TAYC34]

I have already forgotten this piece, and will dedicate no more time to it. I really need to play in front of people more because I get so nervous.

[SPYKEjj]

FA SKIFO,,,,,,,,FAKE

[TAYC34]

Ass. You destroyed my rating. If I were to try and make a fake video I wouldn't mess up so much.

[eddy159915]

u played very well

[coopandre]

Either you are very tall or that looks like a very small piano. Sorry I haven't listened to the piece yet, but it is downloading so slowly, that I only hear 1 or 2 second snatches at a time.

[Niops]

It's a baby grand, probably 4' as opposed to the common Concert Grand being 9'

[TAYC34]

It's a 5'6" contemporary grand F.Y.I.

[TheCrazyHairPianist]

Really nice man.