piano passions - rada neal - Blog

expressing the inexpressible

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:30:38 -0700

If you are good with words you can write and perhaps narrate a convincing speech. If you are good with music your musical ideas may be described as inexpressible. That's the beauty of music. It speaks for itself. It doesn't need to tell you anything but it can make you feel many things. Of course I am talking about instrumental music. Music with lyrics has a different voice. Sounds penentrate within that part of the human spirit that we cannot touch. Music expresses the inexpressible.

Music....expressing the inexpressible

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:30:08 -0700

amateurs vs professionals

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:33:34 -0700

" Amateurs practice until they get a piece right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."

I ran across this quote and felt it was a valid point to share. When a pianist makes playing 'look easy' what it really means is they have invested a lot of time to practice. The beauty of loving the piano is that the practice is not a chore but rather a challenge. Now go ahead and challenge yourself.

What now? Dear Fans....

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:11:56 -0800

Feb. 17, 2012

Dear Fans,

Well they say don’t quit your day job and I did. Smart decision? Well it depends. Could I have written all the music I have composed while carrying on with a day job? No, I doubt I could. Was I inspired by the beauty of Colorado to compose? Absolutely I was. Was it terrific to have a studio, practice, experiment and write daily? Beyond terrific. So what now? I’m still working on that. Any suggestions?

Thank-you for listening and please see my updated website and new music.

Rada Neal

www.pianopassions.com

perdendosi

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:59:11 -0800

I love this word....but how does it feel to die away gradually....well that's the music that is supposed to die away....not the performer....but it feels like you are dying away when you read that word and when you play some passages that literally make you feel as if you are dying away....I would say it's a stage of trance when you feel your heart beat slow down so much that you might imagine you are dying away...for just a moment.

music store memories

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:48:36 -0800

One of my favorite things to do is browse music in music stores. When I was a young girl my mother would take me to a music store in Gary, Indiana. [ I'll have to find it's name stamped in a book]

I would just start looking through the bins of music. After about an hour I would have an armful of books and I couldn't wait until we got home. I recall putting the books on a pile to my left on the piano bench. One by one those books would go up to the music stand. After I finished playing through the book I set it to my right on the piano bench and grabbed the next book on my left side. I wouldn't leave the piano until I had gone through each and every book. It was and still is such an adventure. If I had purchased anything that was a bit too difficult I still managed to make my way through the book. Perhaps I played only my right hand in sections or maybe only parts of some songs.

How can it be that you can read through a page with black and white dots and you are transcended into a world of emotions? How do these wonderful sounds manage to stir your soul? I can't explain this. I only know how it feels and those feelings are monumental and powerful.

It's all truly a mystery!

rada

1 little grace note

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:00:36 -0800

I have recently added Schumann's "Traumerei" to my repertoire. I love the beauty and the simplicity of this piece.

The melody is so timeless. My absolute most favorite part of the piece is the grace-note pick-up to measure 18.

I begin to play the piece and I'm thinking I can't wait until I get to that grace-note. But wait! I don't want to miss the beauty and the enjoyment of playing the piece so I have to hold back and wait for my most favorite little note.

Why it's the same note with which the piece begins. Why in the world does the same key in measure 17 mesmerize me?

It's inexplainable and perhaps that why it is all the more interesting.

what is the point ?

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:09:44 -0800

Why do we create music in the first place? Are we a life, a moment in time when we are the medium through which we share feelings? Why is music so powerful anyhow? Why can't I just listen to it and ho-hum go along my merry way and not be affected? Why don't I play the radio in the house? I know why. It is because lots of music distracts me. It overcomes me and makes me listen. What do I hear? What do I feel? Why do I hear what I hear and feel what I feel? Is this the answer to why I have always been so passionate about music and the piano? I thought I was in control here. What is going on? I practice my Chopin and I think [ if someone were listening] that I'd have to say 'pardon me while I go crazy playing this piece'.Yes, and there lies a challenge. You try doing anything you love to do and put a 'cap' on your adrenaline. Yes, I am in control but it is not as easy as it may look.

in the beginning...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:42:38 -0700

The idea is the beginning. The idea of writing a song , developing the song and then staying with it until its' completion is really an incredible thing to do. It is like cultivating and watching a seed grow. And then take your product to the market. Today's market has so many places to discover it is mind boggling to think of where you might begin. As is not uncommon with the internet, sometimes you are clicking around so fast you don't remember where you've been. Whoops, I should have had bread crumbs. You ask questions, you keep a journal, you work on your networking skills and you are constantly digging to find the next step. Is it fun? Yes, especially when in exchange for your talent, your love and your passion, your fans are ready to support you and share in your love for music.

about America....

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:23:24 -0700

How would you feel if your parents immigrated to America with 2 daughters [ 1 only 7 weeks old]? They had no education, no family,no job, no money. What did they have? America was opening the doors to immigrants to give them jobs and a chance to raise their family in a safe environment. A land where they could make choices. A land where they had freedom. They had the Serbian church able to help with some expenses until they could get on their own feet. My mom was seventeen years old the last time she ever saw her mother. I was twenty-three when I lost her. Maybe a close enough distance in years that I could feel her loss . Her mother out-lived her by 35 years but she never was able to see her. We didn't have any aunts , uncles, cousins or any relatives here. They were on their own. How in the world could they raise 4 daughters and send them all to college with no financial aid. The answer is hard work and sacrifice. Steel-Mill hard work. My dad's job changed hours weekly from morning, afternoon to night. He never got sick, he never failed to show up for work. He died just before he ever received any pension or social-security. My mom did everything and anything she could think of to help our family get ahead. She succeeded in everything she tried. She was willing and able to learn anyone's language to communicate with them. She worked in a pants factory as a seamstress. She had a grocery store business for awhile. She went to night school to learn short-hand. She eventually got a real estate license. They never took vacations or bought anything expensive. They didn't even have checking accounts until after we started college. They saved money. They didn't complain. They never asked anyone for help. How could I not love this country when I have lived through this. I never saw war like they did. I wasn't removed from my home like they were. I was given an opportunity for education which they never had. I choose to work hard like they did. I could not save as well as they did. They died young and I thought they missed out so I better try to get more out of life. They had more to give but their lives were cut short. Everyone has their stories. This is just some of my story and why I feel a deep personal love for this country. Today I remember 9/11 and all of those lives cut short.