Piano Lesson–February 27, 2006

The lesson started off with E-flat Major and C minor scales and arpeggios.
I then played the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor by memory. Afterwards, she noticed that I had ‘improvised’ in a couple measures where I had added additional arpeggiac chords (one octave) and my rhythms were a bit in the last passage (right hand triplets become 1,2,1,2 all a sudden).

Dr. N wants me to play the Rhapsody atTh tempo (=132). However, I feel that this is too fast. I think I should play the piece a bit faster than what I’m normally playing, but maybe closer to 123 than 132. I just feel that playing this piece too fast makes for a very agitated audience. I guess people’s interpretation of ‘drowning’ (I tend to view the bass notes acting as the current pulling the upward RH melody notes down) is a tad different. Yes, there is a struggle and the tempi in the piece should suggest that, however, I feel that the main character of the piece feels resigned to her fate early on in the piece and the whole piece is really more reflective/contemplative-melancholic than agitato-desperation. But that’s me. I’ll learn to play it at both tempo. The great Josef Hoffman once noted that his teacher, Anton Rubenstein once remarked that you have to “know how to play a piece differently on a cloudy day than you would a sunny one.”

The last 25 minutes or so was spent on the Chopin Etude. Dr. N is going to sign me up to play for Rebecca Penneys on stage in a semi-packed auditorium 3 Saturdays from now, which is somewhat daunting come to think of it. I need to start practicing this piece at least every other day if I want to do well. Dr. N liked my progress with the piece as it sounds more ‘energetic’ than my previous playings (which were more melancholic–notice a theme here?). I’m able to carry the momemtum of the piece forward instead of feeling restraint from being overly meticulous with hitting the right notes. I’m going to start practicing one hand alone and clean up the notes a bit. Musically, I think it’s getting there (following the melodic contours of the piece and knowing when to poco rit to set up entrance into a new key); however, technically speaking, it’s not as clean as I would like it and that’s where I need to work on.

I have a makeup lesson this coming Thurday at 2pm (will work on the Etude again and bring the Mozart Sonata)

back at #1

My bad.  Should be the reverse: “#1 at back” [of bench].   Francis traded for Penny and Ariza…hmm…If instead today was February 23, 1996 and I went to visit a fortuneteller who told me he saw both Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway on the Magic in 2006, I wouldn’t believe it.  The next question I’d ask is what happened to Shaq (Shaq switched zip codes in the summer of ‘96)?  Followed by how many championships will G. Hill and Penny win for the Magic?
Penny Hardaway was once dubbed the next Magic and MJ–the first big PG.  The year that the Orlando Magic made it to the Finals (‘94-95), Hardaway was arguably the best all-around player not named Olajuwon.  G. Hill was also tabbed as the heir apparent.  Who knew that ankle (Hill) and knee (Hardaway) injuries would doom their careers?  We’ll never see G. Hill and Hardaway play together (the Magic plan to let his contract expire).

New Headphones

Piano Lesson–February 20, 2006

We worked on the Third Movement of the Mozart Sonata today (didn’t have time to get to the Chopin Etude…perhaps that’s a good thing?). I was content with my playing of the third movement though I made some mistakes (and some inaudible notes). Playing Mozart well is incredibly difficult. Not only do you have to be pitch-perfect (because everyone will know if you goofed), but you have to make sure you don’t overdo it and make the music sound strident.

Remember that the left hand accompaniment should sound like a murmur/battling brook. The Alberti bass prevents decay. For the most part, your rhythms are accurate, except for b. 27, b. 54, 56-8.

• Play b. 58-61 with humor. Follow the markings suggested by Dr. N.
• b.73, 74. Note the Fp.
• watch rhythm in b.186.
• in b. 239, you should start your trill on the C per the rules of the Classical period.

Piano Lesson–February 13, 2006

Party for Free 100k Guaranteed

Played in an online freeroll tourney (buy-in was 20,000 frequent player points) last night. I played pretty solid throughout despite not hitting any sets. I had a couple lucky breaks for me when it mattered: On one hand, I was shortstacked and holding 10Jo and I flopped an open ended straight draw. The guy bets out around 3k chips which is 3/4 of my stack. I raise him all in and I catch my K on the river. He had AA.

I was getting shortstacked again and was dealt AA. A player in mid-position bet out 2400, I raise to 4700. He calls. My hand holds up. There were probably a couple hands after that where I called someone’s all-in knowing that I was ahead (though not by much). The blinds were going up pretty fast and the hand that I busted out on: I’m holding AKo in the small blind (3,000). I have around 26,000 chips. The button bets 10,000. I raise him all-in. The big blind goes over the top all-in for 57,000 (that’s when I knew I was up against KK or AA). The button calls with QQ. AA actually held up.
Finished 188 out of 1671 (top 11%).

Although one could make the argument that I should’ve just folded my hands until I was in the money (just 8 more places to go to make at least 80), I wasn’t gonna pussyfoot around; I’m playing to win. It was just an unfortunate situation (for me to have a chance to win, I needed to win big pots at that juncture…if only I could have hit a set during the tourney…). For 3.5 hours of tourney experience and being able to meet my goal set last week (make it in top 10-15%), so yeah, it’s all worth it.

hubris

Last night, OmniX and I went to play in a live poker tournament. The buy-in was 25 chips and first place takes home 320, second 250, etc. There were about 32 players (8 players x 4 tables). The hosts really know how to throw a tournament. It starts off with mouth-watering barbeque pork kabobs, some bourbon chicken, sandwiches, buffalo wings, some noodles, chips and dip, and chocolate cupcakes.

I couldn’t have asked to be at a better table to start things off. Most of the players seated at my table were players I’ve played against before and I’ve memorized how they played certain hands, position, etc. Half of the table have shown a propensity to call in the past. I was doing ok in the beginning until I got involved on this one hand with AJ of diamonds. Blinds were 50-100. I was on the button and the guy to my right bet 400 preflop. I called. The flop comes out Ac8h9c. He bets 600 and I raise to 1500. He immediately re-raises me all-in. I think for maybe 2 minutes. I reviewed how the hand was played and knew he didn’t have two pair. It was unlikely he was on a draw (although it’s possible he thought I was on a draw). He could have a set of Aces, but seeing how he played the previous 15 hands or so, I knew he was a conservative player and that he wouldn’t have played a set that way. Based on his demeanor and by the way he reacted to my question, “You have AK?” (the way his eyes moved revealed that he was surprised that I could put him on that hand + slight shrug), I knew he had either AK or AQ, with remote possibility that he was holding a set. He definitely wanted me to call his all-in (which ruled out KK, QQ). Calling would mean risking my tournament life since it was for the rest of my chips (1,175).
So after a couple minutes of deliberation, I decided that I’m here to gamble (worst case scenario, I lost 25 chips), knowing that I was behind in the hand (3 to 1 underdog) and was hoping for a suckout. If I won that pot, I’d be the chip leader and the players at my table were going to pay me off for the next hour or so. And if I lost, I at least can show people that i can make an accurate read and that I’m willing to gamble (in future tournaments, perhaps they’ll remember this..).

I called and he showed AKo. Turn card A, River 4. Finished 31st out of 32. Hubris.

A couple days after Super Bowl XL, I got on the scale and saw that I had gained 9 pounds in 6 days!  Either my scale is running out of batteries or I went on a total binge reminiscent of my college days.  Which prodded me to start exercising again (which I hadn’t done in over a month) on the elliptical machine at least 5 times a week for 20 minutes.  This may not sound strenuous exercise to some, but for someone who doesn’t exercise regularly, it’s quite a feat. I’m also keeping a closer eye on my diet by eating smaller portions and staying away from unhealthy snacks.  The only snacks I’m allowed to eat are fruits and an occasional 2-3 teaspoons of triple chocolate Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream.  Because I won’t eat out as much (maybe only once a week), I’ll also save on average of 25 dollars a week on food/groceries. 

So my routine now consists of going to sleep earlier than usual (i’m normally a night owl), around 10 or 11pm and waking up around 6am.  Between 6 and 7:30a, I’ll play poker and at 7:30am, hit the gym for 20-30 minutes.  And head off for work at around 8:30am.   And of course eating right.   I know it’s still early, but so far this week, it’s been working.  I’ve lost 5 pounds (over 10 days) and can actually brag about a winning streak in poker despite spending significantly less time playing than before.  With all this extra time freed up now, I need to start doing other things such as prepping for grad school entrance exams and further my development as an artist (art includes music).  

The weekend will be a real test of willpower for me with all the temptations that come with no obligations.  However, the same rules apply to weekdays except that I can play tournaments. 

Goals for next week:  Continue with my routine and spend an hour each day prepping for the GMAT and an hour for piano.   

500K Guaranteed No-Limit Tournament

I lasted three hours in the tourney (680 out of 3500 players, which is roughly top 19.4%).  The buy-in was 200+15.   I’m relatively inexperienced in MTTs, but here’s what I learned today:

The first 2.5 hours are pretty slow. Don’t piss away your chips (like I did) during the first 2.5 hours unless you have a big hand. On one hand, at 75/150 blinds, I had pocket 8’s and the player to my left who had rougly 2,000 chips (i had around 6,800) raised to 600 preflop. I called to see the flop. The flop came out A9J, I moved all-in for the rest of his chips. He immediately called. This was a questionable play because in all likelihood he was probably holding an overcard and that’s why he raised. He was holding AKo. After that, I only had a bit above average.

It’s around the 2.5-3.0 hour mark where you start to see a lot of all-ins preflop (usually short-stacks versus big stacks). If you can win a few all-ins in a row during this juncture, things will be looking good for you. Try to be more aggressive and if you’re below average, you need to consider going all-in or fold.

The hand I went out on (QK suited clubs): The flop came out two clubs. The two players before me bet big (over 3,000 chips), I raised all in for another 2,000 (since I was shortstacked and I figured I was getting 3 to 1. If I was going to have a chance to win this tournament, I need to win a big pot like this one (had I hit my flush, I would’ve been in pretty good shape (more than double the average)).

The moral of the story is that except for the last hand, I chose to gamble a bit too early and that cost me the lead. I need to do a better job of timing when I get involved in pots (I was about 45 minutes premature). My next goal is to make it in the top 10-15%.

wild poker swings

Saturday was a horrible poker outing for me. I was playing 400 NL (2/4 blinds), 600 NL, and 1000 NL. I was down over 1,400 chips before midnight. I then decided to play a multi-table tournament (MTT) with OmniX and we both busted out pretty early. I was pretty much on tilt at that point. Decided to take a breather and practiced an hour and a half of piano (Brahms rhapsodies and Bach prelude and fugue).

Afterwards, I went on a hot streak. Finished the day at +1,400 chips. That’s a 3,800 chip difference between my lowest point today and when I decided to call it a night.

Poker can take a toll on you emotionally. Especially if you focus on side games like I do. I’m going to focus on tournaments now (invest maybe 250 chips per week on tourneys) since I don’t the luxury of sitting in front of the computer for 40 hours a week. Multitable tournaments can last 8 hours or so (that’s if you make it to the final table). Winning over 100k for 8 hours of work sounds like a deal. I probably can make the money (i.e., at least get my buy-in amount back, means you have to make it to top 20%) a little more than half the time, so from a cost standpoint, it’s not that expensive. But if you hit, that’s over 100k.

Piano Lesson-February 6, 2006

Skipped last week’s lesson because of my car situation.  So we agreed to hold my makeup lesson next Thursday. 

We started off the lesson with playing the F Major scale and the D minor scale in parallel motion.  I’m not fond of scales unless it’s played very fast (otherwise, it’s not challenging and takes up 5-10 minutes of lesson time).

Then I played the Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 12 in C minor.  I learned this piece a year and a half ago but it was still very unpolished and riddled with problems, IMO.  Played it at moderate tempo first and we both thought that I was trying too hard when I should pay attention to my breathing and just relax.  I suppose it’s because it’s been awhile since I played this piece for anyone other than myself and that I know that Dr. N is a stickler for rhythmic precision.  She thought I played it with clarity and that I didn’t miss many notes; however, she noted that I should work on bringing the melodic contours of the piece out and being more creative with it instead of just banging the bass melodic notes.  In other words, the first accented note in the bass should be F, second being mf, third FF, fourth mf-F, etc.  The most challenging part of the piece occurs in the middle–the long crescendo–as I like to call it.  Not only is this passage more technically challenge to play with accuracy, but to bring out the melodic contours is tough because of having to differentiate between F and FF, and FF and FFF, etc.  I think I’ll need to make the crescendo more gradual (see Glenn Gould’s Brahms rhapsodies). 

 For the last 20 minutes or so, we worked on the Mozart Sonata in C Major–Third movement (Rondeau).  My playing was very raw as I had just learned the notes and am not entirely comfortable yet.  Dr. N mostly focused on how to play the trills (baroque, classical, and romantic periods have different rules).  I need to remember that if the preceding note is above the principle note, then start from the principle.  If the preceding note is below the principle note, then start from a note higher (half interval) than the principle.  I forgot what the ‘auxiliary’ means.  This is opposite from the Baroque period. 

untitled

I dunno why but every few months or so I’ll debate about the ‘value’ of kids with someone of the opposite sex. For the record, I do not find kids ‘cute’ (unless ‘cute’ is slang for ‘demonic’) nor can I comprehend why anyone would find ‘joy’ in raising a kid. For the longest time, I did not understand why I felt this way.
Until today.

While driving home after work today, I asked myself the dumbest question one could ask himself: “If you had a choice to go back in time to prevent your own birth, would you prefer not to have been born at all?”.

Answer: Yes.

N/A

How do you tell someone that you’re not interested?

unofficially

I’ve been watching Super Bowls since 1986 and Sunday’s game was by far the worst officiated game in all of sports that I can remember. While the Seahawks had many miscues on offense, it seemed like every call went against them and the timing couldn’t haven’t been worse–just when the Seahawks were gaining momentum. We know that dropped balls and other miscues can often be a case of nerves and you have to wonder if had the poor calls not been made, some of those miscues may not have happened because Seattle probably would’ve gained confidence and not get all jittery that they screw up. And over 100 million viewers got to see what a joke Instant Replay is. Especially if certain calls can’t be challenged. Instant Replay assumes that the refs are unbiased, well, if the refs were biased, if the replay shows undeniable evidence, then it’s a lot harder for them not to overturn, but if the replay doesn’t 100% refute the call on the field, then the biased ref could just let the call on the field stand.

It’s not that hard to imagine the possibility of some sleight-of-hand. All it takes is a phone call before the game and an offer (econ 101–everyone has their price). There are so many ways for the officials to cheat. Probably the most common way is to blow the whistle on trivial or borderline events, especially when you see that the team you don’t want to win for whatever reason (most likely due to cha-ching) just scored a touchdown or gained big yardage all the way down to the one yard line.

If it can happen to Sumo Wrestling, it could happen in the NFL.

We ought to be reminded of the words of Agatha Christie, the mystery fiction writer:

“Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.”

Those refs oughta be put in jail or at least fired from the NFL for their gross incompetence.

Piano Recital Review (Pianist: Alexander Kobrin)

Four years ago, Olga Kern (2001 Van Cliburn co-Gold Medalist) came to town and played a solo recital with works
by R. Schumann, Chopin, Messiaen, Liszt. A helluva performance.

Tonight’s performer was Alexander Kobrin, the 2005 Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist. I had high expectations going in, and was quite delighted to see the Brahms Rhapsodies on the program (i learned the B minor Rhapsody a few years back and am currently learning the G minor one). However, the recital got off to a shaky start as the Brahms rhapsodies were played with excessive rubatto and sounded ‘rushed’. If you’re a fan of Brahms’ music, you appreciate the fact that it sounds good without being overly sentimental. Kobrin rushed through the two rhapsodies and you almost get the sense that he was trying too hard to display virtuosity in a piece that requires more delicate handling. The listener never got a chance to feel the expansive chord progressions and the rhythmic pulses of the B minor rhapsody nor did he bring out the Jeckyll-Hyde quality of the G minor rhapsody.

The other Brahms shorter piano works that he played started off sounding just as perturbed, though after the A minor Intermezzo, he began to give more consideration to the music. In contrast, his playing of the Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux was excellent and it was only during which you understood what the judges at the Van Cliburn Competition heard. Kobrin also played two encore pieces–the A Major Prelude (No. 7) and the G Major (No. 3) Prelude.

In conclusion, Kobrin played the Rachmaninoff pieces brilliantly, but the Brahms pieces seemed foreign to him as if he lacked the maturity to play ‘deeper’ pieces.

The real Van Cliburn, 71, will be in town next month to perform the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Florida Orchestra. Tickets are $75-$150 dollars. I hope it’s not sold out…

Below’s the program:

___________________________________________

Van Cliburn Gold Medalist

Soloist
Alexander Kobrin

Program
Once every four years, a select group of the world’s finest young pianists test their considerable talents in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, named by the Chicago Tribune “the most prestigious classical piano contest in the world.” You’ll relish the profound virtuosity of this year’s winner, Alexander Kobrin, who represents the finest from a field of 147 contestants from 33 countries.

Recital Program:
BRAHMS — Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79 (No. 1 in B minor, No. 2 in G minor)

BRAHMS — Fantasies, Op. 116 (Capriccio in D minor, Intermezzo in A minor, Capriccio in G minor, Intermezzo in E major, Intermezzo in in E minor, Intermezzo in E major, Capriccio in D minor)

RACHMANINOFF — Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39 (No. 1 in C minor, No. 2 in A minor, No. 3 in F-sharp minor, No. 4 in B minor, No. 5 in E-flar minor, No. 6 in A minor, No. 7 in C minor, No. 8 in D minor, No. 9 in D major)