@@johannaalvarado983 it is from the booklet "20 studies", it's on my piano also, here is a link where you can see the book: www.broekmans.com/en/bladmuziek/20-studies-in-classical-jazz-and-popular-styles-intermediate-level-169826. This is a Dutch music store. But it's probably also on eBay or Amazon. Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon

Thank you! It's such a great McCartney-song. It took some time for me to find the right "groove" but I think it works reasonably well like this, on just a simple piano. Thanks again, kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

Thank you! Such a great McCartney song! To be honest, I struggled for some time to find the right "groove" for how to play the opening-lick, I just could not catch the "feel" of that that great guitar lick, until I suddenly discovered to play it in 'double time' so to speak: to play that distinctive opening-lick in fast paced triads, instead of just eight notes. The song itself is not that hard; I only had to find the right registers, to not sound too monotonous, because (of course) I miss the great character and color and legato feel of the vocal line. But, as soon as I discovered to play that lick in fast paced triads, suddenly my cover (more or less) worked and sounded (more or less) acceptable on solo piano. Thanks again for your kind remark, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@rafaelduarte5567 good afternoon Rafael, I hope you are fine! Back in your country again, I think? I probably mentioned to you to buy a variety of beginner books, to learn step by step the basics. So, for example, you could buy the beginner series of Schaum, Faber, Hal Leonard, Aaron, The Joy of First Classics (book 1 & 2), Folk Dean, Alfred's Pemier Piano Course, to name just but a few of the possibilities. I will app here, in these comments, another RU-vid link for you, of another channel, in which you can have a visual explanation of these beginner books. All the best, kind regards from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@rafaelduarte5567 Here an example of a channel were they explain some method books, Rafael. As you can see, he also emphasis the difference between the variety of possible books: some are more "modern", others are more "classical" focussed. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OyP9rwFswT0.htmlsi=j7StmYqkk3r4PaZk To add on his link, again: I would also buy the mentioned books "The Joy Of First Classics Book 1 & 2", because these pieces are all original easy compositions by the great classical composers, and as mentioned before, in your case, focus more on buying "classical" methods like Michael Aaron, Faber, Folk Dean (= old fashioned Dutch ;) or Premier Piano Course, and avoid a little bit the more "modern, American, popular orientated" Alfred's for adults: that's also a fine method, don't get me wrong, also with classical pieces in it, but overall they are more "chord-playing-focussed" than the other methods or books I wrote down (like the 2 Joy Of-books I mentioned). Kind regards, Simon 🎹

I have not adjusted the harmonies in this wonderful song. The ónly thing that is "mine" here, in this arrangement of me playing this great song by A-HA, is the way how I fill in rhythmically all the open spaces (what the soaring synths & strings are doing in the original song). That part, so: the "attack-energy" of a hammer-based-mechanics of a piano, in contrast with the soothing flowing soaring singing legato tones and color of a string instrument / voice / wind instrument, is the hardest part to simulate on an acoustic piano. Kind regards, greetings from the Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@simonvanthoff this is not bad arrangement but chorus sounds too easy. Listen how Benny Andersen arranged Abba's songs on his last solo piano album. Very pianistic arrangements

@@goodman1127 show me how you yourself would play/arrange the chorus, then I maybe know /understand what you mean by "too easy". Greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@simonvanthoff i will not show you by now but I mean the harmonic simplicity and specific arpeggios in bass lines. It sounds too basic.

@@moham1287 thanks for your very kind comment ! It's a beautiful played & arranged piece by Nina Simone, from her great 1958 debut album with all the songs on that album played just by her and her trio. Not easy to pay it enough justice in a (very) dry living room and without a bass (and drum), but still I tried to make it work more or less, with only my ten fingers (and my feet, the pedals, of course :-)). Kind regards, Simon 🎹

@@Thomas-zp8gv 🎹👍🏻☀️😅

@@Jod3lay dankjewel! Het is niet een 'meteen meezingbaar popliedje', maar ook dit is heel mooi, heel bijzonder, en op z'n eigen manier ook weer moeilijk om te beheersen in al z'n details (ik bedoel, weer andere moeilijkheden te overwinnen dan bij een (groovy) popliedje. Een van Chopin's minder bekende Nocturnes, vanwege het koraal op het eind ook wel "de religieuze" genoemd. Groetjes van Simon 🎹

@@simonvanthoff ik was er echt even voor gaan zitten, erg fijn. Bedankt ook voor je uitleg!

@@Thomas-zp8gv dank! Het is ook geen "hit" op een greatest hits album van Chopin...maar hij heeft veel gecomponeerd, veel te veel voor slechts één greatest hits cd :) Deze is, vind ik, heel bijzonder (zoals zoveel van zijn composities 🎹👌🏻)

@@salkrumm3349 thank you! What a great debut album by Nina Simone 🎹👌🏻

@@NicanorAlejandroCifuentesGil Merci beaucoup! C'est une chanson fantastique, mais c'était tellement difficile de la jouer en solo au piano... cela m'a pris beaucoup de temps. Ma version de Stranger In Moscow était bien plus facile à faire, mais j'aime aussi tellement Who Is It que j'ai vraiment essayé de capturer l'ambiance de la chanson (comme vous l'avez si joliment décrit). Alors merci pour vos gentils mots ! Cordialement, salutations des Pays-Bas, Simon 🎹

Dankjewel Mees :-) Redelijk tevree, tot op zekere hoogte.. Al zal een grote ruimte met een vette vleugel wel geschikter voor het stuk zijn :) enfin, met genuanceerde halve en trage pedalen poog ik een zaal met echo na te doen, en de piano aldus sappiger te laten klinken in mijn gortdroge kamer 😄. De tere Pleyel vleugel was minder geschikt voor deze. Groetjes Simon 🎹

Thank you! It's such a beautiful song, with such a nice chord progression 👍🏻 About the sound quality : I understand what you mean, but as you can see on my channel, all my uploads are "just" made with my iPad (except the very early, squeezy sounding ones, they are with a photo camera made :). So, for me (being from the analog-tape generation :-), this digital recordings are already such a great improvement and so great sounding haha! I don't really have the ambition to "modernize" my uploads, with extra cameras, microphones, and fancy editing...it's just what it is, a very honest, direct homey home-recording :). But I must say nowadays I put more effort awareness in where to place the iPad, and also that not all the background clocks are ticking (I noticed that now, while re-listening this upload :-) So, well, who knows I will re-take Max also again. My grand piano is always closed, by the way, because I live in a small appartement, neighbors all around, and I don't want them to bother too much: my open Pleyel grand piano is way too loud for a small living room. Thanks again for your kind remark, kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon

​@@simonvanthoff "Beautiful song". It is, good sir. Fell in love with it the first time I heard it. I am not into Jazz, or Schlagers, myself, but this one has that "je ne sais quoi" bit, emotion, melancholy. "Analog Tape Generation": How young do you think I am, sir? ;) Been there, recorded and traded tapes, oh yes. Ah, that were the times ... alas ... those will never come back ... neither will the musical intellect, seeing what modern musicians bring out. The contemporary music has dropped significantly in quality, like all else does. Sad, really ... . For the piano: You do not need to fully open up the top, good sir. One or two centimetres can do miracles: It allows the full tone to come through (Which is dampened by the closed lid, which you keep close for your neighbors, but lifting it a tiny bit, will allow the tones to come out in higher pitch, yet, still block the volume mostly.), and when the IPad is tactically placed, it will record in a much cleaner way, recording the higher pitch of each note, thus make the music more vibrant. Am I wrong, sir? I am no pianist, but, logic would imply this? Also, Max is a sad song, isn't it, sir? Might I ask you, if it was to be played just a tiny wee bit slower, and with a deeper, "more depressive" tone, I think (note, think), it would do the song well? What do you think, sir? Or, probably better; how do you FEEL about that idea? Since, well, it is an emotional song, it needs less thought, more feeling, I would gather ... . But that is me, sir. De gustibus non est disputandum. ;) Hence I inform here about your opinion in this. :) Het is alleszins een zeer aangename kennismaking, waarde. Het doet me enorm genoegen toch nog op fatsoenlijke mensen te stuiten. Wat meer en meer een bedreigde soort lijkt te worden. Waarvoor mijn oprechte dank. Trieste tijden. In- en intriest ... . Hopelijk hebt u veel meer geluk hierin.

@@queenwein16 thank you! It's such a beautiful melody. It's indeed the same tune and melody as "Truman Sleeps". My take /arrangement on Raising the Sail, including the added melodies and elaborate left hand, is based on the soundtrack on DVD, while Truman was sitting in his boat after the storm. It is heard there in A flat minor, rather peculiarly, because that's another key than on the soundtrack CD. I also uploaded "Truman Sleeps" here on my channel, last month. Thanks again, kind regards greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@simonvanthoff you're welcome Simon! Your epic cover made me watch in awe because it is that beautiful! I'm going to check out more of your videos. Greetings and kind regards to you from the USA

@@queenwein16 thank you! All the way from USA! RU-vid is amazing don't you think? I also always tell it to my students: what an amazing invention it is 👍🏻🎹. It looks so common now, for this generation, but of course it's not. I remember vividly I was totally mesmerized by that vaguely, in the distance sounding, electronic pianomelody and chords, while Truman was in his boot. I ran to my piano and tried to recapture that mood, the chords, the melody, on my piano. And after that I worked hard to make a triplet left hand accompaniment, just exactly as you can hear in the original movie score in that scene, that's why you hear me play that elaborate left hand triple pattern. The whole arrangement, and extra melodies, are mine, by the way, not originally Philip Glass. That's why last month I recorded here, on my channel, also the short, original, printed score, for my pupils. Thanks again for your nice respons! Kind regards, Simon 🎹

@simonvanthoff You're Welcome Simon! Thank you for your nice and kind response as well. I know right, I can't believe the network RU-vid created of people all around the globe. You really do have a great gift of playing piano and teaching. I've been playing my whole life and wish I can play as well as you can. I know the score very well and knew that it was not Philip Glass' work. I knew it was more from your own playing. You play from the heart and have really made the composition your own. Thank you so much for your kind response. I appreciate it. You are quite talented and I enjoy listening to your piano playing. It is quite mesmerizing and I can imagine how much your students enjoy piano lessons. I am trying to teach my 5 year old niece piano however she keeps trying to teach me and take over. She does know how many keys are on the piano and she knows what an octave is. Lol.

@@queenwein16thank you! I hope your little niece will enjoy playing the piano! And yes, it's a lovely piece, although I must admit I rarely play it nowadays 🫣. Just too many other pieces, mainly for students, to learn and look at. But I remember vividly I had to really "molde" the left hand triple pattern, and learn it smoothly, to let it fix effortlessly under the right hand melody. And indeed, the wonderful thing is so many people can enjoy it, listening to it, even given the facts that this take is already years and years old..amazing...in my student time, well, in fact relatively speaking so short time ago!, this was just unthinkable technology indeed! Kind regards, Simon 🎹

@@Jqh73o-l7v ah! Yes, I hear what you mean. Sz.'s chords are way more dissonant even, though 😅 Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@MarevilEncallado dankjewel! 😃 Hoe gaat het met jullie! Hartelijke groet Simon 🎹👍🏻

@@keithguernsey6968 thank you! It was just a spontaneous, and simple take of this tender beautiful song. I did not really study it or something, but just tried to keep playing "in the moment", with some minor flaws and all. But thanks again for your kind respond ! 👍🏻☀️ Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@MargrietOffereins dankjewel Margriet! Kijk dan ook maar eens bij m'n laatste paar uploads, met publiek, nóg vrolijker ! 😘👍🏻🎹 Lieve groetjes, van Neefje Simon ☺️

@@weeklypianojam Dank! Ja, met deze "click-track" meespelen werkte heel goed bij dit liedje! 👍🏻😅👌🏻 Groet! Simon 🎹

@@annette9889 dankjewel! Superliedje! Dat is, trouwens, heel vaak bij Billy Joel, echt geweldige songs heeft hij gemaakt 👍🏻🎹👍🏻 Dit is nu de enige versie met metronoom hier op RU-vid, check maar eens bij anderen :-) Groetjes! Simon 🎹

@@zielsurfen dankjewel! Een bezoek aan Parijs, wat altijd een mooie reden is tot een weemoedig nadenken en lezen over het reilen en zeilen van Chopin aldaar, is ook altijd een inspirerende manier om weer enigszins je opnieuw te verdiepen in zijn leven en zijn fenomenale pianomuziek. Van de 24 Preludes is dit een van de handvol "relatief makkelijk te spelen" Preludes. Vriendelijke groet, Simon 🎹

Thank you! Great song by Billy Joel, so organically composed, and such a natural, logical, effortless way of a marriage between rhythm & melody & harmony. Kind regard, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

Thank you, for both your very kind comments! It's such a gorgeous, haunting, emotional song. Really fantastic. Kind regards, Simon 👍🏻🎹

@@nemesis9733 thank you ! By the way, not so long ago I did a close up take of this same song, see my channel, and the description 👍🏻 Gorgeous song! Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@Marie-LouiseBlaeser-Verhoeven dank Marie Louise ! Heerlijke song, altijd gewédlig gevonden 🎹👌🏻 Zomerse groet, Simon ☀️

@@josenildoramosmedeiros8456 thank you! Such a great song indeed! And it works also so well, on just a piano, which was for me somewhat unexpected because there is no acoustic piano at all in the original song. Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@TinyUrlTucker Thank you! Well, to be honest, already for many many years I almost do nothing special about it 🫣, or about it's maintainance, because I rarely use my harpsichord; it's standing here in my living room way more as a kind of decoration piece than as a much-used-instrument. My pianos I use way, way Way more often. So, as a result: I do also almost never tune it 🙈. But, the rare time that I do tune it, I do it very quickly, and while doing that I also check (more or less) the evenness of touch again, and as much as it is in my capability to do so, adjust it where possible. The material I use is indeed Delrin: also that I do in a very amateuristic way (that is: I never learned how to réally do it, in a good and professional way). Seeing just how many RU-vid-tutorials there are nowadays about regulating your harpsichord yourself, I know I can do that part of the maintainance way WAY more precisely now than I did in the past, but i still just not did really took the time for it to do so... So, a long answer short: it's all more or less a "lucky strike" so to speak 🫣. This simple instrument I could get a hold on, many years ago, when it was doing totally nothing in an old music school in my area around here, so since then it's now in my possession. It was, back then, already playing and functioning rather good and regularly, so I only had to replace a few of the plectra: a teacher of my conservatory was so kind to learn me how to do that quickly, many years ago. Well...and that was it, basically :-) Although, I must say this Wittmayer has indeed a rather kind of "singing tone", especially in the most upper register. By the way:the double register handle (when it's also playing the notes one octave higher) I never do use, because in that register too many plectra are broken. So, as a result, all my (easy!) harpsichord pieces here on RU-vid I play on this main-register that you can hear on this Bach-recording. I hope this more or less gives the answer to your question. Thanks again for your kind response! 👍🏻 Greetings from the Netherlands, Simon 🎹

@@dlpalinc dankjewel! Hele melancholieke, eenvoudige, sombere prelude. Gespeeld overigens op zijn begrafenis, okt 1849, door de organist op het orgel, in de Madeleine kerk in Parijs. Groetjes! Simon ☀️🎹

@@simonvanthoff En het Requiem van Mozart, op zijn eigen verzoek. Magdalena en ik waren recent bij een live uitvoering hiervan in de Madeleine kerk. Groet, Dion

@@dlpalinc jazeker! Dat requiem had heel wat voeten in de aarde toen! Met zijn vriendin Pauline Viardot (achter een gordijn) als een van de solisten. Wat bijzonder joh, kort geleden daar gehoord? Ik was er dik twee weken, begin juli. Heerlijk. Vandaar die twee korte preludes, als "aandenken" aan m'n Parijse vakantie. Groet! Simon 🎹

Thank you! So seemingly "simple"....but as soon as you try to make a recording yourself, you notice it isn't simple at all 🥺 Kind regards, greetings from The Netherlands, Simon 🎹

Dank Marcel ! 🎹👍🏻☀️

@@leonlinssen9907 dankjewel! Dit liedje, met name ook door de tekst, ontroert me àltijd weer. Prachtig. Groetjes, Simon 🎹

@@MeesW98 dank! En moeilijk! (Althans, ik verkeek me er enorm op, weet ik nog..🙄) Groet! Simon 🎹

What a nice story! I have to say, I barely did know the song! 🥺. So, I started to listening it more seriously now, in my hotel, and looking up different versions, and thus discovered that great mentioned Cincotti version :-) And yes, it's a lovely music box, very delicately made! With eye for detail. And a great affect, with the "snow" that's kept in movement with a rotor blade so to speak, under the scenery with the girl, that's driven by the power of the same spring that also gives energy to the music box: haha I never saw that 'trick' like that done before in a music box (well, I never noticed it, I must correctly say :) Kind regards, Simon 🎹

Thank you! The Preludes are so difficult, even the easiest ones, like this one.. A Lifelong study... But this was a nice kind of modest reminiscence for me, of my Chopin/Paris trip this month 👍🏻🎹 Kind regards, Simon

@@simonvanthoff It seems that you have a serious knack for recognizing the essence of things, not just music. And, you are right, the Preludes, both collectively and individually have far greater depth that many people seem to grasp. Personally, I believe that there is no such thing as an easy Chopin Prelude. Some of them may be only a few measures long but their simplicity is only a mask hiding their delicate complexity. I think of them as atoms; they may be small but they are a universe unto themselves and should be appreciated as such.

Mooi! 😊

@@MeesW98 dankjewel Mees! Ik zocht iets dat ik "snel" op RU-vid kon zetten, ter reminiscentie aan het heerlijke Parijs v Chopin, maar zelfs de makkelijkste preludes zijn niet eenvoudig :) maar deze gaat natuurlijk op zich prima...en, heel toepasselijk met zijn biografie (wederóm :) in mijn geheugen gegrift..(ik lees altijd een boekje over Chopin, als ik in Parijs ben). Het zijn ook (of vooral?) bij deze wat meer "makkelijkere" stukjes, de nuances, de balans, de frasering, het pedaal, enfin jeweet t he :-), dat het zo moeilijk voor een min of meer geslaagde (thuis)opname maakt. Hoe gaat je Granados? ;-) 🎹💪🏻☀️👍🏻 Groetjes! Simon

@@mabdubyes, you're absolutely right, about the difficulty of the Preludes. Also the so called "easy" ones. Of cóurse this one is, for example, way way WAY less demanding than the one in G major, the one in F sharp minor, or the last one in D minor (to name now but only three, but I can go on and on, of course), and so these "easy" ones are always played by pupils. But espécially then I always notice how unreachable they are for the (many times too ambitious) 'liebhaber-spieler'... All kinds of "hidden technique" (as I always call it) is necessary and very very much needed to play them good and pay them justice. And thus indeed part of the "lifelong study". Kind regards, Simon 🎹👍🏻