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PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 12:01 am 
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Mrs Lovis was my third piano teacher. A very kind and gentle lady who lived near Barnhill School. One of my brothers (Michael) started learning the piano very late (when he was well into secondary school at Barnhill) and he came home with nice pieces of music that he wanted to learn, instead of lots and lots of dull classical music... so me and another bro left Mrs Rixon (in Wimbourne Ave Hayes) to got to Mrs Lovis instead.

She was also teaching Michael guitar.

We have photos of Mrs Lovis, which were in our old albums.... not sure if I've reposted them yet in the current albums.


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:35 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:10 pm
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Location: Farnborough, Hampshire.
My piano teacher was Ron Tripp who lived near us when we lived in Central Ave. (He was also a teacher at Mellow Lane.) He was a friend of the person who owned the house. He actually heard me tinkering with the beautiful piano in the house when I was about 11. He asked my mum where I had lessons, she told him that I'd taught myself while living there. He asked me to play for him, and he said I had got the right idea from the music sheets, but needed to know what I was doing. And he offered me piano lessons for free! I had them for 2 yrs. but got lazy with the practising and bought pop music instead! Gave up in the end. Soooo regret it now though! You've made me now think I'll have to get my keyboard out! Trouble is I've forgotten all I learnt!
Funny thing is that my youngest son started playing my keyboard when he was about 12, I showed him roughly how to read music, and he picked it up quicker than I did, but like me used to play more by ear, but turned out to be much better than me. Then he taught himself the guitar!


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:36 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:52 am
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Location: Western Australia
My gran's piano ended up in the canal.
:lol:

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:49 pm 
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Location: Farnborough, Hampshire.
No recycling in those days! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:40 pm 
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I remember at Grange Park there was a kid who seemed to be able to play any instrument he came across. Piano, guitar, banjo....


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:29 am 
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Anyway..... let's get back on topic please. This is about Mrs Lovis! Lovely name for a lovely lady. Of the three piano teachers I had, she was the gentlest. My first was very nice but did a lot of shouting. My second.... I'd rather not talk about(!!)

Mrs Lovis was my third, she was nice, she never shouted, but she did knock my right hand off the keyboard if I hit a wrong note, which was a teeny bit annoying if I kept on hitting the same wrong note!! Happy to forgive her that though as it was a joy to go to her piano lessons. And best of all, she was happy for us to go to a music shop and find a well known piece of music we WANTED to be able to play and teach us that.

One of the ones I learnt was "Sleepy Shores" (the theme from Owen MD). Also "Eye Level" (theme from Van der Valk).


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:59 am 
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I have fond memories of Mrs Lovis, too. She was my only piano-teacher and she taught me first when she rode her bicycle to our house in Raeburn Road at Charville. Then, when I was older, I cycled to her house in Bryant Road and then, from Bourne Avenue, I travelled by bus or was driven there with my friend in her father's car. I never wanted to change my teacher because she was just as you descibe her. She was also good at getting pupils through their grades. Lessons were a mixture of more serious music including exam pieces as a contrast to the more entertaining popular music she allowed us to play as well. I liked playing duets with her and she never became impatient even though she was such an experienced pianist having to play at the slower tempo of a learner!


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:12 pm 
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Now you mention it, she must have come to our house sometimes as we have pictures of her in our living room giving one of my brothers guitar lessons!

I'm pretty sure we always went to her for our piano lessons though. This would have been 1973/4.

I also have a vague idea now, having read your post, that I would have one piece to learn that was more classical and one of my choice.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:22 am 
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Mrs Lovis also used to give singing lessons. Another girl from Charville went to her for her lesson just before my piano lesson. I used to enjoy listening to her while I was waiting.
Mrs Lovis's Christian name was Lucy and so it sounded even better as Lucy Lovis, a really nice name. Later on, she sang for the Senior Citizens in Hayes Botwell Brotherhood Hall.

I played Sleepy Shores too, and I remember learning Grieg's 'To The Spring'. I still have the music. It was a lovely piece and quite challenging. She also used to knock my fingers away from the notes if I went wrong but it was more annoying than anything. She would then say 'Try again, my duck' or 'lovie' and so, like you say, all was forgiven.

My earliest memory of piano exams was when Mrs Lovis took me to London to the Royal Academy of Music. I remember her taking me up the huge staircase to where my exam was going to be and I could hear piano music coming from different rooms. To go there and play my exam pieces on a grand-piano was inspiring. After that, I took my exams in a room behind the church in Ealing or Acton and Swakeley's in Ickenham. The best had to be in London, though.

I still have a card Mrs Lovis sent me when I had passed an exam and also my exercise book she wrote comments in as I was having my lessons.
I can see written in it that later lessons cost around 3 Shillings and Sixpence for half an hour.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:50 pm 
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I remember Mrs Lovis giving a concert in the Botwell Brotherhood Hall. Her pupils, including myself, had to play one piece each.
I played Plaisir D'Amour and it involved keeping an accompaniment going by crossing my left hand over the right which was quite tricky, especially if feeling nervous.
Luckily, I managed to play it without nerves getting the better of me and, although shy, had to stand at the front of the stage to receive my applause. Not having much encouragement at home regarding my piano-playing, I didn't think my parents would be there to hear me but, when I looked out, I saw my father standing at the back of the hall clapping. He was on his own and it is a happy memory to think of a time when my father seemed to be proud of me for my piano-playing.
That is a very special thought to cling to and have always wished my mother had been more interested in my progress as I became more advanced. It was quite disturbing that she seemed to be more annoyed about me having such a love of the piano and music and so showed it in a way to upset me when I was playing rather than being proud or encouraging.
I like to think that she may have felt sorry in recent years because she surprisingly sent me some sheet music. That meant a lot. I don't think she ever met Mrs Lovis again once I started going to lessons at her home in Bryant Road.


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