But I've been practicing just about every day. The only days I've missed have been days I've been out of town. However, I have become pregnant sometime in April or May and since then I've been practicing less than I was at the beginning of the year. Some days I'm satisfied with playing through a piece once or twice because of exhaustion, nausea, or what have you.
But I've been working toward an e-recital that happens this week, and just submitted my piece. Want to hear it? Have a listen here. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I've made several mistakes in it, and my recording device just doesn't pick up the dynamics the way I would have liked it to. But, I've always been nervous performing in front of an audience (even if that audience is my digital camera set on "microphone") and this was the best recording I could get with the restrictions I've had on time and location. I wasn't able to record at home because my piano is so horribly out of tune that the song would have sounded much, much worse. I recorded this on a grand piano at my church, and was amazed at not only how much better it sounded, but how much better I sounded on that piano. It was much easier to play my piece on that piano, compared even with the fairly new (less than 10 years old) and well-maintained uprights that I had been playing on earlier.
So, I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor, while I prepare for the fruits of a different kind of labor, coming up in January or February. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first boy, and we couldn't be more thrilled! The girls are very excited to get a brother to play with (and dress up, and otherwise annoy as much as possible I'm sure) and I'm excited to have a little boy to add a little diversity to our estrogen-filled home!
Showing posts with label Chopin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chopin. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sight Reading
Today I focused a lot on sight reading because I wasn't really feeling my practicing. I worked hard on my Bach Fugue and also played it with the prelude once. It sounds so great together! I never knew I was missing anything to the piece before I learned the Fugue. Oh, the ignorance of youth.
Today's sight reading included a Rondeaux by Bach, a piece by Grieg and a piece by Rachmaninof. Please don't make fun of me if my spelling is off-- I do love classical music and piano music in particular, but some of those names are awfully long and complicated, even if they are very famous composers! That took up the majority of my time today.
I ended with a few minutes to work on the Nocturne. The good news is I have it memorized to the first fast scale, which is AWESOME, especially considering I wasn't even planning on starting the first page until April anyway. The bad news is I still have a lot of fine tuning to work on with this piece. It may be a while yet before it is performance ready. Slowly but surely, it is coming along (but faster than I ever thought possible! I guess I underestimated my abilities!).
Today's sight reading included a Rondeaux by Bach, a piece by Grieg and a piece by Rachmaninof. Please don't make fun of me if my spelling is off-- I do love classical music and piano music in particular, but some of those names are awfully long and complicated, even if they are very famous composers! That took up the majority of my time today.
I ended with a few minutes to work on the Nocturne. The good news is I have it memorized to the first fast scale, which is AWESOME, especially considering I wasn't even planning on starting the first page until April anyway. The bad news is I still have a lot of fine tuning to work on with this piece. It may be a while yet before it is performance ready. Slowly but surely, it is coming along (but faster than I ever thought possible! I guess I underestimated my abilities!).
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
nocturne,
sight reading,
well tempered clavier
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Back in the Saddle Again
A whole week of not getting a full 60 in per day... bah! Well, I'm much better now, and in a few more days R will be feeling better too, I'm sure. She has a croupy cough that sounds pretty bad, but it's nothing serious. Just annoying, mostly (to others more than it is to her!). She also has a runny nose and a bad habit of wiping her snot on anything or anyone! You can tell a 2 year old to use a tissue, but they won't remember for more than .0000001 seconds.
Tonight's practicing was satisfactory. I went through my Nocturne and recorded it! I took just over 7 minutes and I think it sounds pretty darned good, especially considering I wasn't planning on having all the pages learned until the end of April! I've made good progress on this piece. I'd like to have it perfected to the note by the end of May so I can start working on recording it this summer. I'm not sure where I'm going to record it, but it sure won't be at my house! Maybe I'll convince my friend who has recording equipment and a really wonderful piano to borrow theirs for a while, but I don't think we're good enough friends for that ;) It could take all day. Maybe I'll wait for my parents to tune their Steinway and record it at their house.
I also worked on my Schubert Impromptu. Boy, that needs a LOT of fine tuning.
I also improved for about 10 minutes. That is one area that I really need to improve. I'd like to eventually become a singer/writer and it would be really fun to have a couple songs written by this summer. I'm not betting on it though! Maybe a goal for next year.
With no further ado, here is my Nocturne recording: It almost sounds good. Almost.
Tonight's practicing was satisfactory. I went through my Nocturne and recorded it! I took just over 7 minutes and I think it sounds pretty darned good, especially considering I wasn't planning on having all the pages learned until the end of April! I've made good progress on this piece. I'd like to have it perfected to the note by the end of May so I can start working on recording it this summer. I'm not sure where I'm going to record it, but it sure won't be at my house! Maybe I'll convince my friend who has recording equipment and a really wonderful piano to borrow theirs for a while, but I don't think we're good enough friends for that ;) It could take all day. Maybe I'll wait for my parents to tune their Steinway and record it at their house.
I also worked on my Schubert Impromptu. Boy, that needs a LOT of fine tuning.
I also improved for about 10 minutes. That is one area that I really need to improve. I'd like to eventually become a singer/writer and it would be really fun to have a couple songs written by this summer. I'm not betting on it though! Maybe a goal for next year.
With no further ado, here is my Nocturne recording: It almost sounds good. Almost.
Labels:
Chopin,
Impromptu,
nocturne,
recordings,
Schubert
Friday, March 6, 2009
The good streak continues
I'm continuing with my new practice method and am very pleased with the results I'm getting. Today I worked on my nocturne for 30 minutes in the morning. At night I was intending on practicing a couple different pieces, but I ended up working on the Bach fugue for a whole hour. Total of 90 minutes today. Great practice session. The fugue is getting so close.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Another good practice day
I wanted to go on and on and on tonight, but the clock struck 12 and I needed to stop, so I did. I had a really great practice session tonight. One a forum I frequent (but don't post at often), there was a thread about biggest mistakes a person can make while practicing. I took the advice given there to heart. So my method of practicing I used tonight was to start playing the songs through and as soon as I hit a wrong note, I drilled that particular section 40, 50 times or more. I have no idea how many times. I didn't count. Some sections that I drilled were only a measure long, or sometimes even shorter. I played my Schubert Impromptu through once and it took me 40 minutes with all the drills I did. This piece normally takes 10 minutes to play, and I'm fairly proficient at it. I believe this may have been one of the pieces I auditioned with for my piano scholarship, but it's been 13 years so don't quote me on that. Since it was so perfected at one point, my fingers still "know" the piece pretty well, but there's always improvements to be made.
Then I went to my Chopin Nocturne and I used the same technique. I got through 3 measures before the clock struck 12. I think this piece will take me a full hour or, more likely, longer to practice in this manner. I'd like to continue practicing this way, though. I feel like I accomplished a lot more today. Perhaps I'll work on one page at a time in this way until I can practice it this way with it only taking me a half hour. Hm.
So I got in a full hour of practicing today. But I did do some improve earlier in the day. My husband stayed up at a coworker's this evening because he was so tired and traffic was so bad, so I intended to practice from about 9 or 10 until midnight, and I put the kids to bed at 7 to plan for that. Alas, they didn't fall asleep until about 10, 10:15, and I didn't want to risk waking them up by practicing right away! So I made crackers until 11 and then got in my hour. Maybe someday I'll be able to get in the 2-3 hours a day that I really need.
Then I went to my Chopin Nocturne and I used the same technique. I got through 3 measures before the clock struck 12. I think this piece will take me a full hour or, more likely, longer to practice in this manner. I'd like to continue practicing this way, though. I feel like I accomplished a lot more today. Perhaps I'll work on one page at a time in this way until I can practice it this way with it only taking me a half hour. Hm.
So I got in a full hour of practicing today. But I did do some improve earlier in the day. My husband stayed up at a coworker's this evening because he was so tired and traffic was so bad, so I intended to practice from about 9 or 10 until midnight, and I put the kids to bed at 7 to plan for that. Alas, they didn't fall asleep until about 10, 10:15, and I didn't want to risk waking them up by practicing right away! So I made crackers until 11 and then got in my hour. Maybe someday I'll be able to get in the 2-3 hours a day that I really need.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Amazing
I'm feeling so good after today's session. I only got in 55 minutes before midnight tonight, but the minutes I got really counted today. I made some amazing progress in all the pieces I worked on today, specifically my nocturne. There are three sections where I just can't get up to speed, as they are lightning fast. But I know I can play fast because my fingers move very quickly with my Schubert piece, so fast that if I look down, they look blurry to me. I know I can do it. It's just getting my fingers to move that way that is the tricky part. I learned the Schubert 13 or 14 years ago and my fingers still remember it, so I have a lot of years with that one, and the Chopin is new as of November. I've been thinking about how to make my fingers move, and it dawned on me as I was drilling one of the super-fast sections. Movement. Limited movement. I noticed on my way up, I wasn't crossing my thumb under the rest of my fingers to get up the scale, but I was on the descent, and I am much faster ascending. So I started working on lifting my thumb and moving my whole hand down, not just the fourth finger, in order to work on getting up to speed.
It's working. And I'm thrilled. I played through the whole piece today after I was done with my drills. I had the *sigh* feeling when I finished like I get when I play Clair de Lune. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy that makes me feel. I seriously felt like I was floating on air. I could have played piano for hours after that, but I have to get up for 9 am church in the morning, so I couldn't. Not tonight.
I also worked on my Schubert number, which is so beautiful. I really only played it through, but it is sounding so much better. I'll probably have it memorized again within a week or two, and the trouble spots are really starting to disappear, though there are a couple more places I need to drill through before I will feel like I'm really there again. I am so close to allowing myself to pass this piece off.
I also worked on the Bach Fugue today. That is also coming along nicely. I didn't have an epiphany on this piece like I did the Chopin, but it is coming together so nicely. This piece will likely be ready in a few more weeks to where I am confident, and memorization will follow soon afterward. I don't really feel like I understand a piece of music until it is memorized. Once that happens, more good things follow, and soon it is so imprinted in my mind that it is hard to leave, unless I happen to have a 10 year hiatus on the piano (which won't happen again!).
Unfortunately, I had to kiss my piano good night and blog about my wonderful session instead of playing the whole night through like I wanted. I'm really hoping for more sessions like this in the coming week. I feel so good now.
It's working. And I'm thrilled. I played through the whole piece today after I was done with my drills. I had the *sigh* feeling when I finished like I get when I play Clair de Lune. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy that makes me feel. I seriously felt like I was floating on air. I could have played piano for hours after that, but I have to get up for 9 am church in the morning, so I couldn't. Not tonight.
I also worked on my Schubert number, which is so beautiful. I really only played it through, but it is sounding so much better. I'll probably have it memorized again within a week or two, and the trouble spots are really starting to disappear, though there are a couple more places I need to drill through before I will feel like I'm really there again. I am so close to allowing myself to pass this piece off.
I also worked on the Bach Fugue today. That is also coming along nicely. I didn't have an epiphany on this piece like I did the Chopin, but it is coming together so nicely. This piece will likely be ready in a few more weeks to where I am confident, and memorization will follow soon afterward. I don't really feel like I understand a piece of music until it is memorized. Once that happens, more good things follow, and soon it is so imprinted in my mind that it is hard to leave, unless I happen to have a 10 year hiatus on the piano (which won't happen again!).
Unfortunately, I had to kiss my piano good night and blog about my wonderful session instead of playing the whole night through like I wanted. I'm really hoping for more sessions like this in the coming week. I feel so good now.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Gah, has it really been ten days?
Since I last blogged? Yipes. My parents actually thought I had given up the practicing. Not so. I'm still practicing daily, and today I was actually able to bump up my average to an even 60 minutes per day in February. I was feeling rather uninspired today, otherwise I would have spent a bit more time working on my pieces. I worked on Beethoven Sonata no. 8, drilled a few portions of it and then played through the whole thing to see how it sounds. Ugh. Not so pretty. I have some work to do on that one! I'm hoping part of my problem was the lack of inspiration I had today. Oh well.
I also worked on Clair de Lune a bit, just playing it through a few times. I'm working on memorization with this one, and there's not really any big problem areas right now, though I could stand to do some drills at the key change, and I think I need to slow it down a little bit.
Next I worked through the Nocturne, drilling my speedy parts. I also made a discovery-- at the first super fast run, I was actually playing too many notes. I was playing 43 notes when actually only 41 are notated! It's not going to make that big of a difference in getting the speed to where I want it, but it's nice to know I was playing it wrong all this time before I got it totally ingrained in my memory. So I drilled it a few times to work on the actual way it is supposed to be played, then I played the song through once. Again, it sounded awful, hopefully due in part to my lack of inspiration today.
I was going for 65 minutes of practice today to bump up my time, and I had three minutes to go, so I played May Song from memory. I'm pleased to say that I still remembered it! It didn't sound so great, but I know it, I know the notes, I know the dynamics, but I just didn't feel it today. Perhaps I'll feel music tomorrow.
I also worked on Clair de Lune a bit, just playing it through a few times. I'm working on memorization with this one, and there's not really any big problem areas right now, though I could stand to do some drills at the key change, and I think I need to slow it down a little bit.
Next I worked through the Nocturne, drilling my speedy parts. I also made a discovery-- at the first super fast run, I was actually playing too many notes. I was playing 43 notes when actually only 41 are notated! It's not going to make that big of a difference in getting the speed to where I want it, but it's nice to know I was playing it wrong all this time before I got it totally ingrained in my memory. So I drilled it a few times to work on the actual way it is supposed to be played, then I played the song through once. Again, it sounded awful, hopefully due in part to my lack of inspiration today.
I was going for 65 minutes of practice today to bump up my time, and I had three minutes to go, so I played May Song from memory. I'm pleased to say that I still remembered it! It didn't sound so great, but I know it, I know the notes, I know the dynamics, but I just didn't feel it today. Perhaps I'll feel music tomorrow.
Labels:
Beethoven,
Chopin,
Clair de Lune,
Debussy,
Granidos,
May Song,
nocturne,
oops I forgot to report,
Sonata,
uninspired
Monday, January 26, 2009
57 minutes
Not a full 60. 57. I tried so hard to get my full practice time in today, but alas, it was not to be. R woke up needing to go potty, and once she's woken up, I don't want to plunk the keys and keep her awake, even if I'm sure she's back to sleep! She's been very testy lately with sleep, so I take what I can get. She either has asthma or a cold with no symptoms other than coughing, and she's been coughing now for 2 weeks, so it's tough for her to sleep.
For today, I did 20 minutes of warm ups in the morning-- Hanon 11-20, arpeggios in C, G, D and scales in B and F#. Then on to the fugue. I'm continuing to work out fingering issues on the second page and hopefully I'll get that done in a few more days so I can move on to page 3. I hope to polish this piece within the month.
I also played through my Schubert Impromptu, which was lots of fun. I planned on working out some fingering today as well, but I was babysitting a little boy from church so I couldn't devote quite as much time to practice as I would have liked. All totaled, I practiced 3o minutes this morning. Which sounds like not very much considering 20 of it was with warm ups. How did I manage that one I wonder?
Tonight I worked on the Nocturne finally! It's been about a week now since I've played it, and I'm glad for the break. I was getting weary of working out fingering and getting frustrated at not being able to play through the whole piece yet, and especially not being able to play some of the faster parts up to speed yet that I can play perfectly. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm proud of the progress I've made so far. 27 minutes into tonight's practicing R woke up with a full bladder and a cranky disposition. Bummer.
But thinking back on it... perhaps I did actually get in more than 60 minutes today. There is no way that I played the impromptu in under 5 minutes-- it's 11 pages long! And I worked on a couple sections of it as well for a few minutes! I must have practiced the impromptu and fugue each for 10 minutes. There's no way possible that I practiced for shorter than that with either of those pieces today.
So I'm giving myself 67 minutes. Weird.
For today, I did 20 minutes of warm ups in the morning-- Hanon 11-20, arpeggios in C, G, D and scales in B and F#. Then on to the fugue. I'm continuing to work out fingering issues on the second page and hopefully I'll get that done in a few more days so I can move on to page 3. I hope to polish this piece within the month.
I also played through my Schubert Impromptu, which was lots of fun. I planned on working out some fingering today as well, but I was babysitting a little boy from church so I couldn't devote quite as much time to practice as I would have liked. All totaled, I practiced 3o minutes this morning. Which sounds like not very much considering 20 of it was with warm ups. How did I manage that one I wonder?
Tonight I worked on the Nocturne finally! It's been about a week now since I've played it, and I'm glad for the break. I was getting weary of working out fingering and getting frustrated at not being able to play through the whole piece yet, and especially not being able to play some of the faster parts up to speed yet that I can play perfectly. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm proud of the progress I've made so far. 27 minutes into tonight's practicing R woke up with a full bladder and a cranky disposition. Bummer.
But thinking back on it... perhaps I did actually get in more than 60 minutes today. There is no way that I played the impromptu in under 5 minutes-- it's 11 pages long! And I worked on a couple sections of it as well for a few minutes! I must have practiced the impromptu and fugue each for 10 minutes. There's no way possible that I practiced for shorter than that with either of those pieces today.
So I'm giving myself 67 minutes. Weird.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Starting to feel confident again
Finally I'm feeling like I'm a decent pianist. I'm not awesome, and I'm no virtuoso by any stretch of the imagination, but I am good enough to put on a show (or I will be in the near future, anyway!). Today I got in 90 minutes. I'd like to get more days like this in. The thing is, playing the piano is so good for me. It helps my mental capacity, it keeps me more level-headed, I love playing, and while I'm playing I am not eating, which is great for my waistline.
Let's review what I played today. Before the kids went to bed, I practiced for about 30 minutes. About 20 minutes were spent working on the Chopin Nocturne. Then I got out some of my old piano books and played a couple songs out of them. They're really fun songs, and I will be adding them to my list of songs that I'm working on. I hope to have a repitoire 10 or 12 songs that I have memorized and perfected so when I am requested to play, I can just sit down and plunk out a couple pieces. Both of these that I worked on today are quite fast (I kind of have a thing for fast and loud, but as I get older I'm discovering my tastes are changing). First I picked up my Schubert Impromtus book (opus 90). I played no. 4. It is so gorgeous. This video is Rubinstein playing. I could actually play this piece very, very well in my prime. Hopefully I'll get back to that level. Next was a Tcherepnin bagatelle, opus 5, no. 10. I can't find a professional recording of this piece, but it is quite lovely, as well. Very fast and furious (speed is presto!). Fun piece to play, and to hear. This is the kind of 20th century music that hubby can appreciate, I think.
After the kiddos went to bed, I got back on the piano and did some warm-ups first. That's two days in a row! I did about 15 minutes of Hannon, working on 11-20 (yesterday I did 1-10, and I plan to keep working on 10 per day). I then worked on my scales, B Major and F sharp Major. I am working on those two keys in particular for the benefit of the Nocturne. The Nocturne doesn't have anything written in F sharp Major, but there is a part where you basically play an F sharp Major scale, really really fast, so I'd better learn it! Finally, I did about 3 minutes of arpeggios, in C Major. Just a little floating up and down the keys to really get my fingers working on accuracy.
Then I pulled out Bach's Prelude 21 and ran through that a few times, trying to work out a few kinks. I mostly have it memorized, but there are a few parts in there where my fingers slip, and I want to correct that. Of course, I worked on the Fugue following that, for quite a while. I have the Fugue divided up into about 4 sections, and I'm working the fingering section by section, and then I'll be able to put it all together and it will sound fantastic. Baroque music needs to be very smooth and seamless. You typically don't use the sustain pedal with Baroque music, so you have to really hold the keys down for it to sound good. When I first started playing Baroque music, I got scolded for using the pedals, so now I never use the pedals when playing Baroque, and I actually use the pedals a lot less than I did before, because my skill at holding keys down has improved. I think I practiced the Prelude and Fugue for 20 minutes.
After the prelude, I pulled out May Song and worked on that for about ten minutes. I hadn't played it in a long time, so I was a little rusty. It is perfected and memorized, but if I don't play it regularly I'll lose it again. I don't want to risk that. Lastly, I worked on Clair de Lune by Debussy for about 5 minutes, only playing through it once. I need to work on it tomorrow for a bit longer-- the ending still needs some work, as does the key change. I'm close on that piece. Hopefully in a couple more weeks I'll have it down again.
Let's review what I played today. Before the kids went to bed, I practiced for about 30 minutes. About 20 minutes were spent working on the Chopin Nocturne. Then I got out some of my old piano books and played a couple songs out of them. They're really fun songs, and I will be adding them to my list of songs that I'm working on. I hope to have a repitoire 10 or 12 songs that I have memorized and perfected so when I am requested to play, I can just sit down and plunk out a couple pieces. Both of these that I worked on today are quite fast (I kind of have a thing for fast and loud, but as I get older I'm discovering my tastes are changing). First I picked up my Schubert Impromtus book (opus 90). I played no. 4. It is so gorgeous. This video is Rubinstein playing. I could actually play this piece very, very well in my prime. Hopefully I'll get back to that level. Next was a Tcherepnin bagatelle, opus 5, no. 10. I can't find a professional recording of this piece, but it is quite lovely, as well. Very fast and furious (speed is presto!). Fun piece to play, and to hear. This is the kind of 20th century music that hubby can appreciate, I think.
After the kiddos went to bed, I got back on the piano and did some warm-ups first. That's two days in a row! I did about 15 minutes of Hannon, working on 11-20 (yesterday I did 1-10, and I plan to keep working on 10 per day). I then worked on my scales, B Major and F sharp Major. I am working on those two keys in particular for the benefit of the Nocturne. The Nocturne doesn't have anything written in F sharp Major, but there is a part where you basically play an F sharp Major scale, really really fast, so I'd better learn it! Finally, I did about 3 minutes of arpeggios, in C Major. Just a little floating up and down the keys to really get my fingers working on accuracy.
Then I pulled out Bach's Prelude 21 and ran through that a few times, trying to work out a few kinks. I mostly have it memorized, but there are a few parts in there where my fingers slip, and I want to correct that. Of course, I worked on the Fugue following that, for quite a while. I have the Fugue divided up into about 4 sections, and I'm working the fingering section by section, and then I'll be able to put it all together and it will sound fantastic. Baroque music needs to be very smooth and seamless. You typically don't use the sustain pedal with Baroque music, so you have to really hold the keys down for it to sound good. When I first started playing Baroque music, I got scolded for using the pedals, so now I never use the pedals when playing Baroque, and I actually use the pedals a lot less than I did before, because my skill at holding keys down has improved. I think I practiced the Prelude and Fugue for 20 minutes.
After the prelude, I pulled out May Song and worked on that for about ten minutes. I hadn't played it in a long time, so I was a little rusty. It is perfected and memorized, but if I don't play it regularly I'll lose it again. I don't want to risk that. Lastly, I worked on Clair de Lune by Debussy for about 5 minutes, only playing through it once. I need to work on it tomorrow for a bit longer-- the ending still needs some work, as does the key change. I'm close on that piece. Hopefully in a couple more weeks I'll have it down again.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Making up for lost time
Today I practiced at total of 85 minutes.
The first 5ish minutes were during the day when everyone was awake. I would have practiced more, but our house is small and the playoffs were on. So I got booted. Bummer. I mostly practiced Clair de Lune during this time.
I started practicing again after the kids were in bed. Hubby was gone at the moment, so I took advantage of the time and worked on "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens." It is his favorite and all, but I just needed peace and quiet to get it done. I worked on that for about 20 minutes.
I needed to finish off my 20th century stuff with "O Polichinelo," so I worked on that for about 1o minutes. It's sounding better!
Then I actually did warm ups! I can't believe it! It felt good, and I need to do them every day. I did 11 Hannon exercises, which took about 15 minutes, and scales in B major for about 5 minutes. I'm hoping working on these will improve my overall speed and accuracy.
Then I worked on The Nocturne. And I played it through, the whole way! It was awesome. I worked on this piece for 30 minutes. Loving it so much! Can't wait till I can actually perform it. I'll record it in a few days so you can here where I am right now, played through from the beginning. I'm not that good yet, and I'm not nearly as fast as I need to be, but I'll get there. Soon. I hope!
The first 5ish minutes were during the day when everyone was awake. I would have practiced more, but our house is small and the playoffs were on. So I got booted. Bummer. I mostly practiced Clair de Lune during this time.
I started practicing again after the kids were in bed. Hubby was gone at the moment, so I took advantage of the time and worked on "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens." It is his favorite and all, but I just needed peace and quiet to get it done. I worked on that for about 20 minutes.
I needed to finish off my 20th century stuff with "O Polichinelo," so I worked on that for about 1o minutes. It's sounding better!
Then I actually did warm ups! I can't believe it! It felt good, and I need to do them every day. I did 11 Hannon exercises, which took about 15 minutes, and scales in B major for about 5 minutes. I'm hoping working on these will improve my overall speed and accuracy.
Then I worked on The Nocturne. And I played it through, the whole way! It was awesome. I worked on this piece for 30 minutes. Loving it so much! Can't wait till I can actually perform it. I'll record it in a few days so you can here where I am right now, played through from the beginning. I'm not that good yet, and I'm not nearly as fast as I need to be, but I'll get there. Soon. I hope!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Guess what I found?
Yes, my camera. Which is also my microphone. I tore my house apart for two days, and it was hiding in plain sight! Isn't that always the case?
Anywho, because I found it I had to make a recording. And since I haven't recorded O Polichinelo, the Villa-Lobos number, yet, I thought I'd give it a whirl. This recording isn't that great of quality (I AM using my camera, after all, plus a 100 year old piano that is out of tune), and I am certainly not as talented as Bratke on this song, but here it is. But wait!!! My computer is having issues. So I'll post it tomorrow. Sorry.
Today's practice included 30 minutes work on the Chopin Nocturne, 20 minutes on the Bach Fugue, 10 minutes on O Polichinelo, 20 minutes on Modest Mussorgsky's "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens" from Pictures at an Exhibition, and about 15 minutes on Clair de Lune.
I am having a really hard time finding a recording of "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens" in piano for you. The thing is, Mussorgsky originally wrote it for piano, but it seems that most folks prefer to hear it orchestrated. Some other parts of Pictures is much more well known and popular, therefore there are plenty of recordings of those parts on the Internet. But I can't find my song anywhere! I'll keep looking, and hopefully I'll have something for you to listen to soon.
Or else, I'd better just get my act together and get this performance-ready and record it!
Anywho, because I found it I had to make a recording. And since I haven't recorded O Polichinelo, the Villa-Lobos number, yet, I thought I'd give it a whirl. This recording isn't that great of quality (I AM using my camera, after all, plus a 100 year old piano that is out of tune), and I am certainly not as talented as Bratke on this song, but here it is. But wait!!! My computer is having issues. So I'll post it tomorrow. Sorry.
Today's practice included 30 minutes work on the Chopin Nocturne, 20 minutes on the Bach Fugue, 10 minutes on O Polichinelo, 20 minutes on Modest Mussorgsky's "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens" from Pictures at an Exhibition, and about 15 minutes on Clair de Lune.
I am having a really hard time finding a recording of "Ballet of Unhatched Chickens" in piano for you. The thing is, Mussorgsky originally wrote it for piano, but it seems that most folks prefer to hear it orchestrated. Some other parts of Pictures is much more well known and popular, therefore there are plenty of recordings of those parts on the Internet. But I can't find my song anywhere! I'll keep looking, and hopefully I'll have something for you to listen to soon.
Or else, I'd better just get my act together and get this performance-ready and record it!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Another short day... sigh
We STILL haven't found the camera. We have the feeling that we need to get the house clean and orderly before we will find it. Because I am a complete basketcase, I was again unable to complete a full hour of practicing. But I got in 40 minutes, which is much better than yesterday. Today was a super busy day anyway, and I got 12 points for the Healthy Living Challenge today and L had preschool, plus hubby was out all day running errands, then we went to some friends' house. I wasn't completely uninspired today, but I was a bit depressed and I'm sure m y practice session could have gone better. I'm chalking my decent mood for the circumstances on all the exercise.
All my practicing today focused on the Nocturne. I would really like to get the fingering down and be able to play the whole thing through. I really need to work on my speed and accuracy once I can actually play the whole song.
Maybe once I find the camera I'll be able to record it for you to hear how I've improved.
All my practicing today focused on the Nocturne. I would really like to get the fingering down and be able to play the whole thing through. I really need to work on my speed and accuracy once I can actually play the whole song.
Maybe once I find the camera I'll be able to record it for you to hear how I've improved.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Frustrated
I am so flippin' frustrated tonight I can't see straight. L took the camera somewhere and we have torn the house apart and can't find it. She has no idea where she put it (and how would she-- she's 4!). So. I got in a little practice on the nocturne tonight and I fear I will be unable to practice any more. I probably will stay up all night till I find the thing. I'm just glad I got some practice in today. I'll make up for it tomorrow (if we have the camera!).
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Right on the money
I got in exactly 60 minutes of practice today, which is my goal. I was a bit uninspired, so once the 60 minute mark rolled around, I considered continuing on, but then I thought I'd rather get the house cleaned up and go to bed.
The first 20 minutes I spent working on my Bach fugue. It is sounding a lot better. I have the first three lines down, so now I'm working on the rest of the first page (it is about 2 1/2 pages in my book). I'll do another recording in a week or so so you can see my progress. I am really enjoying learning this fugue, and I'm thinking I'll learn another prelude and fugue in the near future so I have a couple of those under my belt.
I worked on my Chopin nocturne for another little while, about 30 minutes, and I am creeping up and learning all of page two. I have now played that whole page through. It gets really fast in one part, which is the only spot where I have trouble. I need to learn some tricks to improve my speed.
Finally, I worked on my Villa-Lobos number. That's a fun one. It's also very, very fast. Fortunately, it is also hard for the casual listener to tell if you've made a mistake, so it's not the end of the world if you hit a few wrong notes during the piece. I know a lot of people out there probably don't appreciate music like this, but I *heart* 20th century music.
Another day down, and I'm feeling more and more confident with my playing. Even though today I was uninspired and was ready to quit at any second, I got a lot accomplished. Usually that doesn't happen when I'm feeling this way when I practice.
The first 20 minutes I spent working on my Bach fugue. It is sounding a lot better. I have the first three lines down, so now I'm working on the rest of the first page (it is about 2 1/2 pages in my book). I'll do another recording in a week or so so you can see my progress. I am really enjoying learning this fugue, and I'm thinking I'll learn another prelude and fugue in the near future so I have a couple of those under my belt.
I worked on my Chopin nocturne for another little while, about 30 minutes, and I am creeping up and learning all of page two. I have now played that whole page through. It gets really fast in one part, which is the only spot where I have trouble. I need to learn some tricks to improve my speed.
Finally, I worked on my Villa-Lobos number. That's a fun one. It's also very, very fast. Fortunately, it is also hard for the casual listener to tell if you've made a mistake, so it's not the end of the world if you hit a few wrong notes during the piece. I know a lot of people out there probably don't appreciate music like this, but I *heart* 20th century music.
Another day down, and I'm feeling more and more confident with my playing. Even though today I was uninspired and was ready to quit at any second, I got a lot accomplished. Usually that doesn't happen when I'm feeling this way when I practice.
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
nocturne,
Prole do Bebe,
uninspired,
Villa-Lobos,
well tempered clavier
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
And 40 minutes of practice time later...
I ended up practicing for an additional 40 minutes tonight! I ended up making some recordings of some of the songs I am working on. They are works in progress, so you'll be able to hear how I progress as the year goes on. I recorded three pieces. First is Clair de Lune, which has a lot of mistakes in it, but considering I haven't perfected it and I get a little microphone shy, it's not so bad.
Second is The Nocturne. You'll notice a huge jump from the beginning to the key change, and that is because I can't play the whole thing through yet. Still many mistakes, but I have until October so I think I'm safe.
Third is the prelude and fugue by Bach (WTC book 1, #21). Again, my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be, also I was practically sight reading more than half of the fugue. I really need to work on my nimbleness! What I REALLY need is lessons! Oh, this blasted economy-- I would get the lessons if I could, but the construction industry is pretty terrible right now. Many home builders are getting in to hubby's field (asbestos abatement) and it's tough to get a good job right now, so things like lessons go by the wayside. I'm just hoping we can put L in violin lessons next year like we promised!
Second is The Nocturne. You'll notice a huge jump from the beginning to the key change, and that is because I can't play the whole thing through yet. Still many mistakes, but I have until October so I think I'm safe.
Third is the prelude and fugue by Bach (WTC book 1, #21). Again, my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be, also I was practically sight reading more than half of the fugue. I really need to work on my nimbleness! What I REALLY need is lessons! Oh, this blasted economy-- I would get the lessons if I could, but the construction industry is pretty terrible right now. Many home builders are getting in to hubby's field (asbestos abatement) and it's tough to get a good job right now, so things like lessons go by the wayside. I'm just hoping we can put L in violin lessons next year like we promised!
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
Clair de Lune,
Debussy,
nocturne,
recordings,
rusty,
well tempered clavier
Yeah, that's twice that I didn't check in.
I'm having a bummer week. But I'm keeping up with the practicing. I also noticed I had been neglecting my journal blog, so I had to post a bit on that today.
Yesterday I got in about 50 minutes, practicing Bach and Chopin only.
Today I have spent the majority of my time on those as well, but I also played Clair de Lune. I was about to open to that tonight when I opened to "O Polichinelo" from Prolo do Bebe, No. 1 instead. This little ditty is by Heitor Villa-Lobos. It is very fast and lots of fun. Listen here as performed by Marcelo Bratke. I can't play this piece nearly as well as this guy, but at one time I played it fairly well. I believe it was included on my senior recital. The hubby thinks it is just a mess of keys, which is what it probably sounds like right now anyway, so I'll give him that. But I was playing it more like at moderato, rather than presto. So I can understand his dislike. My goal is to make him like this piece! 20th century music can be hard to appreciate sometimes, but this is a great piece and its so fun.
Today so far I have about 50 minutes in as well. I'm going to get back to those ivories before I hit the hay so hopefully I can get at least another 10 minutes in tonight!
Yesterday I got in about 50 minutes, practicing Bach and Chopin only.
Today I have spent the majority of my time on those as well, but I also played Clair de Lune. I was about to open to that tonight when I opened to "O Polichinelo" from Prolo do Bebe, No. 1 instead. This little ditty is by Heitor Villa-Lobos. It is very fast and lots of fun. Listen here as performed by Marcelo Bratke. I can't play this piece nearly as well as this guy, but at one time I played it fairly well. I believe it was included on my senior recital. The hubby thinks it is just a mess of keys, which is what it probably sounds like right now anyway, so I'll give him that. But I was playing it more like at moderato, rather than presto. So I can understand his dislike. My goal is to make him like this piece! 20th century music can be hard to appreciate sometimes, but this is a great piece and its so fun.
Today so far I have about 50 minutes in as well. I'm going to get back to those ivories before I hit the hay so hopefully I can get at least another 10 minutes in tonight!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wait, did I miss a day?
I didn't miss a day of practice, but I did forget to blog yesterday! Oops!
First of all, I'm glad I took that break from the nocturne. Yesterday I was so much more productive during my practice time than I had been previously. I had a renewed energy and motivation to learn it. I actually now have played through the key change which begins at the end of the second page. I'm still working through some of the rhythms, and some of the notes are a little kooky for my fingers still, but I'll have it down in a few days I am sure. My goal was to finish the 3rd page by the end of February, but I'll have it down by mid January instead! I am way ahead of schedule!
Honestly, I can't remember what else I practiced, but I got in 70 minutes, and I know for sure that not all of that was spent on the nocturne.
So far today, I've gotten about 40 minutes in, just sitting down when I have a few minutes here and there. I've only worked on the nocturne today thus far, but hopefully I can get in a few more minutes today to bring it up to a full hour of practice for the day.
Tomorrow I'm having 2 nephews, a niece, and an almost niece come over to my house while my sister goes to the dentist, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get much practicing in then. But I'm crossing my fingers that I can get in my whole hour. If not, well, I'll blame it on having six kids in my house.
First of all, I'm glad I took that break from the nocturne. Yesterday I was so much more productive during my practice time than I had been previously. I had a renewed energy and motivation to learn it. I actually now have played through the key change which begins at the end of the second page. I'm still working through some of the rhythms, and some of the notes are a little kooky for my fingers still, but I'll have it down in a few days I am sure. My goal was to finish the 3rd page by the end of February, but I'll have it down by mid January instead! I am way ahead of schedule!
Honestly, I can't remember what else I practiced, but I got in 70 minutes, and I know for sure that not all of that was spent on the nocturne.
So far today, I've gotten about 40 minutes in, just sitting down when I have a few minutes here and there. I've only worked on the nocturne today thus far, but hopefully I can get in a few more minutes today to bring it up to a full hour of practice for the day.
Tomorrow I'm having 2 nephews, a niece, and an almost niece come over to my house while my sister goes to the dentist, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get much practicing in then. But I'm crossing my fingers that I can get in my whole hour. If not, well, I'll blame it on having six kids in my house.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Today's Progress
So, I didn't get any practicing in during the day. Maybe 5 minutes total. I sat down and started playing my nocturne but didn't get very far. Today was very busy, and we were gone this evening, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to get in all my time today.
Both my husband and I had volunteer work with youth at our church tonight. This means The Children had to come with us. Fortunately, there were several other kids there tonight for the girls to play with, and they had a great time running around the church causing all kinds of problems. This did mean that we got home well after their 8 o'clock bedtime, and children weren't snuggled up in their beds dreaming sweet dreams until closer to 10.
Which is when I began my practice tonight.
I first worked on the nocturne (duh). I'm getting quite a bit farther on page 3. I'm surprised how much easier this work is for me than I initially thought. It's going much more quickly than I anticipated. I'll need to spend a lot of time working on detail work, but it will be nice to be able to play it through at a decent tempo. One problem that I have being ADD is that my mind starts wandering if I play a piece too far below tempo, so I find it difficult to sightread for that reason (and a couple others, including the fact that when I first learned to play I couldn't see and essentially learned to play by ear and shape before I learned to read music well).
For some reason, I wasn't really feeling the nocturne today and stopped practicing early and went on to a waltz for a little while. This helped me to keep my focus and continue on for a total of 65 minutes (70 if you count earlier today... and since I have little kids, I count every second I spend at the piano, assuming I'm not just goofing off).
Then I worked on Prelude 21 by Bach. I'm having a bit of trouble keeping it even. It is a very quick piece and is really fun to play. I worked this one for about 10 minutes and moved on to the accompanying fugue, which I worked on for about 20 minutes.
For the last little bit of my practice time, I worked on Clair de Lune and tried to record it for you. I am not going to share it, however! For some reason, once the record button is pressed, I start making stupid mistakes that I never make while practicing.
One thing I have noticed, though, is I make fewer mistakes when I play a good piano. So the Kawai at church? That's well maintained and tuned semiannually? I sound really good and hardly make any mistakes.
My next mission is to find time about once a month to record at the church and share it here. I would aim for more often, but... well, it's just hard to find a couple hours that I can spend playing piano away from home without the kids.
Both my husband and I had volunteer work with youth at our church tonight. This means The Children had to come with us. Fortunately, there were several other kids there tonight for the girls to play with, and they had a great time running around the church causing all kinds of problems. This did mean that we got home well after their 8 o'clock bedtime, and children weren't snuggled up in their beds dreaming sweet dreams until closer to 10.
Which is when I began my practice tonight.
I first worked on the nocturne (duh). I'm getting quite a bit farther on page 3. I'm surprised how much easier this work is for me than I initially thought. It's going much more quickly than I anticipated. I'll need to spend a lot of time working on detail work, but it will be nice to be able to play it through at a decent tempo. One problem that I have being ADD is that my mind starts wandering if I play a piece too far below tempo, so I find it difficult to sightread for that reason (and a couple others, including the fact that when I first learned to play I couldn't see and essentially learned to play by ear and shape before I learned to read music well).
For some reason, I wasn't really feeling the nocturne today and stopped practicing early and went on to a waltz for a little while. This helped me to keep my focus and continue on for a total of 65 minutes (70 if you count earlier today... and since I have little kids, I count every second I spend at the piano, assuming I'm not just goofing off).
Then I worked on Prelude 21 by Bach. I'm having a bit of trouble keeping it even. It is a very quick piece and is really fun to play. I worked this one for about 10 minutes and moved on to the accompanying fugue, which I worked on for about 20 minutes.
For the last little bit of my practice time, I worked on Clair de Lune and tried to record it for you. I am not going to share it, however! For some reason, once the record button is pressed, I start making stupid mistakes that I never make while practicing.
One thing I have noticed, though, is I make fewer mistakes when I play a good piano. So the Kawai at church? That's well maintained and tuned semiannually? I sound really good and hardly make any mistakes.
My next mission is to find time about once a month to record at the church and share it here. I would aim for more often, but... well, it's just hard to find a couple hours that I can spend playing piano away from home without the kids.
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
Clair de Lune,
Debussy,
nocturne,
waltz,
well tempered clavier
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wednesday is my busy day
Today L had preschool, I had a church meeting, and I also had another appointment in the afternoon. Thankfully, I was able to get some practice time in while the chicken was defrosting in the microwave and again while the girls were in the bath (they're still there now-- they found mom's bubble bath and have been having a grand time). All in all, I got in 15 minutes of working on Clair de Lune, 30 minutes of Fugue 21, and I started playing the nocturne. But I had to quit because I'm about ready to put the kiddos in bed. Hopefully I can spend another 30 minutes tonight on the nocturne. I also have to get some yoga in there somewhere.
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
Clair de Lune,
Debussy,
nocturne,
well tempered clavier
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back on track
Today I practiced 70 minutes. The first half hour, I worked on my Chopin nocturne, the second half I worked on Fugue 21 by Bach, and the last 10 minutes I worked on Clair de Lune. I'm working on memorizing Clair de Lune again, and I'm very close. I still get a little tripped up on the ending. Tomorrow I may not get as much time in-- it's looking like it may be a busy day tomorrow. Such is life.
Labels:
bach,
Chopin,
Clair de Lune,
Debussy,
nocturne,
well tempered clavier
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