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.

Yes, I have been slacking.

But not on my piano playing. Just my blogging. I haven't been playing too much of the Nocturne lately. I think because I'm so close to having all the notes down, and because I'm just a little bit burned out on it. Plus I am frustrated with it, because I am unable to get up to the speed I need to get to. It has scales that need to be played as quickly as a trill. My fingers just don't move that fast. Yet.

I can't really remember what I've been practicing for the past few days, so I'll just go over today's menu.

I practiced Schubert's Impromptu #10 for about 25 minutes today. I am drilling a couple of trouble spots and working on dynamics. I am a little clumsy throughout the whole piece, so I need to play it slower and work up to a faster speed.

I also played Bach's Fugue 21. I got out my "counting beans" and played a couple sections through ten times each. With the counting beans, I get to move the bean over from the middle of the saucer to the outside ridge every time I play through it perfectly. I pass when I get all ten beans to the outside ridge. Often, when I mess up, I have to put a bean back. If I'm really being hard on myself, if I mess up I have to put all the beans back and start over from the beginning. One section I worked on counting beans hands separately, the other hands together (I don't really pass off a section until I can complete the "counting beans" HT, though).

Lastly, I played Tcherepnin. I drilled the beginning couple of lines. In the past week I've been drilling trouble spots, but this isn't a trouble spot that I worked on today. It's the beginning, which has gotten a teensy bit clumsy.

All totaled I got in 80 minutes today. Not too bad.

Two days in a row

Today and yesterday I took a break from The Nocturne. I enjoy playing it, but playing it day in and day out really makes me weary. Darn my ADD! That is why I have so many songs that I'm working on. I can't just focus on two or three. I have to have ten.

Today I got the opportunity to play on the grand at church. I don't get to play on it often, but I enjoy playing it when I do. I'm used to playing my Kia, but at church I get to play the Lexus. In a few years, I'm hoping the Steinway at my parent's house will be refurbished so I can play on a Rolls Royce :)

Yesterday I worked through Hannon 1-10 and today I did 11-20. Yesterday I did arpeggios but today I did none, and I haven't done scales either day.

I've been working really hard on my Schubert Impromptu no. 4, and also my Tcherepnin Bagatelle. I enjoy the first because it is just so beautiful and flowy, light and airy, but has a lovely heavier trio in the middle. The Tcherpnin is a lot of fun, almost like a joke. It is the last Bagatelle in a series of 10, and the end you have to scoot yourself up to the end of the bench to really get the notes hit right-- you play the very highest note, so it's like you're scooting off the bench ready to be done with it already.

I read up on Tcherepnin yesterday. He is from a family of composers, with his father and son both being composers as well. So, kind of like a 20th century Bach.

Speaking of Bach, I worked on the Fugue yesteday for a bit. Today I worked on Clair de Lune. I have three measures toward the end that trip me up every time. I'm going to work those three measures every day 10 times before I work on other sections, just so I can memorize it again. I also have a couple trouble spots in the key change area.

Today's practice total was 80 minutes, which surprises me because I almost didn't practice at all. I had a rough day, and my kids were making me insane. Usually I get practicing in a little while dinner's in the oven or while the kids are in the bath, but not tonight. I had 10 minutes at the church and the rest was at home.

Yesterday I got in 65 minutes. I would have gotten in a lot more but I was preparing to teach preschool today (which is partly why I had such a rough day-- L never listens to me during preschool and it can get to be overwhelming, but I found out it's not just me at least!).

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!

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.