60 minutes really isn't enough.

At my level, I really should be practicing a minimum of 120 minutes per day. But right now, it ain't going to happen. There's no way I can do the type of practicing I need to do in just one hour per day. But what I'm doing now is keeping me from going downhill in my skill level. If it wasn't ten o'clock when I began my practicing, I would have probably practiced much more today than just one hour. Since I had a busy day out of the home, I was unable to practice during the day, so I had to settle for all night time practicing today.

I wish I had practiced more when I was young, 17, 18, 19, 20... Suddenly I feel the urge to sing "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger."

Today was the day of impromptus. I started off with my Impromptu by Tcherepnin. I played through that a few times then moved on to my Schubert Impromptu, which is probably one of my favorite pieces that I've ever played (it's up there with Clair de Lune and Beethoven's Sonata no. 8). I played it through once at my regular speed, which is a bit slower than "full speed" (144/123 bpm in 3/4 time). Because my fingers were so clumsy, I decided to play it at half speed. I still made mistakes, but I think it's because I played it the whole way through. I need to get my fingers to the point where they don't make mistakes, but not be so far-reaching as to try to get the whole song at once. So I'm breaking it down, section by section. It's 11 pages long, and I have three major trouble spots that I've been drilling for the last several days. So my plan of action is this: Practice each of the trouble spots at half speed 10x perfectly before moving on to a faster speed, working up till I can play each trouble spot full speed perfectly 10x in a row; once that is achieved, play through each page at 1/2 time 10x perfectly, then increase the speed on each page, until full speed is achieved. I think I'll be able to reduce my practice time on this piece to 20 minutes per day if I just take it one section/speed per day.

At this point, I had 10 minutes left, so instead of starting another piece (I was starting to get tired), I played through May Song a couple of time. Oy. I hadn't played it in a few weeks. It's amazing what a few weeks off will do to you! It was quite clumsy sounding.

I'd better play that nocturne soon before I lose what I have gained!

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!).

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.