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Practice Journal: Day #66

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

Session #218

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218.1: :

I just worked on reviewing scales. I played them around the circle of fifths.

I am embarrassed to say I just recently learned what the circle of fifths is. I’m determined to try to commit it to memory, so that’s why I played them in this order.

Since in the music school, some people seem to play scales from F# and onward at a lower octave than the first six, I decided to play it by starting at C, then going down four, up five, and so on. That worked for the first six, until I landed on B, then I had to go down four again to F#, and continue the pattern from there.

With C and G, I played at mm=96, with four notes per beat, but then had to slow down to 92 for the rest of the scales.

I only did major scales today. I might introduce harmonic and melodic minor scales soon.

218.2: :

Next, I worked on a method that I found in a book, that I will post about soon.

Basically, you do each octave separately, but then add one note from the next octave, so that you can fit 8 notes in one beat, and land on the next beat. So for instance, with C major, you would go from C, to the D an octave above.

I started with Db, because that’s the scale it recommends that is the easiest. I started at mm=60, but that’s with 8 notes per beat instead of four, as I usually do.

I worked on each hand separately at first. Then after repeating 7 times perfectly, I would put them together a few times.

Using this method, I got through the first two sections, basically the first two octaves plus two notes.

Then I realized that with four notes per beat as we do at the music school, this is actually 120 BPM. Amazed that I had just blew by the goal of 112 required for jury, I set the metronome at 120 and tried it. It took a minute since there were more divisions than before, but then I was able to play it. Of course, it collapsed after the first two octaves since I have not worked on anymore yet.

I’m going to continue to work on this method, and see how it affects my other scales. It looks promising, though.

I’m still trying to figure out the best way to practice arpeggios, though. I wonder if there is something similar.

218.3: :

Just like in session #216.1, I worked on the first three measures.

It went a lot more easily this time. Again there was no problem in the first measure.

The second measure was also a lot easier. It felt much more even and clean.

In the third measure, again I had a slight problem with the second half of beat 4, but not nearly so often. Then, I noticed the movement my hand was making when it was even, and tried to replicate that. It seemed to work.

The left hand really had no problem in that section.

I do feel like this was better than yesterday. I am going to continue to use this method, and see how it is in a few days.

Statistics

  • Time: 06:05:52 PM-06:59:20 PM
  • Length: 0:53:32
  • Average session: 0:25:11
  • Session trend: 0:29:32

Session #219

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219.1: : :

Just like in session #217.1, I worked up through the run in the beginning.

The very beginning, up until the run, went very easily. I made maybe one or two mistakes, but nothing major (no pun intended, lol).

The run went a little bit better, but I did spend more time on it, especially in the left hand, and especially in that descending part down to the A, before it goes into that down-up pattern.

I used the same method as before, but also copied the right hand. I played each separate section along with the corresponding section in the right hand, and that helped to make it more even and fast.

I realized that the second section in the left hand, where there is D-C-Bb, was a bit uneven. The C was grouping together with the Bb, and the D was kind of left out. That’s why that sounded so wrong when I was trying to speed that entire scale up.

I then worked on connecting each section again, which went a little better, but there is still a lot of tension there, so I am having trouble going too fast yet.

I didn’t get far into the actual arpeggio pattern after that, within the run, but this is the hardest part so that is OK.

219.2: :

I figured it was about time to actually work on Polichinelle.

I just started at the beginning, like all of the other pieces I’m working on. I got through the first 10 measures.

I had trouble with those little grace notes or whatever they are in the very beginning, making it sharp and crisp enough in both hands, as well as being accurate.

But after a bit of practice, I was well-pleased with my progress.

Surprisingly, the hardest part was in measures 7-10. I’m not sure why, because that isn’t a particularly difficult section, but still I had trouble.

It started to get a little uncomfortable in the right hand. That part has to be legato between the G’s and F#’s, so I’ve been using 1 and 4 on the F#’s, but that requires a bit of twisting of the hand, which is uncomfortable. I’m not sure if I’ll change that or not. It got very frustrating though, so I should have stopped and took a break and it probably would have been easier, but it seemed like it should be easy to begin with, so I persisted.

219.3: :

I haven’t touched this piece in ages, so I figured I’d work on it for 10 minutes or so.

I got through the first 10 measures. The hardest part was probably measure 10, because I had trouble making the left hand very accurate there for some reason. I did get it though, and it seems to be better.

Those 32nd notes in the beginning, especially in the left hand, are a little challenging, so I worked on making those consistent and even, too.

Overall, I am very happy with my progress.

Statistics

  • Time: 07:34:42 PM-08:27:51 PM
  • Length: 0:50:52
  • Average session: 0:25:18
  • Session trend: 0:31:40

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 1:44:24
    • Sessions: 2
    • Average session: 0:52:12
    • Longest session: 0:53:32 in session #218
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 92:19:33
    • Average time per day: 0:37:57
    • Time per day trend: 0:46:43
    • Average sessions per day: 1.50
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.53
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #21):
      • Time: 6:13:56
      • Sessions: 13
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 21:37:24
      • Sessions: 45
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 233:20:40
      • Sessions: 554

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, Felix Mendelssohn, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 4, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Scales, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Technique | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #65

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Session #215

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215.1: :

I decided to work mostly hands-separate on scales today.

I started on C major, and at mm=92, with four notes per beat. I did it hands separate at first, and then hands together after I did the scale with each hand a few times without mistakes.

I slowly increased the metronome, playing hands-separate at each speed, all the way up to 108. I’m surprised I could go that fast, since that was about the speed I was at a few months ago, before I stopped practicing them.

I still wasn’t sure whether it was better to work on speeding up one scale, or to try to get several scales to one speed. I opted to try the former, though.

Statistics

  • Time: 07:13:55 PM-07:30:29 PM
  • Length: 0:16:35
  • Average session: 0:25:02
  • Session trend: 0:27:04

Session #216

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216.1: :

I worked on the first three measures. I thought I’d get through all four, but I did not.

I worked on each measure separately, trying to play it 7 times perfectly before moving on.

Of course the first measure really gave me no problems. I did each hand separately though before putting them together.

The second measure wasn’t too bad, but I wanted to make sure all the notes were even. It is hard to tell when both hands are together and going rather fast, so I separated them and slowed down. That seemed to help a lot.

The third measure was probably the hardest. The second half of beat 4 in the right hand has D#-F#-A#-B (I don’t know if any of those are flats or not, but I’ll go with sharps). For some reason I sometimes play that unevenly.

To try to fix it, I started out playing it very slowly. Then I sped it up, just a few notes at a time. I played D#-F# in succession very fast at first. Then I added the A#, and finally the B. It was going too fast at this point, so I slowed it down a bit. That seemed a lot better.

I had a similar problem in the left hand, in the first half of beat 4. It has D#-F#-A-B. The problem wasn’t as pronounced, but it still was a little uneven. I used the exact same method as in the right hand, and it helped.

After each measure, I played through that measure from the beginning, to put it in context.

This was a very intense practice, but I feel like this method really is helping. It can be frustrating because it points out exactly where you are having trouble. This is the first time in a while I have used this method of playing a part 7 times perfectly.

The trick is to take a passage, and split into sections that you can repeat 7 times perfectly without trouble. You should be able to complete the passage in 15-20 minutes.

I will report how it goes as time continues, but so far I feel pretty good about it.

Statistics

  • Time: 07:33:58 PM-07:58:42 PM
  • Length: 0:24:45
  • Average session: 0:25:02
  • Session trend: 0:26:50

Session #217

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In the recording, I got confused and say session #216 instead of #217. I lose count sometimes.

217.1: : :

So, following the example of session #216, I again chose a passage and worked on it part-by-part. I was going to go by measure, but well this section really doesn’t have measures.

I started at the beginning, and worked first until the next time the left hand plays the octave G’s. It plays that three times, so that gave me two small sections to work on. The third section was from the third octave G’s in the left hand, up to the top where the run begins.

That all went very well. I hardly made any mistakes at all, except maybe one. It was strange to do, though, because I had never split this up like that before.

It was useful though, I think. Usually I can only start at certain spots that I have concrete in memory, but not at other parts, because once I start somewhere, my fingers just know where to go but I don’t necessarily remember which notes it is. However, this forced me to remember different sections at a more granular level.

Then I went into that descending run, which was a lot harder. I worked hands separate on that, since they don’t interlace together like they do in the beginning.

In the first section of this run, I played down to the F# in the right hand, before it starts that descending pattern of down-up-down-up, etc. The right hand can go very fast, which is great, and I made very few mistakes.

The left hand is a different story. I moved up the bench for this one, since I knew I’d be up there for a while.

The left hand is nowhere nearly as fast, which disappoints me. So I split it up, by its natural seams, so to speak, where the thumb has to cross under.

The first part was just F# and Eb (I seriously have no idea which is a sharp or flat, but that makes the most sense in terms of a harmonic minor). Then it crosses under to D-C-Bb. So I played both parts separately, then gradually put them together. I played the F#-Eb part, then D-C-Bb. I made the transition faster and faster. It still is not very fast, but is a little better.

Then I worked on the D-C-Bb, and A-G-F#-Eb, using the same method.

Finally, I worked on the transition between A-G-F#-Eb, to D-C-Bb-A.

I did not try to put them all together very much because I just want to work on one transition at a time for now. However I did play the hands together slowly.

Then I worked on the descending pattern after that, hands-separate. The right hand had no problem at all, so that was great.

The left hand had a little more trouble. Though it was accurate most of the time at first, I felt like it was being held together by a thread. So I slowed it down, and tried to get it perfectly. I was then starting to make mistakes, and get frustrated, so I slowed down a lot just to get it right at least a few times.

Then I played hands together, and did the ascending diminished arpeggio, just so as to finish the passage, then resolved with those four chords afterwards, resolving with the G-minor.

I think that if I stick with this method for mastering a passage, it should work. I think it really started to help me today, so I will try it over the next week or so and see how it works.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:00:01 PM-08:27:05 PM
  • Length: 0:27:06
  • Average session: 0:25:03
  • Session trend: 0:26:51

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 1:08:26
    • Sessions: 3
    • Average session: 0:22:49
    • Longest session: 0:27:06 in session #217
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 90:35:09
    • Average time per day: 0:37:29
    • Time per day trend: 0:40:18
    • Average sessions per day: 1.50
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.48
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #21):
      • Time: 5:02:34
      • Sessions: 13
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 20:05:04
      • Sessions: 44
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 230:31:32
      • Sessions: 552

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Scales, Technique | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #64

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Session #214

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214.1: :

I’m still trying to figure out how to practice scales. I tried doing two octaves at a time, hands-separate. If I made a mistake, I just repeated that part of the scale.

I think I just tried 80 and 84, and then jumped to 92 because it was incredibly slow.

I’m still kind of clueless about practicing, but hopefully I start to figure it out.

214.2: :

I wanted to split this into sections, which I would then practice using the 7-times-perfectly method.

So I did so. I played through the prelude, and then focused on the first measure for a while. I think I got that up to 88.

Then, I figured it’d be best to start the second measure slower, so I started at mm=60. I practiced that for a bit.

Then my mom came home, and we were going to leave for dinner since both of us were starving, so I stopped.

Statistics

  • Time: 03:23:16 PM-03:51:05 PM
  • Length: 0:27:50
  • Average session: 0:25:05
  • Session trend: 0:28:14

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 0:27:50
    • Sessions: 1
    • Average session: 0:27:50
    • Longest session: 0:27:50 in session #214
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 89:26:43
    • Average time per day: 0:37:16
    • Time per day trend: 0:37:10
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.31
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #21):
      • Time: 4:18:27
      • Sessions: 11
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 19:19:15
      • Sessions: 42
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 229:12:14
      • Sessions: 548

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Scales, Technique | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #63

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Session #210

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210.1: :

I worked on some scales, finally. I have been trying to figure out the best way to practice them, but I figured that practicing them any way at all was better than not at all.

I started with C major. I set the metronome at 80 BPM, but that was far too slow, so I increased it to 92. I tried hands separate for a while, and then played hands together.

The left hand is noticeably slower than the right hand, at their respective comfortable speeds. Hopefully that will change. It has been a while since I’ve done any technique at all.

Then I went to C#. I noticed that it was a lot easier for my right hand, since the black keys better put the thumb in place for the white keys it plays. However, the left hand had a bit of trouble.

I split up the entire scales into sections, so as to try to isolate any problems. I did one or two octaves at a time, or sometimes only a few notes.

Altogether, though scales are never very enjoyable, I think it went pretty well. We’ll see how it goes, I guess. I have a lot of time to figure out the best way to do this.

Statistics

  • Time: 04:20:18 PM-04:41:27 PM
  • Length: 0:19:05
  • Average session: 0:25:01
  • Session trend: 0:28:13

Session #211

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211.1: :

I worked on the new part I learned at my lesson.

It went pretty well, though it still requires a lot more work to become as easy as the part of the piece I already know. It is not very difficult, though. I actually really enjoy it.

I think I might try to get a recording though. I might have to buy it off of Amazon, so that I can listen to how it is supposed to sound.

Statistics

  • Time: 05:13:46 PM-05:40:56 PM
  • Length: 0:27:12
  • Average session: 0:25:02
  • Session trend: 0:28:07

Session #212

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212.1: :

I worked on the new part again.

I had the idea of splitting it into several sections, and working on each one separately, until it was more secure. So, I started with measures 13-15. Measure 15 was the only new part, but I wanted to overlap.

I wanted to play it seven times perfectly consecutively. I made a few mistakes, but I eventually got it.

And then, it clicked, and I tried playing it quickly. It was beautiful, and I was able to play it very quickly without any mistakes at all. It is very clean, so that makes me happy.

Then I worked on measure 16, and a little of measure 17. That wasn’t too hard, honestly, because the pattern is very similar to measures 2, 6, and 7.

I really love this part though because there’s a lot of bass. It is nice and low on the piano.

It is very easy for me to remember measure 17 now because my piano teacher told me what kind of chord that is in the right hand. It is a B diminished chord, with the A in the left hand adding a 7th.

I do have trouble in measures 18 and 19, but I will work on that tomorrow.

Statistics

  • Time: 07:20:10 PM-07:53:44 PM
  • Length: 0:33:36
  • Average session: 0:25:04
  • Session trend: 0:28:39

Session #213

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213.1: : :

I worked on the beginning a bit. The run was pretty good now that I got that F# fixed on my piano. It was a little messy the first time though, but then it was very clean and fast. I was happy with it.

The first time I did the arpeggio was also messy, but then the second and third times were clean and fast.

I had to slow down through the jumps. I’ll really have to devote some time to only those, because I am not happy with those.

Nonetheless, I continued on into the melodic section after that. I repeated it once since I made a couple of mistakes.

The arpeggios right after those grace note chords were very good.

I worked up to the 32nd notes around page 9 and onward. I didn’t have too much trouble with that, so I continued onto the section where the hands share the octaves, starting on the G’s, etc.

They were better than before. The second part of them, starting on Bb’s, was better than session #206.1.

So then I worked on the third part, starting on the D’s, and where the left hand actually has a full octave. That is tough because the hands interlace a lot more, and sometimes they trip over each other a bit. I learned a bit though how to shift my body to allow them more room.

The trickiest part of that is at the top, when the left hand jumps back down to octave D’s. It is such a far jump to begin with, and also I have trouble with the chord in the right hand. But I worked on it a bit, and I think I improved a bit.

Then just for the fun of it, I played all the way through up through part of the cadenza.

I need to choose a few sections to work on consistently for a while, so that I can actually make consistent progress. I’m not sure which sections I will choose yet.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:00:51 PM-08:25:37 PM
  • Length: 0:24:47
  • Average session: 0:25:04
  • Session trend: 0:28:16

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 1:44:40
    • Sessions: 4
    • Average session: 0:26:10
    • Longest session: 0:33:36 in session #212
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 88:58:53
    • Average time per day: 0:37:20
    • Time per day trend: 0:38:13
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.35
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #21):
      • Time: 4:39:39
      • Sessions: 12
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 19:34:51
      • Sessions: 42
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 229:36:35
      • Sessions: 550

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Scales, Technique | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #62

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Session #209

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209.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

Since I got back so late from Seven Springs, I really didn’t have that much time to practice. I wanted to at least for a bit though since it was the last time I would be able to practice before my piano lesson.

It went pretty well over all. I slowed down part of it again to make sure it is still clean. I am rather happy with the speed, though.

I think I was just tired, because I didn’t do as well as I normally did. It also might have been because my hands were cold.

209.2: Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto

I really didn’t get to practice this very long. It was quarter till 9, and my neighbor complained as soon as I started playing this, saying it was too loud. So now I’ll have to stop at 8:30 I guess.

But I did get through the beginning of it, and was happy enough with it. I had trouble with the arpeggio the first time, but then it was OK.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:31:20 PM-08:46:31 PM
  • Length: 0:15:11
  • Average session: 0:25:03
  • Session trend: 0:29:13

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 0:15:11
    • Sessions: 1
    • Average session: 0:15:11
    • Longest session: 0:15:11 in session #209
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 87:14:13
    • Average time per day: 0:36:52
    • Time per day trend: 0:30:50
    • Average sessions per day: 1.47
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.05
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #21):
      • Time: 0:53:09
      • Sessions: 4
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 17:39:51
      • Sessions: 38
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 226:41:37
      • Sessions: 543

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1 | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #61

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Session #208

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208.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I was really tired, so had a lot of trouble focusing.

Yesterday, I thought that the piece might be a little unclean and unstable still. Mostly, I think that instead of being even 32nd notes, they are just starting to cluster together and are uneven.

For that reason, I played the piece slowly just to make sure it was OK. I don’t want any mistakes sneaking in.

Then, I worked on measures 13-14. I feel like the left hand is sometimes uneven in this part, especially between the first two notes, when finger 4 is used for the second note. This is especially noticeable on beat 1 of measure 13, where it starts with A#-C# (I don’t know if that A# is a Bb or not).

So, I practiced those measures slowly, and gradually sped it up. I think it is starting to become more even.

I discussed in session #206.1 that I was uncomfortable with the fingering in beat 3 of measure 12. So, today, I tried reverting to using 5-3-2-1 in the left hand. It is a little uncomfortable, but I think it is better overall.

208.2: Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto

I went over the beginning a few times since I had made a few mistakes. It went pretty well, though.

The arpeggio in the solo part in the beginning went rather well, too. I didn’t really work on it much since it was very clean.

I worked a lot on the slower section after the solo, where it is very melodic. I noticed I was making a lot of stupid little mistakes. Mostly they are where the left hand jumps from an octave, up to a single note for the broken chord. For instance, in the beginning of that section, it has a G octave in around the first octave, followed by D, down to Bb, up to G, down to D, around middle C. I was having trouble hitting that D, as I did in session #206.2. There were a few other similar problems as well.

Oddly, I had trouble with that part where there are those grace note chords in the right hand. They had been going well for a long time, but I kept missing the Eb-G. I played it slowly several times to try to fix that.

I played up to about page 9, just going over wherever there were any problems.

Statistics

  • Time: 06:16:08 PM-06:58:07 PM
  • Length: 0:42:03
  • Average session: 0:25:05
  • Session trend: 0:30:47

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 0:42:03
    • Sessions: 1
    • Average session: 0:42:03
    • Longest session: 0:42:03 in session #208
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 86:59:02
    • Average time per day: 0:37:17
    • Time per day trend: 0:36:11
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.17
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #20):
      • Time: 5:54:35
      • Sessions: 18
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 19:22:55
      • Sessions: 73
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 229:15:54
      • Sessions: 691

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Practice Journal: Day #60

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Friday, May 15, 2009

Session #206

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206.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I was really happy with my progress today.

I started without the metronome, just to warm up. But then I started at 72 BPM.

That went great, so I sped it up to 76, and then, apprehensively, I increased it to 80. I was very nervous about it because this was again faster than I had gone with it yet, and I knew I was getting very close to the proper speed, if I wasn’t already there.

It actually went well at 80. There were some mistakes that I had to go back and review, but it was not that difficult.

This is amazing, considering that just a week ago, 80 BPM seemed impossible.

Mostly, I was just unhappy with some of the parts in the left hand, especially around measure 8. Sometimes I trip over the notes there and press something I shouldn’t. Also, sometimes I don’t do it quite fast enough.

I’m still a bit unhappy with beat 3 of measure 12. I have that new fingering in the left hand as I discussed in session #201.1, but it is a little bit too slow between D and G, taken by fingers 1 and 2. I might try the old fingering and see how that works out, or otherwise I’ll just ask my piano teacher next week.

Since there really wasn’t much else to do, I also worked on interpretation. I discovered that I like there to be a bit of rubato between beat 4.5 of measure 1 and beat 1 of measure 2. Basically, the first two notes of the melody. I like there to be a little hesitation, before jumping into the “fire,” so to speak. It waits just a moment, and then continues full speed, with intensity.

I also notice that there is a huge difference between two ways that I play it. The one way is relaxed and laid back, as I observed in session #188. The other method has a wonderful stable foundation in the bass, and is constantly pressing forward to a goal. I think I discovered a bit more how to create this latter trait, without using the metronome as was necessary before.

206.2: Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto

I had a little trouble in the beginning, so I repeated it a few times.

I also had trouble with the arpeggio unfortunately, so I had to break it down into four parts, as I did in sessions #190 and #201.2. That went very well.

Then I went into the more melodic part. I had some trouble hitting the right notes in the left hand, so worked on that a while. It wasn’t that difficult, though.

I went up to those 32nd notes around page 9. I didn’t have too much trouble with that, but I did work on the parts that were giving me some difficulty.

Then I went into the part where the hands share those octaves. That’s so hard to explain where it is; I will have to ask my piano teacher which page it starts on. Anyway, the first part of that went all right, but the second and third parts, starting on Bb and D, respectively, were much more difficult. I worked on those for the remainder of the time.

I noticed on the part with the Bb’s, that the left hand transitioned from finger 1 to 2 when it was ascending. However, I noticed I did not do that at the top for some reason, and I was having trouble up there, too, so decided to make the fingering consistent throughout the entire phrase.

Then I went into the octaves, and the transition into the descending chords, only because I love that part with the alternating octaves.

Statistics

  • Time: 01:58:21 PM-02:58:55 PM
  • Length: 1:00:14
  • Average session: 0:25:02
  • Session trend: 0:30:30

Session #207

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207.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I just wanted to review it quickly. My hands weren’t very warm, so I had trouble at 80, so I then tried without the metronome. That went better, so then I went back to 80, and it was better.

207.2: Rachmaninoff: Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 4

I hadn’t worked on this piece for a while, so wanted to go over the jumps at least in measures 11-12, since I had been making progress.

They were a lot easier today. I mean I wasn’t able to get them right away, but I was overall much more accurate then before, in session #202.2.

I did my usual method for mastering a section, though, and repeated it 7 times perfectly. I was able to do more of the measure in each hand without mistakes, so that was good. It is still a little troublesome when I put the hands together, however.

Since that went so well, I moved on to measures 16-20, especially the jump in measure 19. I used to have this much better a few months ago, notably in session #146. However, it has been over two months, so most of the progress was erased.

So I worked on one hand at a time. I had to do one note at a time in the right hand, and build on each one to create the chord jump. However, the left hand went a bit easier. Hands together isn’t great, though.

Altogether, I am very happy with my progress here, too. I am seeing my practice method pay off of repeating something 7 times perfectly. I just have to be more consistent with the parts I work on, and I think I would progress much faster.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:07:21 PM-08:28:10 PM
  • Length: 0:20:50
  • Average session: 0:25:01
  • Session trend: 0:29:32

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 1:21:04
    • Sessions: 2
    • Average session: 0:40:32
    • Longest session: 1:00:14 in session #206
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 86:16:59
    • Average time per day: 0:37:15
    • Time per day trend: 0:35:32
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.19
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #20):
      • Time: 6:04:37
      • Sessions: 19
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 19:13:33
      • Sessions: 73
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 229:03:14
      • Sessions: 689

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 4, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Sergei Rachmaninoff | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #59

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Session #205

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205.1: Mendelssohn:
Prelude
in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I started out just by playing through the piece a few times. It all went even better than it did yesterday.

I then set the metronome, initially to 66, I think. Anyway it went very easily, so I increased to 69, then 72, both without difficulty. I finally went
even up to 76, which is faster than I had ever gone before. I had a little trouble getting that fast, but it really wasn’t too difficult. I was really
happy with myself about that.

I had a little trouble with measure 8 again, but it is continuing to get better.

205.2: Saint-Saëns:
Piano
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1.
Andante sostenuto

I got through about half of the movement. That run in the beginning, as well as the arpeggio, went really easily, surprisingly.

I didn’t really have too much trouble after that, either, though I repeated part of it just to go over a few minor mistakes I had made.

Then
I went into the 32nd notes beginning around page 9. That went well, but it is still very difficult. The most difficult part in that section is where the
right hand has those chords going up and down.

Then I worked on that part after that. It is the part where the hands share the octaves.

That
actually wasn’t all that bad, except for the last two parts of it, where the left hand has the octaves. I will have to work on that.

Then I went
into the octaves, which were not that bad, either, though they need to be faster. The transition into the descending chords wasn’t as great as I wanted
it to be the first time, but it was OK after that.

I went into the arpeggios in the left hand, and the melody in the right. It was very smooth,
which I was happy with.

I had a little trouble with the descending arpeggio in the right hand after that, but realized I was shifted over on the
bench too far, so corrected that and it was a lot better.

I finally went through the diminished F arpeggio. I always have trouble at the top of
that, in the right hand, so had to repeat it a few times. I then had trouble with the descending part of the arpeggio, so again had to repeat it a few
times.

I am very happy with my progress, though. I do have to do some more focused practice of several sections.

Statistics

  • Time: 01:23:29 PM-02:13:01 PM
  • Length: 0:46:14
  • Average session: 0:24:51
  • Session trend: 0:27:12

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 0:46:14
    • Sessions: 1
    • Average session: 0:46:14
    • Longest session: 0:46:14 in session #205
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 84:55:55
    • Average time per day: 0:36:56
    • Time per day trend: 0:30:28
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.10
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #20):
      • Time: 5:24:03
      • Sessions: 18
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 17:36:26
      • Sessions: 72
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 227:06:03
      • Sessions: 687

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1 | 1 Comment »

Practice Journal: Day #58

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Session #204

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204.1: Mendelssohn:
Prelude
in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I am so happy with my progress today. I kept practicing the parts I had trouble with, especially measure 8, and measures
13-14.

I practiced measure 8 hands separately for a bit, trying to get that to be more fluid. It’s still difficult, but it is starting to get easier.

I experimented with using the fingering 5-2-1-2 in the left hand for that broken chord, but it is slightly too uncomfortable, and I think would be worse
when made faster.

In the right hand, in beat 3 of measure 8, I have a little trouble hitting that B and D at the top of the chord. However, with
a little practicing, and shifting my hand, it got a little easier. I also practiced getting softer transitioning into the next phrase, which is supposed
to be played softer, just as I mentioned yesterday.
That went a bit better.

I also practiced measures 13 and 14, trying to make that more stable and clean. I noticed in beat 2 of measure 14 that my
left hand sometimes has trouble with playing the notes too quickly as compared to the right hand, and the rest of the phrase. So, I played that part several
times to try to fix that problem.

After all of that, I decided to use the metronome. Yesterday,
I set it at 60 BPM, since I wasn’t quite comfortable enough with the new measures to make it faster yet. However, today, that felt like a snail’s pace,
and I played it perfectly without any trouble at all, except wanting to go faster.

Since I was so comfortable with that, I thought 63 would be a
waste of time, so sped it up immediately to 66. That went well, also, but I had to practice that a few times just to make sure it was OK.

I was
also very comfortable with that, so sped it up finally to 69. That went very well, and was closer to the speed I had been naturally practicing it, I think.

It is funny, because it was so much harder to play any of this piece at 69 last
Thursday, and now it is very easy. That shows me that my practice is paying off, even if I’ve not been doing all that much.

Also, I was able
to play measures 9-14 a lot faster. My fingers were just flying over the keys in those measures, probably because they really inspire me, so I really enjoy
playing them. I think they seem very clean even at that speed. I wasn’t really trying to play all of that faster, but I was just playing around with measures
13-14, and played a few of the beats faster just to see if I could. After a minute or so, I was able to play it very quickly.

204.2: Saint-Saëns:
Piano
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22

I started over a few times, since I kept making mistakes. Once I got started, though, I did very well on
both the run and the arpeggio, which is why I really didn’t work on them all that much.

Then I worked up to about page 9 or 10, twice I think because
I had made a few mistakes closer to the beginning.

Over all, it went quite well. I’d like to still secure the solo in the beginning a bit more,
and move onto the more difficult parts after page 9.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:27:38 PM-09:10:26 PM
  • Length: 0:42:47
  • Average session: 0:24:45
  • Session trend: 0:25:05

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 0:42:47
    • Sessions: 1
    • Average session: 0:42:47
    • Longest session: 0:42:47 in session #204
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 84:09:41
    • Average time per day: 0:36:52
    • Time per day trend: 0:28:43
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.11
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #20):
      • Time: 5:24:10
      • Sessions: 19
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 17:07:27
      • Sessions: 72
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 226:41:00
      • Sessions: 686

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Computers, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1, Religion | 1 Comment »

Practice Journal: Day #56

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Session #198

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198.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I tried to practice rather early in the day, since I had my piano lesson in the morning, and didn’t want to forget any of what I had learned.

Thankfully I remembered just about everything, except for beat 4 of measure 13, and beat 2 of measure 14. So, at the end, I called my piano teacher to ask what the notes in the right hand were there. She didn’t answer the phone, so I left a message.

Other than that, though, everything else went rather well, but will take some more practice.

Statistics

  • Time: 09:48:58 AM-10:07:26 AM
  • Length: 0:18:29
  • Average session: 0:24:44
  • Session trend: 0:23:40

Session #199

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199.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I had just sat down to work on the piece a few more minutes, when my piano teacher called back. So, I recorded what the she told me were the correct notes, so there’s no chance of forgetting them again.

Statistics

  • Time: 11:31:11 AM-11:35:35 AM
  • Length: 0:04:23
  • Average session: 0:24:38
  • Session trend: 0:21:44

Session #200

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200.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

The practice went pretty well. I worked a lot on measure 5, to make that more smooth. I repeated it several times, and I think it got a lot better. I wanted to make it as clean as the four measures before it, and make the transition well.

Of course, I also worked on the rest of what I learned.

Measures 6-7 are very easy, because they are basically the same as measure 2.

Measure 8 is a bit more difficult, because the broken chord in the left hand, E-B-D-G, is a bit uncomfortable.

I really love measures 9 and 10. it starts out quickly, going up and up gradually, while building up power. It transitions into the most beautiful phrase I’ve heard in a while, in measure 11, descending again, until it finally resolves in beat 3 of measure 12. I really wan tot make this part perfect, because it’s so great.

Measures 13 and 14 are OK. They take a little practice to get them into the hands well.

Statistics

  • Time: 07:35:16 PM-08:05:48 PM
  • Length: 0:30:32
  • Average session: 0:24:40
  • Session trend: 0:22:37

Session #201

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201.1: Mendelssohn: Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

I just wanted to finish up practicing it a bit more.

By now, it was coming along quite well. measure 5 was no problem, measure 8 was not so awkward, and measures 9-11 were coming along great. Measures 13-14 were almost automatic by this point, except for when they weren’t, which wasn’t often.

Now, I did make a fingering change. In beat 3 of measure 12, the left hand has B-F3-B-D. I was trying to put that all under my hand by pivoting, but it was way too slow and inconsistent, so I changed the fingering to 5-2-1-2. I’m still testing it out, and trying not to put any emphasis on 2, but I think it might work.

201.2: Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto

I just wanted to cover the concerto briefly, since I didn’t cover it yesterday. I just went through the solo part in the beginning.

I ripped through that run rather well, actually surprisingly well. So, not wanting to change my luck, I moved on to the arpeggio, at which time I flopped. But then I pulled it off the second time.

It wasn’t very stable, so I did what I did in session #190, and split the arpeggio into four parts. That went exceptionally well. it didn’t go so well when I put them back together, though, so had to play it more slowly.

Those jumps that follow were not that great, but I just wrapped it up and finished. I did play them slowly to try to play them accurately so that I don’t engrain the incorrect motions.

Statistics

  • Time: 08:28:23 PM-08:54:38 PM
  • Length: 0:26:15
  • Average session: 0:24:40
  • Session trend: 0:22:59

Statistics

  • Today:
    • Time practiced: 1:19:39
    • Sessions: 4
    • Average session: 0:19:55
    • Longest session: 0:30:32 in session #200
  • Total:
    • Time practiced: 82:38:52
    • Average time per day: 0:36:44
    • Time per day trend: 0:24:50
    • Average sessions per day: 1.49
    • Sessions per day trend: 1.03
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #20):
      • Time: 5:30:28
      • Sessions: 21
    • This month (May):
      • Time: 15:58:19
      • Sessions: 71
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 225:54:15
      • Sessions: 682

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal, Prelude in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1 | 1 Comment »

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