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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 #43

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Session #143

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I started by warming up with some minor melodic scales. I got through C-A, at 108 BPM. I had the most trouble with A, for some reason. Also sometimes I get confused coming down, and use the wrong fingering, so have to consciously switch in the middle of the scale.

  • Time: 06:22:31 PM-06:43:48 PM
  • Length: 0:21:17
  • Focus: Scales
  • Average session: 0:26:57
  • Session trend: 0:18:06

Session #144

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Next, I worked on the concerto. I worked on the section where the left hand has arpeggios under the right hand melody. This is around page 18 I think.

I tried making the left hand cleaner and faster. I often miss the Bb, so I have to work on that. I tried blocking the chords to practice moving thumb-over faster. When I really try to do thumb-over, I find it is a lot faster.

After my left hand got tired, I worked on the part where both hands have arpeggios pretty soon after this part. I worked on the inverted G minor arpeggio, first.

I couldn’t do the whole thing without mistakes for 7 times, so I broke it down to just 5-6 notes at a time, depending on the arpeggio, and overlapped.

Session #145

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I next worked on Polichinelle. I went from the beginning, but primarily worked on the jumps in measures 11-12. I did one hand at a time, trying to go as fast as I was able to. I find that this jump is coming along much better, and it didn’t take me too long to learn that one. I did have trouble consistently landing correctly in the right hand, though.

Session #146

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Then I worked on the jump in measure 19 of Polichinelle. That one is not so easy right now. When I was unable to get it right away, I decided to build on the jump. That is, I would jump from the F# and A, to just a D (the first note of the new chord). Then briefly I tried just D and F#, etc. I started to get it more easily after that.

By the end, this jump was coming better, but still needs work. However, this was just the first day I started working on this, so hopefully if I do it consistently, I will master it soon.

Session #147

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I worked on the concerto again. I worked on that part with the alternating octaves that are very fast. I have no idea which page it is on, but it is a few pages before the section I worked on earlier.

I had to work on it in sections again. I did one hand at a time, about 8 notes at a time, and overlapped each time I introduced new notes. It is a lot faster now, but I still need a little more work on that jump down to the bottom D octaves. I also want to make sure they are actually alternating. Otherwise, though, I feel really happy about it.

Session #148

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As much as I didn’t want to, I thought it wise to work on the Scarlatti sonata. I hadn’t practiced it for a while.

I really didn’t have much material to work on. I worked on measures 9-11 a little, especially the left hand in measure 10, but after that there really was nothing else. I played through the whole thing and I think maybe made one minor mistake, that I couldn’t reproduce or find any problem with to fix. It was in the latter section, though, so maybe I’ll run through that some other time to make sure.

Also, I had trouble in the final section jumping down to the bottom B’s, but went through that a few times.

As you can tell, this is not my favorite piece by far. It’s a nice little piece, but really hard to practice because there’s just nothing there.

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 1:46:21
  • Total time practiced: 65:37:46
  • Sessions: 6
  • Average session: 0:17:44
  • Longest session: 0:22:44 in session #144
  • Average time per day: 1:01:32
  • Time per day trend: 1:39:42
  • Average sessions per day: 2.31
  • Sessions per day trend: 4.68
  • Estimates:
    • This week (week #10):
      • Time: 12:24:27
      • Sessions: 42
    • This month (March):
      • Time: 54:56:51
      • Sessions: 186
    • This year (2009):
      • Time: 378:23:44
      • Sessions: 853

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, 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, Scales, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Technique | 1 Comment »

Lesson Journal: Lesson #19

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Unfortunately, when I walked out of this lesson, I realized I had forgotten to record it. Oh well.

Honestly, I almost canceled this lesson. I hadn’t practiced nearly as much as I should have, and I had this nagging guilt that I wasn’t doing what she had asked, namely to practice three hours a day. I have no idea why I fight so much with this, but I felt very unworthy to even go to the lesson.

But I thought about how relentless choir was about absence, and thought lessons surely must be worse, though I had canceled a few last year. So I went down two hours early, as usual, and practiced. I practiced the dominant 7th arpeggios, as well as harmonic and melodic minor scales, and the concerto. I actually did decently I thought, but I knew nothing could replace the many more hours I should have done throughout the week.

Regardless, I walked into my lesson.

We went over my scales at first. I had practiced them all morning, so I was hoping they’d be good. They were decent, but shaky. They were much better than last week, though, so she was happy. In fact, she seemed very happy, which made me happy, too. She said "you must have practiced them a lot." Of course I said yes, but that wasn’t true.

Same went for the arpeggios, though diminished were actually pretty clean.

I still have to work on technique a lot. I have to work dominant up to 104, as it is currently at 100. Most scales are now at 104, but have to be worked up to 112.

She wanted to go over Scarlatti and Rachmaninoff, so we went into those next.

I started with Scarlatti. She was happy with it, but wanted me to work more on dynamics.

On Rachmaninoff, I still need to make that faster, and work on the jumps. Also the ending needs to be cleaner. I slightly butchered the ending.

Finally, we just went into the concerto, from the very beginning.

She was very specific about how she wanted the beginning played, especially that part leading up to the run, and the run itself. I have to work on that a bit.

The parts she said I need to work on the most are those alternating octave runs in both hands, where the right hand chases the left, and also the arpeggios in the middle, per usual. They are coming along rather well, though.

Apparently with the alternating octaves, well I keep playing them together instead. She said to practice them slowly, and to gradually speed up. That’s a good idea, because I also need to relax more when I play them. I’ve had some pain in my left hand that makes me a little nervous, and it acts up when I play this section.

Other than that, things are going pretty well. The ending is still doing pretty well, which I’m very happy about since it is very difficult. I still want to perfect it more, though, and make it even faster.

I walked out of there, asking myself how much better I could be if I practiced as much as I was supposed to. I resolved to make my best effort to actually practice a lot more throughout the upcoming week. I know what I’ve been doing is pathetic at best.

After I meet that goal, I’ll endeavor to practice more than that. I really want to reach 35-40 hours per week eventually. But I have to focus on the minimum, first, I suppose.

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Arpeggios, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Lesson Journal, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 4, Scales, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Technique | 2 Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #26

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Friday, February 06, 2009

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 1:39:56
  • Total time practiced: 32:13:04
  • Sessions: 5
  • Average session: 0:19:59
  • Longest session: 0:28:22 in session #58
  • Average time per day: 0:47:09
  • Time per day trend: 0:57:26
  • Average sessions per day: 1.49
  • Sessions per day trend: 2.10

Session #57

  • Time: 8:48:36 AM-9:02:26 AM
  • Length: 0:13:50
  • Focuses: Scales
  • Average session: 0:32:24
  • Session trend: 0:27:00

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I worked on the C scales and arpeggios. The metronome speeds were as follows.

  • C:
    • Scales
      • Major: 100
      • Minor:
        • Natural: 96-100
        • Melodic: 100
        • Harmonic: 100
    • Arpeggios:
      • Diminished 7th: 100
      • Dominant 7th: 92-100 (shaky)

Note: The dash indicates that I started at one point but was able to speed it up to the second marking.

I say that I’m shaky on that dominant 7th arpeggio because I barely made it to 100. I really feel like it needs stabilized.

Session #58

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I worked on the first 12-13 pages or so. I actually have no idea how many pages it is, but I know the last section I worked on starts on page 9-10.

I worked on the run a bit, because sometimes the hands don’t align up exactly right. I need to work on making that cleaner.

I also worked on the descending arpeggio. I’ve been pretty good with that, but still sometimes I make mistakes, so I spent a few minutes running through that several times.

I also worked on phrasing. In that orchestral section right after the piano solo in the beginning, there are some chords the piano has in the 5th and 6th measures of that section. Mrs. S said it should be rolled slower, and that the second two should be separated a bit more with the pedal.

Also, she had some very specific suggestions about the slower section that follows, as far as phrasing is concerned. I worked on that, as well as making it more fluid.

I next went over those grace note chords, because sometimes I miss the Eb-G when descending.

Next, the part that the piano and orchestra go back and forth with a similar pattern. I found it more useful to imagine the orchestra part in my head rather than counting, which is why you might hear me softly verbalizing (I dare not call it singing) the orchestral part.

When I do that, though, the last one sets me up a little strangely for those octave 16th notes. Usually I play it with normal emphasis on the first 16th note. However, the way this would have me play it, and the way I’ve heard it on the recording, is with emphasis on the second 16th note of each group. I will have to ask my piano teacher about it next week.

Then I worked on that slower, more melodic section that follows. I’m doing better at that, but still sometimes have trouble in the left hand, with those jumps. Also Mrs. S said it should be much more expressive.

Finally I worked on those descending 32nd notes starting around page 9 I think. I want to make that cleaner and a bit faster.

Overall, I think it went rather well. I am progressing as time goes on, which I’m obviously really happy about, since this piece is really difficult.

Session #59

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I just worked on the tough spots of Polichinelle. Mostly, that included the jumps, especially measures 11-15, and 18-19, etc; the arpeggiated sections; and the slower section in the middle, specifically on trying to make it more melodic.

It’s going a bit better, but those jumps are just annoying. I’m not sure why they are taking so long. I know jumps are not beyond me, because the Brahms Rhapsody has plenty of jumps that I’m perfectly fine with. Yes, they took a lot of work, so maybe that’s the solution for these, as well.

I do have to practice it more, though. I’ve neglected it for the last week since my piano teacher wanted me to focus more on the piano concerto and improving that second half.

Session #60

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This piece is quite nearly there, so I just mostly reviewed and worked on any problems that popped up.

I was still having trouble with those staccato 16ths in measures 9-11, so I worked on that. I know they aren’t actually staccato in the music, but Mrs. S wants them that way.

Anyway, I worked on those a bit. I was especially having trouble with the left hand in measure 10. To make it a little cleaner, I changed that bottom E to be played with finger 5. I was playing it with 3 to make it more connected between B and E, but I think it’s fine like this.

I also worked on those 32nd notes in the beginning. Again, mostly the left hand is more problematic than the right.

After that, I just worked through each page, trying to play it perfectly, and squelching any problems that came up.

Session #61

  • Time: 1:32:05 PM-1:43:23 PM
  • Length: 0:11:18
  • Focus: Scales
  • Average session: 0:31:41
  • Session trend: 0:24:51

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I worked on the C# scales.

  • C#:
    • Scales:
      • Major: 92-96
      • Minor:
        • Natural: 96
        • Melodic: 92-96
        • Harmonic: 92-96

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Arpeggios, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, 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, Scales, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Technique | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #9

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Monday, January 12, 2009

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 1:05:12
  • Time practiced this week: 2:32:03
  • Average time practiced per day this week: 1:16:02
  • Average session length this week: 0:25:21
  • Total time practiced: 10:52:03 in 16 days
  • Average time practiced per day: 0:40:45
  • Average session length: 0:36:14

Session #16

Time: 2:50:46 PM-3:27:33 PM
Length: 0:36:48

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In the beginning of this, I accidentally say session 15 instead of 16. I had lost count.

I started out by warming up for about 8 minutes, with major, natural minor, melodic minor, and harmonic minor scales, and diminished and dominant 7th arpeggios.

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

I just pretty much reviewed the piece from about 0:08:00 to 0:13:02.

 

I had some trouble with 26-30, so I reviewed that for several minutes, trying to hit the chords accurately.

I also worked on those sections like 30-35, where I have trouble hitting the F# when descending, such as in measures 32 and 34.

I next worked on that middle section that is more melodic, from measures 59-91. I wanted to bring out the melody more.

In the next section, measures 92-101, I had some trouble with measures 93-94, and 96-97.

I finally worked on 107-111. I have trouble making those small shifts from beats 3 and 4 of measures 107-109. Same goes for measures 112-114.

Session #17

Time: 3:33:14 PM-3:52:10 PM
Length: 0:18:57

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I was really messed up with this one. I don’t know why I said 116.

17.1: Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo

I mostly just reviewed the piece at first. I had some trouble with that fourth page starting at measure 50, though I usually have trouble with that.

I then started back at the second half of the piece, I think around measure 41.

I went over the first page a few times with the metronome, since I sometimes have trouble with the tempo in measures 8-11.

Also I practiced the 32nd notes in the beginning a bit, especially in the left hand.

I just reviewed certain sections I was having trouble with, such as on page 4, and the end of page 4 into page 5, when the left hand has to jump from around middle C down into a low B octave.

Session #18

Time: 3:53:49 PM-4:03:15 PM
Length: 0:09:27

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Again, I was off with the session number, saying 17 instead of 18.

18.1: Brahms: Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1

I reviewed that section I think around measure 40, up until the fast F major scale. I didn’t spend too much time on this piece; I just wanted to review it and make sure it was OK.

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Posted in Domenico Scarlatti, Johannes Brahms, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Music, Piano, Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 4, Practice Journal, Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1, Sergei Rachmaninoff | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #7

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 0:44:00
  • Time practiced this week: 4:37:00
  • Average time practiced per day this week: 0:55:24
  • Average session length this week: 0:39:34
  • Total time practiced: 8:20:00 in 12 days
  • Average time practiced per day: 0:41:40
  • Average session length: 0:41:40

Session #11

Time: 8:00 PM-8:30 PM
Length: 0:30:00

Technique

I just worked on my scales, from C to D, major and all minors.

  • C major: 92
  • C natural minor: 92
  • C melodic minor: 92
  • C harmonic minor: 88
  • C# major: 92
  • C# natural minor: 88
  • C# melodic minor: 72
  • D major: 92
  • D natural minor: 88

Session #12

Time: 8:35 PM-8:49 PM
Length: 0:14:00

Technique

I continued working on scales.

  • D melodic minor: 84
  • D harmonic minor: 80

Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo

I just reviewed Scarlatti a bit for the final part of the session. It is going a bit better, though those 32nd notes in the beginning still need some work.

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Posted in Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Music, Piano, Pieces, Practice Journal | No Comments »

Practice Journal: Day #6

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 2:05:00
  • Time practiced this week: 3:53:00
  • Average time practiced per day this week: 0:58:15
  • Average session length this week: 0:46:36
  • Total time practiced: 7:36:00 in 11 days
  • Average time practiced per day: 0:41:27
  • Average session length: 0:45:36

Session #9

Time: 8:37 PM-9:35 PM
Length: 58 minutes

Technique

I first worked on scales, to warm up a bit.

C major, C natural minor, C melodic minor, and C harmonic minor were all played at 96 BPM. It seemed that once I was able to play one, they all followed rather easily.

C# major was played at96. C# natural and melodic minor were played at 92. C# harmonic minor was played at 84.

I think all of the D scales were played at 80.

Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo

I mostly just tried to run through the piece a bit.

In the beginning part, measures 5-8, I’m still trying to improve that trill in the left hand. It is somewhat hit or miss.

In measure 9, it sounds in the recording like the B holds for the full value, and then they hit a very short E, then jump up to the octave. So I tried to take the E with finger 3, so I could be able to do that. I just have to get used to it.

There really weren’t too many other major problems.

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

This piece seems to be going a lot better.

I practiced a lot on those arpeggios, such as in measures 30-35, 50-58, and 121-130. I feel like they are going a bit better, though they are still not perfect. I’m a little better at hitting the F# when descending.

Then I worked on measures 107-117, which also needs a lot of work. I’m still having trouble, though. For instance, in the second half of the third beat of measure 113, I keep missing the bottom E, despite the new fingering I assigned it.

I’m getting better with those octave jumps in measures 124-125. I’m still not perfectly confident with them, but I’m hitting them more times than not, at least.

That middle section, measures 59-91, is a bit difficult. I’m trying to make it very melodic, bringing out the accented notes, and not bringing out so much the non-accented ones. It still needs a bit of work.

Measures 86, 90, and 91 are going better. I was having trouble hitting the D when coming down, but that’s getting better.

Session #10

Time: 9:38 PM-10:45 PM
Length: 67 minutes

Technique

I worked on arpeggios, including the C, C#, and D diminished and dominant 7th arpeggios.

I think I was able to do C diminished and dominant 7th at 96. C# diminished was 92, and C# dominant was 69. I’m not so good at that one. D diminished and dominant were also 69.

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

I played through the whole piece, making sure it was presentable for my piano lesson the next day.

The run in the beginning was actually a little difficult today. When it starts to ascend again, my hands were not playing together. So I had to work that out.

The arpeggio wasn’t so great on the Steinway, as it was at home. Oh well. I worked on that a while, and made some definite progress.

Not too much else to report with this. Everything that was usually difficult was difficult. Although, I did do a little better with the arpeggios at the end of the movement.

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, 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, Sergei Rachmaninoff | 1 Comment »

Practice Journal: Day #5

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Statistics

  • Time practiced: 1:05:00
  • Time practiced this week: 1:48:00
  • Average time practiced per day this week: 0:36:00
  • Average session length this week: 0:36:00
  • Total time practiced: 5:31:00
  • Average time practiced per day: 0:33:06
  • Average session length: 0:41:22

Session #8

Time: 9:50 PM-10:55 PM
Length: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo

Time: 9:50 PM-10:29 PM
Length: 39 minutes

I just finished this piece at my lesson today, so I really wanted to practice it to try to make it a bit more stable and secure in my memory.

I reviewed each page individually, sometimes connecting them to make sure they were OK. I wanted to try to make as few mistakes as possible. I ran through them with the metronome at 60.

Page 1

Page 1 wasn’t too hard. I was able to do those fast 32nd notes in the left hand in measures 6 and 8 a lot easier than usual, which I was really happy about.

In measure 9, I’m still speeding up a bit, though I’m not really sure why. I still have to work on that. I’ve been working with the metronome, so that corrects me, but still I need to be able to feel it by myself.

Page 2

I tripped over measure 8 (measure 26 of the piece) a bit. It just seems so out of place; I keep wanting to go back into the pattern at measure 9 (measure 27 of the piece).

Page 3

This one was a little harder, though still not too bad.

In measures 1-2 of the page (measures 34-35 of the piece), there’s a certain interpretation that I’ve been using, though I don’t know if it is correct. Since in the left hand, the B’s are staccato and the F# is not, I’ve been using the F# as kind of an anticipatory note for the upcoming B, so that it is a little louder when it lands on the B.

I hate these turns. I mean for instance like in beat 3 of measure 4 (measure 37 of the piece). I don’t really hate them, but S said that they should be five equal 16th notes, and then it should go right into the next beat. That just doesn’t sound right to me, maybe because it is going so slowly right now. I have the tendency to do the turns faster, hesitate on the last one, then go into the next beat.

measures 8-11 (measures 41-44 of the piece) were, as usual, a little harder, though they are not too bad at this point.

Beat 3 of measure 12 (measure 45 of the piece) is hard because that turn doesn’t come until the second half of the beat, so it feels a little awkward. Sometimes I accidentally skipped the second C#, though I’m not sure why.

From measure 13 to the end of the page (measures 46-49), I’m pretty much home free, for a little bit, because it returns to what seems to me to be the primary pattern of the piece. I love this section though, and I really hope I can play it loudly, because it just seems to beg being played loudly. I love that turn in beat 3 of measure 14 (measure 47 of the piece).

Page 4

This is where it really gets a bit harder. I had to turn off the metronome at this point in order to get this better under my hands. I mean mostly measures 3-7 of the page (measures 52-56 of the piece).

After I got the notes right, I still had trouble with which notes to staccato and which not to, in the left hand.

After about 5-10 minutes of practice, it was a lot better, though I still had trouble with a few of the staccatos.

From measure 8 to the end of the page (measures 57-64 of the piece), it was the same old pattern again, again shifted to different keys. Not really any problem there, except measure 15 (measure 64 of the piece), where I sometimes forget where the left hand is supposed to go. It is weirdly simple.

Page 5

Measures 1-7 (measures 65-71 of the piece) is a continuation of the end of page 4, just finishing the pattern. I had no trouble there, except one time I accidentally hit F# instead of E in beat 1 of measure 4 (measure 68 of the piece).

Measures 8-9 of the page (measures 72-73 of the piece) were easy, though I kept wanting to staccato the left hand, because of when it does a similar pattern in measures 1-2 of the third page (measures 34-35 of the piece), but the left hand has staccatos on beats 1 and 2 of both measures.

Measures 10-14 of the page (measures 74-78 of the piece) were no problem at all, though I keep forgetting the dynamics near the end. I’m pretty sure measures 10-11 of the page (measures 74-75 of the piece) are piano, and the other three are pianissimo.

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

Time: 10:29 PM-10:55 PM
Length: 26 minutes

I started from the beginning, but mostly wanted to work on the descending G minor arpeggio in the first part of the piece. The beginning went OK. I did have a little trouble on that large run the first time, but tried it again and it wasn’t too bad.

So finally I got to the arpeggio. Someone suggested turning my hand so it points more in and down the piano, so that my fingers could more easily reach the crossings. I had this idea back in session #1, but for some reason had abandoned it.

Well, it worked beautifully. Something just clicked for me and I was able to do this so much more easily. That’s not to say it doesn’t need practice, or I don’t still make mistakes, but I am playing it much more accurately, cleanly, and without tension. I practiced this section for about 10-15 minutes.

I then went on in the piece. As I played, I was trying to use some of the ideas in this essay, specifically about alignment and shifting. I still have to experiment with it more, but I felt like it really worked pretty well, especially with the grace notes later in the piece.

Now that I have my new stand, and I made my bench higher, I feel like I have a lot more control at the piano. I am still excited to get back to college though and practice on the Steinways.

Making such progress on that arpeggio gave me a lot more confidence to deal with the rest of the piece. It sometimes seems insurmountable, but maybe if I chip away at it, I will one day play it exceptionally.

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Posted in 1. Andante sostenuto, Camille Saint-Saëns, Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Music, Piano, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 22, Pieces, Practice Journal | No Comments »

Lesson Journal: Lesson #4

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Time: 12:40 PM-1:39 PM

My lesson was supposed to be at 2:00 today, but around 12:00, E called me and said all the schools were closing due to the ice, and she was canceling all her lessons. I said that I still wanted to come because I only had a page and a half to learn. So she seemed to agree, and I went over at about 12:30. I felt bad, but I really wanted to finish this piece!

So, of course we worked on the Scarlatti piece (Sonata K.380). We started on the third measure of page 4 (measure 52 of the piece), where I only knew the right hand for five measures.

The left hand only had quarter notes, but it was a little difficult because they just seemed rather random. But I got it, with a little work.

After those five measures, I was mostly home-free, because it went back to the primary pattern of the piece; for comparison, see measures 1-3 of page 2 (measures 19-21 of the piece), and measures 13-15 of page 3 (measures 46-48 of the piece). This time, the right hand was playing B and F# instead of F# and C#.

From measure 8 of page 5 (measure 72 of the piece) to the end, it went back to a pattern very similar to measures 1-7 of page 3 (measures 34-40 of the piece). Again it just shifted keys, the left hand was a bit lower, and the left hand didn’t have so many staccatos.

So that ended it, and we were early. We reviewed it, with the remaining time. That was a good thing, since I briefly forgot what the left hand did in measure 8 of page 2 (measure 26 of the piece). Sometimes new material temporarily displaces older material until I secure it better. But I got it, and it seems more secure now.

It really helps when I go through the piece in my mind to try to write down measure numbers, because I have to know it a lot better. That’s something I’ve just started with the Rachmaninoff piece, though with this one, I’m more detailed, as I’m also paying attention to page numbers. Maybe I’ll start paying attention to score lines, too. I do so for those few people who might read this journal, in case you have a copy of the music.

So now, the pieces I was supposed to learn before the beginning of the semester are done. I have no idea how, because I came home with still two pieces to learn. I learned Rachmaninoff in five lessons, and Scarlatti in three.

Tomorrow, I’m going to pick up a copy of Brahms Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1. I learned it last year, but with me abandoning the piano for five months, I mostly forgot everything. I really want to relearn it, as that was one of my favorite pieces.

Also coming up should hopefully be the next movement of the Saint-Saëns piano concerto. That makes me nervous though, as I still have to improve a lot on the first.

Statistics

  • Velocity: 24.5 measures
  • Average velocity: 28 measures
  • Total measures learned: 113 measures in 4 lessons

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Posted in Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo, Lesson Journal, Music, Piano, Pieces | 1 Comment »

Practice Journal: Day #4

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Monday, January 05, 2009

I’m really hoping to increase my practice time a lot more once I get back to college, but sometimes it is hard to practice at home. I’m trying though.

Time practiced: 43 minutes

Statistics

  • Time practiced this week: 43 minutes
  • Total time practiced: 4 hours, 26 minutes in 8 days
  • Average time practiced per day: 33 minutes
  • Average session length: 38 minutes

Session #6

Time: 1:55 PM-2:20 PM
Length: 25 minutes

Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in E major, K.380/L.23/P.483: Andante comodo

Time: 1:55 PM-2:20 PM
Length: 25 minutes

I just worked on Scarlatti a bit, especially the part I just learned today. It’s going a bit better, though I can’t play it through without mistakes. Also, in measure 9, I seem to speed up a bit, so I have to work on that.

Fortunately, I remembered everything from my lesson, despite having trouble with remembering there.

There’s really not too much to report, because I just worked on the new section, and played through the entire piece a bit. I’m having no specific problems; I just still need to get used to the piece.

Session #7

Time: 10:41 PM-10:59 PM
Length: 18 minutes

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

Time: 10:41 PM-10:59 PM
Length: 18 minutes

I just wanted to practice this a bit before I went to bed.

I worked on the arpeggio in the beginning, since it is really getting frustrating. I know I have to practice this piece more, but these arpeggios are frustrating me.

Someone recommended playing block chords, basically G minor chords up and down the keyboard, to try to practice the arpeggio. I found that was really difficult, but tried it for about 5 minutes.

Then I thought to just try the actual arpeggio, but going up and down 4 octaves, slowly at first. I didn’t get very fast, but I did get a little faster without mistakes. At least there is progress.

I guess I just have to work at it, and try not to get frustrated.

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