I did not see this coming. On Wednesday after work, I headed north to Brevard, NC, where my parents live. My mom was getting cataract surgery Thursday morning, and even though my sister lives here in Brevard, my mom wanted me here to stay with my dad while she was getting surgery. So I packed my laptop (so I could work remotely) and my 61-key Yamaha keyboard (so I could at least do some minor 7th and blues improvisation exercises). I got a good bit of work done (I had to), but I honestly didn't expect to get much done on piano. Boy, was I wrong. Looking for "Amazing Grace" I wanted to play "Amazing Grace" for my dad. Even though I can play it by ear, I wanted to find a good arrangement. I was looking ... and then it dawned on me that Piano With Jonny probably had one. Well, they have a whole course on how to play Amazing Grace in a gospel blues style! Not only that, but they have it in intermediate and advanced versions! My time to learn something new was limit
As I mentioned in my previous post, I asked Eric to suggest a not-long piece that would stretch me to just a little beyond my current capability. He suggested this. Oh my. That looks and sounds hard. I looked up the level, and it is listed as Grade 11 on the Piano Syllabus site . For comparison, Maple Leaf Rag and Chopin's F Minor Nocturne are both Grade 8. The Mozart that I want to learn is Grade 7. [Note: I think "grade levels" are often arbitrary because simple pieces can have difficult elements, and vice-versa. But at the same time, they can be useful to get an idea of what I might enjoy learning, and what I might be able to learn in a set amount of time.] Am I Ready for a Grade 11 Piece? My gut answer is "no." Even though my other piece will be a Grade 7, I don't know if it's wise for me to take on something so difficult. (Also, keep in mind that I'm working on "Bare Necessities" too, which has its own challenges.) If I really, really