Not a Great Week for Practicing

We all have them--those weeks where you just can't seem to get to the piano to practice much more than the major/minor scales and arps. This week has been one of those weeks. I'd looked forward to practicing on Friday evening after work (which is my usual pattern), but something else came up--I can't remember what it was, but I remember calling my husband to see when he would be home, and complaining that I hadn't had a single chance to practice.

And then Saturday was just busy, busy, busy. On Sunday, I had my first volunteer piano "gig" at a local assisted-living facility where I'll be playing every couple of weeks. I hadn't practiced in three days, and it felt like it had been three weeks. Still, it went pretty well, and everyone seemed to enjoy the music. It's a high-end facility and I was half-expecting a grand piano, or at least a nice upright, but it was a Yahama keyboard with non-weighted keys. So that took some adjustment. I've gotten spoiled with my Henry.

I did get to work on Chopin last night. My piano teacher said that we really shouldn't start the Beethoven sonata (I think I want to do Op. 2, No. 1 now!) until I "finish" something else, so I've devoted myself to the home stretch of the Chopin. I have a piano lesson today, and I'm hoping we can spent the brunt of it on Chopin. I am ready to get that one in the books.

Of course, there's the issue of memorizing it, and then of playing it for the recital in April ... but I think I'll be okay there. I've memorized it before, so I don't think it will be a stretch to get it back into the old noggin again. In fact, I won't be surprised if it's still there.

Time to get to work--day-job work, that is. I'm going to go for a run at noon, but I'll try to grab a few minutes after that for some scales.

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Picking Up the Pieces

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