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Weekend Goals, June 13-15

I don't even know where to begin with this weekend's goals. June has not been a great month for piano practice. I was out of town and piano-less the first weekend of June, and then I was out of town and piano-less for four days this past week. My daughter comes home from camp this afternoon and Sunday is Father's Day, so it will be a more family-focused weekend than usual. (As it should be.) Still, I should be able to get an couple hours' work of practice in on both Saturday and Sunday.

Hanon and Scales

Continue working on my 3-4-5 finger strengthening exercises with Hanon, as well as the octave exercises. (I'm on a mad mission to learn to relax my hands as much as possible when playing scales.) Finish up Db major and Bb minor scales and move on to Ab major and F minor.

SMART GOAL: Db major and Bb minor at between 100 and 130 (parallel and contrary).

Lead Sheets

I didn't get past Lesson 1 (Circle of Fifths Progression/Fly On By/etc.) this week, so I will continue working on it. Mainly, I want to explore a few more jazz standards that use this progression, and maybe a few other songs for fun. I found this video on YouTube that goes through many popular songs (some of which I even know!) that use the Circle of Fifths.

I also want to just ... play. Make stuff up. Explore this progression, which I feel like I've known forever but have never seriously explored because it's "so cliche." I'm an idiot.

SMART GOAL: Something to share on the PWJ Facebook page; possibly playing "Fly On By" in two or three different keys.

Bare Necessities

I need to continue the slow practice with this one! I also need to polish the crossed-hands and kiddie sections. They're the easiest sections, and, as with most "easy" sections of any piece I learn, I haven't given them enough time and attention. In addition to devoting a couple of short practice sessions to each of these, I want to play through the whole piece (or individual sections) multiple times, slowly. Cementing it all in my brain and in my hands.

SMART GOAL: Be able to play the crossed-hands and kid sections without pausing and without having a memory lapse; play through each section of BN slowly, not speeding up, at least five times each day.

Mozart, Rondo alla Turca

I feel like I am neglecting the Rondo. I haven't put nearly as much work into it this month as I have Bare Necessities. I've even spent more hours on my PWJ Blues course. Why?

I feel stuck. I can play the piece, and it sounds pretty good, for the most part. The broken-octave section and the coda both still sound very sloppy, and I don't know why. It's very frustrating. I feel like I need someone older and wiser to walk me through this because I don't know what I need to do to make these sections better. I'm going to continue playing through them slowly, but I'll also do some grouping/fast-twitch work with the scale passages and the Alberti bass section of the coda. Hopefully, Eric will be able to give me some insights when we meet on Tuesday.

SMART GOAL: Play through the problem sections very slowly at least ten times each day, preferably more; play through the whole piece slowly multiple times, not speeding up; do grouping/fast-twitch drills as "maintenance" work in preparation for Tuesday's lesson.

Blues

I have made it to Lesson 9! This lesson focuses on runs, and there are six of them. I want to devote a good amount of time to each run, memorizing each one and practicing them until I can play them all smoothly and without having to work too hard. I don't know if I'll get them all covered this weekend, but I should get a good start on them.

SMART GOAL: By the end of the weekend, be able to play at least three of the runs perfectly and with ease. Each day, jam using the backing track at least five times.

Maintenance Pieces

I'm trying to learn to play "Maple Leaf Rag" while reading a book out loud. I know that sounds crazy, but Jonny recommends it as a way of learning to make your playing more automatic. I tried it for the first time Wednesday night, and it was a disaster! But I'm excited about challenging myself this way.

I'll also continue to review the Chopin; I might do the reading-while-playing for it, too. The masterclass thing, as it turns out, isn't a sure thing, though I did tell Eric that I'd like to do it.

SMART GOALS: Play while reading aloud. Finish up by playing the piece without reading, just to get a "good" version back in my mind. 

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