Jingle Bells Rag Progress

I have learned all of the notes to Jingle Bells Rag. Now for the real challenge: coordinating everything and getting it up to speed. It is a challenge I don't want to underestimate, or I will end up feeling discouraged.

Comparison of Sections

The crossed-hands section is by far the easiest. I learned it yesterday and played it through several times this morning, and it's pretty smooth. I'll need to drill the part where I go down to the low C, but it's otherwise good.

The final section is by far the most challenging. I posted on it a few days ago, and I must admit, I'm still slowing down when I get to part where the right hand jumps around. (It's at 4:05 in the video below.) But it's a lot smoother than it was last week, so that's progress.

The rest of the piece is similar to the first part of the final section (starting at 3:00 in the video below), only an octave down. There is a short ragtimey section that is similar to Section B of Bare Necessities, and my main challenge there is that I keep switching to Bare Necessities at first because they start the same way. But the section itself isn't too bad--just your garden-variety rag-rolls.

The Biggest Challenge

The hardest part, as I explain in the video will be getting it up to speed. Right now I'm playing it at a slow-as-molasses pace, so I have a lot of work to do there. I'll continue with the slow practice for a few weeks, upping the metronome a few notches with each practice. I'll alternate that with the occasional fast-practice sessions to exercise the fast-twitch muscles. It should all come together after lots and lots of practice.

For now, here is the final page and a half. I ramble a bit in this video. The actual song starts at 3:00. (Note/Correction: I state in the video that the arrangement is by Jonny May, but it's actually by Johnny Hodges. I also refer to different sections as "easy," where a more appropriate word would have been "simple.")

Comments

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Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

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