Liszt Liebesträume Progress Videos

I finally have some progress videos to share! There were all one-off videos because I had no time to re-record things until they were perfect. These are progress videos anyway, so you'll hear a few unplanned pauses, wrong notes, and tempo inconsistencies. But it's sounding like music! And that is my current low bar for this piece!

I am focusing really hard on bringing out the melody notes throughout. That is a harder task than you would think, but I'm getting there.

Here is the first section, which introduces the theme:

I don't have a video of the second section because I accidentally deleted it. But below is the first cadenza, which follows the missing second section. This seemed to take forever to learn, but now that I have it, it feels very natural under my fingers. I'm still playing it slowly and deliberately; speed and expression will come, but not just yet.

Here is the B-major section that follows the cadenza. It includes the gorgeous modulation to C major. It was difficult to learn, but, like the cadenza above, it feels more natural the more I play it.

So, none of this is perfect, but it's progress. And that's all I'm asking for at this point!

What's Next

The next section is in C major, and I thought it was going to be really hard. I started working on it yesterday, mainly just writing in some fingering and labeling the different chords. This morning I played it using block chords in place of the written arpeggios. After about 30 minutes, I could play it through pretty well with the block chords. As I finished up my practice, I realized: "This isn't as hard as I thought it would be!" It's definitely not easy, but it makes sense. And if my brain can understand it, my fingers will follow.

I am so excited about learning this piece. It's been a challenge so far, but I have loved my practice sessions, where I get so focused that 30 or 40 minutes will just fly by. It feels like work, but it also feels like play. I love it.

Comments

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Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

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