Skip to main content

Weekend Goals Progress

I had wrist pain this weekend, so I wasn't able to move forward on some of my weekend goals. I still got some good practice in.

I have dorsal wrist impingement, according to Dr. Google.

Technique

My plan was to work on Czerny Ex. 2. It's an exercise primarily for the left hand, and it was my left wrist that was hurting, so I started Ex. 4 instead. (I wasn't crazy about Ex. 3.) I learned it pretty easily and will work on getting it up to speed this week, and I'll return to Ex. 2 when my wrist pain is gone.

Liszt

I am through most of the C Major section in Liszt! It's not as difficult as the B Major section (though it sounds like it is). It's still not easy, so I'll work on it a bit more before moving on to what's next.

Jingle Bells Rag

The goal was to increase the tempo to 100. I spent quite a bit of time on the right hand since my left hand was hurting. Last night I finally brought the left hand in. I'm very close to having it hands-together at 100 ... just a few more days, maybe a week. But I can't do much until my wrist is better.

Amazing Grace

The goal was to work on major blues improvisation, and I was able to do that as well! I've just started PWJ's "Bible of Blues Riffs" course, and I tried incorporating some of the riffs into my improv. It was a bit of a challenge because the riffs are in 4/4 time and also C major, while Amazing Grace is in 12/8 time and F major. But it really added to my "bag of tricks," and I'm getting better and better at improvising on this piece.

Rondo all Turca

The plan was to work on the final section. Because it has a lot of rolled octaves in the left hand, I stayed away from it. Instead, I worked on the right-hand sections and also spent more time on Chopin.

Maintenance

I was supposed to make a "Solace" video, and I still haven't done that yet. I didn't make any videos because most of my weekend practice was using the headphones.

So, it wasn't a great weekend for reaching goals, but I'm happy about my work with Liszt and Amazing Grace.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Rusty Lock and Key

I'm in a room. There's a door in front of me. On the other side of that door is a whole world of adventure and imagination and joy and delight, but for the moment, I'm locked in this gray little room. The door itself has a lock that is all rusted. I've tried to open it in the past, but I've never gotten very far. Sometimes I try to scrape the rust off the lock. I also have a rusty old key that I occasionally try to polish. Each time, after I've made a little progress, I'll put it into the keyhole in hopes of opening the door. It turns a half a millimeter or so, but the brief excitement at my progress dies quickly when I realize, once again, the lock isn't opening. I set the old key aside, and from there I can forget about the door, the lock, and the world outside, for months—years, even. But then something happens—I hear birdsong, or I catch a glimpse of color—and I pick up the key and start picking away at the stubborn rust. That dark little room is my ...

March Goals Recap/Looking Ahead to April

It's April 1, and time to revisit the goals I set for last month. I practiced a total of 50.45 hours in March, averaging 1.62 hours (or just over an hour and a half) per day. Realistically, I practice about 45 minutes to an hour a day on weekdays, and I usually get at least one longer practice (or multiple shorter practices) in on one or both days of the weekend to bring the average up. CLASSICAL GOALS Chopin, F Minor Nocturne March Goal: Have entire piece by memory and performance-ready. I have about 90% of the piece by memory, but I still have some work to do before it's performance-ready. The only two sections that I don't quite have are "The Agitation" and the "stretto" section with the seventh chords. I'll work on both this week and will have them both memorized before the weekend. April Goal: Finish memorizing, and polish, polish, polish! My focus now is really on phrasing and dynamics. I have the notes down, even in the difficult passages. Fro...

The Amazing Practice Tracker 2.0: Leveling Up My Piano Game

(Apologies for the cheesy clip art. I needed to come up with something, or the Blogger template would show a fuzzy, overly-enlarged snippet of the first chart below.) When I showed my husband my piano practice tracker, he said I should market and sell it. Ha. It’s not for sale, but I’m excited to share how this tool has transformed my practice—and why it might inspire all three of my readers. Since my last post about the Amazing Practice Tracker, I’ve made it even better. Here’s a peek at how it works, using my June data. All The Pretty Colors, All the Pretty Winners My tracker now sparkles with color: darker shades for active pieces, lighter ones for maintenance, technique, and sight-reading. Each day, the piece I practice most gets a bright yellow highlight—a little “gold medal,” if you will. (Click image for a slightly larger view.) A leaderboard automatically shows the day’s top piece and time. And if that isn't enough, I keep track of the month's leaders--specifically, ho...