Weather Cancellation and Bonus Practices!

Good morning! The volleyball tournament was canceled this weekend because of the weather, so I got to enjoy some bonus practice sessions. Between Friday and Sunday, I practiced almost eight hours!

Snow in Georgia!

I have no videos to share (as usual), so I'll just give a recap of my progress, along with this week's goal.

Liszt, Liebesträume

I can play the second cadenza at a decent (slow, steady) tempo! I found it much easier to learn than the first cadenza. So I have both of those and now just need to work on getting them up to speed. I also spent a lot of time on the difficult middle section (between the two cadenzas) this weekend. It's sounding a lot smoother, and I can play the whole thing by memory. This morning I started working on the final section, following the second cadenza.

This week's goals: Drill the final part of the middle section (right before the second cadenza); continue drilling both cadenzas; learn the final section.

Joplin, Pineapple Rag

I can now play Sections A and B pretty well! I love section B with a passion. It's tricky but so much fun once you get the hang of it.

This week's goals: Further solidify Sections A and B; learn Section C.

PWJ, Bible of Blues Riffs

I have made it through the one- and two-note riffs. I think that's about 20 of the 60. I'm going to spend a few more days on them so that I have them down solidly by memory.

This week's goals: Incorporate the new riffs into my blues improvisation. Maybe see what I can use in Amazing Grace. Move on to the next riffs when I feel ready.

Ragtime Review

I spent some quality time on Bare Necessities this weekend, including the tricky final section. It is sounding a lot better than it was when I first started working on it again. I really need to just play through this one several times a week. I also did some good review of Solace yesterday, spending about 20 minutes on the tricky parts of Section B.

This week's goals: Revisit Maple Leaf Rag and Jingle Bells Rag, which haven't gotten much attention this month. Continue to play Solace and The Entertainer every few days. Spend a little extra time on Bare Necessities.

Blues Review

I played through Amazing Grace a few times, making sure I still had the written section before moving on to the improvisation section. This one needs more attention, I think.

This week's goals: Incorporate new riffs; see how I might adjust them for Amazing Grace.

Classical Review

I didn't spend much time on classical music this weekend (other than the Liszt). Both the Chopin and the Rondo are sounding pretty good whenever I play them, so I'll just keep revisiting them periodically.

This week's goals: Play through each classical piece a few times every few days.

And that's it. It looks to be a decent week for practicing. I've started a new running program and will be running five days a week (instead of three), but I don't think that's going to cut into my practice time too much.

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Picking Up the Pieces

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