May-Tenance Month is in Full Swing!

Last night I practiced Misty, the Bible of Blues Riffs, and Liszt! (My beloved Franzi!)

Misty was a little rough, which was surprising, considering I performed it by memory less than a month ago. Alas, I am not a computer. After 15 minutes, however, it was mostly back in my working memory. I'll be working on it 2-3 times a week throughout the month.

Bible of Blues Riffs was VERY rough! I started over from the beginning, reviewing only the one-note-at-a-time riffs for about 20 minutes. I also practiced using the stride style, which was very difficult, as I'm used to playing the blues shuffle. I didn't feel great about my progress by the end of the session, but I imagine it will come more quickly after a few more sessions. This is one of my top priorities for May.

And Liszt! I spent 32 minutes working on the cadenzas. The first cadenza is harder for me. I can play the notes and have practiced them in all kinds of ways--blocking, rhythms, hands separately--but I'm hitting a tempo ceiling at about 80bpm. The second cadenza is much easier to play fast. I spent most of my time last night playing it in rhythms. Both sounded better by the end of the session.

This morning I worked on technique and Pineapple Rag. Here is the "D" section of Pineapple--it's rough, but it's coming back pretty quickly. I'll be ready to work on a different section next time.

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Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

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