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July’s Piano Playbook: Liszt, Rags, and Vacation Vibes

 

How is it almost time to flip the calendar to July? I swear I just started my June spreadsheet, but here we are, with June nearly in the books.

July will be a bit of a whirlwind--partly because I'm sneaking away for a week of vacation. This means I'm keeping things focused: no shiny new pieces until August. Instead, I'll focus on Liebesträume and America the Beautiful for performances, keep up with my maintenance pieces, and dive into a few creative projects that have been swirling around in my brain for a while.

Still, I need to have goals beyond "focus on," "keep up with," and "dive into." Let's make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound)!

Liszt: Back in the Spotlight

After a short break, I'm putting Liszt back on the priority list. My mission? Get it performance-ready before vacation. I'm aiming for an August recital--maybe Piano with Rebecca B or a video to share on social media. I'm hoping to meet with a teacher before then, but if I don't, I'll be leaning on the greats, listening to the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Van Cliburn, and Evgeny Kissin, imitating what I like in their performances. It'll be like my own mini-masterclass. I'll try not to imagine their intimidating stares.

America the Beautiful: A Two-Phased Goal

This one has two big goals. First, I want to have Jonny's jazzy intro and ragtime arrangement ready for a July 4 performance video. Second, I've envisioned a bluesy gospel-style solo based on a couple of lead sheets, including one I developed from Ray Charles's arrangement. Not only do I want to develop an arrangement, but I want to be able to play through a whole verse/chorus with nothing but major/minor blues improvisation. (So while I won't be doing a blues course in July, I'll still be using concepts I've been learning.) The goal is to have that one ready for performance by September 11, which is when I'll be playing piano at a local assisted living facility.

Louisiana Pianeaux Rag

This is the creative project that's been begging for my attention since last year. I have a collection of songs (You Are My Sunshine being one of them) that I want to work into a fun medley using the ragtime techniques I've learned on PWJ. This is a long-term project (I'd love to have the whole thing in time for a video to share around Mardi Gras), but for the first phase, I want to have the You Are My Sunshine section down, as well as draw up a master plan for the rest of it.

And the Rest Is Maintenance

I have a mountain of maintenance pieces now, and I'm sorting them into categories to stay organized:

Group A: The All-Stars

These  pieces are already in pretty good shape. My goal is to play each one at least once a week to keep them memorized and polished. These include all my Scott Joplin pieces (Pineapple Rag, The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, and Solace), along with Jonny's Amazing Grace, John Proulx's Misty, and my lead sheet version of What a Wonderful World.

Group B: Almost There

Chopin's F minor nocturne and Mozart's Rondo alla Turca once sounded great, but they'll need just a little more work to rejoin the All-Stars. I'll carve out extra time on maintenance days to drill tricky sections, and I'll also revisit each of these two pieces once more per week.

Group C: The Fixer-Uppers

Bare Necessities is my toughest maintenance piece right now--it sounds decent but demands more attention than the others. I plan to revisit it twice a week, in addition to maintenance days. Jingle Bells Rag is another challenge, untouched since Christmas. My July goal is to dust it off on maintenance days so it's ready for the holiday season. By September or October, I'll give it the spotlight it deserves.

A Sneak Peek at August

I'm holding off on new pieces until August, but I'm already thinking about what's next. They might include another Joplin rag, Jonny May's St. Louis Blues, and a beautiful but not-too-difficult classical piece, possibly Debussy's "Clair de Lune" or Chopin's B-flat-minor nocturne (a re-learn). For now, I'm keeping my options open.

July is going to be a busy but wonderful month for piano. Stay tuned for updates!

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