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Ode to Joy, Day 19: Technically Simple, Mentally Demanding

In my journey through the Learn New Repertoire Faster Challenge at Piano with Rebecca B, I’ve reached Day 19 of Jonny May’s stride arrangement of Ode to Joy. Sadly, I have no video from this morning's practice because I was short on time.

Day 19

At this point in the challenge, I am spinning three plates:
  • Continue learning Batch 6
  • Continue reviewing Batch 1 after its seven-day break
  • Begin reviewing Batch 5 after its two-day break
It's a lot, and it feels like a lot. But I'm getting it done, little by little.

Batch 6 Learning/Batch 1 Overlap

This morning I worked on Batch 6, Passage 2, which I'm calling the A section tag: a short restatement of the A theme before the outro. It's another one of those "not technically hard but mentally demanding" passages that are all over this piece.

First there's the left hand, which follows a new descending pattern, and any departure from "1-5 boom-chick" takes adjustment. Then there's the right hand, which looks simple enough on paper but is full of syncopation. Put the two together, and what looks easy turns out not to be.

I ended up drilling each measure very slowly, using my fanning technique of working from the middle outward, listening to the rhythm and visually taking notes as I built the muscle memory.

I drilled it for ten minutes, took a break to review a Batch 5 passage, then came back for another ten. Today is my final day to learn Batch 6, and I regret not spending more time on this passage. Ah well, I'll revisit it in a few days.

Batch 5 Review

Batch 5 consists of green Passages 1 and 2 and yellow Passage 3, the pedal point section.

I used Passage 3 as a break from the Batch 6 work this morning, playing through it three times, taking a short break, then playing it three more times. It sounds pretty good, except for measures 5 and 6 of this eight-measure section. The pedal point ends in measure 4, and both the left and right hands shift to new patterns for the final four measures. Measures 7 and 8 sound fine, but for some reason that transition from the pedal point throws me off. 

As usual, the mental challenge is greater than the technical challenge.

Where I Am Now

Today's practice felt like a grind. The Batch 6 section didn't seem like it should be that hard, but the syncopation against the new left-hand pattern really threw me for a loop. I didn't expect to have to pull out the fanning approach, as I mainly use that for very difficult passages ... but apparently this one needed it. And then, when I went to Batch 5, I was disheartened that measures 5 and 6 just refused to cooperate. I think I may just be tired today. I woke up earlier than usual and couldn't go back to sleep, so I'm not as rested as I should be.

Anyway, as mentioned above, today is my last day with Batch 6. I'll take a two-day break, then return to it on Monday. I also have two more days of Batch 5 review, and tomorrow I reintroduce Batch 2 after its seven-day break.

All of my practice this weekend will have to be mental practice because I'll be out of town and without a piano. I'll have a 61-key keyboard, but that's not ideal. I could use it for some of the solo runs in Batch 2, but honestly, I think I'm just going to focus on mental practice. I think that will help further solidify these passages in my brain.

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