Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

I got through my dad's funeral all right. It was actually a lovely service, and even though it was sad, I thought it was a wonderful way to honor my dad. Each member of my family had some sort of role in the service. My daughter led the Lord's Prayer, and my nieces read Scripture verses. My brother carried in the ashes. My husband, my sister, and, surprisingly, my mom stood up and spoke for a few minutes during the remembrances section. And, of course, I played the piano. I ended up doing a medley of two hymns: a contemporary/reflective version of "In the Garden," and the contemporary/bluesy mashup of "The Old Rugged Cross" that I shared here a few days ago . I'm developing the bluesy version of "The Old Rugged Cross" into a standalone piece. I've written out the lead sheet and am studying the various concepts from PWJ's "Amazing Grace" Slow Gospel Blues course. I have a lot of work to do, but I'm excited about it. Yes, I ...

 I am putting together a medley of my dad's favorite hymns to play at his funeral. One is "The Old Rugged Cross." This video shows two styles: one is the simple style I've always used, and the other uses the gospel/blues style I've been learning at Piano With Jonny . The gospel version needs more embellishments and chord subs, I think ... but I'm off to a good start. Please try to ignore the many errors -- I was making this up as I went! (The music is just a hymnbook. Both versions that I play are improvisations on what's in the hymnbook.)

My father died yesterday afternoon. He had been in Hospice care at a memory care facility for about two weeks. I've been here in North Carolina for about ten days, staying with my mom. She, my sister, and I (and sometimes my two nieces) took turns sitting with him, watching him breathe, wondering which breath would be his last. It has been a long week. At times it was hell, particularly during the few times that I was certain he was in some kind of pain, and I couldn't do anything about it. It's also been a long few years as dementia and poor health made him more and more dependent on my mom and on the 24-hour care she hired. I have been coming up to NC at least once a month, often bringing my work laptop and working remotely from their house. So while it hasn't been hard on me the way it has on my mom, it's been a challenge for my family. But I wouldn't have done anything differently. He died peacefully, and I'm thankful for that. He was in a coma-like slee...