Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

I learned both "Solace" and "The Entertainer" in 2024, but I haven't made an official video of either. Why? It's partly that I haven't had a lot of opportunities--to make a good video, I need to be alone in the house (no background noise), and I need at least an hour for all the various takes. Another reason is that I've taken on new projects. In delegating both "Solace" and "The Entertainer" to maintenance, performance videos haven't been a priority. But I need to make these videos. I can't officially graduate from these pieces until I've made the videos! "The Entertainer" Practice Video Here is a practice video of "The Entertainer." It's full of mistakes, and I'm still experimenting with pedaling in a few places. Because the camera was running, I made a lot of mistakes I don't usually make. But it's a start. It always does seem necessary to make a few bad videos before I can make a...

I had hoped to put three hours a day into piano this weekend, and I came close! I put in FOUR hours on Saturday, but then I only practiced an hour and a half on Sunday. I had dropped my daughter off at volleyball practice at 1:00, but then she got sick, so I had to go pick her up and take her home. And then I had to be back at the gym (about 20 minutes away) for a 2:30 parent meeting, and then I had to do the week's grocery shopping on my way home. So I pretty much drove back and forth yesterday from 12:30 to almost 4:00. Because I had a sick child, I made a big pot of homemade creamy chicken noodle soup for dinner, which took up a good part of the late afternoon. And then after dinner, we put up the Christmas tree and further decorated for Christmas. By the time all that was done, I only had energy to sit on the couch, pet the cats, and look at the pretty tree while we listened to Christmas music. I did practice early yesterday morning, though, and I got some good work done. I...