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Thursday, May
28, 2020
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The Polonaise
I worked on
today was Op.
71 No. 2, and
I got through
most of the
piece in the
hour I spent
on it. I think
the next time
I work on it I
will start
with the last
page. As I
write this I
am listening
to recordings
of it and it
seems I have
been playing
it more
uniquely than
I am
comfortable
with.
Sometimes when
I do not
listen to
recordings of
pieces as I
learn them, I
get sloppy
with lengths
of notes. In
this Polonaise
you have many
thirty-second
notes which
makes almost a
grace note
pace for many
of the
passages. I
will be glad
when the four
Polonaises I
am working on
will be
finished, but
I do not want
to rush them
because I
would like to
have them in
my repertoire
for those who
like to listen
to Chopin at
the assisted
living
communities.
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Wednesday, May
27, 2020
-----------------
Polonaise Op.
26 No. 1 was
the piece I
practiced
today, after
sight-reading
movie scores.
I spent my
time going
over the
details of
this piece, on
pages 2 and 3,
instead of
playing
through the
whole thing
over and over
again.
Yesterday I
ended my
practice
session with
this
Polonaise,
reviewing the
first page,
which made me
feel
accomplished.
Today was
about picking
apart small
sections and
repeating them
with the
correct
fingering
until I was
able to play
them correctly
at the
appropriate
tempo. It was
not too
difficult, and
my next
practice
session will
be spend on a
different
Polonaise.
Thinking about
it, I might
start playing
yesterday's
Polonaise for
the retirement
homes through
Zoom to see if
I truly am
comfortable
with it.
Later in the
day I started
recording "The
Prologue" from
Final Fantasy
IV, and out of
roughly fifty
or so takes, I
got one decent
recording. I
still have a
long way to go
before I have
a good
recording of
this piece,
but for now I
know I can
play through
it all the way
without
stopping at a
semi-regular
tempo. I know
I can get
through the
first two
pages without
stopping now,
so that is
great progress
from the last
recording
session when I
would get
choked up in
the middle of
the second
page. I find
it interesting
how
frustrating
recording this
piece is
compared to
other pieces I
have played,
but I think
that is
because I have
only practiced
it under six
hours total.
There are a
lot of chord
jumps that can
be a little
confusing, but
the melody
stays the same
and the most
complicated
thing so far
was adjusting
to the page
turns.
Tomorrow I
will have more
time to get a
better
recording of
it, so I am
looking
forward to
that.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
-----------------
I wanted to refresh and
begin the phrasing process
of one of Chopin's
Polonaises, so I picked
Op. 40 No. 2:
I spent about an hour and a
half on it and got a good
handle on the notes, but the
phrasing it where I wanted
to concentrate on most.
Something I like about this
piece is that there are many
pauses where after you can
introduce your own
interpretation of how the
next section is supposed to
be played. It is almost as
if Chopin had many thoughts
about the direction and
pacing of his piece, and
wanted to explore all of
them at one point in at
least small portions. There
is a dolce section, there is
a dramatic left hand octave
section, there is a small
portion where you are
playing loud chords, and
there are interspersed
phrases of a line or two
that seem like they come
from a different piece
altogether, but somehow fit
in this one as well. I find
the challenge in this
interpretting is making sure
you take your time with
expressions, and not to rush
anything that does not need
to be rushed. It is not a
particularly fast Polonaise,
so I play it like I would
play one of his longer
preludes.
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Sunday, May 24, 2020
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I took advantage of having
a quiet weekend to catch
up on some practice time.
Saturday and Sunday I
worked on Rachmaninoff's
5th Prelude because I have
not been performing it
lately for the seniors and
I know that is one piece
they really enjoy. The
prelude came back to me
quickly and there were
only a few tricky sections
that involved forgotten
fingering. I was surprised
I remembered the arpeggios
without much issue,
however there is still
phrasing to be worked on.
I plan to listen to
several recordings to get
inspiration because I feel
like I can get stuck
easily if I listen to my
same phrasing
interpretation every time
I play the same sections.
The only section I was not
able to get to was the
ending, but I feel like
that will come back to me
quickly as well. What I am
looking forward to most
about practicing this
prelude the second time
around is that I get to
add an extra amount of
semi-polish to it. I am
sad that I cannot perform
it at retirement homes in
person since it is a piece
that really benefits from
the textures an acoustic
piano can provide, but for
now performing it on Zoom
is OK.
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Thursday, May 21, 2020
-----------------
I did not get much time to
practice piano today since
I wanted to spend the day
taking it easy and working
on other things. When I
was able to get to the
piano, I only played in
thirty five minutes
sections. When I was
recording downstairs that
added about thirty five
minutes of extra recording
time. I practiced "The
Prologue" from Final
Fantasy IV since I have
been determined to get it
recorded for a while now.
After finishing my
preliminary practice
session I left my upstairs
piano studio and went to
my piano studio downstairs
to record the piece on my
baby grand, but I did not
get too many good
recordings. I suppose I
have a short while before
I get to a point where I
am comfortable recording
the piece. Perhaps I have
to memorize it first since
there are portions of it
that are difficult to
record, including the page
turns. I have to recognize
that memorizing the piece
would take care of that
issue.
Other than that, I am
trying to muster up the
energy to practice more
again. I have learned when
I over exert myself and
practice for 3+ hours a
day, I start feeling
mentally unwell, and that
I need to start taking
breaks in order to
distract myself from
sitting on a piano bench
in one place for over
three hours. Those breaks
usually entail spending
the next day doing
something totally
different, such as working
on my website, calling
retirement homes for work,
exploring my prospective
lesson opportunities, and
maybe just sitting in
front of the television
and forgetting that I am a
pianist at all. I remember
when I used to be able to
practice 4 hours a day, 5
or 6 times a week, but
work can change and you
have to adjust your life
accordingly.
I am writing this Friday
the 22nd and it is a new
day filled with
opportunities to practice,
so I think I will practice
while my wife is doing her
home workout. I may start
out with sight reading,
but I would prefer to go
back to Beethoven's Sonata
in F since I would like to
continue performing that
for retirement homes.
There is also
Rachmaninoff's Prelude in
G minor that I want to
work on, so maybe I will
start with that today.
-----------------
Wednesday, May
20, 2020
-----------------
Yesterday I was not able to do much practicing, but I made up
for it this morning by practicing a couple of hours. I will do
more later, but for now I am happy with the work I have done. I
always tell my students it is better to spread out your practice
sessions and not do it all in one day, but there are
circumstances where that is not possible. In times like that, I
would say to use whatever motivation and determination you have
from missing a day to play to your heart's content today.
The piece I practiced this morning was the presto movement of
Beethoven's Sonata in F, and going through it a second day was
not as frustrating as the first. No matter what, there are times
when I forget that picking up a past piece is like taking your
garaged bike for a ride. The notes come back quickly, and you
also have a new determination and fresh perspective to continue
playing a piece you might have stopped before the polishing
stage.
For this piece, I continued my typical practice strategies of
drilling problem sections, such as left hand sequences,
introduction measures, and endings that I skipped over during
the first few months of practice. I feel I was able to get
through those sections without too much frustration, and even if
I did get frustrated, I would move on to other sections. After
that I would return to what was giving me problems in the
beginning, and by then I had more of a tolerance to missing
notes and other aspects of incorrect playing.
-----------------
Monday, May 18, 2020
-----------------
I thought I would try something new this week
and continue working on older pieces that I
can perform at retirement homes through
Zoom. Today's piece was the third movement of
a Sonata in F by Beethoven. It's a challenging
piece for me because of the fingering changes
throughout. In the past when there would be
repeated notes, I would usually use the same
finger to play them, but this sonata has me
changing fingers most of the time when a note
repeats. This can be a little confusing, and
has me relying on perfect memory to get
everything played.
When I watch YouTube videos like this I get
intimidated because I cannot play this piece at that speed, and
has me a little frustrated because I know I have been working on
this sonata for a while, and I still am not on a real
performance level. I hope one day I will be able to come back to
this sonata and finish it, but for now I play it at a slower
speed.
As for the actual technique I worked on this practice session, I
drilled all the portions that had incorrect fingering, and
played the entire piece as a whole afterwards. This is only the
first day I am working on this piece, but if I show great
improvement I may continue to work on it during the upcoming
week.
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Thursday, May 14, 2020
-----------------
I was determined to practice for a while this morning,
since two days ago I barely practiced at all. I went
through all four of the Polonaises I have been working
on, and discovered I can play all of them without much
trouble now. Next I have to work on my phrasing while
bringing it to the written tempo. I have been told
that Chopin has a distinct style that makes it
difficult to polish his pieces, and I have to agree
for these Polonaises. Each one has it's dramatic
moments along with it's slow moments, in addition to
moments filled with subtle emotion and feeling.
Polonaise Op. 26 No. 1 starts dramatically with
shocking intervals and chords, and then proceeds
quickly into a melody that moves higher into the
staff, ending with a calm resolution an octave down.
After practicing my Polonaises, I still wanted to stay at the
piano, so I brought out a Sonata in F by Beethoven to play. I
have not played it in a couple of months since retirement
homes have closed their doors to entertainers, but it came
back to me quicker than I thought. One thing I like about
playing the piano is that it's like riding a bike. Once you
learn how to do it, you can always do it again even if you are
rusty at the beginning. This applied to the movement I
practiced of this sonata. This was the first movement, and all
I had to do was drill certain sections ten or so times in a
row before I knew them again. The most difficult section to
review was the alternating right hand octaves, but that was
only because it jumps around, taking some time to relearn the
spacing.
I would have to say this was a productive practice session and
almost makes up for the fact that I only practiced fifteen
minutes two days ago. I hope to practice my sightreading more
today after I am finished updating my website.
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Wedneday, May 13, 2020
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I figured I had to change my practice schedule in order to
refresh my motivation, so I left my house today and
practiced piano at my Mother-in law's house. It helped,
and I was able to play about twice as much which was a
welcome change from barely being able to sit at the piano
at all.
I started with Chopin's Polonaise Op. 40 No. 2:
This is the Polonaise I have been
working on the longest. At first I was having trouble with the
phrasing, however, after listening to many recordings and
interpretations, I have found a way to make this piece my own
while observing Chopin's dynamics. I feel it is a strong
Polonaise, especially expressed in the left hand in the
beginning followed by the second page in which the right hand
is increasing in intensity with descending thirds.
The other Polonaise I have been playing today is Chopin's Op.
71 No. 3:
I only spent fifteen minutes going
through this Polonaise at an even, slower pace, and it felt
comfortable. Over time I have become much better at reading
music with several accidentals in the key signature so I do
not really have to think too much about potential mistakes. I
have a decent ear so I can also hear when the intervals or
combined harmonies sound too dissonant for comfort.
Later on today I plan to practice my sight reading and maybe I
will spend twenty minutes recording "The Prologue." Something
I have to think about when I record music like that is I
cannot compete with pianists who have been playing since their
childhood years, and I have to focus on my niche to feel
comfortable. To me, that is performing relaxing or non-complex
piano at retirement homes, parties, or bars, and teaching
beginning piano.
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2020
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I thought I would have a lot of
time to practice due to COVID-19, but sometimes it is
difficult to practice when there are several factors against
you. For students, it can be difficult to practice when the
piece that is given is too difficult, there is too much work
to complete each week, the teacher and student are not
communicating well, the teacher is not a good musical
influence, or there are outside life events, not including the
pandemic, that affect motivation. As a teacher and performer
relying on piano as a career, it is difficult to practice when
there is no foreseeable future and reason to keep it as a
career. That can lead to negative thinking and illogical
reasoning that tells me to do something else. I will never
quit playing piano, but it is still worrisome to come to a
place in my mind where I cannot see an answer. Unfortunately,
this is why most people who study music are not able to
continue, and this is understandable. To me though, it is my
passion, and to arrive to a place like that is terrifying. To
any past, present, or future students reading this, there will
be times when studying music or practicing any art will feel
uncomfortable, but unless it is a toxic relationship, I urge
you to find a way to keep it in your life. If we have enjoyed
it enough to begin, that feeling can always come back.
To continue with my usual piano practice log, today I
practiced my sight reading with random pop songs for a grand
total of fifteen minutes, before laying my head on the
keyboard for the next fifteen minutes. I decided after that I
was going to get no work done that day before I processed my
thoughts.
However, recently I have been getting into organizing more of
my recorded pieces and songs, and uploading them to places
like iTunes and Spotify. At the time of that idea I was also
into learning new pieces I would usually never record, such as
ones from video games. I was able to record "Into the
Darkness" from Final Fantasy IV while also learning "The
Prologue." By the time I was going to record "The Prologue," I
became interested in learning "I'm Still Standing" by Elton
John/Bernie Taupin, so I will put that on the back burner for
another week.
As for my usual repertoire, I have been learning four
Polonaises by Chopin. They have been a lot of fun, and not as
difficult as I thought they seemed at first. Pieces always
seem more difficult before I sit down and go through them
myself. It's always nice to see what you're capable of,
especially when it has to do with your passion.
The Polonaises I have been learning by Chopin are mostly slow
pieces, so that is why I think I am not having the most
difficult time with them. I feel like I can add some rubato
here and there, while not being too ridiculous in my
interpretation. They are all interesting in their own way,
with cadenzas and phrasing that are unique to his style.