Saturday, November 3rd, 2018

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I was a little unsure about playing at Mariposa today since last time I played horribly. Fortunately when I went to Mariposa, I discovered that a large reason why I did not play well was because of a malfunctioning damper pedal. I was able to pull the wood casing from the piano and fix the dowel that was not functioning correctly. After I did that I was able to play great. I had a much smaller audience today, mostly due to the fact it was a Saturday and also because it was right after lunch. During the week I usually have much larger crowds, but I like intimate spaces. I did not have any trouble playing my difficult pieces, such as Pathetique 1, Rhapsody 2, Liebestraum 3, and C# Minor Prelude. I was a little disappointed that I was unable to record my performance since the battery on my phone was low. I look forward to playing at Mariposa again since the Activities Directory, Dorie, told me they would be getting a Grand Piano in the lobby.

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Tuesday, November 6th, 2018

I got a phone call early this morning from Julie at the Buena Vista Care Center requesting that I stop by in ten minutes to give a performance. I had not practiced yet, but I still felt OK to play for the residents there. I have been feeling more confident in my playing recently because I pick my most difficult pieces to perform, including those that are not fully ready yet. Bach's Partita 2 is one of them, as is Un Sospiro. I still have to program Suggestion Diabolique in my iPad, but as soon as I do that, I will add it to my regular repetoire. When I played Partita 2, I stumbled a lot during the quick part but felt fine doing it because I learn more under pressure. It does not feel good to muddle the notes, but I also learn how to improvise additional notes so that it does not sound so off. Un Sospiro is getting better, and I am also learning how to improvise when I lose my place in the music.

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Monday, November 12th, 2018

The residents at Vista del Monte got to paint today while I played for them in the background. I almost wish I was painting with them instead of playing piano, because I love painting and creating art. I read the situation and played my most quiet pieces such as Pathetique 2 and the Moonlight Sonata. I got bored playing those pieces, but felt better when the residents finished painting, giving me the oppotunity to play more dynamic pieces such as Liebestraum 3.

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Friday, November 23rd, 2018

For Thanksgiving I went to Buena Vista Care Center. One of the good things about my performing schedule, at least for the retirement homes, is that I am able to play on holidays without any issue. I made sure to practice all my pieces in order to be ready, and it all paid off. Nothing especially new happened today, but that is a good thing because I have not had a challenging experience at Buena Vista Care Center yet.

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Wednesday, November 28th, 2018

I practiced often to play at Heritage House today. I thought I was going to be playing yesterday, Tuesday, so I practiced a lot then, but then it turned out my real performance date was Wednesday. As a result, I got an extra day of practicing which boosted my confidence. I spent a lot of time on Rhapsody 2, however I did not perform it as well as I could have. I think I will have to continue performing it, and maybe it will take years of performing it before I am completely comfortable playing it for others. I know that for Pathetique 1, I am constantly getting more confident playing it for an audience, even though I started performing it 5 years ago. I am curious what I sounded like 5 years ago when I played it for the retirement homes. I must have used the sustain pedal often so that it somewhat smoothed out my amateurish technique at the time.

I played all of my pieces well except for Un Sospiro. I played three pages of it before I lost my concentration and skipped to the end. I was a little disappointed in that because I wanted to play the entire piece, but I guess today was not my day. That is OK though, since Heritage House is the most challenging home to play at and Un Sospiro is a newer piece for me to play. The only newer piece other than Un Sospiro I have to play is Suggestion Diabolique, and that one I have barely performed in front of others.

I would have to say my performance at Heritage House went well today, and I am looking forward to playing again in Decemeber. There is a good chance I will review some Christmas music to play then.

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