Weekly Piano Update

This week has been better than last. Although we’re still suffering from this cold/flu thing that’s going around, I’ve managed to practice more.

13 hours and 24 minutes of practice this week – much better. Closer to 2 hours a day which is what I like my average to be!

Let’s check in on my pieces:

Debussy – Page D’album

I’ve recorded this now! Although I did my usual ‘panic at the end that you’ve done it and press a random note wrong’ trick I usually do. But you can’t really tell that much so I’m just leaving it. It took me 45 minutes to get that take.

I spent around 6 hours and 45 minutes on that piece in total. I’ll publish this week!

Friedrich Kuhlau – Allegro

The scales are getting better but it’s still a struggle. I have to warm up, then I can play them. But when I start from the beginning of the piece, I mess them up. Just need lots more practice, I guess.

Christian Hartmann – Nocturne

This piece has been a bit frustrating this week but I’ve had a breakthrough over the weekend and increased the speed. I’m getting to know it much better so it has become a bit easier this week.

I still think it will take a while.

Je te laisserai de mots – Patrick Watson

I tried to record this over the weekend but it wasn’t working out for me. I’m currently reading the music from the iPad but I think I might need to print it out as the page turn is in a difficult place.

I will try and record this next week.

Felix Mendelssohn – Venetianisches Gondellied

This is another grade 6 piece I’ve just started. I did sightread it a few months ago and it was so hard, so I was dreading it. But this time I’ve found it much easier. I could play it slowly straight away and I’ve already got it a bit faster.

I think I’m getting comfortable with grade 6 now, and the multiple voices in this piece is something I’ve come across in a few other of my grade 6 pieces (Schumann, Hartmann) so it’s not seemed as difficult. I’m feeling positive about this one!

I really want to get Je te laisserai finished this week. I was going to try the grade 7 Schumann next, but I think I’ll go for the grade 4 Moonbeams and try the Schumann when I finished my next grade 6 piece. I don’t want to have three grade 6 pieces and a grade 7 piece on the go at the same time, I need to have an easier piece that I can finish quickly for my own sanity.