Day 26: Runs in Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

I practiced some runs in the left hand that have been giving me some trouble in WDAT this morning.  They are flowing much better now.  I will come back to them this afternoon and again in the morning to firm them up in my memory.

The 13 measures that make up the middle of Notturno are now safely back in my memory.  Not quite to tempo yet, but they're there.  That now leaves the first 20 measures and the remaining 30 measures (which are comprised partially of the first 20 measures) to tackle.

I had some technical difficulties with uploading a couple of videos yesterday to Youtube.  Both videos froze during the upload each time I tried.  I tried again just now and had the same issue.  I've experienced this once before.  I'll just have to try again later today.

Day 24: Videos Made...

Videos have been made, both of the entire WDAT, but also of what I can remember of Notturno.  The only problem is that the angle I took the video from shows a lot of the top of my head and not the middle of the keyboard.  I'll have to drag a coffee table in there and set the tripod on top of that to get a better shot.  So, take two is being made in a little while.

Nocturne [nok-turn] (Noun)  Music.
1. A piece appropriate to the night or evening
2. An instrumental composition of a dreamy or pensive character

Oh how Notturno, or Nocturne, truly captures this dreamy or pensive character!  It is almost like I can envision a night-scape being painted as I listen to this music ebb and flow thoughout.  Not quite so much like Debussy's Clair de Lune, but it still works a lot like that.  Like WDAT, Notturno also has three parts: A beginning and end that are very similar and a middle section that is very different (a bit faster and more technically challenging). So, as I begin to re-learn this piece, I will start in the middle like I did with WDAT.

There are some important musical notations that I would like to briefly define for you in this piece.

Andante means "at a walking pace."  This is somewhere between 76 and 108 beats per minute.  You'll also notice here that the first part of this piece is in 9/8 time.  That means there are nine beats per measure and an eighth note gets one count (or beat).

This is the beginning of the middle section of Notturno and it is set in a different time signature, 6/8 time.  That means there are now six beats to a measure and an eighth note gets one count (or beat).  Also note that the music says "Piu mosso."  This means "more movement" or "faster." 

Lastly, in this middle section there are a couple of trills.  These are denoted by a "tr" and followed by a squiggly line to indicate approximately how long the trill should last.  A trill is when you play two alternating notes very quickly.

Day 23: Notturno

Today, I began working on Notturno, Op. 54, No. 4, by Edvard Grieg.  Notturno, or Nocturne, is one of the more popular pieces of Grieg's Lyric Pieces.  It is sort of the one-stop-shop for many different techniques such as hand-crossing, cross-rhythms of triplets against doublets, and multiple voices in one hand, among others.  I managed to play approximately 20% of the piece from memory.  I can play the entire piece still if I have the music in front of me.  Since my goal is to re-commit old pieces to memory, this will not do.  I am allotting myself 30 days for this piece as well, although I doubt I need half that time.  This is good, because I still have a few measures in Wedding Day at Troldhaugen that need some improvement.

Speaking of improvement, I had the opportunity to practice on a real piano this past weekend.  There is a vast difference between playing a piece on an electronic keyboard and playing it on an actual piano.  Weighted keys, for instance, make a HUGE difference!  I found myself struggling to play some parts of Wedding Day at Troldhaugen simply because I was used to the fluidity of non-weighted keys.  What I could quickly maneuver through on my electronic keyboard suddenly felt like I was wading through mud.  Well, not quite that bad, but I think you get the picture.  I have scoped out a location for me to go practice on a piano at least a couple of times a week until I can solve the problem of not having a piano here in my house.

I have also managed to set-up a great angle with the massive tripod I procured this past weekend.  I should be making both a video of Wedding Day at Troldhaugen tonight, plus a video of my starting point for Notturno.  I will tweet about the videos when they have been uploaded to Youtube as well as post links on my Facebook page.

One last thing to mention: I have a music theory workbook.  I do need the actual textbook that accompanies it, but may talk-up one of my music major friends locally to see if they have some music theory books I can borrow in the meantime.  I intend to share not only what I learn on my blog, but also what I do actually know.  Believe it or not, I do know a few things.  I couldn't have ever carried off the pieces that I once knew without at least a little knowledge of music theory.

Day 22: Real Keyboard vs. Electronic Keyboard

OK, I realize that an electronic keyboard is not a replacement for a real keyboard. That fact hit me smack in the face yesterday when I finally sat down at a real piano this past weekend.  I could play WDAT nearly perfect on my Technics keyboard, but had several rough spots when I played through it on the piano.  This means I must find a real piano to practice on at least a couple of times a week.  I think I know where I can use one, so this should not be a problem.

I originally intended to start Notturno today, but I was busy with too many other things and also busy traveling on the road quite a bit.  I will have to get to it tomorrow.  I am actually able to play it pretty well still with the music in front of me, so it probably won't be too difficult to re-commit to memory.

Lastly, I finally managed to get hold of a good tripod to take overhead video of my progress.  I should be able to capture video of WDAT tomorrow and what I can remember of Notturno (which isn't a whole lot).  Oh yeah, I also would like to mention that I DO have a music theory workbook in hand now and can at least start that portion of the project this week as well!

Day 20: Moving On Soon...

I still have about five measures in WDAT that are shaky and a couple of more that are a little weak.  The only cure for that is practice, practice, and more practice! I have some weekend plans that may interfere with mastery of WDAT this weekend.  Regardless of whether it is mastered or not this weekend, I will be digging into Notturno on Monday.  A little variety helps when practicing something over and over again.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I think my project should be such that I re-learn these pieces, but also to learn at least one additional piece by each composer: Grieg, Joplin, and Debussy.  Originally, I thought that maybe I should do this after re-learning all my senior recital pieces.  Now I'm thinking that maybe I should learn the additional piece after I re-learn the senior recital pieces.  In other words, after I am done with WDAT and Notturno, I should go ahead and pick a new Grieg piece (with your help).  Does this sound good, or should I just go straight through and put the new pieces after I re-learn the old ones?

Day 19: Weekend Plans...

I'm staring at a weekend trip that may cause me to not be able to practice like I want to tomorrow and Sunday.  I will take my music with me in the hopes that I get some practice time in.  WDAT (see earlier posts if you are confused as to what I've been practicing) is coming along very nicely.  I have less than ten measures left that are giving me some problems.

I am now in search of a piano in a church somewhere that I might be able to use occasionally.  This is only because the electric piano just doesn't cut it when it comes to touch.  I think I know of a place I can go and someone who will keep my secret (and even maybe be an encourager and much needed critic).  I'll have that conversation soon!

Day 17: Keyboard Limitations

I am a bit frustrated by the limitations of the electronic keyboard I am using.  It is fine for getting the notes down, but when it comes to playing the widely varying with emotion...with playing at the correct intensity...with playing at the gentleness needed...it is just difficult on an electronic piano to properly capture the wide range of emotions of a piece.  The Technics keyboard that I use only has four distinct levels of intensity, so unless I grow a third hand to keep on the volume control to artificially adjust things, pieces don't come across just right.  They still sound good, but they don't sound great.  At least that is my opinion.  So, I need to find a real piano as soon as possible.  Whether it is an upright or a baby grand, does not matter so much to me.  Just as long as the action on it is good.

I am still focused on a small number of measures that are giving me problems.  I have improved quite a bit after practicing this morning.  It looks like I will have a good hour or so later today that will allow me to practice some more.