AOTW's:
1) I actually played through my current Burgmüller piece sort of decently at my lesson on Friday. I'd been doing that at home for at least a week, but for some reason, I was unable to do it with my teacher listening. Now, it seems I've jumped that hurdle. It still wasn't as good as I usually play it at home (many dynamics were missing, and the rhythm was a little uneven in places), but at least I played it without any wrong notes and without stopping to let the shaking in my hands calm down. Minor, but still, worthy of AOTW status, I think.
2) I had my piano tuned yesterday, which is already having a noticeably positive effect on my practice routine (because playing on a well-tuned piano, as many of you know, is *so* much more enjoyable than playing on a badly-tuned one!). I'm hoping faster progress than I'd been making in the past few months will follow from this.
3) I told my teacher that I wanted to drop the second movement of the Moonlight Sonata for now, but it won't let go of me. So I'm still practicing it, and now that I don't *have* to do it anymore, I seem to actually be making some progress again. I think I'll be bringing it back to my lesson either this week or next. Because giving up is for sissies.
4) I made a new recording for the upcoming Recital, after I had my piano tuned yesterday. It has one really audible flub in it, but I think I'm just going to decide I'm satisfied with that as-is. It was already not that easy for me to play the piece again just once. I don't know that I can do that once more and get a significantly better result.
Also: ugh. This is day nine after my last post on this thread. It seems I've been neglecting you all. Sorry! But anyway, here goes ...
I'm not a competitive guy by nature, but I decide to enter in the contest, even knowing that my chances are low.
I think it is fabulous, Carlos, that you did not think high of your own chances, but you decided to enter the contest anyway. I believe that many of us often miss great opportunities in life not because we are not qualified to take advantage of them, but because we don't *believe* we can do it. So in my book, what you did was great! Good luck with the contest.
I also love that she is so easy to play for. Some people are so distracting. But not her. She knows.
Seems like you've really hit the jackpot with this teacher of yours! So that can count as your AOTW for the second time in a row, as far as I'm concerned. A good teacher with whom things 'click' is so tremendously important!
I now have two new pieces, as I think the book I'm working from is getting a bit easy now.
It's great to make noticeable progress like that, isn't it? Congratulations on 'conquering' your present method book!
Meant I started piano on a wet cool (for these parts) Saturday morning and played for the remainder of the day.
I've had 'binge days' like this. I mostly spent them goofing around (read: trying to improvise and, to my own ears, failing badly at it) and playing pieces I'd already mastered. I think it's fabulous that you managed to actually *learn* stuff in-between
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Week 58: It feels like a one step back, kind of week. [...]Week 59: A better week. I ditched some pieces, and picked up My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.
One step back, two steps forward. Good for you!
The Mendelssohn is submitted and that's a big achievement.
Indeed it is! I haven't heard your submission yet, but will go look for it shortly. I'm sure it's ten times better than you think.
I may have been successful at convincing the husband on letting me keep my digital piano.
For someone living in a condo, that is indeed a sizeable achievement, which will enable many more achievements in the future. After all, it at least doubles the 'range' you have within which to practice every day. I sold my DP before I moved here. It's not a problem yet, because so far I'm the only person living in my building. But that won't be true forever, and I now kind of wish I'd kept the DP. It was a good one. But oh, well. I guess I'll have to buy a new DP when other tenants move here.
This spring has been incredibly busy for work and music. I have three hours of choir practice every week and two concert in addition to Sunday service. Then my studio class.
Wow. You are one busy lady, FarmGirl! And I'll just bet you've been doing brilliantly in all of the above, even if you yourself don't think so (because that's the nature of perfectionists, of which, yes, I am one). So, thumbs up for you! Definitely!
Saranoya: a few days ago you had no AOTW - now you are organizing a piano party in Europe: this is a very big achievement!
It will be once it's over! Assuming, of course, that it is as much of a success as I hope it will be. So hold your horses. No need to congratulate me yet.
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I find I’m getting better at just relaxing and playing for my teacher, which means less flubbing. This is a major big deal.
Oh yeah, it is! Go celebrate!
This tells me my ear is improving and to not always second guess it.
Which is a major achievement indeed. You'll be transcribing your own YouTube videos before you know it!
I learned to put some "give" in the wrists for chords some time ago, and thought by "uncurling" the fingers I'd solved a habit there too. But apparently I'd simply substituted curled unmoving fingers for straightish unmoving fingers.
I think it is indeed very important that you've realised this. The biggest achievements, I think, are those that are not specific to one particular piece of music, but are useful across the board, whatever we want to play. And this is definitely one of those. So be ecstatic!
I love reading all your AOTW's here, I have to resist putting one in every second day when something good happens.
If you are discerning and optimistic enough that you can find an AOTW in your piano playing progress every two days, then I admire your attitude. I really do! I wish I could have some of that.
f I just let my hand weight fall into the three notes they fell right into line at full speed. Bada bing. [insert headslap icon here] Sometimes this stuff is so much easier than I make it.
Sounds like a real 'Eureka' moment, which must have felt wonderful. Congratulations!
Maybe my AOTW is not stressing too much over the whole thing while maintaining a study schedule. LOL. It's reaching, I know.
I don't think that's reaching. I think that's looking at the bright side, which, as I said above in response to earlofmar, is something I really admire and wish I had more of, myself. I guess I'll need to work on that. Meanwhile, congratulations on not letting the exam anxiety paralyse you into not practicing the way you should. Because I know, there *is* a real risk of that happening!
Well my AOTW was making a Youtube video of the Chopin Nocturne in F Minor and sending it my teacher for evaluation. As a result, we had a very productive lesson pinpointing where improvement was needed. She gave me an honest critique and I learned a lot. It was very energizing to get this kind of feedback to focus my efforts.
I think it's fabulous that your teacher would be willing to do this -- critique a video of you, even though it doesn't seem to have been your scheduled lesson time. If I ever can't have lessons with my current teacher anymore, I think I might just move to Switzerland and sign up with yours!
Just kidding, of course. But I do find myself smiling a lot whenever you write about your teacher. She seems absolutely wonderful! And I'm happy for you that you learned so much from this.
Well...I bought it. These keys are definitely high quality. No entry level stuff here. Much higher quality mechanics of the movement of the keys. All kinds of adjustments on velocity, sensitivity, aftertouch and all. It does have weighted keys. So I'm happy as can be with my new keyboard.
Well ... a fabulous teacher *and* a better keyboard. Seems to me you have all your ducks pretty much lined up in a very neat row, now! I'll be looking forward to your future progress reports and, of course, shared music!
My grand AOTW is my first recording on PW!!!!
Which is indeed a grand AOTW, especially considering the quality of what you ended up posting. Way to go!
I have found the practice suggestions of a few here ( I think it's referred to as "chunking" with limited repeats) very helpful lately in that the new piece I received at my lesson Tuesday I already have under my fingers and have started to polish it.
I am super happy for you that this seems to be working! I don't think it does, for me, but then again, maybe it's because I don't stick with the 'chunking' long enough before I insist on wanting to play through the entire piece over and over again. One of these days, one of you is going to have to tell me where you get the discipline to actually practice this way long-term
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I felt completely disconnected from my reality, and there was only the music even after I stopped playing it, I needed 2-3 minutes just to come back to my normal state. This is better than anything I've felt before. It was like being intoxicated but not from drinking but from the music!
That sounds heavenly. Have you been able to replicate it since? If so, I'd be interested in knowing how you do it, because it definitely seems like a feeling I might want to chase, too!
I didn't go on to finish the original piece but it gave me the right technique to go back to a more difficult piece I had to shelve six weeks ago.
It's great that you now feel confident enough to return to your more difficult piece. Giving up is for sissies, anyway!
I had my 1940 Mason & Hamlin Model B tuned yesterday.
Ah ... to be able to play a freshly-tuned piano. Heavenly, isn't it? I had mine tuned yesterday, and since then, I've just *had* to play every time I passed it. I sense this is going to do great things for the amount of practice you get in in the near future, which is virtually guaranteed to get you a great crop of AOTW's by this time next week
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Was getting so frustrated. But today, i think it finally clicked. I'm more than overjoyed.
As well you should be! Congratulations on having the discipline to stick to those two measures until they finally clicked, even through your frustration!