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22 february

In a radiochannel this afternoonI heard a pianist playing Rachmaninoff: Variations on a theme of Corelli. I found the scores at imslp.org.....and started....mmmm.. Just a few of them are playable to me.........I don't understand what size of hands you need......XXL?.....mine are S/M


I lurked around at imslp and found scores of Corelli......mmmm..... made me more happy.

In the evening I continued my study on Mozart variationen Dieu d'amour.

Best regards,
Johan B

Currently, due to my schedule, I am working by ear rather than with the Duane Shinn 52 week course. I have to put that off once again as we go through cancer treatment and associated activities with my wife. I have another course called the "Any Key Music System" by Robert Chambers that I wanted to do at some point. It has very little written material - just a few sheets on scale fingering, how to spell chords, etc since it is a "by ear" course. The course is really a sort of "boot camp". I am currently drilling on the major scales both hands and really getting to know them.

The course is also a year long, consisting of about 20 CDs (MP3s) spread across 4 levels. There will be a lot of drilling in which Chambers plays chord sequences and melodies that I have to play back AND transpose to the other 11 keys, which is typically how jazz improvisors train (my observation, not particularly his). This course fits better into my schedule because, for some reason, "by ear" is much more natural to me than sight reading, so I can drop in and out of it as my time permits, where the Duane Shinn course is like taking piano lesson with a live teacher - you have to keep up with the work load steadily or fall farther and farther behind.

Hopefully, after my wife's surgery at the end of April and her recovery and my engineering contract ending, I will again re-retire for the rest of the year and get back to Duane Shinn. Until then, it is work during the day and my wife's STAR program at night i preparation for the surgery.

If I am really making progress by ear, I may just continue since I have stacks of CDs with music I want to learn by ear from.

Tony

21 Feb - had the house to myself for 4 hours, played 3 hours with breaks.. made some good progress on earlier music from Alfred's book and started learning Position C +1. Very pleased with myself that day.

then cooked fabulous meal for wifey

I went on a Bach binge and played all the French Suites, English Suites, and the Goldberg Variations.

Now it's time for some Chopin, perhaps...

I like that...Bach binge. I went on a Bach binge and now I am suffering from counterpoint overload.

Tony

Counterpoint overload is a good thing.

Wow...lucky boy........you had a nice day............

I have my instrument in my study upstairs.......I can play every moment of the day.........

23 february

Yesterday I watched a tv-show about music. There was among others some body who played Gabriels oboe of Ennio Morricone, orchestra and bandeleon.......so this morning it was the first thing......in this show also some more about Paganini and the new CD Keys to Mozart of Daria van den Bercken.

In the evening playing Mozart.....among others Dieu d'amour.....

Regards,
Johan B

French Suites of Bach..... I play three of them..........fine baroque music of the master.

Regards,
Johan B

23 Feb
Today I practiced Aloutte (C Position) page 97 and Lavender's Blue (C position +1) page 101, I made mistakes each time and was never able to play it through without hesitation, hitting the wrong key etc. yet, I felt good about the practice session and glad I was able to sit at the piano for an hour. I also changed the way I sit and adjusted the distance from the piano and to my amazement my wrist didn't hurt. At some point I need to consider a teacher as I know I can only take myself so far.

Going on business trip next week and plan on taking my piano books - it's boring in a hotel room but I'll make my time productive. It does bother I won't be able to practice at all.

I have a Casio PX-5S, which I hope to bring with me at the end of April when we spend a week at the Mayo Clinic. It is light, less than 20 lbs and about as small as a full size 88 keys keybed can be, yet it sounds great and feels really nice. If you travel a lot, it may be worth a look. They are relatively inexpensive. Mine cost less than $700 new on sale at Guitar Center last summer. The PX-5S does not have built in speakers, but one would use headphones in a hotel room anyway.

Tony

There's always the 'roll-a-piano'. Don't know how that would feel though, pretty peculiar is my guess.

24&25 february

Playing around in four books of Margareta Babinski Babinski an Austrian pianist...........nice overview of piano-literature.

Two books with work of most wellknown composers....the other two more focused on several technics in categories...........by examples of the greatest composers.


Regards,
Johan B

26 february

This morning working at my technic by the Babinski books.....for one hour

In the afternoon studying Fantasie in D, Fantasie in C and Variationen Dieu d'amour Mozart.....one hour

Tonight......Jazz standards.........>one hour.......

Regards,
Johan B

You are really getting around and moving through lots of material, Johan!
Good to see.
I've been bogged down in musical software and trumpet playing the last few days, but simple things on the keys also, reviewing fundamentals.

Hi RaggedKeyPresser,

Yes I like to......'scroll'.........through all kind of music......there is so much fine music.......the only condition.........I have to feel passion, emotion, soul, inspriration in the music I play.

Just as Beethoven said: 'To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is unexcusable' .......

Today 27 february.....playing the book Jazz standards (Hal Leonard, budgetbooks) Jazz standards

Saturday and sunday......mmmm.....arghh....no piano-playing......staying at my daughters house.......she has no piano.......little error in the education...

Best regards

"as Beethoven said: 'To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable' "
Indeed!

Studying my next "new" piano method from 1885 with a fine-toothed comb.
Has things in it I haven't been exposed to before in my limited and haphazard beginning studies. E.g. the finger independence exercises of all possible combinations with 'fettered' free fingers and with suspended free fingers. An amazingly neglected training for me.
This is making things happen, I find. It's to be done in moderation and paying attention to the body's signals, and mindless repetition is not desirable.
Also,what is very interesting to me is to study how serious piano playing was taught in the late 1800's.
It was really down to business, and nothing was served on a platter with pretty multicoloured pictures.

Tony, I took your advice and got me a Yamaha YPT-240 - it's nothing fancy but serves the purpose.. and now I can practice early in the morning and not wake anyone up.

Agfinguy,

Sounds like a great idea! That is a 61 key keyboard, from what I looked up on Amazon, so it will be smaller yet and should travel even better.

Tony

1 March

Hi there,

Today and tomorrow no piano-playing.......staying in my daugthers house.....no piano....

Tomorrow also visiting my brother-and-sister-in-law......there is an classical organ.......when there will be time for it........

Best regards,
Johan B