Originally posted by U S A P T:
PS: Love your music blog.
Thanks. It's hard to find time to post on it but I try.
Do you record all of your practice sessions? I've started recording my lessons with much success -- especially the organ lessons.
Yes, I do, for various reasons. I like being able to objectively hear the pieces I practice sometimes. Also, when I record, I get the exact length that I practiced, so I can't imagine practicing longer than I actually did.
And I of course record my piano lessons, too. That one was my piano teacher's idea. I think most students here do that.
Might I suggest that you start at the end of the piece and work backwards a measure at a time at a speed where you don't make ANY mistakes and have all the expression intact from the first try? You'd be amazed how well that works and how quickly the tempo picks up. I fly through pieces much faster that way.
Interesting idea. But what do you do when you come upon a section you have trouble with? Do you continue on, to come back to it later, or do you work on that section first?
I've done slow practice for the sections that needed it, but I could probably use more of that. I'm just trying to bring it up to speed.
Mostly I've been doing slow practice right before the piano cadenza closer to the end, where the left hand has arpeggios accompanying the right hand melody, as well as the arpeggios that follow. I have a lot of trouble making those clean enough.
Thanks for the suggestion, though. Could I ask why specifically you work backwards? Unless it's to make sure the ending gets just as much work as the beginning.
