Practice has not been going well. The quality of practice is fine, but in the midst of the college setting, it's hard to find time to practice. Of late, when I do practice I am happy with the way things are going. I just wish there were more hours to each day.
The first movement of the Beethoven Sonatina has been learned and memorized. The second movement is coming along nicely, and I should have it memorized within another week of practicing. The Clementi Sonatina, on the other hand, has been taking longer than expected. The first half of the first movement has been learned, and working on memorization. The second half still has some work to do. I've begun looking at the second movement of that Sonatina.
But if there is one composer that perhaps gives me the most trouble, that award goes to Mozart. I just find his works unusually difficult, even the simpler ones such as this Minuet and Trio. The first page is roughly learned, though not memorized. The second page is still in progress, but overall, I'm satisfied with the progress I'm making on that work. The Bach Minuet has been learned, and I'm working on memorization as we speak.
The Burgmuller Study is fairly simple and relatively easy to play. It's just a matter of time before I have this one under my belt. I haven't touched my theory (the book that my teacher gave me is horribly easy--all very basic stuff that I already know, such as note values and time signatures).
Scales Previously Learned: C Maj, G Maj
Scales Assigned by Teacher: D Maj, F Maj
Scales I'm Learning on my Own: E Maj, Bb Maj
Friday, February 1, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A History Lesson
So a bit of background information about me:
I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 from a woman named Siybell. I had continued taking lessons, even after she moved away, from a woman by the name of Leonetta Bibby. At the age of eight, I quit, because that's when my older sisters did. Melissa was graduating, and Sarah would soon after.
At that point I hated music. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I hated being forced to the piano, being forced to practice little pieces that to me had no sentimental value. I wasn't really playing anything, and I hated practicing because I never felt like it was going anywhere. Of course, as an eight year old, I didn't rationalize it this way--I just wanted to go out and play, like all the other kids were doing.
Fast forward about another eight years. I'm a sophomore in high school, standing next to the piano in the band room over lunch. One of my former friends was playing "To Zanarkand" from the Final Fantasy series. It was possibly the most beautiful thing that I had ever heard. Having a burning desire to play it, I immediately got the sheet music from him, sat down at the piano at home, and tried to play it.
A thin layer of dust covered the piano, the keys looked somber and neglected. Having not touched the instrument in years, I pulled the bench out from underneath it, took my seat, and tried to play. My knowledge was extremely rough. The bass clef was not something I could recall well. I had played instruments in band prior to this, but all those instruments were in the treble clef, which I could play well.
After a week of constant playing, I had finally mastered the piece of music. Over the summer I had contemplated taking lessons again from my former instructor. I had then contacted her. Thus I had embarked on a journey of music... my goal... to become an amazing pianist. Not a concert performer, but an accomplished musician. Unfortunately, through the trials of school and my extra curricular activities, I could not hold lesson steadily. There had been months where I had gone without an instructor or without playing anything. My repertoire never really increased. Then, after the start of this year, 2008, I have decided to pick up lessons again, and this time, I have the mindset that I am going to accomplish what I intend to. My dream is to be able to play the works of Liszt and Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Ravel. I want to know everything that musicians know. I want to know theory, I want to know a vast amount of repertoire. It's my passion, one that was formerly buried by a playful, naive child, who was unaware of the immense value of this instrument.
I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 from a woman named Siybell. I had continued taking lessons, even after she moved away, from a woman by the name of Leonetta Bibby. At the age of eight, I quit, because that's when my older sisters did. Melissa was graduating, and Sarah would soon after.
At that point I hated music. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I hated being forced to the piano, being forced to practice little pieces that to me had no sentimental value. I wasn't really playing anything, and I hated practicing because I never felt like it was going anywhere. Of course, as an eight year old, I didn't rationalize it this way--I just wanted to go out and play, like all the other kids were doing.
Fast forward about another eight years. I'm a sophomore in high school, standing next to the piano in the band room over lunch. One of my former friends was playing "To Zanarkand" from the Final Fantasy series. It was possibly the most beautiful thing that I had ever heard. Having a burning desire to play it, I immediately got the sheet music from him, sat down at the piano at home, and tried to play it.
A thin layer of dust covered the piano, the keys looked somber and neglected. Having not touched the instrument in years, I pulled the bench out from underneath it, took my seat, and tried to play. My knowledge was extremely rough. The bass clef was not something I could recall well. I had played instruments in band prior to this, but all those instruments were in the treble clef, which I could play well.
After a week of constant playing, I had finally mastered the piece of music. Over the summer I had contemplated taking lessons again from my former instructor. I had then contacted her. Thus I had embarked on a journey of music... my goal... to become an amazing pianist. Not a concert performer, but an accomplished musician. Unfortunately, through the trials of school and my extra curricular activities, I could not hold lesson steadily. There had been months where I had gone without an instructor or without playing anything. My repertoire never really increased. Then, after the start of this year, 2008, I have decided to pick up lessons again, and this time, I have the mindset that I am going to accomplish what I intend to. My dream is to be able to play the works of Liszt and Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Ravel. I want to know everything that musicians know. I want to know theory, I want to know a vast amount of repertoire. It's my passion, one that was formerly buried by a playful, naive child, who was unaware of the immense value of this instrument.
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