Practice Journal #16

I want to live in New Orleans- but only if I had a gig where I have access to an excellent pipe organ and a concert grand that I prefer.  Both do not have to be in the same place.  

I would like to play in an old-school cocktail lounge, perhaps somewhere like the Roosevelt...and sometimes, I want to play the juke joint...though, a nice hotel, plus a hotel room for my tenure, and a stipend- that would be nice.  I like that sort of gig, and I can certainly deliver the goods.  Also, an organist job at a large church would be fun!  I love it down there so.

ONLY if I don't have to struggle to live there, would I be interested, otherwise, I'm happy as a lark doing what I do here- I LOVE my work, and I LOVE all my jobs.   I though have learned that teaching is not something that is in my wheelhouse of interest, or skill.  I finally have learned to say "no" I will not always save the day because of your bad decisions as a musical executive.   I will no longer rush to struggle to learn pieces due to their lateness in hiring a pianist- I don't have to do that anymore, so I am enjoying focusing on myself.  I love it.  I love practicing, bettering my skills in which I have neglected for many years, and sort of hitting the 40's reset button.  I want to be as good as I can possibly be at my skills as a musician. If that skill level is just semi-virtuoso cocktail pianist, then fine, I'm down for that. BUT- If I discover that I can handle virtuoso repertoire, and borrow freely from it to better my own playing as a soloist- well, I will have struck gold.  I hope that there IS indeed gold, which is indeed most great player's goal in life- though, I want the better technique now, and I have some catching up to do.  

Being self didactic, I live a great existence, as all my colleagues are also scholars, as we all are in our respective musical fields.  Though, I don't have to pony or suck up to a professor that is ignorant, yet possess a high degree.   The magic of college though, is that you are able to study with greats of any musical field, if you can pay the tuition.  College does have a way of removing the wall between celebrity and reality.  So many mixed feelings about the college institutions.  I love learning- though, at my age of 41, I am patient, and want to learn.  At 18, I wanted to make merry, not learn.   The world is so promising with the youthful perspective.  Halcyon days, my friends.  Halcyon moments.  

I've not ventured with pen into my practicing as of late.  Busy with the arts camp at work, and dealing with Henry, and meetings, et-cetera, there has been little time to blog about practice.  Though, I have certainly practiced- usually 2-6 hour per day.  

Lately- yesterday, and the days before, included rehearsing of:

Rachmaninoff/Rachmaninov....(I see a friend using the 'v,' so, I will perhaps use it interchangeably):  Prelude in Bb Major 

• I'm practicing/learning this to play next week and on Sunday in my postlude at both, in a mixture of the prelude and "Let All the World, In Every Corner Sing."  I don't know the hymn tune of the top of my head.  I don't care.

Liszt:  Un Sospiro
(From the 3 Concert Etudes)

• Sunday's Prelude

Ravel:  La Valse (Multiple editions)

Schulz-Evler:  Concert Arabesques on "The Beautiful Blue Danube" 

• This is so busy and fantastic-
  • I'm finding that just after a couple of detailed practices on the first few pages, that the fingering doesn't dissipate from memory as quickly as I would have assumed.  It is rather pianistic if you are mentally prepared to allow your fingers to do what you were always told not to do- it's so fun, so fascinating.  A true challenge.
  • So difficult! HA!

Rachmaninov:   Kreisler's Liebesleid

• ​This piece is finally coming along and sticking in my hands- also, much more tricky to play than meets the eye.  
• I practiced this last night with my noise cancelling headphones on, listening to an audiobook, as well as watching Paul Lynde clips on YouTube, so I was mainly practicing to see how much I can trust my hands to do the right thing while I was thinking of other things.  This piece needs to be able to be played while being distracted.   Why?  Well, because, for me, I cannot remember this piece- I can play it in my head, though not without sheet music- yet.  However that issue, which no doubt over time will disappear, I find that to play this piece well, requires you to know the finger patterns and physical motions in your motor memory- once this piece is in the motor movements of your body, then you have better control with the artistic parts.  
• I learn Bach some how in the same way- I take the hands apart and play metronomically with correct fingering and hopeful articulation, until it becomes part of my psyche, then I add hands together.   Add details, practice until you have it....may be a day, may be decades...

Kapustin:  Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40:  Prelude.  Allegro Assai

• Patience. 
• Be patient with yourself 
• Tricky for me...is it tricky for you?  
• What an amazing piece- a great encore number!  I  hope I can "get it"

Rachmaninov: Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee"

• Not such detailed rehearsal, trying to absorb motor memories....

There are a lot of other things that I practiced.  I'm sleepy.  I want a nap.