Practice JOurnal 5

Henry had a lovely boiled egg and some sausages for his birthday breakfast.  He is so sweet.  Five years old...

He seems to be enjoying his stroller, as he helps himself into it.  

I'm not sure what spurred this interest in trying to really challenge myself to get better technique, though, I'm having so much fun exploring the mid-late romantic virtuoso works.  You see...when I was studying piano (I still study piano, though, I teach myself at this juncture- with the assistance of others as needed), I was only concerned with the new/shocking/avant-garde/experimental/theatrical/conceptual sort of kinds of music.  While I morphed into a sort of contemporary music snob, I missed absorbing and learning about the romantics.  Is romantic supposed to be R or r? Who cares right now... YES, I did learn Liszt, and Rachmaninoff (I used to spell Rachmaninov to be bougie)- and I of course did a great deal of Debussy.  I just didn't appreciate the luxury and pathos of the romantics.  And now, my obsession with luxurious Hollywood style dripping-gold and honeyed harmonies, and lush orchestrations- yes, now all that good stuff makes sense.  I am grateful that at 41 it finally is dawning on me, and luckily for me, it is also making sense to my hands.  Doubtfully will I perform all these works that I am learning, I will certainly borrow heavily from their techniques, harmonies, and trickeries, and will sneak a ton of "variationing" of songs into these pieces, and vice-versa.  

Note:  Tonebase for Piano on YouTube is a godsend of a pianist's treasures.  
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Practiced the following stuff today:
Chopin:  Op. 10, No. 1 (Cortot Edition today, though I enjoy the Alfred Masterworks version a lot)

Rachmaninoff (Rimsky-Korsakov):  Flights of the Bumblebee
Rachmaninoff:  Moment Musicaux:  4

Liszt:  Transcendental Etudes:  1 & 2

After having tendonitis in 2009, I started researching Dorothy Taubman.  Today- I revisited some of her master classes on YouTube.  I employed some of the ideas that she recommends- mainly today though, the economics of a relaxed and effortless hand with accurate finger placements.  I am highly fascinated by the non-crossing under with thumbs in scaler passages, but rather play on an even level and not over-employee muscles for no reason at all, when there is a more healthy way to address a passage.  I also like the technique in teaching others to take care of their own musical issues, and also to foster a sense of self-help, or maybe even some autodidactic piano technique.  

I doubt these words that I pen via the keyboard are read- and if they are, please take special note, that just because I am experimenting with different approaches and techniques to playing the piano, does not mean that I am advocating or not-advocating in favor or otherwise of these said techniques being executed.  I am of the adage of playing piano in as a healthy way that is possible, while maintaining goals of virtuoso trickery.  I certainly employee technical trickery from every style of piano systems- it only makes sense in this age and time to take what best serves me from every system, and apply it to my own work.  

The Chopin Etude No. 1 (Op. 10)- just is an absolute pain for me to remember the patterns- however, after using the relaxed or less stressful Taubman style of addressing the keys in rehearsal for today, I found a much easier time and a much more relaxed hand and arm when I practiced really involve passages.  More to discuss later...

Accompanist Ranting...thoughts anyway....not really a rant, though some things to ponder...or whatever.  
**Also starting the other day and from now on, if the solo part of a collaborative piece is less technically forbidding than the piano part, or accompaniment, then, I will re-title the piece "Title" for Piano & Instrument.  It is only fair.  I have collaborated my whole career, though, why does a solo line that is incapable of playing just one or so notes become the headliner?  Generally speaking, the pianist's training dwarfs the time it takes to learn the said instrument of headliner assumption.  I rarely am told thank you in an accompaniment position that I have, however, I am paid fairly well for a very accessible task, for me, anyway.  Generally speaking, a good accompanist, or collaborator is usually taken decent care of insofar as accoutrements go.  Taking the backseat sometimes has its perks.  The social and showmanship parts are less imposing to the pianist, if they do not have to be the star de la showcase.  Interesting aspects on collaboration...I'm not necessarily adhering to my thoughts today on this subject, though, it's fun to think about.  


Two concerts tomorrow, haircut, and rehearsal for Sunday services- a lovely day and night to all.....

OMG...well, "Big Top Pee Wee" is on, and the soundtrack, Elfman, I believe- delicious.  Love that exotic scene with the elephant and the gobs of harp.