Michelle's Practice Log

I've started keeping a practice log ... and I'm moving it from the extremely cool little journal that Carey gave me to my new blog ... so now it is my practice blog.

... exploring variations of familiar material is what musicians do all day. In fact, what it’s about seems to me to be wonderfully irrelevant. Beauty doesn’t have to be about anything. --Douglas Adams

I got 3 of the 7 pieces of music for the October concert Thursday:

• Modest Mussorgsky - Night on the Bare Mountain
• Gustav Mahler - Symphonie No. 1
• Englebert Humperdink (hee hee) - Hansel & Gretel

I didn't play yesterday as I was flat out busy from leaving the house before 8 am until returning at 11 pm - all very important engagements, work, social, symphony business [note guilt, guilt, at not practicing]

BUT I went through the Mussorgsky Thursday night after my 8 pm lesson (late, late) and wrote in letter note cues - one or two each line, 'cause it's written in alto clef and I am a stranger to alto clef.

The Mahler has some tenor clef sections, bounces between tenor and bass clef. I went through the Mahler and wrote in some letter cues in the tenor sections Friday morning. I know I need to learn to read tenor clef. Ha, this is my chance.

The Mussorgsky stretches to the very edge of my high range. I tried it tonight and I think I need to drop the high end down an octave. Need to talk to Jack about this on Thursday.

Hansel & Gretel looks totally playable. DYNAMICS though!

So, today I did:

• Practiced wind ensemble from 10 to about noon at Salvation Army, with Community Bands
• Packaged up my Yamaha Zeno slide to send off to be made perfect
• Dusted off the Jupiter student horn
  
• After warmup and scales, worked on my Beeler scale etudes and low etude
• Had to interrupt my scales/exercises to give the Jupiter slide a bath, it was hideously scratchy
  
• Played through Hansel & Gretel. It will be fine
  
• Poked at the Mussorgsky. I don't think I can be reliable with the G# and the A by October 25.