New Week

My trombone week appears to be starting on a Saturday. After my great success with meeting my goal of an hour a day all week - even though I did not make the 1 1/2 hours on the weekend, I am staying with that same goal for this week: 1 1/2 hours a day on each weekend day, 1 hour a day on weekdays, except Friday when all I need to do is "just play."

We had the second symphony rehearsal today. We played the Mahler, Night on Bald Mountain, The Simpsons, and Batman.

Mahler: Practice the dynamics. The low brass has a tiny part, but Todd wants it to be very dynamic, as written. Be "brass band" like - he'll tell us if we are too loud!

Mussorgsky: Wow, the alto clef was hard to read. He started out in 2, and fast. Practice this piece like crazy. Jack and I are going to work it together after my student symphony rehearsal. I want to work on this today.

Simpsons: Wild rhythm patterns, but I think if I work it on my own, I will be able to pick up on the rhythm by following Mike and Jack. They are aces. This was the first time I had seen this music, today.

Batman: There's a lot here, and I really need to work on this one, too.

I was at rehearsal for almost 2 hours, but let's just call it 45 minutes of playing time, for purposes of my goal. The trombone section spent a lot of time waiting and counting during the Mahler.

Goal for the remainder of the day is to warm up, play my next scale (can't remember which that is), and work on the Mussorgsky. Oh, and the symphony musicians were not real fond of this interpretation of that piece, in general.

BPU Day 15

I met my goal, no hour tonight, just played a little, about 15 minutes, scale exercises.

Lesson tonight

I am always so happy after my lessons and tonight is no exception. My G is starting to come cleanly, in sharp second. It is still a little rough in 4th position, but I am starting to have faith that it will come, slowly, slowly.

I need to work on my legato. It's either too short and choppy, or sloppy and slurred.

Work on my intonation. My A was flat tonight and I am not hearing it well.

In Red River Valley, concentrate on playing the note at the same level through the note, rather than growing into it. I know exactly what Jack means in the context of Red River Valley so if I work on this on that piece I should be able to extend it to other playing.

There was one other thing I need to pay attention to, but I forgot it as soon as I walked out from the lesson.

It was blowing hard on my way home, a warm dry wind. It blew my hair to standing up, from my new haircut, and I loved it, walking home in the dark with the warm wind racing the leaves all around, with my reflectos on each end of my trombone case and my little flashlight.

My hour of playing came from my lesson. Happy camper I am.

BPU Day 13, 1 hour 5 minutes

Played for at least 40 minutes ...

I must indeed practice the Mussorgsky, particularly the first page as the notes are quite high and I need to get the sound in my brain. It's also in Alto clef, for God's sake! I played at least into rehearsal number 14, but got interrupted by a phone call so I am not sure how much further I played than that.

Worked on my little Petite Waltz top part. There is one passage where the music goes F E down to B natural C, and I keep messing it up because I don't have the sound in my head. This is why I am trying to learn sight singing, so I can hear it first in my head and then will play it right. Well, I got my keyboard out and played it through several times, then sang it several times, and played it and it sounded beautiful.

Also worked on the Mahler bit and that was nice. Ah, it is in bass clef. :)

Mussorgsky!

Wow, I have been so neglecting the Mussorgsky, and I have those high notes at the beginning. Fortunately I have been working my high notes hard during my warmups.

Tonight (happily after a yummy stir-fry dinner), I will:

1. Warmup
2. The Mahler (remember, tiny bit, just the 3rd movement)
3. Petite Waltz, top part
4. Mussorgsky - the beginning, and then move to rehearsal number 9
   

buh-buh bump, buh-buh bump, buh-buh bump-bump-bump!

:) Was just working on William Tell and I have it in my head.

I jumped right in at lunch, did warmup, A major scale w/vibrato, finished out the Symphonie Fantastique Movement 4, and bounced back to William Tell. I am still muddy on the double-tonguing on the C, but was very attentive today at cleaning it up, and having a "t" attack rather than a "d" attack.

I am noticing a marked improvement in my ability to learn and play different rhythmic patterns. The sight singing lessons I have been doing with Rick seem to pay huge dividends. I'm not scared of complicated rhythm patterns - or, at least, not nearly as scared as I was - because I am so empowered by knowing that I can break them down and break them down until I get the pattern. Of course, I knew this before but by doing the rhythm exercises in the Sight Singing book, I am completely reinforcing the knowledge experientially, so it's going into my very core.

25 minutes.

Logging my intent

This blog has been a good idea, as was the seed of it - to log my intent for each session in a practice log.

After yesterday, which was truly a tumultuous day with the offer on the house, I want to put a steady ground beneath me. I was actually too excited to work yesterday. I will get in a good half-hour meditation this morning to settle the day.

I plan to come home at lunch to play. One unforeseen consequence of logging my intent first, with the added desire to play at least an hour a day, is that my practice sessions are starting to take on a real life. It's not, "OK, what's on the list to practice next?" but instead an eagerness - I am eager to finish working on the Berlioz today, and eager to return to William Tell - I have a lesson tomorrow! And would like to have some progress there. Just as, last night, I wanted to jump back into Peter and the Wolf.

If the new house comes through, there is a big room to play in ... I can't wait to hear the acoustics. Can't wait.