Wow, I watched the YouTube of Leonard Bernstein conducting the 4th movement of Shostakovich's 5th symphony and I still feel shaky. Man, those trombones rock!
Great practice tonight, even before I watched the YouTube. I'm working on less material, more slowly, and I am making progress, and I like that.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Clef studies!
Lunchtime practice:
Very methodical warmup, without the tuner, just listening to myself. I became suddenly aware of how much weight I am typically putting on the right hand (slide hand) with my modified grip, holding the horn with my ring finger rather than my middle finger of my left hand. I switched to my middle finger, after padding it first with my homemade padding arrangement, but I know already that too much pain lies there. I need to be very attentive to this. I cannot keep putting weight on the slide as 1) that just slows my action down and 2) is probably a bad thing for the slide long term.
I worked on alto clef in my Ralph Sauer clef studies book and that was quite productive. Mr. Sauer says in his introduction that his idea is to give people new things to play, that are musical, as they learn clefs, so the student (that would be me, in this case) does not fall into patterns and not actually learn to read the clef. Sort of like the difference between speaking Spanish rapidly and knowing how to count to one hundred in Spanish.
I also worked on one of the Beeler scale etudes, this one in the key of Ab. I am discovering that I don't have a good sense of what Db should sound like. I did this today without the tuner at all and I kept being pretty fuzzy and out of tune on the Db. Quite interesting. 5th position! There's just so much room there!
Very methodical warmup, without the tuner, just listening to myself. I became suddenly aware of how much weight I am typically putting on the right hand (slide hand) with my modified grip, holding the horn with my ring finger rather than my middle finger of my left hand. I switched to my middle finger, after padding it first with my homemade padding arrangement, but I know already that too much pain lies there. I need to be very attentive to this. I cannot keep putting weight on the slide as 1) that just slows my action down and 2) is probably a bad thing for the slide long term.
I worked on alto clef in my Ralph Sauer clef studies book and that was quite productive. Mr. Sauer says in his introduction that his idea is to give people new things to play, that are musical, as they learn clefs, so the student (that would be me, in this case) does not fall into patterns and not actually learn to read the clef. Sort of like the difference between speaking Spanish rapidly and knowing how to count to one hundred in Spanish.
I also worked on one of the Beeler scale etudes, this one in the key of Ab. I am discovering that I don't have a good sense of what Db should sound like. I did this today without the tuner at all and I kept being pretty fuzzy and out of tune on the Db. Quite interesting. 5th position! There's just so much room there!
Monday, December 29, 2008
return to a little reality ... and it's my 102nd straight day of practice
cool time practicing tonight. I am just bringing a different focus. Goofy little exercises, I'm just working over and over again. Is it that I'm tired of playing things not quite right? Or is it that what every one says is sinking in - play it right and then the speed will come. Or rather, that I have this little break where I can just luxuriate and play around. What heaven. I even played around a good bit with the trumpet tonight before I started on the trombone, trying to pick out a scale, figuring out the partials - such fun to go so high!!!! Wow.
I counted up my days and it really is my 102nd straight day of practice. Granted, a few of those days have just been buzzing a couple of scales on the mouthpiece (while traveling), or the occasional late night sneak in a few surreptitious quiet passages. But, oh, can I see the value of doing this every day. Not in being amazingly better, not at all, but in the desire, the need, now, to play something every single day. Ha, I am almost at a third of a year.
Oh, but for the promised reality. After my wondrously relaxing Christmas break, tonight I pulled out the Shostakovich and I realize that what I must do is play this enough that I almost have it memorized. I simply cannot be translating this from alto clef. I have to get this into myself and our first rehearsal is next week so chop, chop! And I just must get a recording of this symphony so I can get THAT into my head.
I counted up my days and it really is my 102nd straight day of practice. Granted, a few of those days have just been buzzing a couple of scales on the mouthpiece (while traveling), or the occasional late night sneak in a few surreptitious quiet passages. But, oh, can I see the value of doing this every day. Not in being amazingly better, not at all, but in the desire, the need, now, to play something every single day. Ha, I am almost at a third of a year.
Oh, but for the promised reality. After my wondrously relaxing Christmas break, tonight I pulled out the Shostakovich and I realize that what I must do is play this enough that I almost have it memorized. I simply cannot be translating this from alto clef. I have to get this into myself and our first rehearsal is next week so chop, chop! And I just must get a recording of this symphony so I can get THAT into my head.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
teeny tiny
The best laid plans ...
A beautiful meditative weekend led into clambering around town in the snow looking for groceries and gifts, then to throwing together a delightful birthday dinner for my sister-in-law Sharon, and family ... I made this soup, recipe from Carey. I used cranberry beans instead of fava beans (fava beans are too dry for my taste), no chickpeas, a different chili paste and only half of what they called for (didn't want it to be too hot for the kids), and substituted quinoa for the couscous. It was terrific!
All that did not leave much time for practice, sigh. I played a few scales after 9, quietly (and quite nicely on the high end, I might add).
Oh, and I have no idea why they said to saute the vegetables in water, I used olive oil.
2. Stir in the couscous, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
A beautiful meditative weekend led into clambering around town in the snow looking for groceries and gifts, then to throwing together a delightful birthday dinner for my sister-in-law Sharon, and family ... I made this soup, recipe from Carey. I used cranberry beans instead of fava beans (fava beans are too dry for my taste), no chickpeas, a different chili paste and only half of what they called for (didn't want it to be too hot for the kids), and substituted quinoa for the couscous. It was terrific!
All that did not leave much time for practice, sigh. I played a few scales after 9, quietly (and quite nicely on the high end, I might add).
Oh, and I have no idea why they said to saute the vegetables in water, I used olive oil.
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tomato, cored and diced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 cups diced pumpkin or butternut or acorn squash
1 cup cooked small fava or cranberry beans, drained
1 cup cooked or canned chick peas, drained
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons harissa (Moroccan chile paste)
1 cup couscous
1. Saute onions and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons water for about 5 minutes.Add tomato and garlic and cook for 4 minutes more.
2. Stir in the couscous, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
very steady and slow practice
I sneaked in a little late, practicing until 9:12 but I have such artsy people upstairs housesitting for Charlie that I just figured I could get away with it.
I did very slow scales, 2 octaves, very slow and in tune.
Then I worked on only the Beeler allegreto piece, carefully. I need to be playing it in 2 but I keep doing it in 4, so I got out the metronome and worked and worked on it to get it in 2. Singing it in 2. Playing only one note to get the timing right. Playing odd transitions very carefully, over and over again. Since I didn't have much time, I just used what I had to get it as right as I could.
I will try to practice more tomorrow; had a social obligation today that took seven hours. (One hour of prep, 6 hours to get there and back, and visit. Mercy.)
I did very slow scales, 2 octaves, very slow and in tune.
Then I worked on only the Beeler allegreto piece, carefully. I need to be playing it in 2 but I keep doing it in 4, so I got out the metronome and worked and worked on it to get it in 2. Singing it in 2. Playing only one note to get the timing right. Playing odd transitions very carefully, over and over again. Since I didn't have much time, I just used what I had to get it as right as I could.
I will try to practice more tomorrow; had a social obligation today that took seven hours. (One hour of prep, 6 hours to get there and back, and visit. Mercy.)
Friday, December 26, 2008
first bassoon part
I'm playing the first bassoon part for one of our student symphony pieces. A lot of eighth notes - three pages full, but I played almost 2 of the 3 pages just now, and it is fun music, if I can keep up once we do it at full speed.
I worked on the Allegreto exercise, and on a piece on pp. 12 - 13 of the Beeler.
I may do another practice session later on tonight. It is quite pleasing to have chops in such good shape after playing that Christmas music. I played for about an hour just now and could barely feel the effects.
I worked on the Allegreto exercise, and on a piece on pp. 12 - 13 of the Beeler.
I may do another practice session later on tonight. It is quite pleasing to have chops in such good shape after playing that Christmas music. I played for about an hour just now and could barely feel the effects.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Jesu, Joy
Why don't I have those positions nailed?
What's up with the trombone that it's so hard for me to know where notes are? After the last post, with Herb gone home, I just poked around playing Jesu, Joy from memory. I can sort of do it, but whew! it is tricky to find the notes.
Then I dig into it more. Is it tricky because I actually don't have the melody fully in my mind? Is it trickier now than when I was a kid because I am not spending the hours and hours on it, expecting it to come all at once instead? I think, maybe I don't have Jesu, Joy fully in my mind, but then I can sing it, so I do, but I'm not giving myself the time to take it from my head to the trombone.
Ok, mini-goal, I love Jesu, Joy, it sounds lovely on the trombone, that can be my song that I play when called upon ... but, oh, my, I also have to learn to play Happy Birthday as we are always called upon to do that!
What's up with the trombone that it's so hard for me to know where notes are? After the last post, with Herb gone home, I just poked around playing Jesu, Joy from memory. I can sort of do it, but whew! it is tricky to find the notes.
Then I dig into it more. Is it tricky because I actually don't have the melody fully in my mind? Is it trickier now than when I was a kid because I am not spending the hours and hours on it, expecting it to come all at once instead? I think, maybe I don't have Jesu, Joy fully in my mind, but then I can sing it, so I do, but I'm not giving myself the time to take it from my head to the trombone.
Ok, mini-goal, I love Jesu, Joy, it sounds lovely on the trombone, that can be my song that I play when called upon ... but, oh, my, I also have to learn to play Happy Birthday as we are always called upon to do that!
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