As my anxiety for daily blog not done piqued, I turned off my audiobook, and decided to peek into my Spotify app. Mostly I found a mountain of podcasts I’m behind on. After getting past the peak of Mount Podcast, I walked Into the Woods.
That gave me a Stream–and a smile! How I miss my traveling music. And traveling! So it’s Into the Woods!
What have I been focusing on this week?
Because of my arm/shoulder pain, I am not knitting or crocheting so much. That means lots of games on my tablets, I like the escaping blocks type games. Any suggestions while healing?
How do you go from practice to pointless? Then from pointless to playing? And suddenly feel the guilt for not practicing?
I’ve been playing piano for over a year. That’s after a couple time outs of years. I took lessons from 5-16 then a music major in my 40s. In between raising kids, jobs, and rebellion of the terror of the piano (mom issues, not teachers).
I thought I had it figured out. Playing is fun. And I’ve finally reached near where I was when I quit last time. But suddenly I’m not seeing improvement. I picked up Learn Faster, Perform Better by Molly Gebrian. Now I find I don’t want to play anymore. My rebel nature is back full force. That is not to say she is wrong. Practicing segments 10 times right will perfect the piece. But I want to play music, enjoy music.
Any ideas?
The Complete Piano Player: Books 1,2,3,4, and 5 by Kenneth Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great book to review with. After years away from the piano, I am finally back. But where do I fit?
I had been playing around with songs I learned a long time ago. At twelve, I was a far better player than I am now. In my forties, I was far better than now. Now at 76, I am just struggling to grow and start to enjoy this torture device/toy.
In a group dedicated to piano returnies, someone mentioned this book. I decided to try to see where I fit. I started with lesson one, book one. Much from there and in the next few books, I found I could sight-read much. My glaring mistakes showed up in rhythms. I practiced the bits and moved on.
Along the way, there are many beautiful, fun pieces. Very few were boring or impossible to learn. My favorite thing was that, with the exception of the very last song, all songs were on two pages. No turning pages! What I am worst at right now is the dreaded page-turn. So I make copies of all songs and tape them together to avoid having to turn the page while playing.
Speaking of making copies, there are so many songs I still want to play from this book that I am selecting some so I can save the book for others, or future me. So much diversity, classical, Beatles, and a most beautiful song I’d never heard from Elton John, Song for Guy. I’m so far from perfecting this one, but I will try forever, if I can, to get that under my belt.
I highly recommend this book for beginners and beyond. Stick with the challenging ones until you get it, and move on through. Now I feel I’d like to find the next Omni for Books 6 and beyond.
I don’t think I have enough finished to show my knitting progress. My shoulder is giving problems so I have been stopping when it hurts. Trouble is, when I sit I need to do something so I end up playing apps on my fire. Boo!
So outside of reading and bingeing some shows, reviews coming, progress has been slow. But turtles win races, right?
It worked! By the way, the little balls on either side of the mouse was how much I had to waste until they matched.
I do my Duo while on my stationary bike during the afternoon news.
Well, there’s the hobby progress. Now if I could figure out how to do more on the weekends.
I’m back on the treadmill and stationary bike exercise times. Yay!
This One-Liner Wednesday is from Linda G. Hill.
Not a financial success, but a win all the same.
(My first filled journal! My piano practice journal started October 2024)
This is a part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday and Just Jot it January
***
Maybe if I put away all the Christmas songs, winter will give us, in Christmas Valley, snow.
***
We had a snow a couple of weeks ago. It’s been cold enough that the snow on the north side of our house (teens) is still there. I’m tired of useless cold.
By the way, I’m still working on some of the harder songs and putting notes on the disabled as to when to pull them out (Halloween or later)
One book may stay out. It is a violin/piano duet book. So I’m getting out the violin again. Don’t know how to fit the time and frustration within my every day.
Wish me luck!
Most of my life, at least since I was 5, I’ve played piano. I must admit to a love/hate relationship with that instrument.
Mrs. Skinner made piano not only tolerable, but actually fun. She used everything in her power to bring joy to my musical soul. She introduced me to accordion, ukulele, and vocal fun.
Being adventurous I would seek out any keyboard,or music maker. I still feel her love when I play.
So when my family decided to take the hour drive to visit my aunt and uncle, I sought out my cousin’s chord organ. I found it such fun playing the flat accordion. It looked a lot like this one.
When my brother died in a car crash, my parents donated money for the pipe organ at our church. He was 21, I was 23.
I always wanted to learn to play all those buttons and foot pedals.
When I finally started back to school after my fourth baby turned 3, I got new types of pianos to enjoy. Electric pianos, and the glorious baby grand on stage in my voice/piano accompaniment classes.
During those years I was given the piano I have now and a foot pedal organ. (We couldn’t bring the organ when we moved.) So I got lessons on the organ. I loved it! But I understand now why organ benches develop a butt-groove. Organs can be quite the work-out!
If my parents had not taught me self-censorship, I could use the prompt two more times here.
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 100 books for the 2013 Reading Challenge! 115 of 100 (115%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 225 books for the 2012 Reading Challenge! 225 of 225 (100%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 200 books for the 2011 Reading Challenge! 204 of 200 (102%)
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