Well into the water now. That dark part was difficult as the symbol # and the ‘A’ look alike in dark blue. I had to use my lighted magnifying glass to figure out what was needed.
I need another color for the rest of my ponytail holders. With only 2 inches to finish, this will be done by the end of the day. This is crocheted. I think I got the pattern on Etsy. Yep. Here.
So the watermelon socks are coming along. I debated whether to add the arch-hug as I call that ribbing but I really like how it’s working out. This pair should be way farther along but I had to tink out about 2 inches. And though I now knit Continental, ribbing is still slower. The finer yarn and needles are hard for my hands. I knit these in shorts spurts.
I had started the heel on these already but realized it was too soon. So I had to tink back. Another inch of arch then I can do into the heel.
Unfortunately for my hands, even this easier pair is at the arch ribbing. I hope I can move on to the heel in at least one pair. Like I said ribbing is slower and gets old.
In the music realm, my violin is moving SO SLOW! I figured out I was over resining the bow. This is where a live teacher would have helped a lot. Getting my lessons via YouTube can be risky. But I can now squeakily play Twinkle, Twinkle (ABCD…), and Mary Had A Little Lamb, and started Jingle Bells. Nothing sounds like music. The positioning of violin and bow are still awkward. The instrument seems to hold tuning well, now that I’ve figured it out.
Isn’t it pretty? But my eyes have the hardest time focusing first to the bowing area and then figuring out where my fingers need to go. Tracking the A string, the second from the right, is where one starts. My eyes cross and things start hurting quickly. So I give this baby short spurts.
This one, my Enya Ukulele, is my favorite baby. I can sing with the songs I’ve learned. I have a couple memorized. My fingers have developed callouses. You can’t see them. But the strings no longer hurt. And a bit of cellular memory is kicking in so I’m not peeking at strings or music pages as often.
Ah, but, wrap me in plastic and kill me Dexter! This theme song that I picked up from MusicNotes has been tough!!! It looks easy. But not for me. I don’t usually have to listen to the song to get it. Thank goodness MusicNotes has a track to listen to. Even so, I couldn’t get the way it was written. I have finally memorized the beginning.
But midway, there is another section that sends me to a ‘nice cup of tea.’ Okay, let me explain. No. I can’t. Here:
Again. Short spurts. Still very slow. AND I do ‘air playing’ nearly 24/7 I find myself working on it in my sleep.
Thankfully, Succession Theme is recognizable. It’s fun to play the whole piano! Lots of ledger lines or octave lines to reach out for.
Speaking of
It’s time!
For those who think I get everything done. The laundry sat in the dryer two days and sat near me yesterday and today. The bike is yelling that I didn’t do that yet. There’s only 24 hours in a day! I still have Duolingo to do.
Remember way back when I mentioned I might start a podcast? I can’t remember what I thought I’d call it, but a new title comes to mind as I started day # 3 of piano reawakening. “Warts and All”
We are so used to seeing the end result of endless practice. That makes sitting in front or with your art impossible. “I’ll never be that good. Why try?” So many negative things we tell ourselves, and because of that, we will never know what enjoyment we might bring ourselves or others while waiting for perfection. Follow your passions. God, muses, whatever you may call it, gets the credit for your curiosity drive. Do we dare let our defeatism lead the way? So I’m taking you on the ride. I took piano lessons since I was 5. I rebelled my way out around 16. After marriage at 21, I had to wait a while to get my old piano. My second son was teething when I got my piano back. I was rusty but could still enjoy the below pieces and much more, nearly totally memorized. I would play so hyperfocused that that piano had teething marks as the poor baby begged for my attention. So, I had to keep the practice to light bits.
When we moved to my first desert, Antelope Valley, the house was so small I had to keep the piano in a chicken coop. It was an old upright grand. It looked quite at home there. I would get up and go out in my heavy coat and gloves, scarf, and cap. As I did the scales and warm-ups, layers were released. I was starting to fall in love with my kidnapper. Stockholm Syndrome? There was a lot of angst from the psychological damage that practicing piano imposed on me.
A few decades later, after letting myself enjoy other music, singing, playing the recorder, and playing the ukulele, I felt like I wanted to try to bring it all back. Three days ago, I figured out a time of the day I could schedule my piano time. My first day was a lot of cleaning my baby. We get a lot of dust out here. And the darned mice. Lots of cleaning. But hey, that old piano in the chicken coop was pretty bad, too. And I love this piano. How I got it is another story. So cleaning it was, is now, a work of love. I did start playing that day for a few minutes. It went well. I kept it to 15 minutes. For some reason, yesterday’s practice made me want to cry. Today I decided to start recording myself and sharing the mess and progress with you. You are not required to listen to these as if they were elevator music. It is merely how it is when you try.
Solfeggietto by Carl Philipp Emanuel BachSarabande and Variations from Suite no. 4 in D minor George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)Prelude No. 1 from Well-tempered Clavichord by J. S. BachSix Variations by L. van Beethoven
I did play this a bit, but I want to start fresh on it. I love this piece.
Enough of music. I’ll share the uke and recorder progress later.
I’m nearly halfway through the Dock diamond painting. The light behind shows the need to use a straightener. Wow!
I got a few more rows. I love the watermelon socks! MINE!
I thought I was on the decreasing part of the heel when I realized that these won’t fit my son; they are almost too small for me. Mismeasuring happens to me sometimes. I can measure my own feet, but other feet are in other cities! So, it’s time to frog back to the beginning of the heel. Still, I love this yarn so much that I ordered more. I love my own slippers from this peacock yarn.
This yarn is so much fun, visually I worked far more than I should have. Shoulder and hands are crying. But aren’t they adorable?
These haven’t progressed but maybe a row or two. The watermelons were much more fun!
Same with these. They are closer to the heel now.
The dock is coming along.
This is a ukulele chord trainer. Just for practicing without disturbing the household. I still need the ear training but my fingers need more touching. This I can do while watching TV.
This two sided poster helps with positioning and the second side helps with composition, harmony, and scales, etc. It’s been a long time since music theory classes
So these are the things in the making here. Hope you had a marvelous Monday.
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
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