Making art in this world; maintenance practice vs. get better practice; score disagreements; improving my thumb support.
Oh, and here’s how to write an itunes review, as well as how to download iTunes. If you can’t get into iTunes, I’d also appreciate your leaving me a comment here at http://playitagainswig.com. Thanks!
A report on how practicing Chopin helped me play Brahms last week; some quotes from Chopin (and one from Chuck Close); thinking through my next performance (with a request for your ideas); snippets of all 24 etudes (I’m ignoring the other three for now); an impromptu play-through, with some yelling, of 10/5; how I’m practicing 10/11 (and a couple of minutes of actual practicing).
Thanks so much to listeners who have written reviews on iTunes. Unless I get 100 reviews by December 20–and it doesn’t yet look like I will–there will be only five more episodes of this podcast. Thanks for being my practice buddy!
Way too much detail about practicing with just the right hand, especially 25/8, 10/7, 10/10, and spots in 10/1 and 10/2.
A visit to the old stomping grounds leads to some thoughts on competition and motivation; some insights from playing an 1860s Broadwood piano; a danger of detail-oriented practice; the plan for next week. With bits of all of Op. 10.
Articulation and timing in 10/8; plugging away at 10/2 and 10/1; simplifying 25/10 and a theory geek moment; working on 25/8; a milestone in 10/7, organizing a practice session.
A simplified version of 25/8; the begging dog hand position for 25/8 and 10/7; resting points and some hope for 10/2; the left hand as helper in 10/; trying to play 10/8 in tempo (not necessarily at tempo) and with great articulation; organizing a practice session.
In which:
A report on an informal house concert; why it’s hard to practice on vacation; last 10/7 before it goes on the shelf for a few weeks; early days in 10/11; the scariest measure in 10/10; beginning 10/8, and finding it strangely familiar.
Recorded March 19, 2011
In which:
Part of a “before” version of 10/10, including a momentary foray into theory geekdom; a slightly improved version of 10/11; just the sixteenths of 10/2; the danger in 25/12; a new strategy for 10/7; a quote from Schumann; why I find these etudes so challenging; cheating on Chopin with Mozart and Haydn.
Recorded March 5, 2011
In which:
The last 10/4 for a while; some good practice ideas for 10/2, and a realization about one reason I’ve been having trouble with it; finding out how well the Cortot exercise worked for 10/7; strange melodies in 25/12; some thoughts about memory and plateaus, which reminded me of a podcast I love; a reminder that the perfect is the enemy of the good.
Recorded February 26, 2011
