take piano lessons to improve my playing

And just got the Grade 2 music and a book of what look like very difficult studies (which are supposed to be Grade 2!!).

I saw Lang Lang on TV last night at the Proms, as well as being awesomw himself he introduced a 9 year old who played a duet with him, Marc Yu Hmmmm I feel so inadequate now.

^{Goes to practice some more}

Zonino!!!

Ok it was an adult learners event, I played a very simple piece by Mozart (the second piece he ever wrote, K2, which was when he was 5!!). I stumbled a couple of times, but did keep going, and I got a lot of applause and positive comments, and lots of support.

Moving on the the 3rd piece Mozart ever wrote now, K3, and on my way up to K488 :)

and Teach is talking about the exam in July!!! Eeeekkkk!!!

He says there is no way I won’t be ready and we discussed which exam centre to take it in (one with a nice piano would be good!)

and I am now learning a Rag, which I cN do v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y wiTh both hands and a lot of mistakes!! Teach is very supportive!

I have been working on the Mozart K1 (they don’t come any earlier than that). I can do the right hand, I can do the left hand, I can even do the left hand while singing the right hand… but I can’t yet do both hands together. However Teach says this is good progress and it sounds nice. For next week I am to practice hands separately some more to get the fingering, the dynamics and the expression embedded and then very slowly start doing hands together.

Mozart already :)...this week K1, next week K467!!

Teach brought 2 books with him. The ABRSM Grade 1 pieces (eeeek!) and Bartok Mikrokosmos book 1 (of 6 in progressing difficulty).

In the Grade 1 book there is Mozart’s K1, Wolfie must have been about 4 when he wrote that, but I somehow fancy playing Mozart. The Bartok has 36 short pieces in and he has asked me to look at nos 10 and 22. We had a go at them both with me playing the left hand and him playing the right hand, and it was good. Sounds like real music instead of silly nursery rhyme stuff that you so often get when you first start,
^{though, if the truth be known, they are probably Hungarian nursery rhymes.}

He then asked me to play a few scales, and asked for two minor scales…I have only been practising the major scales, what is it about music teachers that they can always pick the one thing you haven’t practised.

My scales are coming on, and I can play a little tune with both hands. But it is frustrating as I am finding to co-ordination so tricky, and it is difficlt just to play the right notes just yet, when I want to play the music.

Also my little tune is obviously in G, but as it only uses 5 notes (G,A,B,C,D) there is no F#, and there is no key signature…this is really bugging me as it is just WRONG! I think I will go and write one in.

I have a new little tune to learn for next week and to continus practising my scales. ‘Teach’ is talking about talking Grade 1 in the summer…so soon!!!

Eeeek!!!!

Better go and practice!

But with the arrival of the new piano on Wednesday, maybe I should get myself back into gear on this one.

It sounds rather grand doesn’t it… Chopin!! Already!! (it really must be a very simple arrangement of one theme!)

Anyway I am now playing all the notes with both hands (although there a few pauses where I have to check where my fingers are…maybe I need a cocktailonome to keep me to the pulse). When I have this piece under my fingers, with the pedal and I can do the scales and stuff then I will be ready to move on and find a teacher for the next step (or even go back to one who did the course for a lesson)