learn piano

I took a piano lesson this morning. According to the dates on the journal I kept, my last lesson was on 5/3/2007, almost exactly four years ago. It’s been a busy time since then, but I’m home and on a more regular routine now, and plan to stick with it.

Some of Glenn’s friends were concerned recently that I wasn’t finding any time and activities for myself, and encouraged me to pursue what help the county could provide. A social worker’s coming in a couple of weeks for an evaluation, and one of the results should be enrolling Glenn in a program he can attend Tuesday and/or Thursday mornings, which should allow me to get away for lessons regularly.

I looked up a pianist I remembered from chamber music concerts in the area, and with the school year winding down, she was ready to take on new students. I’ve enjoyed both her playing and her energetic, upbeat personality, and hope we’ll be a good fit.

I worked up a bit of the material I’d learned back in ‘07 to play for her, and she thought I could go ahead and start the first Invention by Bach, the music I brought along in the “hope to play sometime” category. I think it should be a great tool to get the left hand working, to get more comfortable with reading the bass clef (a skill lacking from my guitar background), and, most interestingly, to start to know what the brain feels like when it’s running a melody in each hand simultaneously.

So, as I approach 40 at Summer’s end, I’m excited and looking forward to learning some of what Bach wrote for his kids to play when they were 4. :)

It feels good to be playing something again. Once I get the fingers moving and hit a first plateau of proficiency, I need to find someone on my own level to play some four-hand music with me. A combination of lessons to prepare for and friends to enjoy making music with should keep me on the wagon. Wish me luck!

i’ve been terrible about making time for music in the past month, but did sit down at the piano a couple of times this week. i always forget what good exercise it is for my fingers. i can feel them get stronger and less likely to be injured by typing at the computer.

i put in some good piano and score reading time during my two weeks off (the christmas oratorio is terrific!). i need to keep it going as i slip back into my usual routine and todo lists.

diminishing returns… need to get back on the bench!

i only managed to be at the piano about every third day this week instead of every other day. the time i spent there was wonderful, though it was starting to overload my arm muscles. i need to keep spreading it out to a little each day instead of a lot two or three times a week.

i only got in my piano time about every other day this week. need to keep trimming the fat from my todo list and making music a higher priority.

i’ve been pretty good about putting in an hour each day this week. i’ve started a routine of a 1/2 hour at the keyboard, a 1/2 hour of listening to music while reading the score (this and this make a great combination), a 1/2 hour of reading about music (music history, theory, etc.), and a 1/2 hour back at the piano. it’s fun! i need to keep reducing other unnecessary commitments to make time for it.

i reinstated a modest daily practice schedule, and have been maintaining it for the last few days. keep going!

i sat down for an hour of concentrated practicing yesterday, for the first time in ages. baby steps onto the bus. i need to keep working at creating free time for music. i gave myself permission to let it slide when the house debacle erupted in the summer, and now that the house has sold, i should pick it up again. i should pursue finding a teacher once the plans about winter relocation are decided.

i got my degree in classical guitar performance back in 1996, but have drifted away from music since then. i finally started piano lessons a year ago, and had great plans for increased practice time once the summer came. then my summer went wonky , i got sucked into months of cleanup of that mess, and the end of the year is looming with the keyboard untouched. i want to recapture my momentum, find a new teacher (my previous one is busy finishing two piano degrees), and free time for lessons and practice.

unfortunately, finding a teacher and establishing a relationship with
him or her conflicts with my goal of spending part of the winter
somewhere warm, so i may have to content myself with practicing until
i’m home again for an extended period.