Learn to play the piano (well)

I will practice 30 minutes daily

I just don’t have time for this with school and everything else going on in my life. I think I’m going to have to set it aside until after I finish college.

I haven’t practiced much through the summer so far, but I’ve already signed up for next semester’s course. Lately, I’ve been trying to play a few songs that we didn’t have time to learn in the spring, but it’s been coming along slowly.

Goes to show how much a class can force me to schedule practice time…

I’m having a hard time making myself practice. I have had to cancel my last two lessons because my car has been broken, but I also have not practiced almost at all. I’m very disappointed in myself, and I’m discouraged.

Summer’s approaching, so the last piano class this semester is next week. I won’t be able to sign up for the fall semester until the end of the month, and I’m sort of wondering what I’m going to do in the meantime.

Breaks aren’t good for me and pianos. I need the direction to keep practicing pieces until I can play [very] well on my own talent. Otherwise, I don’t play many songs and practice increasingly dwindles.

Well, for our final, we were to take a piece of music and rearrange the sections to our liking. It was actually really fun, even though it’s not my favorite piece of music. I’m excited to hear everyone’s renditions, but pretty nervous to play my own.

Next semester, I think there are recitals – which is just out of my comprehension at this point. I can’t imagine having a recital; I’m nervous enough just playing in front of other classmates.

Anyway, the instructor caught me in the restroom (ew) and asked if I had music in my background because “you’re very good; there is something about your talent that seems very natural.” It was nice, since sometimes I feel like I’m not very good at anything.

I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying the piano – enough to think that giving lessons to kids would be fun. I’ll start with my niece some day…

I just scheduled my first piano lesson since sixth grade! I took for years, but I never actually learned to play. I’m looking forward to getting a better technical grasp on things, and then working on sightreading. I want to be able to accompany my voice students a lot better than I do now. It’ll also be great to be more proficient for my own singing practice. I’m really looking forward to it, and I am actually going to practice!

My niece is 4 years old and walked into our home office with a mini piano toy – the ones with multicolored keys – actually playing each key up and down.

P said she should sing as she plays and be like Hannah Montana.

“But Moo doesn’t do that!”

I’ve been enjoying this recent piece we had to learn lately. I love jazz music, well – Billie Holiday / Coralie Clement jazz/blues, but never found the craving to play jazz piano. It just wasn’t my “style,” I guess. But this piece is really beautiful and even P said (as he danced around the kitchen), “I feel like I’m in a movie.”

So, I thought I would share Bit of Blues by Roger Grove if anyone cares for it. It’s a fairly easy piece, but I wouldn’t suggest using the pedal until the very, very, very end of practicing. It’s easy to get carried away with it and it ends up sounding awful. I actually don’t use the pedal, except for a few measures (especially #34 – #37 so that the chords blend nicely).

And, if you need any help or tips/tricks to learn the piece, feel free to ask.

By the way, join pianofiles.com and enjoy free sheet music from peers. You can find me here but I don’t have much up since most of my sheet music isn’t digitized yet.

Sad about this one…. the “block” has returned. I think having an irritated knee contributed to lack of motivation to sit at the piano and play. Excuses aside, I need to reincorporate this goal into my routine, and lay off the couch for awhile. Something about that couch really is magnetic.

Piano class, second year, will start in late February and I’m really excited. Except, the school’s system never works and I still don’t know what books I’m supposed to have.

With just one course to take this semester, I figure I’ll really be able to concentrate on practicing.

Mozart, here I come!