Got some work done on Berceuse - had to dial it back to 35, though.  I was working on the glisses and my fingers felt blistery so I stopped before going on to LGR.  But then started working on Chou Wen-Chung's Folk Songs.

Also, I've gotten page 1 of Prelude 5 finished in Audacity, however, when I sat down to start working on it again, I somehow got sucked into figuring out what Jay Z and Kanye sampled in No Church In The Wild and if I could do the same thing in Audacity. Oh, right, I was transcribing more of Real Life by Tones on Tail and got hooked by that bassline in the second half of the song, and my mind made a connection to that "Dodge commercial with the cool song".  It turns out the "bass" hook in NCITW is actually a guitar riff slowed down by about 30%.  And I figured that out after about an hour of trying to configure my computer to record itself, when the only thing I needed to do was shut down and reopen audacity after changing my settings. Urgh.

Voice Leading Exercise

I used the Yahoo! Media Player I found here and put the javascript in my blog's design template.  What do you think?

I wrote something I actually like! And it's also an excuse to see if I can actually put a player in my blog post.
Player is there! But no music!

ETA: I recorded Prelude 5. Whether I have something useful or not, we'll just have to see.  If not, TOO BAD. I am done with it and I am done with Prelude 3.  I am calling it quits.  Maybe I'll pick these up again someday, but not likely.

Worked on LGR.

Read through Berceuse again and I think this is going to be an enjoyable one to learn (for a change, apparently!).

And wow, playing music shuts everything else. I completely missed two (well, more like 2.5) appointment-type things today.

Playing around with melody (cantus firmus) and single counterpoint instead of practicing (re: blister). It is difficult to write music I like.

Real Life is 3rds in sets of 4 16th notes - accents are throwing me off, which happens in music I read, too.

Prelude 4 almost done. A few spots just need worked up to speed.

Transcribing: Just figured out one tiny part of Real Life's rhythm.

Also, I have blisters.

Prelude 3: start speeding up - pg 1 done. Pg 2 start at 56 and work up. Remember where accents are and 3rd octave F is loud.

Prelude 4: start at ♪=50 after tempo change and work up.

Transcribing: Entered what I could in Finale.

Recorded Prelude 3 - need to:
+ count 123-12 to get swing
+ still work on line 2 pg 2
+ practice detailed dynamics

Prelude 4: up 2 back 1 to get it under fingers.  DO THIS.

Transcribe: Real Life is unfathomable.

Using foam that I'm allergic to for pillow stuffing is not a good idea.  Wool batting, however is fine. And potentially has non-lethal vapors should there be a house fire. Not that I'm expecting one.  

Strike two for web hosting (1-2 day customer service).

Can almost play Prelude 3 at ♪=132 - that's averaging parts I can't play well with parts I can play at speed.

Started on Real Life. Thought I wasn't going to be able to figure out the chords, but I think I managed - first part is Amaj and B♭maj arpeggiated.  I does change key after the break.

Finally making a cushion for my harp bench so I can stop flattening my accent pillows.  Thankfully, I didn't get rid of the leftover foam from making my harp cover.

Come back to 2nd line after rest of piece is finished. I have about 1 more page to learn - everything else is repeats.

Finished Movement of Fear. Slightly more interesting chords than Christian Says. In E minor and possibly B harmonic minor in some spots.

Stuck on one spot in Audacity.

Workout + work on tough lines = sore arms.

Finished transcribing Christian Says to the best of my abilities.  It sounds hilarious in Finale with the instruments I picked.

Practice: Another flubby finger day.  I feel like maybe I need a "pre-workout shake" before I practice on days I'm tired. 2nd line was impossible hand apart and together today.

I heard a few more notes in transcribing, but only could be sure of 2.

Tendons and joints stiff and swollen, possibly due to allergies, possibly due to getting woken up at 3am by neighbors. Practiced a little hands apart on Prelude 3 and got nowhere.  Or maybe I did - I'll see tomorrow.

Transcribing later.  ETA: Got a large part into Finale, and that seemed to make things make even more sense.

Practice: Hands apart works really well - when I learn pg 2 line 2 that way I can keep them separate and discrete in my brain as opposed to "AAAAAHHH! EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING AT ONCE!"

Transcribe: I can't hear worth S**T.

My website is down and will be until one of the two companies I'm switching between figures out what's going on.  Which means probably forever.

Practicing: 2nd line on 2nd page needs to be learned and practiced hands apart, otherwise it sounds like a complete mess, in addition to being "modern".

Transcribing: Decided to block out entire song, ie A - verse, B - chorus , C - interlude.  Everything is 4 measures, except one verse is 6, there's one inexplicable key change. Having it blocked out may help to write down what I'm hearing as I'm listening to it.