LGR for endurance in prep for recording.

Almost done with Siciliano - 2 more measures.

Tambourin - I realized the version I posted last time has an Inspector Gadget flavor to it. It's fun to play that way.  The pedal changes are going to require a lot of work.

I'm not having any luck making music.

Today was the first session of field recording/writing/playing with Audacity that I set up for myself.  Here's how it went:
- Turned on recorder yesterday to find batteries dead.
- Tried to record around the house with power plug.
- Spent 1 hour of part of hour set aside for both field recording and writing going to store for batteries.
- Sat down to write and spent most of time organizing all the little bits of paper I've written stuff on into one space.
- Downloaded sounds off my microphone.

My hand was doing much better until I started knitting. :/

I've been posting practice notes mentally, which I guess is a good thing. It shows I'm paying attention and remembering what I'm doing in my practice sessions?

Last Saturday, I sliced my thumb while washing dishes. Thankfully, it didn't go too deep due to calluses, but I took a day off.

I think I may have successfully recorded the song I wrote, plus LGR. I just need to get the mental energy to analyze and process them.

And I need to check when I started LGR here because I didn't write it down on my practice sheet. Something else to remember for next time. ETA: July 2012. So almost a year. Darn.

Recording The Drive didn't quite go as planned, due both to outside noises, and noises inside the piece that don't belong there. So it needs a skosh more work.

Looking Glass River I thought was close to being ready to record, until, that is, I tried to record it. I get so self conscious when I'm recording that everything falls apart. I've probably said before, but I guess I should record more often during my practice sessions.

Read through (Mirage) by Salzedo, just because I love some of the chords in it, and didn't feel like getting up from the harp just quite yet.

Now I can play LGR again. WTH?


Scanned and printed out some pages to avoid page turns.

One more line of Folk Song 1.

Folk Song 2 needs work to get up to 50, but I needed a break from it.

My song I wrote is to the point where I need to do a detailed trawl to make sure both hands are playing precisely together.

Um. I did stuff? I checked things off lists.

I've definitely made progress with LGR and noticeably with Folk Song 2. Oh, and the piece I wrote.

I made notes on The Drive, which I can't remember now, but are safely written on the actual music. Something about dynamics and making sure both hands are playing at the same time. So nothing new.

I made up charts for the next two pieces so I have something to alternate with Folk Song 2 and LGR. I'm going to be starting on Folk Song 1 and Zarabanda (again).

It took me two  h o u r s  to put finger markings in my song in Finale.

LGR - Based on how far back this has slid, I think I need to start my "campaign" all over again. The other solution "Practiceopedia" recommended was to leave it alone for a while, but I think that's what the problem is - it's got challenging areas that need regular maintenance (not necessarily constant).

Berceuse - I keep wanting to type this, but I'm done with it!

Folk Song 2 - A couple more lines done. I really don't know how this is supposed to be played at ♩ =100.

The song I wrote which I will need to name at some point - How did I write something I can't play?

Folk song - one more line

Berceuse - pg 3 5x no mistakes. started pg 4, too tired.

LGR - did chaining in right hand for last two lines, need to do left.

Wrote a song in the past 3 days, forgot I would also need time to record it.

Started to get comfortable playing LGR at 100 again.

I think Berceuse is ready for recording.

First page of Folk song 2 learned. Realized I tend to be sloppy during the slow part of learning assuming I'll fix it later so I'm trying to take care learning it, lnowing what that will save me later. Basically, trying to pay attention to detail NOW.

Wrote a little bit of music. Not sure where it's going and don't know if I want to plan it or let it happen.

Analyzed Chameleons and learned I lost a lot of what I learned in music theory. And can't tell what key Monkeyland is in. Is it F# major or D# minor?

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.

Prelude 3 - Even practicing this at 44, I knew less than I did yesterday. What is it about these particular measures?

Looking Glass River - Learned 2 more measures.

Prelude 5  - Was losing concentration after working on LGR so decided to quit instead of waste time.

I Finaled LGR and I realize the ending is going to take a LOT of practice.

Going to try to do voice leading with the "melodies" I've been counterpointing, maybe.

Prelude 5. Playing with adjusted and corrected Finale version.

Wrote a counterpoint I sort of like.

Due to weather, took it easy and wrote some music - 5th species counterpoint.

Also, sitting and working on website. Red border trick from http://css-tricks.com/the-css-box-model/ is really helpful for troubleshooting css.

And now for a bit of a lie-down... zzz...

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.

For music theory, I am to write a chorale as a final project. The instructor recommended if we are not good at writing lyrics to use a poem, or failing that, since a lot of poetry is not suited to music, pick a song that has lyrics we like and use that. He also mentioned that bad poetry makes good music.

I absolutely cannot stand poetry and I'm not really a 'lyrics' person, so I asked my sister, who is more of a wordsmith-y person, what she would recommend. And I got Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, anything by Judas Preist, and Shake That by Eminem. Which would all be hilarious in chorale form, but she also had some serious suggestions, as well. I am waiting for a couple books from her, one written by a friend.

At this point I'm not clear on what kind of melody and shape I'd like, so I don't have much of a frame on which to hang lyrics. I think I'd like to have it be in a major key and modulate in the middle to minor, and back to major.

Maybe if I get a first line, I can use the Bad Poetry Generator.

ETA: And end up with something like this:

Bad poetry makes good music
And, now nekked, they shiver, oh how they shiver
love is chemistry, sex is physics,
Porcupines will rule the world forever!