Not really feeling like playing, but did a little anyway. Not feeling motivated? Inspired?

Itchy cranky swelly. I hope this is the last hot spell for a while. Hard to hold hand position when hands are swollen.

Played various stuff, more Satie (better this evening, and even tried to pay attention to dynamics and directions - "with surprise"? Not sure what that's supposed to sound like.) Still paying attention to hands and that seems to be a good thing.

Played slow stuff tonight to keep relaxing jaw. I managed to blunder my way through Medieval to Modern and completely murder Satie, but I was paying attention to my hands!

Played instead of practiced. But concentrated on hand positions as I realized I've been lazy about that lately.

Split Donkeys into small sections of 2-4 meas. Requires more concentration than I think.

Playing (flight) in sections of 4 16th notes, both hands. Great one click before goal tempo, at goal tempo, kablooey.

Urgh. Too hot. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was nice and cool.

Detail work on lt and rt hand (Flight) bottom pg 2. Need to practice matching them up.

More read through of Tiersen to boost confidence. Easier to play completely opposite things in opposite hands. :)

Checked out Yann Tiersen's v.2 to read through (again) and take a break from detail work I feel is getting me nowhere. The last time I checked it out, I could barely play any of the pieces and stopped after the first few measures. Tonight I could play them with barely any problem. Nice to know I'm still improving and that that's possible.

Probably have to keep up detail work on (Flight) until even playing is habit. Maybe 2 wks? 30 days? How long does it take to form good habits vs. bad? Also, my harp does not have enough room for my hand in higher registers, which is causing my hand to bounce of soundboard and miss notes. >:|

Donkeys is ok until I start working on it. I just do NOT want to play the higher chords in the rt hand, what is going on?

Sat back the past couple days and listened to someone else play the harp for a change. Joanna Newsom was spectacular and I feel lucky I was able to go both nights.

Also chewed my cuticles (bad!) and played much less tonight due to swollen and painful finger.

AAAAND helped a friend who locked herself out back into her place by taking her front door off its hinges, which cut into my practice time. A girl's gotta help her friends, though, ya know? Priorities!

Took an unexpected nap that cut into practice time which left me groggy enough that I walked full tilt into my sewing table afterward, leading with my hand. I cannot type with the ice pack balanced on my hand.

Brain is clogged. Detail work on (Flight) was going fine, then fell apart.

Tournier was undoable.

More detail work on (Flight) seems to be helping.

Lt hand on Donkeys is falling apart. Why, also, can I not remember the higher rt hand chords?

Detail work on (Flight) 2nd page. Need to do this several times so that clean playing becomes habit, not the fast sloppy current habit.

Donkeys slowly getting better. Keep working up to ♩=108.

Read a little of (Poem)

Itchy and sore from moving stuff, surprisingly distracting.

45 min?

Still working on (Flight) to ♩=104. It's becoming memorized, but at the slower speed.

Donkeys fell apart, but the memorization is coming back to me quickly. Didn't realized I had memorized it.

Poem looks like another good one, left hand is already getting used to tricky interval changes.

Played through various things I've never learned, trying to remind myself of my goals. Not sure it worked.

Played various things. Lt 3rd finger may or may not have cyst in knuckle, yay something else that hurts. It just recently started hurting when I play. Waiting to hear about x-rays. Didn't feel like targeting any specific work today.

Urghhh... Too hot. Hands swollen along with the rest of me. And so tired. My rt thumb tendon really achy today, I think from sewing a sweater together. :(

Reading "Outliers" by what's-'s-butt...Malcolm Gladwell. Very thought-provoking. I find the observation that the most "talented" people are the ones that have put in 10000 hours worth of work completely believable. It meshes with my feeling that I need to be playing 3-6 hours a day. However, I also believe I'm past any shot at greatness. But I do want to be much, much better than I am.

Started with Lariviere to warm up.

(Flight) and almost got 2nd pg 1st 2 lines to 104, to work rt hand.

Les Anesses Grises almost getting it to 108 (AS MARKED!!!), to work lt hand.

15 minutes of Les Anesses Grises, I think this won't be too difficult to work up (except for the first page!) and it's a good break for (Flight).
Continue trying to get (Flight) all at 104.

Looked over goals, worked on Les Anesses grises based on original idea. My muscles need to be so much stronger. Hopefully, I'll have more time in the near future to build them up. Getting excited!

Left hand needs to be faster. Both hands need to be faster and even. Practice fingers 1-4 of scales separately and extremely quickly.

A9... mmmm...

Hit my other hand in the same spot, but had to do it twice just to make sure. It's surprisingly bruised--for once--but doesn't show up in photos, so I have no proof. THIS IS WHY I HAVE PROBLEMS PLAYING THE HARP.

Rt thumb still doing twisty things on high scales. Stopped when I focused, but still not sure what I'm doing when I'm not concentrating on it.

That is all.

Rt wrist still wants to twist to help thumb. Rt tendon now hurts. 40 min.

Goals?

Hard to focus. Need to review goals.

15 minutes: ran into the corner of my sewing table with my hand. I think I hit a tendon. Here we go again.

Tried to practice but too tired to overcome the tiredness and having to wear earplugs when practicing.

2 seconds.

Lariviere, left hand is the slooow hand.

(Flight) getting better. Work on arriving on chords quickly!

And finally, KAAAAAAAAHHHN!

(Flight) - took a break in the middle because I COULDN'T CONCENTRATE. Ahem.

Played through Amélie, and awesomely only took one play through of trouble spot to correct, go me.

Played through Les Anises Gris, or however that's spelled, badly, but nothing hurt, so go me again.

Lariviere for about 20 min. Tuning in the middle, egads! What with this weather.

(Flight) - trying to keep up what I've learned. First page is ok at 104. Working up to that for rest of piece.

Blistery goodness and crappy day made for 5 min. light playing of Debussy.

Really, really need to play every day.

1.5 hours. (Flight) speed, dynamics.

Played through some other stuff that has lots of harmonics, yay!

(Flight), speed and dynamics. Muscles really out of shape for fast playing.

1 hour (Flight), speed & dynamics.

Got an ego boost with (Flight); I was able to play many spots at ♩=84. Way faster than I thought. And it think it sounded coherent.

But dizzy and tinnitusy now. Durrrr...

(Flight) slidy-things ♪=144. Better.

More relaxed today. (Flight) slides. Do-able, just need to practice.

1/2 hour-ish. Not feeling like working on any particular problem, so played (flight) slowly and Zarabanda.

Bochsa #27. Thumbs not so collapsy.

Was I was really off last night, wow.

Worked on speed and dynamics, La Source ♪(3)=168, (Flight) variable.

Pinkies suddenly freaking out preventing decent scales. Rrrr...

Almost completely pain-free playing! Decided to push La Source, so rt wrist is a little irritated now. Up to ♪(3)=120?

Lt joint not collapsing at all, rt joint moved perfectly all of 2 times. More green band?

Lariviere and (Flight). Rt. thumb joint collapsy, but pain-free.

Played with earplug in so I wouldn't have to hear badly played blues on electric guitar while I was playing, so I didn't get to hear much of myself, either. Not optimal, very boring. Sometimes I really hate apartment living.

I also hate peeling gut strings.

Possibly played 45 minutes? Not sure. Maybe even close to an hour.

Lariviere for... a time.

Played La Source until rt wrist tired, but it was more muscle fatigue instead of tendon ache. ♪(3)=104

(Flight) - I can now play lt hand harmonics with absolutely no pain. Finally!

Fingers still really tender! 5 min of Lariviere.

5 minutes of OW! All fingers tender to the point of maybe having blisters, forearm muscles sore, couldn't play long enough to see if wrist and thumb tendons are even ok.

I guess it's off to more sewing and Babylon 5.

Timer set, hands fine after 30 min, so played 45, hands still fine. Well, if I don't count where I stabbed myself in the tip of my finger with my stitch ripper. And the teeny tiny little blister on my 4th finger.

Bochsa hurt tendons, stopped after 15 min.

(Flight) arpeggios @ ♪=160.

Played for 45 minutes, which I really shouldn't do all at once. Really.
Tendons incredibly sore. Didn't realize how sore until I stopped playing.

SET A TIMER again.

Thumbs have a joint in the middle and they can actually bend there; you do not have to put your entire wrist and arm into it.

PRACTICE BENDING YOUR THUMB.

Was actually able to get 4th fingers...er, make that pinkies, to behave during faster scales, yays! Keep practicing that.

Lariviere for about 2 seconds.
Pg 3 La Source ♪=138.
(Flight) slowly.

Urgh. Class is over. Played last page of La Source slowly, then read through the whole thing. Tendons in right wrist hurt, but then stopped. Weird other pain in my rt hand that may be burst blood vessel. It's all blue in the middle section of my third finger.

Hands sore after knitting. :(

Lariviere -exercises
Tiersen - Amelie
Tournier - Vers La Source
Salzedo - (Flight)

Vers La Source will also be good because of the thumb slides. And it's pretty so that should keep me satisfied for a little while. Bochsa #27 for thumb emphasis.

Debussy Estampes

Stretchy Lariviere stuff feels good. Tried to start learning Bochsa #27 to strengthen rt thumb, but it's so weak I could but play (heh) 1st 2 lines slowly and badly. Tried to green band substitute for harp thumb motion, which may help.

Time off for out-of-town visitors, lots o' school, and life in general.

Played a little Bochsa, but enough to give myself shadows of blisters. 4th fingers so incredibly weak. Designing in my head something to exercise fingers when not playing. Guitar strengthener thingy would not work because I need to bring my fingers all the way to the palm.

Hands completely pain-free up waking today. Mildly sore after work. Other body parts moderately to severely sore, so the couch, heating pad, and Star Trek are calling.

Tendons really sore in lt hand and not-so-great in rt hand. 20 min Lariviere.

Also, checked Method and it seems I'm doing things as right as I know how.

20-30 min Lariviere, 10 min Bochsa. Fingers tender from yesterday. Rt hand seems to be almost 100%, lt hand still needs lots of strengthening. Look at Method books by Salzedo for proper positions. Green band.

40 minutes Pozzoli. Do not flap hands to relax them! Thumb joints cannot handle that. Tendons seem to be able to handle octaves. Learn a piece? Do I dare actually try to practice something to get it to playing condition? Won't that just jinx me? Rrrrr...

Tendons hurt in wrist area today. Could be from practicing, but more likely from whirlwind cleaning of the kitchen this morning. And Iron Man 2 tonight so no practicing.

ETA: I had time so played 30 minutes Bochsa and La Dispute. No hand problems to speak of. Weird.

40 min of Bochsa. Went swimmingly until I was reminded I have minimal callouses after not playing very much for 2 months. 4th finger on wires strings, owie.

20 min of Lariviere. Still need to concentrate on pinkies. Played Bochsa 'thirds' exercise. And tried to play La Dispute, but my hands were stiff. Then realized it was probably because the room is freezing because I don't have a HEATER anymore. But right wrist got sore towards end of alternating octaves.

It helps to read through old entries. :)

Slowly through (flight). This isn't doing anything.

Hands extra ouchy today so played 2 scales. One in each hand.

Tiny bit of practicing. Really rough day. Still need to lay off the harmonics in lt hand.

Green band. Read through (Flight) and concentrated on pinkies. Basically need to start over and learn piece from scratch again. Read through (Idyllic Poem) and (Inquietude).

Ignoring the oil spill for now.

No practicing. I got the pleasure of trying to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill in my rug from my oil heater. Yays.

Lariviere. Bochsa. (Flight) with scary wavy hitting pinkies!

I got some really sad news last Thursday and haven't had the motivation nor concentration to play, or do anything really.

Green band. Lariviere. Notturno. I was, however, astute enough to notice that I transcribed most of Notturno wrong. I have been playing it correctly, but just now noticed the chords are written a third lower than they are supposed to be. Months of listening to Finale play it, months of looking at it, nothing triggered any notice in my head. Months. *sigh*

Now off to study.

Green band ex, Lariviere ex, Bochsa ex. Total of 20 min. Seem to be getting more dexterous.

Did NOT feel like playing today, told myself I could quit after one piece, barely played two. Allergies kicked my ass today which may be why.

Keep green stretchy band on harp, it's a good reminder.

Left 4th finger tends to fall off strings whether or not my pinky is "helping". Strengthening is strengthening.

Really wish I could have instant callouses.

When I concentrate on not gluing my pinkies to my 4th fingers, they seem more relaxed, but it's an effortful relaxation. Keep practicing relaxing and remember to BREATHE.

Hopefully, the concentration on and new motion of my pinkies is not pulling the rest of my hand out of whack.

I remember practicing last night. At least, I'm pretty sure I did. The "strength training" is obviously really engaging. (Side note: I really wish HTML included a sarcasm tag.)

I think I'm going to skip tonight. Of course, now that I type that, I don't want to skip it. Better than doing the dishes, I say.

Sooo... I potentially figured out why I have problems playing scales. You know how I've been doing strength training and noticed my pinkies are flying everywhere? Well, when I play scales and cross the 4th finger (of both hands!) under, my pinkies hook under my 4th fingers and actually push them off the strings. Nice. This has been going on for years, I bet. Yet another bad habit to break. I hope using my pinkies correctly actually helps my scales, and isn't just for decoration.

On the plus side, I played for 45 minutes without any flare-ups.

But, still...

15 minutes strength training, haha.

5 minutes Amélie, in which the alternating octaves strained my thumb.

More Lariviere. I think I need to consider these as regular exercise and not just "harp" exercises. Akin to pushups, or squats. Just as boring and filled with counting. My fingers are incredibly weak and stiff and I need to work up to being strong, not expect to be strong all at once. In particular, the rt 4th finger and pinky. Those will just require more work.

Thumbs seem to be ok, although lt thumb feels over-stretched. Which is weird because I was really stretching the rt thumb. Maybe I need to play hands separate for a while so I can focus on what I'm doing with each hand. Tried the green band elastic exercises, just two on each hand, and that hurt.

Bochsa and Notturno.

More Lariviere. 15 minutes? Need to keep these up as my 4th fingers are weak, and pinkies are flying everywhere.

5 min of Bochsa.

Played all sorts of different things, about 40 minutes again. Even harmonics! Started with Lariviere exercises. Those may be a good thing to keep up. Also start PT green band exercises.

We'll see tomorrow if I've over done it.

Played about 40 minutes. Played quietly as I have no remaining callouses whatsoever. No twinges of the thumb joints except when tuning and trying harmonics in left hand. It's basically the same motion so makes sense. My rt large thumb joint inverts when I try to play trills (creating a structurally unsound linkage), which may be why I was never any good at them. Wondering if PT strengthening exercises will help with that.

15 minutes (with timer!) of Bochsa and Notturno. Really need to stop when timer stops.

Played 10 minutes, no harm done (so far). Set an alarm this time! (And actually stopped when it went off, heh.)

Played too long.

Oops.

Played (Flight) once through slowly. Need metronome to keep it slow and pay attention to finger shape.

Played (Flight) slowly, 10 min. Played a little bit of (Mirage), 5 min. Fingers appreciated the exercise.

Little bit of Bochsa, 5 minutes?

Tried Les Anesses Grises sur la Route d'El-Azib. A little too much for my stiff fingers.

15 min of lariviere, bochsa, and (flight).

15 or so minutes of Lariviere and Bochsa. Fingers feel good if yet weak.

7 minutes of Vi... something exercises.

Rt hand 4th finger 1st joint is bending inward.

ETA: Lariviere. I knew it had a "vi" somewhere in it.

I thought playing nothing but scales was boring. Playing nothing at all is even worse.

Been ordered complete rest of the left hand. :(

So

sick

of

scales.
.
.
.

Hands separately seems to be the way to go to get things to not fall apart. And give myself a blister.