Almost finished with PG. Some chords are still not quite right.

Recorded Zarabanda cold, then practiced a bit and recorded again. Dynamics way better than first time.
Things I liked:
Quiet dynamics are the right level.
Notes I emphasized are emphasized.
Mistakes covered by counting.

Things to improve:
Tempo - it's not a race.
Despite not playing in rhythm, it sounds like I'm playing with a metronome.
Loud sections are not loud enough and sound flat.

And I have blisters?

Did music things for 3 hours, but not consecutively. Do I like that? My right arm gave out at the end of the 3rd hour.

I got more PG done.

I am at the nit-picky point with Z.

Prelude 1 is impossible to play cold. That will probably not be a recital piece.

Getting Partita in C from ILL to check if E♭ is really E♭ and not D♯.

PG - I hear something different every time I listen to it. Determining what the bass note is a process of elimination - It is not in an octave with the treble F, therefore it must be the A♮.

Prelude 1: apparently the same muscles I was using to wash the car.

No practicing due to a 3 hour washing of car and not being able to use my arms afterward.

Zarabanda: Found another place where the left hand is unnecessarily playing right hand notes. Looking forward to recording this.

And...

COUNTING! Counting, counting, counting!

Played through things slowly and counted.

Prelude 2: Test recording showed things - my hands are not together, nor my fingers, and dynamics are too loud. I also completely messed up a section, but the average listener would not have been able to tell because a) it's modern and b) I stayed on the beat! Counting is definitely working.

Prelude 1: Tried to play to speed. Finally made peace with the fact that I can't play it at speed. Played ♩ = 96. Then, for kicks, set metronome at 126 and played it almost perfectly with one false start. WTF. Of course I was not recording.

Prelude 3: Started on 2nd page.

Zarabanda: Back was stiff at this point so stopped. Which reminds me I need to go stretch.

Breathing and relaxing is helpful.

Spent an hour working on Here Comes the Flood, which seems to be my limit. I think once I get the first verse completed, the rest will click into place. I still can't tell if the lower notes are D, A or F.

Worked on Prelude 1 trouble spots identified from recording. I fixed the problem spots, sort of, but then had whole new problem spots. I'm fearing I'm never going to get this to a recordable status.

Played Prelude 2 with and without metronome. That will be recordable soon.

Played 1st page of Prelude 3 at ♪=160 and got tangled up at the G♮ - ♯ - ♮ - ♯ + B♭.

Recorded Zarabanda. Happily, I had exactly the dynamics I hoped I had in one section and the other sections just need a little work and focus. I think this could be ready to record soon, too.

Also played a little Grey Donkeys. I can play everything except the beginning. Nice. It's got some really beautiful sounds in it so I need to figure out a way to get into it without anyone noticing the bad beginning.

Mostly, though, the new Y△CHT is keeping my musical attention.

More attempts at transcribing - what I learned in school about how I listen is still holding up. I can listen to one voice at a time. I can listen to the bass OR soprano OR treble, but not all at once. And I can't transcribe for longer than an hour or everything starts to jumble together.

Worked on 1st 3 Preludes. Gave myself 2nd finger blisters - both hands!

Figured out I need to lean back from my harp in order to play the top register without doing weird (and double-jointed) things to my fingers.

Started trying to transcribe Peter Gabriel's "Here Comes the Flood". In order to be in tune with the recording I have, I have to be in all flats. However, the chords (I think) are D♭m7 and B♭♭m7 (playing A♮). It would make more sense these would be Dm7 and B♭m7 in the realm of sensible chords. Are these sensible chords? I guess if you're Peter Gabriel, you can do whatever the heck you want.

I also canNOT hear notes in the lower registers. I could not distinguish between 5th octave A and D. My music theory instructor said that would come with practice, but I'm not so sure.

Today is one of those days where nothing seems to go right.

I'm not able to play Prelude 1 in rhythm. It sounds uneven when I listen to the recording. I don't know how to resolve this.

And I'm in the middle of dyeing, so that's it for today.

Playing Prelude 3 is like hugging thin person with a right arm the size of a beer keg.

Turning the metronome on and off seems to help me learn faster? Or maybe it seems that way because it's new.

Haven't posted the past couple sessions because of torn cuticle and painful hot finger, but did play a little.

Worked on Prelude 3 today. Weird counting; I'm either counting 1-2-1-2-3, or 1-1-2- 1-2-3, when it should be 1-2-3-1-2 or 1-2-3-4-5. My brain knows where I should be in later measures, but not sure where that exactly occurs, either. Trying Kondonassis' recommendation to turn metronome on and off, and I seem to pay more attention with it off.

Actually getting better at counting, though, from practicing counting.

On Playing the Harp

On Playing the Harp by Yolanda Kondonassis

I checked this out from, once again, our lovely Inter-Library Loan system and sat down at the harp and read through it tonight.

I wish I'd had this last year when I was trying to figure out the proper positions for my fingers and elbows. Used as a sequel to Method for the Harp, this book has more than enough details and strengthening exercises to help me out.

Some of the tips that stood out:

Rhythm
I'm notoriously bad about counting measures, and am never sure where I am if I lose the beat. I do play well with a metronome, however. Kondonassis recommends

"when using a metronome," ... "playing through a given passage first without the metronome at a reasonable practice tempo. When you have finished, do the exact same passage again with the metronome."

And she recommends switching back and forth each time the passage is practiced.

The Art of Practicing

'Make sure you aren't reinforcing mistakes by trying to play through things "just to get the overall idea."'

That would be me!

Strengthening and Conditioning

"Add volume to your exercises as you would add weights to a barbell."

This is so blindingly obvious now that it's been pointed out to me.

A reassuring thought:

"People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you, dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to composition as I. There is not a famous master whose music I have not industriously studied many times." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And a thought to chew on:

"Music is what happens between the notes." -Claude Debussy

What does that mean?

Started work on Prelude 1 again; getting some focus after talking to friends and family. :)

Also, started to work on Zarabanda again to get it up to snuff. After spending time in school, I realize I may need to practice like I study - in shifts where I don't spend more than one hour on one subject.

Downloaded Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood to my iPod so's I can maybe transcribe it and finally pay back my sound guy. !

Played C Maj Sonata and tried Prelude 1. I actually still sort of have that in my fingers.

Finale did a surprisingly good job of recognizing the Bortniansky, although scanning it and saving as a .tif worked better than scanning it directly in as that didn't work at all.

Now to see if it will transpose it to anything recognizable in C♭.

Wore myself out being OUTSIDE. Finally, summer seems to be here. Short practice of Sonata in C Maj.

Need to:
-analyze it
-figure out how to play f and f♯ at the same time. Transpose it down 1/2 step? That would be B♯/C♭ major. Oy. Actually, C♭ would be just fine - I think that's what Salzedo did with Chaconne by Durand. Except that part is in C minor. Oy again. C♭ minor? What key signature would that even be? Need to analyze it, definitely.

ETA -and scan it in to Finale and clean it up because it looks like it was engraved on a sandy beach during an earthquake.

Getting my fingers in shape. Again. I'm tired of these interruptions. And my brain used to practicing/learning again.

Tried to play some Satie to see if my pedals are still creaking, and they are. Not sure if this means a trip to the harp repair person or just sucking it up and figuring out a different recording set-up.

And one more thing, er... two more things.

While researching Sonatas and looking for inspiration, I found these that I'm completely addicted to:



Then, in trying to track down some sheet music for these, I got a book through ILL (gotta love your local library) called Russian Old Music for Piano, and discovered I like a lot of Russian Classical music. Some of its appropriately minor and bleak, but then the pieces in major keys are fantastic, as witnessed above.

Uuuurrggghh...

I think I'm done with school. I mean, as in, I think I've turned in everything I'm supposed to turn in, or will soon.

I basically had to stop playing while I was in school as this term was a much heavier workload, despite dropping a class. But... but... BUT...

I now have many of the music theory skills I was hoping to have! I can identify Renaissance chorales and fantasias, Baroque Fugues, and Classical Rondos and Sonatas. I can (sort of) hear a tune and replicate it on my harp. I can tell when something modulates, and I know what a Napoleon 6th is, even though those were not on my list of things to learn.

This is exciting, people!

Been snowed under by homework, but today played a bunch of Clementi Sonatinas to study the chord changes and modulations. It's all I - V7 - I!!! (With some variations, of course.) And I love me some intervals of a 4th. Case in point: I keep trying to write in CMaj and end up in FMaj.

Was inspired to do my music hw instead of practicing so thought I should take advantage. But I did the hw on my harp, so I did play. Lots of lovely I - viiº / V - V⁷ 's.

Just played exercises today. Trying to pay close attention to the sound I'm getting.

Seeing how adding audio to my blog works...

I added an enclosure link, but I'm not seeing where it is in the blog post. Apparently, it only shows up in feeds?

Short practice today. Recorded more stuff. Have audacity book on the way that will hopefully help me get songs in postable condition.

Recorded page 1 of Prelude 1, hoping to put it online, but mostly to help me hear what I sound like.

My fingernail is almost completely grown out; there's just a tiny divot in it. Since I keep such informative notes, I know it's been 4 weeks since I sliced it.

ETA: Didn't really feel like practicing a whole lot today, but did go through all the Srebotnjaks.

Still catching up on studying, so just took a short break and played some sonatinas.

Whew! I can stop now and don't have to work so hard anymore!

Childhood music lessons may provide lifelong boost in brain functioning.

ScienceDaily (2011-04-20) -- Those childhood music lessons could pay off decades later -- even for those who no longer play an instrument -- by keeping the mind sharper as people age, according to a preliminary study.

PS See what I did with the tag there? heh.

My microphone arrived! I played around with it today and actually got something that might be decent.

And yay, researchers may have found the cause of tinnitus!

Postcards from Heaven for 1-20 harps by John Cage apparently uses an EBow, which is the tiny DustBuster thingy I saw Daniel Ash using on his guitar so many years ago, and finally, TODAY, found out what it was.

Prelude 1: played around with speed. Even though it's memorized, I still hesitate at the beginning of measures. Is there a way to ... ? lost my train of thought. Thanks, tinnitus.

Prelude 2: worked again on ending. Crossing over to play higher with left hand is throwing me.

Prelude 3: got a few more measures up to ♪=200. How am I going to speed it up in 5/8?

Donkeys: Worked the next line and finally had to give up because my tinnitus + rain made it impossible to concentrate. My playing sounded like a badly tuned radio.

Prelude 1: I have it memorized. Booyah.

Prelude 2: It is done for all intents and purposes.

Prelude 3: Another piece I'm going to have to learn measure by measure, I think. Did a little bit of that today.

Grey Donkeys: I would really like to be able to play this. A lot is memorized, but memorized sloppily. Worked on a line/section, working up to ♪ =168. Did a good job learning it quickly and figuring out the musicality. Execution is another story.

Build up stamina. Ignore brain tricks telling you to stop.

My fingernail is slowly growing back, but it hurts to play.

Any my tinnitus is back.

Make music!

http://mandaflewaway.tumblr.com/post/2057242738

1.5 hours practice.
Prelude 1 - 1 hour, got it beyond 120!

Prelude 2 - started cleaning up the end.

Prelude 3 - quick run-through of 1st page

Prelude 5 - quick run-though as I learned it a while ago. "Shouldn't" be too much trouble to work back up.

Not sure how these all fit together; there was some rhythm similarities, but that's all I could hear.

Broken nail still completely freaking me out, despite it being super strong now that I've superglued it. It's difficult to play when I'm afraid to play.  But did work a little on Preludes.

Super.

Fingernail still oogy, but I am doing music homework so I'm still doing something. The superglue is helping to hold it and prevent snagging and ripping. *shudder*

I am also debating buying a recorder instead of a camera. Both are pretty desirable for the projects I do. Although, the recorder is a bit more pressing at this time.

Sliced through my fingernail while making lunch, luckily did not go too deep, but it's uncomfortable to play.

Prelude 1 - Got pg 3 up to 120, now 104 is easy. Just need to do the same for pg 2 then try to record.

Prelude 2 - Couldn't work harmonics because of thumb, but worked what I could. Middle section is ok at 63 or 66.

Prelude 3 - First line up to half speed, 2nd line - brain full, had to stop

Prelude 2 - keep working to speed. Worry about meaning later.

Prelude 1 - Last page coming along - up to 112 comfortably. 2nd to last page need work on first 2 lines.

Prelude 3 - need to start.

Passacaille and Donkeys - played through.

Thumbs hurt!

Visual and auditory influence: 

Street of Crocodiles THE_QUAY_BROTHERS by BFIfilms

Prelude 1 - Realized I'd been concentrating more on the beginning than the end, so did a little work on the last page between dashing around today.

Still taking advantage of spring break, but not in regards to harping. :/

Worked a little detail on Zarabanda and Prelude 1, getting hands back into shape. Played Prelude 2 - needs just a little more work.

Need to work on getting tone even - the mid-range does really ring and is definitely not p when I'm trying to play p and pp.

Started Prelude 3 - got 1st meas up to ♪ = 48. I think this will be even more challenging than Prelude 1. It's definitely longer.

Back after a spring break of sorts and just played through Solos for the Harp Player. I sort-of know everything in there.

Tried to play around in audacity with a piece I had recorded. I was unable to do anything with it because the source material was lousy. So that may be part of the reason I extended my break.

Also, 1950s spike heels are optimal for pedal changing - smooth and efficient.

So... I think I play the mid-range of my harp loudly. I just rip the chords out with my right hand. Which may explain why I have more problems with the tendons in my right hands. As Great Aunt Lorraine says: "Take it easy, take it easy!"

Prelude 1: I was playing it faster than I thought, and as soon as my brain realized that, it was Fumble Fingers.

Prelude 2: One more line to learn and it's done, possibly to record.

Passacaille: Just need to keep it maintained.

Grey Donkey: Need to start on the detail work.

Prelude 1: hands cramped up - need to do more thumb exercises?

Prelude 2: SOOO much easier than #1, may have it knocked out in 2 more practice sessions.

Then 3, as I said, is completely silly.

Did a little detail work on Grey Donkeys.

Prelude 1 almost up to 120 and feeling more comfortable with 104.
Prelude 3 is just silly.

Minimal practice time - one more line of Prelude 2 - watch pedal changes.

Right now, I'm downloading a H U G E file from the H2 Zoom - sounds take up a lot of room! I decided to record my practicing, to see if I could get anything useful to put up here. I think I may have one page of Prelude 1 that sounds acceptable. I just cannot keep up my concentration and focus to get it to a flawless point. And when I say flawless I mean sounds like it's flawless even if it's not perfect. Make sense?

Then after I was appropriately glassy-eyed enough, I had a quick run through of Passacaille just for s-n-g. It didn't sound half bad, but now I have evidence and can go back and listen and see if I'm right.

Recorded more today. It's cringe-inducing to listen to, but gives me a really good idea what I need to work on - everything. Sound. Dynamics. Hitting the right notes. Hitting the right notes at the right time.

I downloaded audacity today so I hope to play around with that and see what I can do with what I've recorded.

Prelude 1: Worked on getting placing cleaner and faster. Basically playing 2 and 3 groups of notes over and over. Yay. I want to record this thing, darnit.

Prelude 2: Seems like it will be easy technically, but I'm not sure I "get" it.

Passacaille: meh. And that "meh" means I just didn't feel like working on it. It actually sounded pretty good.

Experimented with recording again today. I'm borrowing a Zoom H2 microphone recorder from a friend. It's a really good tool for me to see/hear how much more work I need to do. I'm not sure, though, how accurate it is at capturing the sound I'm getting. The mid-range in my harp comes across incredibly loudly - louder than the bass and high ranges - even when I think I'm playing them p. I've experimented playing the same piece (Bochsa) with different mic configurations and the mid-range is always loud. The best set-up I've found though, is having the mic about a foot away on the right from the base strings with only the back mics on (the 120° setting), and either med or high gain.

I played (I use that term very loosely) the first couple pages of Zarabanda today and I could hear some of the dynamics I was trying to get across, despite the louder mid-range tones (and the slips and fumbles and clangy pedal changes).

I think the conclusion is that I need to practice playing to get a good sound on the recorder, and see if that translates into a good sound for performance.

Then I just played a whole bunch of stuff because I didn't feel like working. :)

Played around with recording today. The mid-range of the harp comes through so loudly. I wonder if that's what it sounds like to an audience. No way to know. It's most balanced when I play the mid-range p and everything else normally.

Also worked on trouble spots in Prelude 1. There are many, but I zipped through playing it afterward.

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!

Prelude 2 definitions:
a piacere - At the pleasure or discretion of the performer, typically with tempo and the use of rubato with a particular passage.
Più Mosso - A directive to a performer that the music of the indicated passage should have more motion, it should move more quickly.
tornando al - returning to

Passacaille was fun to play with today. I've got it learned well enough technically that I can listen to what I'm doing dynamically. The first note of the triplets form chords, which makes it easier to hit the right notes, for some reason. The octaves in the left hand can have de- and crescendos.

Prelude 1 is coming along well enough that I may try to start #2.

You know how sometimes it takes a while to learn things. Sometimes a r e a l l y l o n g time? My metronome can be left on my extra music bench while playing so I don't have to knock it off every time I turn a page. Brilliant! Maybe I'll actually stop breaking them with regularity.

OOOOOOOOOWWWW! Harmonics yesterday killed my left thumb.

However, played through some stuff.

Feel like my fingers are raw! Drilling each movt of Pass, hopefully will be ready by Sunday. have 3 practice days left before that, plus morning of.

Still playing prelude 1 at varying speeds and working problem spots.

Pass: 2nd to last movt more solid. Knocked it out in 1/2 hour. I seem to be able to learn faster now that I have more time to practice. Or maybe I'm not stressed about finding time to practice and that's helping my learning speed. Hmm...

Had a hard time concentrating because I put down a really good book to practice.

Passacaille: need to polish for next Sunday. Try to get opening and closing sounding less messy.

Prelude 1: Still getting faster. Something about it hurts my tendons, though.

Prelude 1 getting faster. How I'm doing it: I practice it faster than my goal, then when I slow it down, it's more comfortable in my hands.

But I've been ignoring Passacaille and now need to work on that again.

Fingers still tender.

Fingers sore, ran through Prelude 1 lightly.

Woohoo! Got Prelude 1 back up to 104. Callus on thumb peeled off, though. Need to do 2↑1↓ to get it solid and not sloppy.

Trying to get back into the swing of practicing. Not trying very hard, though.

Short, tired session today.

Apparently either didn't recover from my cold last week, or caught it again, or caught a different one.

Played for about an hour anyway. Prelude 1 almost to ♩=120! Still working trouble spots in Passacaille.

Unscheduled nap. Not sure what's going on. But did manage to work a little on Prelude 1. zzzzz...

Passacaille: Just need to polish it now. *grin*

Prelude 1: Unfortunately, harmonics in Pass still hurt my thumb so just did a quick run-through. At this point, can just work on getting the whole thing playable at 104.

Did practice today. Forgot what I did, though.

I did actually have a blister, it just took a while to notice it.

Prelude 1: Almost. Done.

Passacaille: Work on last 2 movt's still.

Thumb magically healed.
Prelude 1: I might actually be able to play this! Still working through and absolutely still need to work 2↑ 1↓. Do not try to skimp!

Passacaille: Play through and work on trouble spots to get everything to ♪ =144

Fingers finally have some sort of callus-like things on them, however peeling occurs around the calluses.

Bent my thumbnail back pretty significantly right before lunch, and despite icing it the requisite 10 minutes, it still felt like I smashed it with a ball peen hammer. Owie zowie.

I thought I could practice - usually with finger injuries they stop hurting after a few minutes of playing - but no such luck today.

Did NOT feel like practicing today. Or tuning again.

Prelude 1: Halfway done, will need to work on details throughout once I'm finished.

Stopped playing early - only(!) after 1.5 hours - because of gliss practice.

I need to learn not to make phone calls right after practicing. My brain doesn't work in a sequential manner. Can't. Sentence. Properly.

Passacaille might actually be close to being finished. I need to work on the endings for Var. IV, X, and XIII. And that might be it!

Prelude 1 is still coming slowly, but it is working. I vary between complete crap and flawless (I think) between one play and the next. How do I get the average to move more towards flawless?

Played through Notturno and Zarabanda. And a Bochsa.

And it all really only took 1.5 hours? I'm not sure I believe that.

Prelude 1: need to concentrate - if my attention wanders AT ALL, I miss notes. Need to concentrate on no fingernail or pedal sounds.

Prelude 1: Couldn't get fingers to work.

Passacaille: Couldn't get fingers to work.

Prelude 1: started trying to speed it up. Remember to raise. 1.5 lines at a time to catch overlap. ♩=104.

All of prelude 1 up to ♪=104.

Prelude 1: Both sections up to ♪=104. Take it in two measures at a time and work up to ♪=192. Dynamics nice. Work on clean placements and minimal pedal noise.

Prelude 1: 1st half up to ♪ =104, 2nd half ♪ =88. Tried going +3 -1 and that did not work. Need to practice jumping to chords and paying attention to dynamics. Dynamics almost there.

Passacaille: Apparently just needed proper fingerings written in for the chord inversions in order to make that section playable. Got it up to ♪ =144

Got another blister and ripped a callus off.

Prelude 1, 2nd half. work on prob spots 2+ 1-.

Vanderbilt has a replacement policy for strings that break within 2 weeks of use. Nice!

Arms too tired from brutal day at work yesterday. Blister gone already, though. Passacaille work (B E, A D, G C, F B) to get up to ♪ = 144. 3rd to the last line on last page is particularly difficult for some reason. It's inverted chords and I can't seem to get my fingers to remember the combinations.

Run through of Rumba and Sreb's Prelude 1.

Practicing may have been easier had I not been trying to do so while wearing fluffy bunny slippers. Also, I was completely wiped today. Also, it's the first day of classes. Also, I have a blister. But it sounded good!

And my 4th octave D broke at precisely 3:03 am this morning.

Passacaille is B E, A D, G C, F B. Ha.

Worked on Prelude 1 by Alojz Srebotnjak (and if anyone knows how to pronounce that, please tell me!). Got up to ♪ =88 and need to play either +2 -1 or +4 -2. Trying to play it as fast as it's written I totally get it. It's almost noodling around like I would do when I was younger - need to keep that feeling.

Passacaille cut short because of gliss blister. But working on yet another line. If I can do this from memory: A E, G D, F ... C?, no... F A.


And after seeing this guy on pbs last night, I've been obsessed:

The new strings are so much easier on the hands.

Same goals as last year: Record harp solos and work on list for show.

The new strings feel amazing! Smooth surfaces, even tension, lighter tension. No more slicing of the thumb on harmonics.

I spent 3 hours replacing 75% of the strings, and that's not including the multiple tunings.

Christmas music! Blisters!

Noël nouvelet!

Exercises. Wrenched my thumb on harmonics. Everything stiff and sore.

Used a BIG chunk of change to order strings. Now I just need to find 4 consecutive hours to restring this bad boy.

I seriously need to order new strings. Like, seriously.

Hands cramping from knitting, so kinda pathetic practice today.

Trying to stick to my list, in order, therefore worked on:

Passacaille: first and last measure (on 2nd page) to ♪=144

Danses: Gavotte, Siciliana, Tango, Rumba - worked on problem spots two up one down.

Exactly what I was looking for: a table listing songs that start with different ascending and descending intervals!

The three that I'd been using - perfect 4th: Auld Lang Syne, perfect 5th: Star Wars, and major 6th: NBC jingle - were helpful only for ascending and only for those three.

Thanks, Footprints, whoever you are.

OR! You can make your own!

Rumba - quickness in getting to chords.

Passacaille - More speed in more sections