Harold Budd notes

AMS digital delay, an Eventide Harmonizer, an EMT 250 plate reverb, a Yamaha DX7 keyboard and a Casio CT-200.

• Bel Canto CD2 with onboard DAC (CD player with Digital to Analog Converter)
• Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference TT w/ Grado Gold (TurnTable)
• Garrard 401 w/ custom aluminum block plinth with (TT)
• Thomas Schick Arm w/ Benz Ace S Cartridge (TT)
• Bottlehead Seduction Phono Preamp w/ C4S Upgrade (TT)
• Yamaha CT-7000 FM Tuner
• Manley Jumbo Shrimp Preamplifier
• Manley Mahi Mono Amps
• ADS L-910 Studio Monitors

Mirror canon 

Lexicon PCM 60 16-bit mono in/"stereo" out digital reverbration unit), PCM 70 (reverb), PCM 42 (digital delay), Yamaha SPX 90 (basic multi-effects including all sorts of reverbs, echoes, chorus, flanger, phaser, compression, and pitch shifting. Effects cannot be used simultaneously) and REV7 (digital reverb unit).

his concerts usually consist of him improvising on piano against a CD containing some of the electronic backdrops he has conjured in the studio.

“soft pedal” piano style, achingly slow and drenched in sustain, and Eno’s discreet processing, which transforms the instrument’s natural resonance into gentle swirls of snow and sheets of melting, cracking ice.

Opus 28

pay attention to hands together, the usual buzzes and pedal changes, and play it more slowly - it doesn't really make a difference. Hand fall off strings at same point for some reason.

Sonatina Prodigio is more done. I have the 3rd mvt almost memorized. It just happened on its own!

I am now working on memorizing Satie and Revrie.

I was sad to learn while watching the Oscars that Jóhann Jóhannsson passed away very recently.

Sonatina Prodigio

I started Sonatina Prodigio on June 18, 2017. It was a piece I had "learned" before. As in, I could play it slowly and badly, and just the first movement "Gagliarda". I worked pretty steadily on it through July and August.

It took me 11 days of focused learning in "Week 1" of "30 Days to Done" to get it to a passable level, in my opinion. Or a level where I could continue to work on it and actually progress.

I got bogged down at the end of August/beginning of September, or "Week 2", trying to improve the small sections again. I ended up stopping because I just couldn't focus that hard anymore after 15 days. I picked it back up in mid-October.

Then I worked steadily through to today, January 12, 2018, excepting Christmas holiday. I picked it right back up after that, surprisingly.

Gagliarda is definitely in much better shape than when I originally "learned" it. It's very wobbly, though.

Calzone haha! Canzone is fine. Maybe needs a little work on the harmonics.

Toccata needs to be memorized in order to flow. It goes so quickly that I can't find my place on the music when I need a reminder. It's pretty repetitive and I do have most of it memorized. The glisses need to be in time, as well.

Now I just need to play it a whole bunch, then set it aside for a while.

Up to Gymnop 1 & 2, Gnoss 3 mostly memorized.

Prodigio - Trying to chain the 3rd mov. was exhausting so stopped. Trying to chain 1st mov. - stuck on 1st small section.

Prodigio - 30 dtd small sections

Memorizing - Debussy Reverie, Satie Gymnopedie 1

Run through rep up to 1st arabesque

Thumb is healing but hurts in a place I didn't cut it. ???

Thumb is healing.

Satie is being memorized. Weird chord progressions make for difficult memorization!

What do you do when you slice off the top of your thumb?

I almost made it an hour. It took quite a bit longer than normal when I have a finger injury for the pain to subside and me not feel like I was going into shock - probably about 20 minutes. Normally? Five minutes. I really wanted to play, though.

Trying to memorize Satie. The non-standard chord changes make it difficult.

Played for about an hour - sort-of repertoire stuff. Now sore back and arms.

And I am suspicious I have a cyst in my left thumb joint, which is probably why it hurts.

Post vacation - 2nd day

Fifteen minutes practice yesterday was not enough, achingly so.

Thirty minutes today was way too much.

Post Vacation

I'm going to try for 15 minutes of practice today to start reconditioning my hands after a week away from the harp. If I can get up from the computer. Of course, I've already sat down and played quietly earlier, but I'm not counting that towards my time.

I almost have Rêverie memorized. Some skips and bumps.

Opus 28 just has one remaining hiccup.

Reverie/30 Days to Done wrap up

Started: Monday 2/20/17

Finished: Monday 6/26/17
Total: 18 weeks

End result: I can play it passably, but it still needs a lot of dynamic work. And I'm trying to memorize it.

Details:
This is a five page piece, not too technically challenging. There is one very difficult section, and four moderately difficult sections.

I stopped working on this from 2/21 to 4/17 (almost 8 weeks) . Not sure why. However, I'm including that time in the learning time since I often can't predict how learning is going to go.

big section work, 2 pages one day, then 3 the next.
small section work, 1, 1, 1, 2.
small section work, 1, 4.
Week one: avg  1.875 pages per intensive work day

big section work, all
Small section work, all
Small section work, 7 days
Big section work, 3, 2.
Week two: avg 1.8 pages per intensive work day

small section work, 2, 3
small section work, all
small section work, 1.5, 2.5, 1.5
spot practice, 1, 2.5, 1.
Big section, all
Week 3: avg 2.5 pages per intensive work day

details, 2.5, 1.5, 1
big section, all
details, all
small sections, all
Week 4: avg 3.33 per intensive work day


Conclusion:
5 pages/18 weeks  = .27
1 page/4 weeks = .25

I could probably use this effectively as designed for a moderately challenging two page piece.

It's a heartening to see my learning increase as I work on the piece - I have to do less intensive work as time passes.

It would be interesting to break this down into hours, and see if I were not working full time how much lower this ratio would be.

I'm starting Sonatina Prodigio by Virgilio Mortari, and will also be interested to see if this ratio holds up. I have learned the first movement (not well) in the past. 

Repertoire day, so tired, too much!

1st page of Reverie is pretty easy. From then on, just minor correction points. Should go quickly, then adding in dynamics.

Sort of practice day. Sort of repertoire day.

Real performance

Today I actually played out in the real world! It went pretty well. The three people that were there said they really liked it. I basically played background music.

I was less nervous than I expected, but still tense. My tennis elbow kicked in mid-way through.

The things I though I had memorized, I had memorized in the context of playing alone at home.

I don't like having the music stand blocking me. 

I was able to focus on musicality for the first half hour and remained somewhat engaged until the last half hour. I didn't get bored.

Eating a hearty lunch with protein, starch, and lots of greens was a smart move.

Repertoire day. Meh.

Henry L. Jacobs, Merchant moved to Providence, RI in, or before, 1909, per the Worcester Directory of 1909. There was a Hattie Jacobs listed in a couple of the Providence directories as cashier, but at a different address in Providence Directory of 1914.

Also, she was the Director of the Alhambra String Sextette in 1901 in Worcester.

Worked on Siciliano - there are some sticky spots.

Worked on something by Cabezon again. PLaying lower so it sounds miedieavel. :)