This week was busy again at work since two thirds of my team was away. It's times like that where I appreciate (a) my lessons and (b) playing in the park. I can't get away as often as I would like to go to the park but I always try and find the time.
My lesson was at 330 this week. We started off with scales. My G-Major scale is getting better as is the arpeggio. I wonder how many scales there are exactly. The short answer is many scales. Many many scales (according to Google). I'm happy just to take one or two at a time and see how I go. Scales are good because you can practice so much without having to worry "what note comes next". You know the next note so you can focus on many other aspects of playing. I also happened across an article that suggested playing the scales from top-to-bottom-to-top, which is the opposite way they are typically taught. And I found out why I was taught the D-Major and A-Major (and G-Major) scales, which have two, three and one sharp respectively, before the C-Major scale, which has no sharps. Laura is good like that. I can ask those types of questions and Laura will always take the time to answer instead of fobbing me off or telling me not to worry about it.
I did ask during the week about fiddling, to which Laura replied "as long as it doesn't affect your setup". Today I asked what that meant, and Laura explained that many fiddlers have little or no formal training in how to hold or play their instrument. Laura takes great care to make sure I play Patience to the best of my abilities and that I learn how to get better and better. So it's fine to fiddle as long as I remember what I have been taught and don't sacrifice any of that for the sake of learning a cool song. I will be able to play that music just as well, or better, than someone with no formal training at all.
I need to practice the finger push-up exercise a little more too. It will help to develop finger strength and dexterity and if I aim to play some of the pieces on my wish list, I am going to need plenty of both.
I was allowed to pick and choose my pieces today. I earned stamps for "Space Station" and "Shark Attack" this week. My "Shark Attack" was a little sloppy and my dynamics were not spot on but I have passed those pieces. Playing them in the park paid off =)
After all that I barely had time to run through "The Old Fiddler Man". I do believe that I was concentrating so much on playing it right that I was forgetting to play it with fun. Oh dear. I have said at least a few times before that I don't want to play something technically perfect if at the expense of having fun with it, Playing the correct notes is important, but it is just as important to play with fun and spirit. Getting this piece to 150 on the metronome is going to be challenge, yes, but I'll do my best to make it fun as well.
Just as I finished, Laura presented me with four pieces to "bulk out my repertoire". There was Old McDonald and Baa Baa Black Sheep as well as a very pretty French tune and a lively little German tune. I have been working on playing other songs. Some of them are by ear and are tunes that have been rattling around in my head since I learned the accordion. I also have access to some piano books that belong to my daughter or to my wife's sister. And there is a big collection of music from Tina - the lady who owns the violin I was using before Patience. She learned all the way through high school so some of those pieces are too much for me at the moment.
And that was it as far as the lesson went.
In the evening we visited some friends of ours (a couple with three children). Apparently all of the kids had learned cello at some stage, and at least one of them played the violin. They don't play at the moment so I scored some more music books. One of them is the book that has the Sea Suite in it ("Shark Attack" and "Barrier Reef"). The husband is trying to teach himself bouzouki, so hopefully there will be a time where we can play some Greek music together.
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