Surface Drifts (first session)
Warmup – DV alternating improvised chord progressions; SI alternating exercises with all 2 mallet combinations; DV blocking (4ths and 5ths)
Short AT floor session
Goals for today – mm. 26-39 (learn notes), 5s (build tempo), grace notes (learn notes in each hand separately), memory checks, and tempo building/checking for mm. 1-25, and 40-92, read 93-end
ALL 5s from memory – started at 200bpm (metronome playing the 5s) and progressed incrementally up to 240bpm… at 240bpm (or 48bpm) I started losing accuracy, so this is as far as I pushed today. Next time, I will start around 220bpm and try to push above 250bpm. Still a long way to go here, but there is definitely progress from the last time I tried pushing the tempo (especially in control of tension and posture). I also played a few times without the metronome, pushing where possible, and pulling where necessary.
Memory check on mm. 1-25 = good, except I forgot transition into 4th phrase
Memory check on mm. 40-92 = good, except that I keep forgetting the first chord, and m. 66
Read thru mm. 93-end (start here again with next session… should start memorizing…. just take the sheet music away!!)
Surface Drifts (second session)
mm. 93-end (working on memorization) – first, played thru 1x looking at music; then, played thru 2x glancing at page for phrase references only; then, tried to play without music and ended up cheated a bit, so turned the page over; tried 2x with no reference = accuracy okay… but the rhythms at the end of the loud, single-pitch gestures are getting muddled in my head… not sure which is which, so I worked on those gestures alone for a bit; played thru with metronome at 72bpm and 80bpm and noticed that I am rushing a few of the figures and elongating many of the rolled measures
mm. 40-end (with metronome at 80bpm and 100bpm-indicated performance tempo, except measures with 5s) – looking at the music, I read through all of this section 3x. This is important today, as it is really the first time I am getting a sense of the bigger picture, in real time, with the roll type that I have been working on… I think it is working pretty well, though I am still feeling very mechanical about my musical choices. In due time… Nonetheless, I think I will record this section this week. For now, I am feeling a bit of tension in my right shoulder, and my middle finger skin is getting tender again (lots of loud, fast rolls in the highest range of the instrument), so it’s time to stop and bandaid up. 😉
