Class started with the usual quick Hanon warmup, but I might have tried to speed it up too much, so it was a bit sloppy. Slowed down the metronome some and got through exercise #2 ok. This week, I am back to hands separate and connecting Exercise 1 into 2 without the stopping C note.
I also asked if the rolling notes I was playing was similar to grace notes, and he began showing me examples of mordent, turn, etc. This was just a side note quick discussion.
Clearing Minuet by Leopold Mozart with and without Metronome I begin a new piece this week: Bach’s Minuet in G, though if google serves me right, it wasn’t actually by Bach, but rather it was Christian Petzold. So, this week I am working the first section to the double bar, hands separate 54-80 bpm. This is exciting because I think this piece is almost synonymous with every piano student’s curriculum at some point.
I play a bit of the harder arrangement of Fly Me to the Moon, but I was lacking in swing rhythm. We spent some time on trying to nail the feel and count of the swing rhythm, so that is what I will be practicing this week.
For the 4 chord progression from last week, I will be playing it against a back track in Real Pro. We also discussed improvising melody using 4 notes of the blues scale I have learned. He asked if I had time to try to make a small and easy to follow melody while playing it against the chord progression.
I played through the Major and Minor 7th chords along with the circle of 5ths. This week lesson began dominant 7s. So for homework I will be drilling those.
During the week I did try to work in some Faber Adult Adventure Book 1. I really need to get more sleep in and find sometime to get further in that book, as well as pickup Sightreading practice again. I did begin to practice some scales on my own, trying to get down 2-4 per week sounds like a good start. I am using the ABRSM syllabus for Initial and Grade 1 as a starting point.
Just My Things... 