I'm going to try a new use of my blog.
For some years now I've said I wanted to learn to play (well enough to perform) Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor. I still haven't done it. I've played around with it and even worked on it a bit with two (or three? I'd forgotten about the two lessons with the Russian teacher till now) teachers.
But life has always gotten in the way, and I still can't play the thing.
I've also wanted to rent a cello and try learning to play it, for some time.
So, here's my idea: I'm saying as publicly as I can think to do it, that I'm going to keep working on this piece. I'll give a blog update every couple of months.
And when I do get it in performable form, then if other circumstances work out, I'm going to reward myself by renting a cello and arranging a few lessons.
Hold me accountable.
7 comments:
Then again, looking at the music I just posted, maybe I should forget the whole thing...That section is just so hard....
No no no, no back pedalling now! We'll keep you up to it.
We don't seem to have the piece on CD - but I'll ask Tom if he knows it, or our Dutch pianist friend.
Eventually you might take a little video of you playing (some of) it and post it somewhere...
Practice, practice, practice.
My senior year in high school, my band director chose a rather difficult for us to play in concert band. It was HARD and every day, there's no doubt he was ready to call it quits. We never quit trying to learn it and he never quit conducting us as we did. We played that tune at our spring concert and again at graduation. Sadly, I can't remember the name of the piece.
A cello is such a lovely instrument. In 5th grade, we were required to take one semester of music. I played a violin for both semesters. Once I entered junior high, I switched to a cello for a year. The following year, I decided I wanted to be able to march in the band at football games. Well - you guessed it - one can't march in the marching band playing a cello. I switched to playing the clarinet and played it and the sax through college.
*sigh* I wonder where great composers learned to play. *sigh*
Okay, I'm in this for good. It may be slow going, given the number of life circumstances outside my control at the moment, but I won't give up.
As for a video....I don't know about that!
CG, I imagine most of them learned at home on their own instruments, hour by hour by hour.
Oh, Sheila! You have to do it. It is one of my favourite piano pieces. If you need some help with it this fellow seems to have it down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w
Seriously, I do love that piece and will do what I can to encourage you. Hey, maybe I should work on getting Swallow Tail Jig down on the guitar and fiddle while you are working on Rachmaninov. It sure doesn't sound as prestigious!
Thanks, Lawrence! For the record, I did sit and make myself play through the whole thing the other day. Lots of work to be done....but I did get through it and correct all wrong notes. Yea!
And music isn't made for prestige. I would love to hear the Swallow Tail Fly, and it sounds like great fun to learn!
Post a Comment