Now We Can Move Forward: The Rest

 

 

 

We know it's not possible to have too much fun, right?  Here's the rest of what I have in mind for the Winter Season:

 

MUSIC

 

Violin

 

I have two areas of practice for violin:  technique and repertoire.  I've decided technique practice will be based on what I observe about my own playing, combined with the thousands of things Emily told me over the years.  I've decided repertoire practice will based on pieces I've played before, all of which have plenty of room to grow and to which I can apply technique practice.  I'm using the last two pieces I started with Emily as schooling pieces.  They're difficult and yes, still give me plenty to work on after 8 months!  

 

Piano

 

Piano is focused on repertoire.  I 'll continue to play the repertoire I've been building so it stays ~fresh.  I'll add new pieces as I designate a piece finished and put it in the repertoire category.  

 Flute

 

Oh my, flute.  As mentioned previously, before Covid-19 I hadn't played flute for many years; decades wouldn't be an exaggeration.  When I picked it up again, I was pleased enough with my tone, and eager to just play music.  Over time, I became less pleased with my tone, and the flute became more difficult to play.  When I looked on-line about possible causes, without exception it was recommended that the flute have a professional tune-up.  Yes, flutes deteriorate in certain ways just sitting in the closet.  Several weeks ago I took mine in to the local music store.  Their in-store winds repair man wasn't qualified to work on it, but fortunately a super-qualified flute repairer and maker, Terry Boehn, lives in Parks, and he worked on the flute.  When he called me to talk about the tune up, he told me that 9 of the 17 pads had leaks!  The keys of the flute cover the holes, and the pads of the keys seal the holes.  Yes, blowing through leaks would be difficult and the tone would be less than optimal.  Now in my mind, when my flute came home with those leaks fixed, I'd play and the sound would rise up like a spun silver prayer, an invocation to Pan.  Wow, was I disappointed!  In fact, I couldn't tell the difference!  In either the tone or the difficulty in playing. WTH(eck)???  Always, there's the instrument and the musician.  The best musician can make the worst instrument sound wonderful; not-so-good musicians can't get a good tone out of the best of instruments.  Since my flute is a good one, and I don't have any reason to think Terry missed anything when he tuned it up.......yep, the tone belongs to me.  Teachers will often say the more you play the worse you sound, the theory being your ear gets more discriminating.  I might stretch to that, but why isn't it easier to play????  I don't know!!! Unless my embouchure got used to playing with the leaks and now has to relearn how to play without leaks?  That's a stretch I don't think I can make.  Well, whatever the reason, I'm starting over.  I have plenty of technique books, and there's more suggestions than I can ever wade through on-line, so I just have to knuckle down and do the work.   Update:  after three weeks of work with no difference in the tone, the flute is going back to the repair man.  He was completely reasonable when I called him, and said he wants to know if things aren't right.  Also that it's not unusual if some follow up needs to be done.  Whew!  My fingers are crossed! 

TAI CHI

 

My indoor Tai Chi practice area.

 

Tai Chi needs to find a new home, both in place and time. It's been too cold for awhile to practice outside comfortably.   It's wandering around the schedule and at risk of being pushed aside by other activities. It worked so beautifully in the Summer Schedule as a running cool down on the deck, but summer running is early in the day.  With the dark and cold of the Winter Schedule, morning fitness activities start later and if I'm not careful, they creep into afternoon activities, and the afternoon is already full!  Place is resolved.  I've practiced the set a few times in the loft, and it's definitely do-able, with the minor inconveniences of dog pillows (with or without dogs), large plants and an aquarium.  I can also still do it outside during a warmer part of day, dressed appropriately.   I've mentally tried out several options, and I'm kind of leaning toward a big change, swapping yoga practice to the very early morning (maybe even getting up a little earlier) and putting Tai Chi at the end of the day as a different kind of full body stretch before bed.  Hmmmm.  

And that, friends, is the Winter Schedule. I think it will keep me interested and as busy as I care to be.  

 

WELCOME

WINTER!