Sonata Pathetique

 

For my next project, I've chosen a piece I have played before -- the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique.  

Why a repeat? I know, I almost passed it over because it kind of feels like cheating. 

But....

1) I *adore* this piece. I would seriously listen to it on a loop for hours. 

2) I needed a break after the fiasco that was my recent Bach piece, which there shall never be video of and of which we shall never speak again.  👀

3) It's the very first piece I was ever able to make it all the way through with my shaky hands when I first started dipping my toes into piano lessons and playing in front of my teacher.  My hands don't really do that very often anymore (took long enough!) and I have learned SO much since last time I played it. So now I'm excited to take it to the next level! 

After just a few days of playing it, I have gotten most of it back, thanks to the fascinating, lasting power of muscle memory!)  So now I'm focusing on dynamics and making it expressive. Hopefully will be able to post a video soon!

In the meantime, here's a super cool video about muscle memory. :)

3 Years, 1 Pandemic, and 2 Years of Piano Lessons Later.....

Wow. It's a little dusty in here. I forgot all about this space! Don't mind the cobwebs, I'll do some spring cleaning soon.

So, a lot has happened in 3-1/2 years. I did some zoom lessons during covid and then when the piano studio went back to in-person I started doing lessons here and there and trying to get over my nerves about it.  At some point during early 2022, I took the leap and started doing weekly in-person lessons. 

It has been a journey, but even when it's hard and I fail spectacularly, (and I do, quite frequently) that half hour is still an absolute highlight of my week. 

I'm extremely lucky to have a teacher (who has become a wonderful friend over the years) and is willing to push me when I need it, change things up, or just let me bow out when I can't handle a push on a given day. 

As I have learned new skills like how to use phrasing and dynamics, my tastes have completely changed. It's actually funny reading these old posts!  Early on in lessons, she handed me a Chopin Nocturne to try, and I was *instantly* a fangirl. I've been through three of his Nocturnes now and discovered several composers with similar styles I never would have thought to try.  I just made a list of my next four pieces -- three are Mendelssohn and one is Beethoven. A Bach piece I've been wrestling with for the last six weeks sealed the deal for me that I'm finished with him for a long, long while. 

Anyway, I'll get back to posting here again. I love looking back at the old posts and how far I've come, and, as I've said before, I love a good challenge and goal. So time to come up with something fun (or at least regular posts) for 2024! 

I'll leave you with a Mendelssohn piece I finished up over the summer. It's one of his Songs without Words (Op 85 no 4) and I loved learning this one so much that I'm actually practicing it again currently to try to get it back under my fingers.