Mozart 'Minuet in G' update #1

So I just had an hour or so practice. I concentrated only on this piece and didn't do any scales as I know that for scales I need to be a lot more alert. They make me tired if I do them just before I go to bed. I think working on a piece before sleep is probably best as your brain can then process the information it's just learnt during sleep which helps in memorizing the music.

So the session went well. I tried to play the first section again and at first, I was messing up a lot. So I slowed down, even did both hands separately a couple of times before trying again together.


Going slow was the key. After a few iterations of the trouble area, I was able to play it to a higher level consistently. Having overcome a hurdle, I thought it was best to leave that part rather than over do it to death. It still wasn't perfect but I am confident that tomorrow when I come back to it, I will be prepared to take it to a more refined level. I also noticed that I was able to look at the sheet music more while playing because I was thinking about the intervals more. For instance, the A to D at the end of the first section is a fourth so its easy to feel the keys and play 5th finger to 2nd (well it should be first so that its easier to do the last octave stretch down).

I then tried my first go at the second section. Doing hands seprately, it only took a few iterations to read and memorise it.  I can't play it hands together at full speed yet but having it in my head and being able to read and play it hands separtely with relative ease, gives me confidence.

I did film myself playing the difficult first section bit so I might upload it tomorrow. Watching it was interesting. Seeing your hands from a different angle and seeing what fingers are doing when something goes wrong is good for seeing how the muscle memory just isn't there.

I'm happy about todays session and even though I know there is a lot of work ahead of me, I know I can do it.