Sunday-March 23, 2003

I haven't updated this in a month...I've been playing a bit though....maybe 5-7 hours a week on average (i want to try to squeeze in 10 hrs minimum per week). I've learned and memorized Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G-sharp minor and made a recording of it about two weeks ago. I plan on making a new recording after critiquing my own playing. The recording is too slow with too much rubato. I've been listening to a Vladimir Ashkenazy recording of Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableaux and am going to pick an etude-tableaux to learn. There's one I kinda like that sounds like the Prelude. Most of my solo pieces I'll be learning for the next few years will be etudes...since I feel like those pieces will help me improve my technique the most.

I'm learning Brahms' Ballade in G minor right now.....though I haven't touched that piece in a week. I have a Lang Lang recording (Tanglewood recital)...and the piece on that CD...lang lang plays it really well. Very fun piece to play, it sounds like. I suppose that will be my focus for the next two weeks.

I'm so glad that I've got piano for a favorite hobby....after work and school...all u want to do is chill....nothing better than sitting at the piano (or pop in a good dvd while eating a tub of dulce de leche ice cream....yummm).