Of Piano & Philosophy

Category: Piano

  • My teacher is right

    Of course my teacher Josh Fadenholz is right; it is better to have two pieces on the road to perfection than a lot of pieces more or less sloppy. Discipline! But also a little time for the pretty pieces that are on hold right now, like Rustles of Spring by Christian Sinding.

  • My weekend begins

    Luckily I have Fridays off and my weekend begins on Thursday evening. Discipline! I had my piano lesson today. Discipline was the watchword. Playing with dynamics and other nuances, playing triplets and then eighth notes correctly: I need to focus on the Bach and Beethoven and crawl before I walk. Hands separately, line by line,…

  • My birthday

    Hi everyone! Melissa Sue Anderson of Little House on the Prairie fame has exactly the same birthday. I got a carrot cake at the Food Pantry, and maybe we’ll serve it up for Class Voice. Went into a practice room, played a few Grieg lyric pieces and Beethoven Sonata #20, Bach #14, Rustles of Spring…

  • Saturday after the concert

    I made homemade fresh beets, boiling them for 45 minutes and then running cold water over them and peeling them, slicing them and serving them to myself with margarine. I also cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed our living room. The noise was loud and I was moved to say “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh” on a note that complemented…

  • This is a Video I’d Like You to See

    I find this very beautiful.

  • Cleveland Orchestra plays Amadeus

    Well, on a balmy September Friday night days before my birthday I treated myself to the Cleveland Orchestra/Cleveland Orchestra Chorus’s performance of the movie Amadeus. It was beautiful and got a standing ovation, with Richard Kaufman and Lisa Wong the conductors. I could see all the strings up close from my seat in the middle…

  • 9-20-23

    also Bach 2-part invention #14, with the groups of 5/6 notes

  • First evening with the blog

    Hi everyone,My dear brother Tom helped me set up this blog, and I think I’m going to really like recording my practice session notes here. Also philosophical insights, as they occur. Thanks for coming and visiting me! DZ

  • Here’s What I Did Today

    Here’s What I Did Today

    This is what I did today. This is what I practiced. Here’s the book I read today: I am reading Margaret Atwood, The Edible Woman. It is very funny. 🙂

  • September 20, 2023

    September 20, 2023

    Practicing Beethoven piano sonata #20 (the easy one) in G at metronome 60, and Bach 2-part invention #14, with groups of 5/6 notes, also at MM 60.