My lesson today was very good. Due to winter storms and scheduling conflicts this was my first lesson in three weeks. Fortunately I have plenty to work on these days.
##Bach Minuet 1, Minuet 2, Gigue (BWV 1007) Working these three pieces from the G Major Cello suite is a bit like juggling, or better still, keeping three plates spinning and balanced atop sticks. Time spent polishing one movement is time that the other two use to deteriorate.
Today we worked almost exclusively on the b-section of the Gigue. At my last lesson David instructed me to talk my way through this section of the piece. Before playing any part of it I say out loud the finger number and whether or not I need to shift. The attention to detail has helped get me through almost all of the b-section on my own. As always my biggest issue is intonation following shifts.
I played through both Minuets for David and it was obvious that they have suffered while I worked on the Gigue. Once I can play through the Gigue reliably, I’ll have more time to spread across all three pieces.
##Tchaikovsky Chanson Triste I’m now able to play this piece from memory. We finished my lesson by playing it together. Usually having an accompaniment throws me off, but today I was able to play the piece beautifully. David was very complimentary of my intonation and sound. He said it’s the best I’ve ever played.
##For next time My next lesson will be in two weeks as next week is spring break here. For that lesson I’ll continue to work on the Bach, and Schröder études 33 and 64. I also need to continue in the position pieces étude book.