What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Joseph K]

Just back from my third (though second in-person) lesson with Chris Susans. Once again it was a very illuminating time, possibly even more so than last time, and I had some crucial aspects of my right-hand technique criticised, with him showing where I was going wrong and what I have to do to do it right. Also had my nails revamped quite a bit! Here's to good technique.

[Joseph K]

Just back from my third (though second in-person) lesson with Chris Susans. Once again it was a very illuminating time, possibly even more so than last time, and I had some crucial aspects of my right-hand technique criticised, with him showing where I was going wrong and what I have to do to do it right. Also had my nails revamped quite a bit! Here's to good technique.

Still working on implementing the observations made in this lesson about good right-hand technique - I find I'm having to uncurl my right-hand fingers, to straighten them to allow the main movement to come from the knuckle.

I think of this video of Bream, and you see this most clearly where the camera is from 0:52, you can see his fingers are really almost straight and stretched out. Mine ought to be like that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spUT-2tU2Yk

Other than that, today I started working on Tarrega's Lagrima. It's an easy piece most of which I've memorised, but it was chosen not only because it's easy but because its easiness thereby allows me to focus more on things like good tone and phrasing. It's also nice.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Having got a 4th horn gig out of the way including Sibelius 3 and Brahms 3 - and learning these works from the inside out rather than any number of "interpretations", it's on to next weekend's CRISIS charity gig at the Clapham Omnibus - Vinter and Glazunov. Horn players will know of which I speak.

[Joseph K]

Yes, it's that Bach Prelude yet again. But this time it is by comparison free of mistakes - not 100% (which is a chimera in any case) just everywhere that it counts, to me at any rate. I'm quite pleased with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQgssiqP0qw

[Joseph K]

Autumn Leaves -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKOkrqvSbU

[Serial_Apologist]

Autumn Leaves -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKOkrqvSbU

Good note choices there, Joseph K!

[Joseph K]

Good note choices there, Joseph K!

Thank you, Serial Apologist!

I've decided to get back into jazz guitar, and while not give up classical guitar entirely, only devote about half an hour a day to maintain those (minimal) fingerstyle chops that I am loath to give up.

I know, I know, it's a bit of a joke the amount of times I've switched between these very different styles. But I was pleased with the Autumn Leaves performance. And I have a lesson coming up with the formidable Christian Miller who makes video lessons on youtube (Jazz Guitar Scrapbook) and whose nice album I have...

[Joseph K]

I have a lesson coming up with the formidable Christian Miller who makes video lessons on youtube (Jazz Guitar Scrapbook) and whose nice album I have...

This went well BTW. The lesson was generously extended by half an hour for no extra expense, and he offered some useful suggestions. And, funnily enough, he's made a youtube video on a topic we covered in the lesson - how to use a plectrum - https://youtu.be/TxkMwPdVmlI I was already feeling fairly confident about my picking but now my strategy for avoiding what I was doing before that was holding my picking speed back has become somewhat better.

[Joseph K]

Revisited an old composition this afternoon, and although on my facebook page I say I completed it, I still don't find the latter section wholly satisfactory. Luckily, these chords and melody are meant as a vehicle for improvisation so it doesn't really matter - for all intents and purposes it is 'finished' but this is where the hard work of learning to improvise on it begins! Anyway, I recorded myself playing it, two-times over - I think it has the nice feeling of wanting to start again once it's ended.

... and for people who can't access the embedded video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZqmnwABGZk

[Serial_Apologist]

Revisited an old composition this afternoon, and although on my facebook page I say I completed it, I still don't find the latter section wholly satisfactory. Luckily, these chords and melody are meant as a vehicle for improvisation so it doesn't really matter - for all intents and purposes it is 'finished' but this is where the hard work of learning to improvise on it begins! Anyway, I recorded myself playing it, two-times over - I think it has the nice feeling of wanting to start again once it's ended.

... and for people who can't access the embedded video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZqmnwABGZk

Very evocative.

[Joseph K]

Very evocative.

Thank you.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Having completed a Clarinet Sonata a couple of weeks ago, have now commenced work on Symphony No 4, might take a while.

[teamsaint]

Having completed a Clarinet Sonata a couple of weeks ago, have now commenced work on Symphony No 4, might take a while.

I imagine Michael Collins is on your hitlist……..

Have you got a performance lined up Suffy ?

Good luck with the symphony. Although luck might not really be needed I suppose !!

Is there anywhere where I could hear a recording of your third symphony ?

[Joseph K]

Is there anywhere where I could hear a recording of your third symphony ?

I too am interested in hearing this.

Here is my latest improv on Stella by Starlight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0DiczYGWoY

[Joseph K]

Getting better - however listening to this I hear quite a few lost opportunities to create sequences, i.e. it's just one idea after another, ideas that bear relation to the chords over which they're played, but not that much to each other...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0MAIVLOWbc