A New Level

Well this week I went to Billy Hyde and picked up a few books that will come in handy for me.  The first one my teacher recommended for me is 'A Dozen a Day.'  This book is to help me to excercise and strengthen my fingers as well as my sight reading and timing.  It has 12 excercises that you can practice each day before you start any of your technical work, so I think this will be a useful book.

The other books I purchased are called Jazzin' Around book 1 and 2 by Kieren Bailey.  Book 2 has a couple of pieces in them which I am allowed to play for my grade 2 exam.  They are Two Part Intentions, and The Little Song.  I'm wanting to branch out a little from the classical and do something a little more up beat.   I have heard both of these pieces and they both are really swingin' tunes.  Just a matter of which one I can play better.

The final book is called Getting to Grade 2, by Elissa Milne.  The syllabus has this book listed with around 8 pieces for list A and a couple from list C.  It comes with a CD which I have had a listen to.  A couple of them stand out to me,  again it seems like the swinging upbeat ones catch my attention, I will have to have a few more listens and then make a decision so I can make a start on them. 

So with all these new pieces of sheet music to work with I have decided, so far, that from my series 15 booklet I will do from List A- Menuet (from Clavierbuchlein for Anna Magdalena Bach).  For this week I have to practice the first 8 bars with only the left hand.
For List B- A little flower (by Cornelius Gurlitt).  I am to practice the first 4 bars this week using both hands together.
For List C- Miniature Prelude and Miniature Fugue (from Five Miniature Preludes and Fugues) by Alec Rowley. I have to practice the first 4 bars from the prelude and the first 4 and half bars for the fugue with both hands together.  My teacher felt that it would be better for me to learn these three pieces all at the same time but at a slow pace so one is not better than the others and vice versa, and once I choose my other two open pieces then we will start on those as well. 

For my technical work I have some new scales to learn. In the Majors I have to learn F. In the Harmonic Minors I have to learn E,B & D and for the Melodic Minors I have to learn A & E.  I have to learn some new contrary motion scales which are D,A and F Major and E & D Harmonic Minor.  Some new arpeggios are also on the agenda. Broken Chord G Major and E Minor.  Anyway a busy week for me this week.