The List

I will keep this short. After playing all the pieces from the Michael Aaron book, I have identified this list of eight which are trouble:

1. Are You Sleeping
2. Banjo
3. Wake Up!
4. At the Skating Rink
5. The Birdling’s Serenade
6. The Singing Brook
7. Ghosts at Midnight
8. Jingle Bells

I also identified why these pieces give me trouble:

1. Not being able to change hand positions without hesitation.
2. Having practised the piece with some wrong notes and now finding it hard to unlearn the wrong part.
3. Using wrong fingers for some 2-note harmony with one black note and one white note which makes moving the hand back to the correct position difficult.
4. Being distracted by the dynamics. Trying to accommodate them causes timing to go off.
5. Not being able to stretch fingers 4 and 5 easily when there is a need to skip a key.

I have slowed down the tempo at which I am practicing these pieces and it is helping a lot. The ones which I gain a little confidence playing, I try and play them at a higher tempo. Others I am just continuing at a lower tempo.

I have a day and a half left before my class. The clock is ticking.