Winter (Spring?) Term Review

Where has this term gone?  The weeks have flown by.  It has been a busy term.   I have worked hard on some challenging repertoire and my playing has moved forward.

Pieces for this term:
Arnold - Sonatina (all 3 movements)
Vivaldi - Sonata in C minor (all 4 movements)
Bougeouis -  Fantasy Pieces for oboe (first 5, now working on number 6)
Berkeley - 3 moods (currently working on number 1)
Bellini - Concerto in Eb (have only just started this)

Most of these pieces have been challenging from both a "number of notes" and a stamina perspective.  I've  put a large chunk of my practice towards exercising my fingers and building exercises based around the tricky bars in these pieces.  This was especially true of the final Arnold movement (very fast scales), the final movement of the Vivaldi and the Berkeley piece.  I've had to change my practice routine as a result and have pretty much dropped all of the "technical exercises" I was doing.   I now do some scales to warm up and move straight into my studies and pices.  I wouldn't have time to get through everything otherwise.

The Arnold piece is now resting - I won't say finished as it does require more work, but I think I've taken it as far as I am capable of doing for now.  I will come back to it later.  The Vivaldi will soon be put to one side too.  I spent weeks battling with the final movement of this, without feeling like I was getting there but it then seemed to come together eventually.    I am loving the Berkeley which is challenging in both notes and interpretation. The Bellini feels like a bit of light relief and is lovely.

Studies - I have finished working through the 48 Ferling studies.  My teacher has taken me through these quickly so that I get the notes under my fingers  She has pointed out that these are studies to keep going back to all the time. I need to work out the best way to do this.

My new study book is the Loyon 32 Etudes and I have the first one to do over Easter.  It is fiendish - perpetual semi quavers triplets.  There are too many notes and accidentals per bar, I have to work through it slowly and systematically to make sure I am playing the right notes. I am slowly getting there. It is also in quite small print, so today I gave in and made an enlarged copy,  It helped more than I thought it would.  It will be interesting to see how I can play the Arnold once I've worked through all of these!

Summer term starts again a week on Monday!