100 days of practice - week 3
Monday - Day 13
Total time 1 1/4 hours + quartet rehearsal, two chamber coachings, two performance class performances, and a 3 hour rehearsal with the Scottish Ensemble programme
First day of a busy week and forgot to set an alarm. This could have stressed me out to the point of no return but I found it quite amusing and enjoyed the sleep in. This was a great example of my non-negotiable kicking in - I sacrificed my morning practice to enjoy getting up slowly and still do my journaling and normal morning routine. And it all worked out because I found a gap to do some practice later in the day!
I signed up to play in performance class last minute and bashed through something that I wasn’t quite sure was ready - an experiment! My intention for the week is curiosity: “what happens if I perform this piece under these circumstances”. It went about as well as it could have, and received some lovely feedback from my peers. After last week’s dip in confidence I’m back up - ticking off lots of hard things.
Tuesday - day 14
Total time - 2 hours
My ideal week day morning - up at 7, plenty of time for a slow morning (journaling, packing lunch, eating my fave breakfast), at school practicing 8:30 (phone locked in locker) 2 hours of practice done first thing. Even had time for a hard boiled egg +apple and peanut butter break before quartet recording sesh. I can’t do shit when I’m hungry so packing snacks is essential to success in busy times.
Wednesday - day 15
Total time - around an hour and a half maybe? Depends what we’re counting.
Did an hours warm up, technique, a little bit of concerto work first thing in the morning. Between classes and Scottish Ensemble rehearsal played some improv games with the violinists in my quartet. Classical improv is starting to feel way comfier and way more enjoyable!
I thought a lot today about the “do it better” practice technique - during some rehearsals for various projects the leader has asked us, in slightly different language to essentially do it again but better. I was talking to Celia (friend + flatmate + violinist) about why that works, because like, don’t we all know we’re trying to play it better? But I reckon it adds a level of consciousness to it - saying “do it again but better” then makes you think much more consciously about what exactly needs to be better, and how to achieve that. Idk, I guess I just find it impressive how much better we can do when we just focus a little harder, listen a little closer, think a little more. I’m going to keep exploring this model, maybe try using it as a tool in my practice.
I’m loving the rehearsals with Scottish Ensemble, the way they approach the music is really inspiring - like someone looking at a 3d model of something, turning it around, inspecting from all sides, where it originally looked like a 2 dimensional image. It’s inspired me to try and bring this into more that I do - my own practice and performance, chamber music, etc etc. I reckon I’d have a great time having a career in a chamber orchestra - it’s all my favourite things in one - lots of people, good social dynamics, everyone having their own voice, but satisfying music, too.
Thursday - day 16
Hour warm up before 6 hours rehearsal and practice run of the Scottish Ensemble programme. Was super sore in shoulders after the run - cautious of getting injured so a good reminder to check in with body.
Friday - day 17
My lesson was at 8:30, which isn’t necessarily earlier than I usually start, but I was running low on energy at the end of the week so it felt pretty rough. Good lesson though.
The Scottish Ensemble concert went so well - I felt so focussed and engaged the whole time and it was exciting to play with a group that were so locked in. Potential dream job unlocked?? Thought lots about what I loved so much about this experience - I loved that independent voices were still honoured and celebrated (unlike symphony orchestra when blend is top priority) and that we could explore really exciting extreme colours.
I treated myself to a coffee and went to viola studio class where I played a very floppy and dreamy version of Walton viola concerto (which was actually a great experience because I was so relaxed and got some really nice sounds) and had lots of discussion with my classmates and teacher.
Then a floppy sleepy quartet rehearsal - by this point was tired but in a very nice creative way - felt excited to just play with all the inspiration from a great concert. I loved how when you play with people who are really good you just level up so quickly.
Saturday - day 18
Very good very intentional very relaxed day off
Sunday - day 19
Also a very light practice day. Warmed up and had quartet practice.
What’s next:
This week I go back to normal schedule, so much more time for practice. One huge takeaway from last week is that with preparation, and in short bursts, I can work REALLY hard. I can be at school for 12 hours every day and survive. So there IS more time for practice, but at a cost. Last week I sacrificed time with Clarke and time at the gym, and a fair bit of sleep. So this week’s mission is to reintroduce those but maybe see if there’s a new balance for it all.
This week’s I am recording my concerto for the concerto comp, relatively low priority other than seeing how far I can push ideas of finding interesting colours, and getting a really 3 dimensional feel to a piece of music. I’ve been thinking a lot about this image of like a 3d model - you know in sci-fi movies when they have a projection of an alien planet, and how they look at it from all sides and zoom in and out. I like this idea that is what we do when we practice, to find all the details in a big picture. Or, the opposite which is an old windows software graphic of a 3d image and when you rotate it, the image isn’t 3d and the computer has made a facade. That’s what a piece of music is like when you only look at it as a flat image. Finding that whole-ness,the sense of connection and fullness in every note, phrase, and across a whole piece is I think what makes a piece of music great, and really effective. That’s my big goal at the moment.
