Nothing to play on - but the band played on - Times Online

Nothing to play on - but the band played on - Times Online

Intelligent practise - wrong sections

Another orchestra session rather like a Magical Mystery Tour - which is a bit unfair having read Yarnplayer's thoughtful comment! I had dutifully practised difficult phrases, fingering, timings etc. Singing, clapping, as well. I homed in on certain passages and really concentrated on them rather than practising the whole lot. What happened? We did not touch any of them! We went full tilt into the fast passages which I had saved for the future! Arrh well, I suppose I did not do too badly having (almost) mastered the technique of playing the beat notes and letting the genius section fill in the rest. Afterwards, I, and one of the other cellists, about the same standard as myself, went to her house and played some duets together for an hour or so. It was really enjoyable, and we plan to do it again in about 3 weeks' time.

In the "Will I ever make it?" stage....again

I've just returned from orchestra and we sight read some of our new pieces. Tenor clef all over the place, four sharps, dodgy timing, 'presto' final movement - all the usual crisis factors. If there was ever something that makes months appear to dissolve into seconds, it's the contemplation of practising sundry pieces of music way over one's ability and personal experience and expectations in order to perform them in public in the fairly near future. And yet we do it, don't we? Twice a year this crisis turns miraculously into triumphant joy when we've actually performed in the concert, and the family and friends cheer and clap and we sink back and say, "Yes, it was worth it". And then it starts all over again!

This time we will be playing The Gordion Knot Untied by Henry Purcell, Salut d'Amour, Chanson de Matin and Chanson de Nuit all by Elgar, and the Prague Symphony by Mozart.

I am resolved not to panic and put my recent study day on Practice to good use. Thus, I am calmly wading through the short Elgar pieces organising the fingering, identifying trouble spots to concentrate on, listening to the cds whilst reading my part, singing, clapping etc. And then I go to orchestra, and we don't touch them. We do the Mozart instead! Actually that is not entirely true. This week we did touch on them but so often we don't do what I have been expecting and practising. Never mind. It is all in expectation of the final triumph!