Really enjoying practising for my recital next Sunday - Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin (plus maybe some Debussy). It strikes me that one of the advantages about never having trained full time as a musician is that I don't have a sense of having had to compromise from student days when I might have been practising many more hours a day, getting constant input and stimulation, and at my peak as a player. (Though I know many musicians that did go to music college who have managed this transition with considerable grace - and perhaps even have improved as musicians outside the immersion of full time music study.) I practise more now than I ever have (this doesn't amount to more than 2-3 hours a day) and with the aid of some great teaching I know that I'm playing at a better level now than ever before, and that I've improved consistently in the past few years, technically and musically. The challenge is to find the most efficient and effective ways of using that 2-3 hours per day rather than tiring myself out with repetitive practise that builds up tension and doesn't really progress things, and I'm constantly working at developing how to practise for best results...
Anyway, hope some of you can come along next Sunday! Full details on the events page. There'll be tea afterwards and I've also been promised some home-made cake contributions!
