A NICE CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
This weekend, Loraine, Kenai and I went down to Ediz Hook in the mornigs to give kenai a romp on the beach and to give me a chance to play outside, and potentially in front of people. I have decided that in these semi-public surroundings I will try to only play the tunes that I have pretty much memorized and feel solid on. These include "Scots Wa Hae", "Flower of Scotland", "Mist Covered Mountains", "The Dark Island", and "Auld Ang Syne" and also perhaps, "The Company's Lament".
Today, I was out playing and I noticed a flock of local seals popped their heads up to watch and listen. They stayed there a good long time. Also, some kayakers paddled over to listen. This distracted me but I tried to play my best. After I finished, the kayakers paddled up near us and thanked me for the impromptu concert and to say that they had noticed the seals watching me. I thanked them for their kind words. It is the first time I have gotten compliments from strangers on my playing. It is one thing to hear from family and friends who more or less are forced to some degree to add encouragement, but when total strangers offer praise, this is something to be noted, and celebrated. It is truly a sign of progress.
I am becoming more focused on practice and am employing a metrinome and recorder to help me. I am also using Jori's trick of marking up my songs, splitting each movement up into a little project of its own and marking out the beat with a pencil. Disecting the tune in this way really helps. My weakest point at the moment is tempo and beat. I still am having trouble keeping time on my own and I constantly seem to want to rush things, especially when it comes to Jigs. i am continuing to work hard on my 3 jigs, "Rocking the Baby", "Cork Hill" and "Paddy's Leather Breaches"; however, my study of these three jigs has been somewhat interrupted by my piping school and the addition of "Dark Island" and "Heights of Delgai" to my list of songs. I am also starting to learn "Scotland the Brave" on my own. I figure it is time. I plan the focus of my lesson with Jori tomorrow to be getting back on track and maybe starting a new tune. We'll see.
Today, I was out playing and I noticed a flock of local seals popped their heads up to watch and listen. They stayed there a good long time. Also, some kayakers paddled over to listen. This distracted me but I tried to play my best. After I finished, the kayakers paddled up near us and thanked me for the impromptu concert and to say that they had noticed the seals watching me. I thanked them for their kind words. It is the first time I have gotten compliments from strangers on my playing. It is one thing to hear from family and friends who more or less are forced to some degree to add encouragement, but when total strangers offer praise, this is something to be noted, and celebrated. It is truly a sign of progress.
I am becoming more focused on practice and am employing a metrinome and recorder to help me. I am also using Jori's trick of marking up my songs, splitting each movement up into a little project of its own and marking out the beat with a pencil. Disecting the tune in this way really helps. My weakest point at the moment is tempo and beat. I still am having trouble keeping time on my own and I constantly seem to want to rush things, especially when it comes to Jigs. i am continuing to work hard on my 3 jigs, "Rocking the Baby", "Cork Hill" and "Paddy's Leather Breaches"; however, my study of these three jigs has been somewhat interrupted by my piping school and the addition of "Dark Island" and "Heights of Delgai" to my list of songs. I am also starting to learn "Scotland the Brave" on my own. I figure it is time. I plan the focus of my lesson with Jori tomorrow to be getting back on track and maybe starting a new tune. We'll see.
posted by Viceroy De Los Osos at 3:39 PM
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