Sunday, July 16, 2006

The center of attention

Yesterday was one of the rare occasions this month where I would be out of home. My dear husband, the double bass, has never seemed tired of me the past weeks. Months ago, he was a "neglected one". Now, he is a center of my attention.

Yesterday, other than watching the opera, The Marriage of Figaro, I attended a colleague's traditional wedding ceremony.

***
Today, time was spent practising sight-reading pieces. I could find myself a little more familiar reading notes written in tenor clef. More practice, and practice. I hope I could pass sight-reading. To pass each section, one needs to score about 66% at least.

I tried some aural tests. It was still a challenge to recognise the cadences even though I could make out the baseline. I was using my limited theory to make clever guesses of what the cadences could be. I have difficulties differentiating certain chords. For example: Chord V and Chord V7; Chord Ic and Chord V. Yes, the magic words are: Practice, Practice and Practice.

I also tried to practised Marcello's Sonata in g minor and Ridout's Concerto for double bass and strings. I experienced a little bit of improvement, but at times I still need work on the intonation and articulation.

Yesterday, I had spent time playing melodic minor scales and chromatic scales.

Trying to make sure that I don't bore myself or over-stretched myself from practising, I will take break in between the practices. Meantime, wish me luck.

6 comments:

mistipurple said...

wish you luck. pace yourself. you're doing good. don't worry too much.

Anonymous said...

Good Luck, Keep on working hard, it's worth it, as for the cadences, it'll come to you easily soon enough, I'm working on the Marcello Sonata in A minor and the Capuzzi Concerto, I've never heard of the one you are doing. Is it difficult?

Hilda said...

Ahh, theory. My favorite classes ever!

Have you tried just playing the chords to yourself so that you can get used to their sounds? Before playing any progressions just play a chord and then play it as a dominant seventh. The V7 has extra dissonance due to the tritone formed between its third and seventh. The sound is actually very distinctive once you study it a bit.

What helped me with harmonic progressions was actually pop music. I used to listen to regular radio music and follow the chords on my piano at home. You eventually start to see patterns. Most songs use similar chord progressions. I play electric bass guitar at my church group and at first I couldn't follow anything by ear and had to write everything down. Now I feel the chord progressions and can follow any song, even one I've never heard before. Eventually you will "feel" the chord changes.

Start with small progressions for practice: I-V-I, I-V7-I, I-IV-V-I, I-V-VI, etc. If you know another musician maybe get them to play the progressions for you on the piano while you follow on bass or write them down.

You can do it!!

I also played electric bass guitar at church

oceanskies79 said...

Misti: Thanks.

Anonymous: Do I happen to know you? I don't know if I should consider Marcello's sonata in g minor to be difficult. I think the second movement is more challenging.

Hilda: Thanks for sharing about the chords. I shall try out.

pinkie said...

Good luck! :)

oceanskies79 said...

Thank you SA and pinkie.