Lamentable Dragon

I decided not to cook and practise: it only ends in tears. I end up doing both things badly, having my mind fully on neither, and feeling rushed to get as much pipe playing as I can between checking pans, setting the table and so on. On the other hand I worry that if I leave it until after dinner I'll be too tired or feel it's eating into knitting time or something. I need, as modern parlance has it, to chillax about the whole "when to play" thing.

I played after dinner, but it didn't go well. The more I play the King the more hideously it falls apart. I can do less and less from memory and even struggle with the dots. It's a mystery and would probably be fascinating if it weren't so incredibly annoying. I'm also annoyed with the pressure. The fan said yesterday's recording sounded wavery on the drones. I think the drones were actually kicking in and out as I played, but it was mostly due to relying on the bellows for pressure: it can't be done evenly - that's what the bag is for.

Still relying on the bellows this evening, snatching at them in such a way that smacks them against my hip bone (ouch) and also involves pulling my neck muscles (no, I don't know how I manage that, either). All this distracted me from playing and although I enjoyed it and the half hour sped by I had problems with all the tunes I tried.

The recording is a lamentable attempt at The Boy's Lament for his Dragon. I've not dared to listen, but from the playing I would say the drones/pressure issue is horribly apparent. I'm having problems reading the first and second endings, because they are literally on top of each other and difficult to pick apart. I'm being thrown by grips. The grip on low A after the high A I've practised very slowly, which is fine. My fingers can go very fast at it but I think they are actually playing high A - low A - G - flip off the D finger...and then straight to A missing out that second G. I also had a panic not being sure that the grip was the same on the B as it is on the A. I'm ignoring the tourluaths entirely.

I did say I wouldn't necessarily blog every day, but whenever I play I want to moan talk about it. I'm also hopeful that there will be signs of improvement and that recordings will demonstrate that. At the moment I think I'm probably just flogging a dead dragon...


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