Working on Dynamics

Today I worked mostly on dynamics, and keeping in time with the accompaniment. I find that the dynamics in this piece are pretty easy to follow. There are no crescendos or a lot if dynamic changes. The dynamics change from forte to piano and visa versa. The beginning and the end start with forte...so the song begins and ends with a bang. In the middle in bars 16 and 17, and 20 and 21, you play the notes piano to emphasize on the light staccato notes.
I tried recording myself today and I found that in bars 5 and 9 I am a little behind the accompaniment on the eighth notes. So I have to work more on my timing. I also found that in bar 6 I kept making the mistake of turning the G into a Quarter note, which I haven't had problems with before, which was weird. So I think that other than a few little things I am mostly ready to record this piece on a CD.

Playing with the Accompaniment

Today was my third time playing with the accompaniment. When I first listened to it, I thought it would be very hard to play with because it is very different than the melody I play. It was also very fast. In bars 12 and 13 it is especially hard because I need to play sixteenth notes, but the piano is playing quarter notes and eight notes. The accompaniment is also very fast. What I did was I recorded it to audacity and then slowed the tempo down 50%. I was also still using the metronome. This worked really well. I got a better feel for the accompaniment and my playing and the piano started to sound right together. I started to gradually increase the speed of the piano and I can now play it at normal speed without the metronome. I still have trouble with the bars that have the sixteenth notes. I also find that I’m always behind when I get to bars 24 and 25. I don’t really know why but maybe my counting is off. Now that I have mostly all the rhythms and notes right I need to start working on my dynamics.

First Time Playing

Today was my first time practising the song at home. I played through it once without really paying attention to the rhythms, so I could focus on getting the right notes. The notes are not that hard to play, although some combinations are kind of tricky. In bar 27 I find it difficult to go from G to C, I always end op squeaking. Also, when I'm playing the sixteenth notes in bars 12, 13, 36, 37, and 38 my fingers always get messed up. I find it hard to play the high notes really fast. What I tried was playing those bars extra slow, so I could focus on getting my fingerings right. When I played slower I did get all the notes right, but as soon as I tried to speed up, I messed up my fingering again. I guess i just need to keep practicing those sections. After I played it a few times just working on the notes, I worked on the rhythm. I started off by going at a very slow tempo. I found it really difficult to count because so many notes are on the off beats. For some reason I find bar 6 really challenging. Mabey this is because because there is an eighth note, and the quarter note starts on the "and" beat. What I tried doing was using a metronome, then I counted the on and off beats by tapping my foot. I did this very slowly and it worked really well. I practiced for about 45 minutes.

Analysis of Sonatina Saxophone Solo

When I first saw this piece I didn't think that it would be that hard to play. When I looked a little closer I saw that there would be a number of rhythms that I would have problems with. For example line 3. I have trouble playing rhythms with lots of eighth rests and that's exactly what this piece has. There are also a lot of notes on the off beats which confuses me. The dynamics in the song are forte(loud playing), and piano(soft playing). The first 2 lines are forte, I'm guessing this is so the song begins with a bang. Then at bar 11 the dynamics are piano. This is where there is a large number of eighth notes. There are also a lot of high notes in the song. I know I will have problems with the high notes, so I am going to really have to practice that. I also think I will try using a metronome to help me with the complected rhythms. After taking a second look at this piece, I think it is going to be quite a challenge.