Today was a practice day, and I managed to get a lot done. After a few weeks here, I’m getting better at pacing myself through the day so that I don’t arrive at 3pm a total train wreck after trying to cram everything in too early. At the moment, an idea practice day seems to be:
– Wake up 6:45am
– Out the door for a run at 7am, running for half an hour (I think that’s about 3 miles). I’m still in love with the sky here, it is vast and stunning no matter what the weather or time of day. The mornings always offer me something beautiful, be it a hazy sunrise, sparkling colours or heavy fog.
– After breakfast and a shower, start practise, alternating an hour’s playing with 15 min rest for a cup of tea. This is definitely my best time of the day, and I relish getting through all the various scales and exercises. I feel great if I can get three hours done before lunch!
Playing with the Quena this evening
– In the afternoon, two or three additional hours of practice, but with longer rest breaks of at least 30 min, but often nearer an hour. This is when I’m doing my various listening and reading projects, as well as having some down-time.
– Our walk with Trevor at 7:42pm (yes, he’s that precise!) is a good way to end the day, especially if it’s not too cold. We walk and talk, sometimes about the flute, sometimes about other things.
This evening I was Trevor’s walking partner, and we talked about a range of things; ethnic flutes, his time in Singapore, his childhood during the War. I borrowed a Quena – a type of Andean flute – for the weekend, and I shared my thoughts on playing that with him. It’s a lovely instrument and I’ve enjoyed having a play, but am finding the airiness in the second octave rather frustrating. Trevor’s advice was to “blow harder”.
And finally, because I’m trying to become a well-organised musician with a ‘sustainable artistic practice’ (according to my ArtStart application), I decided it was time to do battle with my tax return. It’s now done, but I would have taken an extra hour of scales any day!