#hanonexercises #kemble - And Pastures New

I managed to get half an hour yesterday.  Hanons, mostly.  I did Hanon No.2 two-handed, quite slowly, making sure it was just right.  Same with No.1, but more quickly.  And also single handed No.1s, fast, which was fun.  Also some scales.  I came unstuck trying to do two handed scales, with the RH going 1-2-3-1, and  LH 5-4-3-2-1-3 - it means I'm going onto RH thumb when LH is proceeding merrily through the fingers.  This will need some work.

Bad news on the old Kemble though.  Now that I've got my hands working together on the Hanons, hitting the notes one or two octaves apart, with the same velocity and at the same time, it's clear that she's slightly out of tune.  Also, several more keys above middle C are "sagging".  I can get a tuner/technician out of course, but I'm wondering if it's worth it just now.  See, I'm well on the way to working a summer school down south, and then heading off the UAE in late August.  The Lassies will follow if it's all good, at some point in the next academic year, and we might be there for God know how many years.  Which means Mrs K could be sitting there on her ownsome, going quietly out of tune again.  I'm wondering whether to save the overhaul for our return to staying in Glasgow.

Out in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, I'm planning on getting a digital.  I can see myself on the balcony in the evenings, savouring the desert breeze and a shisha pipe, doodling away.  My working day will be far shorter than it is now, and until the Lassies come to join me, I'll get maybe three or four hours practice a day.  Keep yourself sane and learn a useful skill, all in one go!

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