#jazzpianograde1 - Mrs Kemble meets Dorian on D

Over an hour on Hanons on the Samson last night.  And then again on the piano this lunchtime. Hanon No.1 is coming along nicely with the two hands, each note sounding in synch with its pal, and all being the same length, so that it's getting a kind of marching rhythm to it.  No.2 still has some way to go.  Last night, with the headphones on, I practiced knocking the hell out of the keyboard, hitting the keys with full force.  And after a lot of that, going gentler.  Same again today on the piano.

After half an hour of more of the Hanons, I started on the scales from the Jazz Piano Scale book: Dorian on D.  It took me a few minutes to work out the pattern of the fingering - which is actually pretty simple, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4-5, and away you go back down again.  Beautiful.  I did both hands separately, which is all you need for Grade 1.  Hanon, Hanon, scales and Hanon.

So the headlines the last 24 hours, apart from the new Pope, are getting that staccato rhythm going on Hanon No.1, and learning Dorian on D straight from the page, (no youtubing).  But also, less tangibly, getting to know the keys and how they work, percussively.  I think switching between the Kemble and the Samson is helpful for this.

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