july music goal

Now that I’m done with grad school, I have more time to resume some of my more “impractical” pursuits such as music. One of the goals I’ve put off for some time now (since 2004) has been to learn the complete Chopin Etudes.

Recently, I’ve listened to some recordings (Lipatti, Lugansky, Pollini) of the Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 5 in E minor, and felt this should be July’s project. Practiced the first section today (“minor seconds” section) and seemed to get the hang of it, with the dissonant-sounding minor seconds. The fingering is a bit awkward for me, with the thumb sliding underneath the palm to play a note, will take some getting used to. Apparently, I had started learning this piece before as I had written “March 27, 2006″ in the score and some notes that I don’t necessarily agree with now. I think I’m more motivated now than before, so I like my chances now.