Category: Music

Playing on

As if Multiple Sclerosis wasn’t enough I fell and broke my thumb. Avulsion fracture, which means ligament damage as well as bone and apparently that takes longer to heal. Great!

Hard splint for broken thumb

Well that made playing clarinet impossible for a while. A longer break (didn’t intend the pun) than I have had since I first took up clarinet so a bit worried how much these unreliable hands would remember.

Tried today for the first time, 12 weeks after the fall, wearing a soft brace to hopefully protect the thumb.

Pleased to say it wasn’t so bad. Slow, a few stumbles but can still play. Sorry neighbours your peaceful time is over! MS or not, broken thumb (hopefully healed) I can still play squeak. The journey continues.

🎼 🎶

😄

A little Inspiration 

Sometimes in the midst of the slow process of lessons, mistakes & practice it’s good to be reminded why we take up an instrument. Driving home from work & Debussy’s Rhapsody for Clarinet (& orchestra) was on the radio. Ah…Love it. 

Didn’t catch who was playing it but there are plenty of versions on YouTube. 

Now to practice!

Hard slog

Ok so I haven’t uncovered some hidden musical talent.  This is about hard slog, working on something, repeating and repeating it only to have a fit of nerves in the lesson and stuff it up.  However looking back I can see progress. Slow maybe but progress. I can play 3 movements of the Weber  Grand Duo except for the last page….yeah well I’m not actually up to speed on the rest of it and that last page is crazy.

Khachaturian Trio just seems to get harder and harder, there were all those groups of 9 to fit into one beat and then you get groups of 10 and groups of 11 oh and lets throw in a 6 or a 4 just to keep you on your toes. Love the piece and determinded to keep plugging away at it. More hard slog but when I think how far I have come it is so worth it. I even feel I can say I play clarinet, I used to say I am learning clarinet, of course I am still learning but now I think If I can tackle pieces like these then I can say I play clarinet.