28/40: Gnossienne 4 by Eric Satie

Satie pieces are so calming!
This Gnossienne was one of my lesson pieces 1.5 year ago. Although I had spent several weeks on it, I couldn't get a nice recording, it felt unfinished. I was able to play all parts, but never get a playthrough without memory slips or wrong notes. Although it really was hard to let it go "unfinished" I decided to move on and accepted that I would forget it.
Now 1.5 years later I decided to relearn it. And wow, here is what it taught me:
- Pieces I once learned are not as much lost as I thought. So moving on and let go of repertoire is not such a painful and big thing as I thought!This really is sooo motivating! I knew before that you only progress when you let go, but the emotions to have spent so much work for no "success" always really hit hard! Now it will hurt way less!
I had to relearn some transitions and there were some passages I needed to have a closer look at. But although the first attempt to play it felt like really bad sight reading and a totally new piece to me, after only 1 hour I was at about 80% of where I had left it! One day later I had all notes and parts sorted put and could start with interpretation, tone, memorizing transitions and building muscle memory.
- Interpretation choices feel so much easier now. That's when you realize what you have learned over the past months, how I have progressed. Something that I hadn't noticed so clearly before. Before that I just knew that I can make decisions quicker. Now I realized that things that were a struggle and very brain-focussed felt like second nature. 1.5 years ago I wanted a soft tone but it felt forced and soo concentrated. Now dynamics were a lot easier to access and I knew what exactly I had to do and pracice when I listened back to some recordings and knew what I wanted to improve.
- in terms of technique this is a great piece for slow, accurate arpeggios.
- I really find it difficult to maintain the slow tempo but still sound connected! So great legato/phrasing practise as well!