Learned over the Last Few Months

I’ve been listening to a biography about Rachmaninoff, and I’ve learned so much about his life, his family, and a slew of other Russian composers that were his contemporaries (especially Prokofiev and Stravinsky). It has been fascinating.
At the harp, I’ve been chomping through the pieces at the beginning of Suzuki book 2. The harp is not easy and it takes forever to learn anything, but it does sound so pleasant. I’m still learning how to replace strings that explode randomly. Luckily The Banana was around when the last three popped during a humid streak this summer, and she could help me tie the knots and figure out the winding.
I’ve been trying really hard to incorporate more cello playing into the week, and it’s good to be playing more. I had to stop for a bit because things got really crazy around here, and I’m having to review a lot, but that’s OK. I’m also helping a beginning cellist, so I am learning to think more pedagogically about the cello, which has been good.
Solving the Wordle in the New York Times as taught me the meaning of these five letter words I had not come across: ovate, swami, toddy, shill, aspic and capon.
At the piano I’ve been working on some Rachmaninoff preludes, which I”m so excited about being able to play even if I”m not playing them perfectly. I’ve also been playing a Chopin waltz, some short Schumann pieces, and a couple of Spanish dances by Granados.