TEMPTATION

"I can resist everything except temptation."  -- Oscar Wilde, in Lady Windermere's Fan

I practiced the left hand trill in Invention #7, and all of Invention #9 this morning.  For the trill, I'm sitting back a little from my edge, from my maximum speed, until the trill is completely smooth, relaxed, automatic, and natural at this speed.  Only then do I plan to increase the speed again.  At least that's the plan.  The temptation to push ahead is huge.

Invention #9 is requiring my maximum patience, too.  I'm determined to play it at half speed until everything is completely automatic.  Yes, if I had boosted the speed a little bit this morning, I could have kept up, but it would have been a little rushed.  I know that I'm laying the foundation for mastery of the piece right now, in these slow and (not always) patient hours.  Once I've invested in making it 100% automatic and easy at this speed, it will be easy to boost the speed a little every day, and the dividends will begin to roll in faster and faster.

I find it's easier to resist the temptation to push ahead too fast if I intersperse the intense practice sessions with playing purely for pleasure.  This morning, I went back to Invention #6, a sprightly dance that I can play at full tempo.  What a delight!  It reminded me of the rewards patience will bring me.