Early Morning Inspiration

I'm up earlier than usual this morning, so while the sun has yet to peek over the horizon, my pajama office hours have officially commenced. The coffee is brewing, the family are sleeping, and I'm deciding how to spend these quiet hours alone productively. It occurs to me that this might be a good time to practice piano. Why not? I have a practice pedal on one of my instruments, I'm always lamenting my lack of practice time, and it may be nice to have worked through a new sonata exposition or memorized a section of an older piece by the time people start to stir.

In some Alfred edition of some composer's work, I once read a list of tips for effective practicing - by Maurice Hinson I believe. One of the tips (and this one cracked me up) was never to practice while anything stressful is on your mind. I asked myself, "When is that?" Well, maybe it's right now. It's Sunday morning, there are no students on the schedule, and this is likely to be a relaxing day. If there ever was a time when I am free of stress (except for the slight annoyance that I'm not still sleeping), it's probably now.

So, here's the plan: I'm going to pour myself a nice cup of coffee, lock the middle pedal down, and have at it. What's on the practice menu? Something old (a Mozart sonata), something new (a bit of Dohnanyi technique), something borrowed (a student's Grieg), and something . . . blue?