Anki:

A lot of reviews so didn't add new cards.

Warm-up/Technique:

Finger-stretching exercise @ 100 bpm

String Walking exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 37) with i,m eight @ 95 bpm
String Walking exercise with m, l with eight notes @ 65 bpm


Right-Hand Velocity (pg. 63) with sixteenth notes @ 100 bpm rest & free. Fingers too cold for 105
l, m @ 75 bpm rest & free

Synchronization Exercise (Pumping Nylon pg. 65) with i,m sixteenth notes -
As per what I re-discovered in Pumping Nylon 2 days ago (about limiting height of relaxed left-hand fingers above fretboard) - could do this well only @ max of 75 bpm rest and free (fee is harder).

Hard with l, m - decreased to 55 bpm. Still hard

p. 67 Exercise - Putting it all together @ 62 bpm


Repertoire:

Pica Pica & Estrellita
Played back-to-back concert style in prep for tonight's open-mic.

Na Gafieira Do Vidigal
Noticed a lot of subtle notes I missed in part C while listening casually to the tune in the train. Went back to Transcribe and noticed that I missed a lot of such notes in part B, as well. Namely, part B has IV in the bass, which makes for a funky, unusual vibe (the thing that adds a tribal element to this piece, I think).

Because of this 4th, I had to change the fingering for the double stops. Review and keep at it tomorrow.

Samba Caribe
Part B measure 9-12 reviewed/learned. Sounding good!

Gig Feedback:
Played at a jam session at Coyote's, a bar/pub not too far away from my pad. Got there at around 6:40 and signed up. A gentleman started the set. I was eating a burger when he started playing (around 7:20). The food definitely helped me relax, but I got nervous after I finished and he was still playing.

I was up after he finished. The audience (around 30 people total) was quite enthusiastic and welcoming. The sound guy and the audience reassured me that the sound was okay, but I couldn't hear myself well, despite a bunch of monitors. To me, I sounded quite muffled.

I did Klickstein's pre-tune routine, but I think I sped up the tempo on Pica-Pica. My body was feeling it, but I wasn't imagining the meaning of the music. Neither was I imaging ahead.

People seemed to have gotten a kick out of Pica-Pica. Estrellita to me sounded better when I started it. However, as if there was nothing else to mess up, my brain forgot measure 15 of part A (the tonic chord right before the V turnaround). I had to skip the measure. This chord couldn't be more obvious (though of course neither the rhythm nor the scale notes were as easy as a power chord). Knowing this, I started to panic a bit, but continued the piece. I ended well.

I still had some time, so decided to go for it and play Nothin on You. I played it cold, so forgot the lyrics here and there and the rhythm part wasn't in the pocket, either. But that's all okay. What I didn't like was the reverb - there was too much.

After I finished, I talked to a guy waiting to play after me, and he said that it sounded good. Go figure! :)

I thanked Jimmy (the sound engineer) when I was leaving and he said he really loved the nylon guitar sound and encouraged me to come next week. I said that I could only play the same pieces, but he said no worries. As I was walking out a guy named John shook my hand and thanked me for the performance.

"During the early phases of learning performance skills, it may take time at the onset of a show for you to compose yourself. No matter how rough things get, though, stay occupied with the moment. Do what's necessary to perform each phrase the best that you can, irrspective of how previous phrases turned out. And be optimistic. Budding performers often batter themselves with critical self-talk on stage, not realizing that self-ridicule blocks creativity. Keep up an accepting attitute as you play or sing. Whether things go well or not, each performance gives you information that adds to your expertise."
Gerald Klickstein, The Musician's Way, pg. 187