Twinkle Variation

So, two days ago I practiced standard Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Yesterday I decided to try a variation that has been in my head since college that I had made up for fun while fiddling with the piano. I remember my roommate in college my freshman year had to write a variation of Twinkle... for an assignment for a class. She was a transfer student majoring in voice. She spent a lot of time on that assignment, but she failed the assignment. She realized that term that being a big shot at a rinky dink private university was getting her nowhere at a larger public university.  Anyway... I came up with my own variation after that and it's just kind of stuck with me. It stinks, but it's what I got... and it's like the only variation of a song I think I've ever done in my head.  But... after listening to these below, I realize I'm oh so not creative! My variation is so boring!  I'm not a composer and it's outside my scope of ability. I'll just try to repeat what others can do better than me for probably like, forever for playing tunes

. I did a search on youtube for other variations. These are so much better than mine. Like this one will make you smile, if you aren't weirded out first! 

This one from a tutorial on melnet somewhere I suppose. Not really a variation, but better than my attempts!

On a toy... A TOY sounds better than me! I just have to smile...

Mine? It goes at snail's pace and it's full of mistakes and the basses are awful. I thought writing it out would help - it didn't (much). I think tomorrow I'm going back to written stuff in the method book for another change of pace.

Below is my attempt for the night. I'll limit it to one of standard twinkle and one for the variation. There is no "good one". This is a fully - ton of mistakes, stop and start again video. Painful!

My elbow is aching me quite a bit today. I hope it's muscle and not joints. Muscles heal faster than tendons. Though it doesn't show, but with writing the music down and practicing, I probably put in 3 hours today (a day off from work (mostly).

Day 3 of figuring this thing out - just noodling around

Today, I just tried to try something by ear after getting that recommendation on melnet. I decided to try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. On one hand, I got it nearly instantly. However, adding in chords with the left hand is a totally different experience.

I practiced about 15 minutes before going to work on the Hohner GC. I practiced 15 minutes at work (on the Liliput CF) and then I practiced over an hour at home divided in two sessions. Some of that time was doing some cross row playing to try something out, but it's not even close to going prime time yet as I still can't get Twinkle Twinkle Little Star without messing up - and I mess up differently each time! Rhythm is off, nothing is smooth/good yet. And it's one of the simplest tunes ever! But it is only day 3... practice, practice, practice.

Around 10:30 pm I decided to record what I had accomplished for Day 3. I tried  to record about 15 times back to back. This is not a pretty process. 🙎I just wanted to make it through the tune without such horrible mistakes that it becomes unrecognizable. 

Anyway, here's attempt #1 and it really was the first attempt for recording after about 1.5 hours total of practicing the &$#%ing nursery rhyme.

So I tried a few more times, deleting after I made a few bazillion mistakes. You all don't want to watch 457 takes, right?  This next one was around attempt 8 or so.

Then around attempt 12.

And then around attempt 20 or so. I was getting so hesitant with each note because I just don't "feel" it securely yet.

So, that was Day 3. First day I tried to follow a video tutorial and play along with it after I learned a bit of it. Second day I followed lessons 1-3 in the method book. Third day I just noodled around.

I think what would help me is actually looking at notation or sheet music - even for twinkle twinkle. I just don't seem to be able to hold the notation/feel for it in my head. I have so little experience with that! Only time I had to do that, I think (?) was when I was in college and we memorized marching band music for the shows. I can't even remember if that was at both the universities I went to (Freshman year at Central Missouri State University) or my senior year (University of Northern Iowa). Or maybe we never had to do that? In high school I did flags, but I remember the rest of band needing to memorize music. Huh... too long ago!

Anyway... I think if I saw sheet music or handwritten notation, I could have gotten further along, but then, this is helping me gain new skills and it's stretching my brain muscles which is good for me too.

I won't show tons of takes most of the time. I just want people to get a real feel of what it is like to start an instrument. It's a process and it takes time, work, and patience. If I only showed you polished stuff, I'm fooling myself and everyone else at how much work it takes.

Also, I have a bit of left hand fatigue, but nothing painful. I'm just using new muscles! It's mostly the muscle of my left palm on the pinky finger side. No shoulder or carpel tunnel stuff flaring up - which is GREAT!