My student Marsha reminded me of an old joke during her lesson this week. One octogenarian says to the other, ” I have been thinking a lot lately about The Hereafter.” The other replies, “Me too! I go into a room and then for the life of me I can’t remember what I’m here after.” Ba-dum pum.

Marsha said it’s like that in sections of her Bach Fugue. She starts with the best of intentions but then suddenly “I can’t remember what I’m here after!”

We have all been there haven’t we? I usually find when I have here after trouble, I need a strong dose of studying and imagining the score away from the piano. The places I can’t hear and imagine the piece with all it’s bells and whistles are usually the very musical rooms in which I don’t know what I’m here after.

 

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