So, when I'm practicing a piece, when it gets to the point that it *vaguely* resembles the song it's suppose to sound like, I'll start recording myself to help refine my technique. It's very handy for correcting phrasing, ensuring my hand positions are correct, sticking to tempo, etcetera, etcetera.

Occasionally, however, I'll actually play the piece through to the point where it's *almost* acceptable. Of course, still nothing remotely close to performance-level quality, but smooth enough that almost all the kinks have been worked out. After reviewing this video, I decided... why not upload these? It will give viewers an insight into my current projects, and I can cast an estimate as to when the piece will be complete and properly-upload worthy. I'll be labeling such videos with "(practice)" in the title.

And so, without further ado, here's my first practice video! This is the first movement of Bach's famous Italian concerto (BWV 971), which I am currently practicing for my Grade 8 Classical examination. The Italian concerto - or its full title, Concerto nach Italienischem Gusto (Concerto after the Italian taste) - was produced later in Bach's career, and is arguably overshadowed by some of his other works such as the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Brandenburg concertos (Garcia, 2004). Nonetheless, it is still a wonderful standalone piece, one that is enjoyable to play and even moreso to listen to, especially on a harpsichord.

I am currently working on the phrasing, with most (but certainly not all) of the technical details worked out. I am aiming to bring out the counterpoint between the left and right hands, by alternating the emphasis accordingly (e.g. from bars 1 through to 14 I lead with the right hand, before shifting focus more to the left from 15 through to 30, and then back once more to the right from 31 onwards). There are many finer and arguably elementary points that I've yet to master, for example in bars 69, 70, 71 and 72, I strike the first note in each bar in the right hand with far too much force, when they should play along smoothly, with the emphasis instead being laid in the left hand. Indeed, at this point I'm leading more with the left than the right. To emulate a proper Italian concerto, Bach contrasts the piano and forte in the left and right hands alternatingly, which is something I haven't *quite* gotten the hang of.

Nonetheless, I'm currently playing this piece a good dozen times a day at least, and I'm predicting I should have a performance-worthy version uploaded in about two months.

References: The nature of Bach's Italian Concerto BWV 971, Federico Garcia, March 2004