Monday 22 June 2009

My currently sedentary lifestyle was broken helpfully today by a couple of lunchtime meetings (and a curry) in town, which also served as an excuse for half an hour's cycling. I'll return to practising in a moment: fortunately my two most technically demanding concerts of the summer are both taking place this coming weekend, so from next week I won't be spending quite so much time trying to play unfeasible numbers of notes without injury. I've never been able to play the final double of Rameau's famous Gavotte without my left wrist painfully tightening up, so I've been trying a number of mental and physical exercises while playing, to see if they help. What helps most, of course, is being in the right state of mind and body to play, before I even sit down.

These arrived in the mail today, an eBay purchase prompted by cycling past the huge metal gates that now cordon off where Paddy's Market was until very recently. About 20 years ago I bought a similar pair for 50p in Paddy's, and got married wearing them. I since lent them to someone (can't remember who) and never got them back; I also once lent them to Andrew Parrott to conduct in, but he definitely returned them. On eBay they cost more than 50p. 

My continuing musical education this weekend via spotify included Kraftwerk, Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis (which gave the scrambled eggs on toast I'd made the kids for lunch on Saturday an added dignity) and Kid Koala. All most worthwhile. But once mobile devices start streaming music reliably, will anyone ever pay for recorded music again? Why bother even to download anything when you can stream it whenever you want anyway?