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It's not often these days that I practice until I reach a state of exhaustion. This is mostly due to the fact that, thanks to my non-playing responsibilities, I'm usually completely drained of energy before I even sit down at the piano. On my summer schedule, I have the occasional free day to devote almost completely to my instrument. It's a luxury I know I shouldn't become accustomed to.

Lately I've been spending much of my time with Brahms. Few things excite me more than the possibility of chamber music with able partners. I'm liable to prematurely leave my solo pieces in the lurch in favor of ensemble repertoire, well before the concert date has even been confirmed. In this case, I've been relearning the F minor Clarinet Sonata. Relishing the opportunity to do more than just guerrilla band-aid practice, I spent a large chunk of today discovering new ways to practice the hemiola section in the recap of the first movement. Rhythmic patterns, various groupings, backwards and forwards, hands alone and together...I'm fairly sure my upstairs neighbor will complain if this continues. Although yesterday, when I heard him watching Scent of a Woman through our building's paper-thin walls, I jokingly played along with the Gardel in the tango scene. Maybe he was entertained enough to not have me evicted.