Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight

I'm tired and cranky and stressed (what else is new?).  Actually, I discovering that when I feel this way, it's usually because I have something coming up in the next 24 hours that I'm stressed out about.  I was a wreck before sitzprobe last week (by the way - sitzprobe: one of my favorite words). 

This time, I'm preparing for an audition that's tomorrow night, and I just want it to be over.   My technique has improved, as has my musical vocabulary, but I am only able to learn music a little faster than before, and my sight-reading is in the crapper right now.  Actually, it's not so much that it has gotten worse as that it hasn't really gotten better, while many other aspects of my playing have improved. 

There comes a point in practice sessions where it's more productive to take a break than to continue.  I took a break to wash dishes and put my laundry away (finally... I picked it up almost a week ago and it's been mingling with the growing mound of dirty laundry in my bedroom), and to learn my song.  Songs.  Two songs: "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight".  Yes, sort of cheating, since they're both shorter sections of the medley that ends Abbey Road.  But if I'm going to count epic songs as one, then I get to count these as two... still making up for a few days during the break-up/move funk, and am running out of time. 

Songs are comforting.  Tonight I put each song on repeat on my ipod and played along until I got it.  That's usually the most relaxing way for me to learn.  I've been doing a lot of half-assing lately because I've been so busy, so it felt good to just play for a little while.  I looked the songs up in the Beatles scores to check a couple things... I hadn't missed much.  There were actually a couple mistakes in the score. 

Melodies...
Pop songs don't often have many big leaps in the melody.  The better to sing you with, my dear.  "Golden Slumbers" has a descending 6th, which reminded me of "Smells Like Teen Spirit".  "to get BACK HOME-ward"... "Load up ON GUNS".  ...actually the melodic contour is really similar, except one interval, and "Golden Slumbers" is in major and "Smells" is in a minor mode and I really have to get back to work so I can't geek out on this right now...

Dork.