Damn octaves! My left thumb and 3rd finger are now string-marked from pressing too much in thumb position.


Granted my playing's a lot closer to being in tune, but octaves are ridiculously tough to master.


Plus I'm a total incompetent at music so I have no idea if I'll ever get the sonata to sound nice.


A good thing (edited) there are some moods that don't appear in Shostakovich's music. If there's one thing I'll never be able to understand in music, it'll be those....(end edit)