Love a Good Story. I just Love a Good Story. Don’t you just Love a Good Story? Well, here is another Good Story.
The Piano
I just finished dusting my piano because I wanted to play something, and it was pretty dusty. I don’t know what led me here. Maybe it’s because the piano needed, really needed dusting, or maybe I remembered how nice it felt to play music, the songs I played and the singing. I’m not good at singing, so perhaps that’s why I stopped singing. I admonish myself for disregarding my Yamaha piano, one of the best brands of pianos, and I promise myself I will never do that again. I lift the top and dust the ivory keys, making certain I find the dust balls between the black and white keys. I realize I have always dusted the piano, but until now, it never occurred to me to play again. I haven’t played regularly in over ten years. Oh, I stopped once or twice to try something, checking to see if it still works and if it is still in tune. A piano is not just a piece of furniture, the way I thought of it. It is an instrument, something that creates beautiful music. I touch the keys and play something simple. I can’t believe I even remember the notes. I touch the keys again and listen. I hear the most beautiful sounds, clear and whole. My piano always had such a beautiful sound (which gave me the illusion that I could really play). For a second, my mind goes back to the recitals and concert halls where I played pieces I’d learned. But that only saddens me, so I push that out of my thoughts.
I don’t know why I stopped playing the piano. I also wanted to write novels. When I played, I spent the entire day at the piano, playing one piece after the other. Writing also took a full day. I had a choice between the two, and I chose to create stories. I look through all the music I once played and am surprised at the level I’d reached. I had accomplished much more than I thought or remember. I hope it will be easy to start again. I would like to start again.
As a pianist, playing the piano encouraged changes that improved me. It allowed me to trust. A pianist must have trust in his/her playing. I had to know and trust the fact that the piano keys will always be in the same place every time the note is needed. The pianist knows that the sharps and flats will also always be in the same places. So, the pianist must trust, in this case herself, and know that the key is always in the same place, sharp or flat. It can be assessed by playing the note.
Playing the piano strengthens the memory. The pianist must remember the key and its location. The key is there, but the pianist must remember the key on the page and the key on the piano. The pianist must also know the other things in the piece, such as the whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, rests, and other directions in the music. In order to make beautiful music, the pianist must remember the directions and where the notes are on the piano.
Playing the piano taught me how to budget my time and keep to a schedule. This is important where there are other items on the calendar, such as a class, a dental appointment, a dinner engagement, and a variety of other things. The pianist must select what to play and put a time limit on how much to play and how long to play and when to stop.
Playing the piano gave me confidence to increase the difficulty of playing, such as learning how to cross one hand over the other, play a difficult chord, play in either the treble or bass part of the piano. The ease of managing this so that the piece sounds beautiful developed confidence in me. The pianist will not only accomplish the new but will accomplish other things in life that were never considered.
Playing the piano enabled me to widen my horizon and play other music genres, appreciating a variety of music types. More importantly, playing the piano is something that belongs only to the player. No one can take away the pianist’s ability. The pianist created a personal style, and no one can make playing the piano as important as the pianist made it according to that special style. The personal development, desire, love for playing and the skill and ability all belong to the pianist only.
So, there is a connection between playing the piano and life. It’s not just an interesting hobby, or only a way to relax. Playing the piano uses the same keys but generates different music. Life is not always the same. No one can count on the same events happening the same way all the time. The more skilled the pianist, the more the pianist can step outside what they have learned and go further, to go over and beyond. The more experiences we have in life, the more we can trust that we can step outside the box and expand ourselves.
Isn’t that a Good Story? That’s all for now.
Do you play an instrument, game, or anything that enabled your growth? Tell me about your experience. I would love to hear from you.
Look for my novels on Amazon and/or Black Rose Writing.com
Love a Good Story 