Rhythm of the beat


“One must think when looking at a horse in motion, that he hears music inside his head.”

So when I was younger I played the piano. My instructor, Mrs. Carlton, used to tell me that playing the piano is similar to riding a horse. I did not see how they had any sort of connection. I was young and naïve. I would laugh when she said think about the rhythm of the horse, and how you establish a connection with the horse. Put that energy and feeling into the notes on the piano. HAHA I thought. Piano was nothing like riding a horse.

But I was very wrong.

In fact, riding a horse and playing the piano are quite similar to one another.

Maybe riding in an arena doesn’t contain the grand piano, with polished wood, and tuned keys, but it sure does have a rhythm that musically performs. The 3 beat steady canter, the clicking of the hoofs, and the soft pound of each step the horse takes develops a powerful musical undertone.

Just like a song, any missed note messes with the songs melody; on a horse, any small move that effects the rhythm of the horse’s movement can affect the entire gait.

As a musician when I am in the zone of a song my fingers move across the keys, without thought. They move effortlessly. As a rider, once a rhythm starts, my body moves along with the horse’s effortless movement. We move in unison.

Our hands communicate with the horse’s mouth, in a steady connection to the reigns; our hands connect to the keys with a steady connection to develop a song.

Both activities require the brain, the heart, and the body. There is nothing more satisfying, after a long day, to go out on a horse and find a rhythm. Or sit down at a piano and listen to the music develop. Both take balance, both challenge me to think, both make me want to be better, and try harder. Riding is not easy; it comes with work, dedication, and hard-work. If you want to improve you must practice every day. Piano is not easy; it takes time, hours a day if you want to see improvement. That is what I love about both of them. It challenges me. Perfection does not exist in horseback riding, or piano playing. They take years, lifetimes to master, and even then are not perfect. And that’s the best part.

Riding and piano require full attention. They require me to be fully present and focused. They both require me to enjoy the moment, to enjoy the experience. Rushing through life is what I tend to do. I miss moments because I am thinking about too many things at once. Riding and piano help me to veer away from this flaw. They help me enjoy the little things in life. Appreciate the little things. My greatest memories are on the back of a horse, or in front of my family playing the 88 white keys…

One thought on “Rhythm of the beat

  1. This was a very interesting comparison. Two activities which require different skills can actually be quite similar in many ways. I have only ridden a horse once, and never truly played piano so I can’t really identify with either activities, but they are both very impressive and beautiful practices!

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