Today, I will keep talking about my stories with the piano. In the last blog, I mentioned that I went through a period of time in which I got bored practicing. It seemed to be an episode in my fourteen years of piano career.
I never feel I really love playing the piano until I started to compose by myself. My first experience of composing happened when I was ten years old. Just like studying in school, when I’m learning how to play the piano and taking Private lessons, I have practice homework to do every week. I need to finish the work assigned by the teachers in every day’s practice. One day, I finished my practice assignment earlier than usual. But I still have time left for the use of the room. So I sat on the piano and played around. When I finished the school work, I do whatever I want. The same for the piano practicing. After practicing the pieces assigned, I started to play the pieces I like. But sometimes I don’t have music sheets for the pieces I like. I have to play by ear.
At the very beginning, it was very difficult for me to play without the music sheet because I did not have a good ear. I tried doing it every time I finished the practicing assignment. It became a part of my practicing routine. I’m obsessed with the feeling to compose. It’s like traveling in a new world. The music leads me to whatever I want. Nothing can stop me in that world. The emotion is the boss. If I feel happy, the music I played would be lilting. If I feel a little dark, the music I played would be a little blue.
Composing is similar to playing Lego. Many tiny pieces can be collected to create a giant piece. The notes on the piano can also be combined to make a piece of music. Once I start this new chapter of my piano journey, the first time I think I enjoy playing the piano. In the past, I have to have the music sheet with me if I want to play. If I can play by ear, I’m able to play whatever I want. I have more control when I’m playing.
Now I’m still doing the composition. I have ideas in my head all the time. These ideas satisfy me. I can’t imagine my life without music. I find out how much I like the piano when I open the door to a completely new world –composing.
I’ve never learned how to play an instrument; however, books assinged to me to read are less enjoyable than those I discover on my own.
I really like the comparison of legos to music. I’ve never thought about it from that perspective, but the way you said it makes complete sense.
As someone who can’t even clap on beat, I think its really cool that you took advantage of that extra time and started to compose. I like that this blog is more of a journey with a progression of events and not just a list of what you love about piano. I also like how you closed by comparing it to legos, which gives it a broader understanding to someone like me who is illiterate when it comes to music.
Your experiences with music composition are similar to choreographing dance, where you can feel the music as well as your own emotion and create something out of them.