Sometimes I think I just have too many hobbies. It's like I can't focus on one thing and I just move from one thing to the next. But maybe that is okay. So I started playing piano again... around mid-April? My friend Anna had posted a link to a Ravel piano piece on her facebook and I thought it was just gorgeous. And so, I just decided to plug in my keyboard and get playing again. Yes sadly, I don't have a real piano. I have a digital keyboard, but it's better than nothing. I have been watching so many YouTube videos and get inspired by the virtuosity and musicality of so many amazing people. Yulianna Avdeeva, Yundi Li, Martha Argerich... oh what do all of these people have in common? They all won the International Chopin Competition, which occurs every 5 years. I've been obsessed with Chopin! And since I am an adult and don't have someone telling me what I should play, this means all Chopin, all the time. :) First thing I am learning is Chopin's Scherzo No. 2. My goal is to have it polished by Thanksgiving so that I can play it for my in-laws as a special surprise. I am also now considering learning Chopin's Ballade No. 1 (mostly so I can have a second piece to work on, so I don't get burned out on just one).
I am also considering taking piano lessons again. This is a big commitment, though, so I really need to decide if I want to do this. One thing that is stopping me is the financial aspect. Lessons are pretty expensive and I really don't have money to spare. But not only am I paying for lessons, I am also paying for opportunities to play for others. I can be in recitals again. I will be able to participate in groups where we play for each other. I just miss being able to share this part of myself. Piano was such a huge part of my life for many years. People that know me now don't even know that I play(ed) piano, and that makes me sad. My husband has never heard me play really well. I am getting better now. It is slowly coming back to me. But I have a long way to go.
I remember my senior year of high school, I participated in the school's music festival. We got judged and were graded. I remember I played Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu (haha! yes I always loved Chopin) and scored 100 out of 100. The judge wrote on the form, "You were born to play the piano." This has always stayed with me. Sometimes I thought of it as a good thing, sometimes as a bad thing. I remember deciding I would major in music in college... because if I didn't, I would regret it! That's what some people would tell me. So I did major in music. I certainly don't regret my decision. I probably would have regretted NOT majoring in music because I would have always wondered what could have happened. As it turns out, I didn't make music my career. I stopped playing piano for about 16 years. But just recently, something clicked in me. I need it back in my life. I don't know why it took me so long, but here I am. Playing again! And I am very excited about it. :)
