The Pianist

          For the first time, in a good a while, I was able to play the piano. It was frustrating and somewhat depressing to say the least. I began playing the piano years ago, as a high school junior. I continued to play well onto the end of my senior year. Along the way, I learned chords, scales, and even pieces of music that weren't found in the instructional book that was given to us. Those were much more difficult to learn. Also, several years ago, I had enrolled in a beginning piano class at a community college (because I didn't have enough skill to demonstrate that I ways at higher skill level). That was also a good experience, because even though I did know physical aspects of the class, the music theory had really helped me have a more integrated understanding of music works, from more advanced scales as wells as chord inversions.

          But I'm digressing here. Playing the piano, as I said, was frustrating and a bit depressing. It felt like I did forget everything - I couldn't even play my C Major scale properly, and that's the easiest one of all (because there aren't any sharps or flats - the black keys, if you will)! I was strongly relying on muscle memory, feeling my way around the piano by what I had memorized, instead of learned. After 10 minutes of  simply reciting my scales, my wrists had cramped and my fingers felt swollen (even though they weren't).  On top of this, I was only able to recall only two pieces of music that I was able to play fluently; the others were simply fragments, missing more than one section, and simply incomplete.

          However, as much as I'm sad at this revelation, I'm feeling good about myself. Though I may have lost much knowledge of the instrument, I'm still able to recall notes, scales, and chords. That's more than what most people can recite. At least, I'm willing to pick myself up and relearn everything again. Plus, there's a chapel at my school where I can practice, too! I spoke to the University Chaplain and she pretty much gave me permission to play the piano, as long as I respect the times for set aside for worship and prayer, of course. So yeah, I'm not proud of myself for letting this talent slip in to oblivion, but I'm eager and willing to relearn everything to get it back. It almost feels like riding a bicycle all over again.