Disappointment

I must confess that I did something that would blow up the name of this blog.
Yes, I offer a penny for people who guesses what I did.

I STARTED PIANO LESSONS.

Ok, throw tomatoes at me, that's ok. But I must tell also that I already QUIT them. A-ha, now I throw back your tomatoes, folks. That's right, I started and a month later, I quit.

Let me explain the reasons:

I couldn't bear having to play homework every week (it was one class per week). Worse yet, it was from the Suzuki method, which I think it is quite ok, but really, it's not for me. It's good for people who want to start really slow, that didn't ever touch a piano before, or that don't know anything at all about piano playing. I hope you don't get me wrong and think I'm arrogant or something like that. It's just that it didn't suit me. Not at all.

The problem is, as easy as the Suzuki lessons were, I had to play them for a while (the whole week) to meet the expectations (mine and my teacher's). Therefore, I was "wasting" precious time, which I could use playing works from the great composers. Again, don't get me wrong. I know that from book 2 and on, there's lots of pieces from the great composers. But I am not patient enough to get through book 1.

Lessons were so-so, the teacher was so-so, the coursebook was so-so. So (no pun intended), I decided to quit.

The teacher wanted me to play some simplified pieces. For me simplified scores are a no-go. Either you play the real deal, or you don't. Unless it's some piano transcription from some orchestral piece or the likes, that's really a waste of time. You can very well use your time to play something else that's easier, but not "abridged".

I really love classical pieces from the great composers, to the point I study them for months, day after day, everyday, thinking about a single piece for a really long time. I think most people just can't commit themselves for a long time on a single piece (at least, seems that the teacher thought something like that). Of course, I'm speaking about the amateur pianists, not the concert pianists, which obviously make a living from playing professionally and give their lifes to piano playing.

I thought a lot before enrolling piano lessons, but I was already firm in the idea that it was just "experimental", that I would only see if lessons would be good for me. It turned out that it wasn't. They didn't meet my expectations, because what the teacher pointed out, I already knew, what the teacher tried to teach me, I already knew. That doesn't mean that I do things correctly though. Nor that I play "beautifully", far from that. I know I have many deficiencies, but as time goes by, I'll try to mend them.

Many people told me to take piano lessons, and it was a very strong reason.

But a month later, after weighing the money spent on lessons, my satisfaction, having the idea that I could well spend the money on piano books or DVDs, I decided to quit.

And so I did.

The moment I quit, I felt relief... freedom...

The day I quit, I played for almost 3 hours straight into the night...

At least, now I can tell that piano lessons are not for me. I like to play freely, what I want, how I want, when I want. If piano playing is not fun, there's no reason to continue. That's what piano was becoming to me, a dry, sad and difficult activity, which gave me no pleasure anymore. I even didn't play for some days, which would hardly occur if I were playing on my own.

Think what you think, I opened my heart and told everything that was inside it, regarding piano lessons. I'll tell more about Suzuki method on other posts.

One thing is certain: this blog can continue to bear the name "Pianist 'Musashi Way'"!