The Effort is Worth It

I'm sweating, and feel like I might have a heat stroke.  I can barely control my breathing.  My arm aches from the effort, and fingers feel as if they might split.  My calves ache.  I'm playing the piano.

Okay, that was exaggerated, but not too much.  I do get very sweaty and hot, and sometimes I have to stop.  My arms do hurt sometimes, and  my fingers get very tired.  That's not to say that practicing piano should be painful.  Done the correct way, it's not.  I practice correctly most of the time, but sometimes I forget that I'm slumped  over, and sometimes I just can't loosten up.  It gets better with practice.

Trills, which are usually two notes that you play back and forth at the speed of light, have gotten much easier for me.  They used to hurt- my hand would cramp up and my arms would get tight- but that doesn't happen anymore.  I play them freely and without any effort at all.  Except that I start laughing at the comical spectacle of my arm.  Pianists will understand.  My piano teacher can play trills twice as fast as I can.  I get jealous.

Piano is so much fun, but practicing is a long and sometimes frustrating process.  I like to practice, but I do get frustrated.  Today, I was trying to get these sixteenth notes coordinated, and my hand did not want to!  I finally just quit and started a new section.  Sometimes, you just have to leave a piece alone.  When I am very mad at the piano, I scream at it.  "STOP MAKING ME MESS UP, YOU IDIOTIC PIANO!"  It works.  My mom thinks it's funny.

However, piano is very rewarding.  I'm currently playing the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor(a  BIG piece with lots of chords and loud notes), a Beethoven Sonata(a fast-paced piece with lots changing dynamics), and a Bach Suite(a bunch of dances).  The Brahms is my favorite, and I'll tell you why.

It starts out fortissimo(loudly) with some big chords in the lowest part of the piano, and goes on to a sprightly(but still powerful) series of chords.  All of the sudden, it gets very quiet and tension fills the air.  I must admit that I love the deafening sensation of playing this piece.  I can play this piece loudly, but still beautifully.  And if I want to play it loudly, then I'm going to play it loudly. While I don't have to practice it so loudly, I do.  It makes me feel powerful over this piece, and I like it.  I apologize to the neighbors.

This Brahms is one of those pieces, that, if played correctly, makes anyone who plays a concert pianist.  It is exciting, yet has this thrill that is eerie.  It makes one think that a Samick is a Steinway.  It makes one think that you are an Biss, not a Barnett(by the way, that's not my last name).  I love this piece.  It makes the threeish hours of practice worth it.  Which is another things I want to talk at you about.

I probably practice about two hours a day.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  Before today is over, I will have probably practiced about three hours.  That's an hour on each piece.  Playing piano pieces well is not an easy thing.  If you're playing seriously for a concert or competition, and you're not sweating blood, you probably should pick a harder piece.

That being said, when you play piano for fun, it should be very enjoyable, not frustrating.  It's a balance between accomplishment and effort.  It depends on how much accomplishment you want and how much effort you're willing to put into it.  I'm willing to put in a lot, because I want a lot out of it.  I play the piano for fun, but I also play it to prepare myself for concerts and recitals.  I put my best into it, and hope to get the best out of it. 

Got to go.  I'm off to practice piano.