A Trumpet Fanfare for me!
WARNING: Uncensored and explicit idealism. Reader discretion advised.
Despite my being sick today (I'm feeling better now: thanks for the calls people) I was able to go out to piano lessons. There I heard that I had won my first two competitions with this most recent teacher. Quite acceptable on my terms because if everything goes to plan, they will be the last competitions I will do in my musical career. Yes, I send out my informal retirement from the competetive guild after 7 years of a successful ... career? This by no means saying that I'm quitting music. Doing so would just be suicide! In fact, my quitting is, I hope, for the BETTERING of my love for music. Here's the deal.
(NOTE: Those of you who've heard this before will be quite bored whereas those who have never read anything like it will find it refreshingly new. Not that complicated.)
Basically, I personally found that competitions were dulling my passion. Before, I used to love the idea of going out with whatever I had "practiced" and trying to beat others down musically. Now, I find doing so a big turn-off and a contradiction to what I believe to be, my character. Music is something to be shared, enjoyed, and cherished, not put-up as something to compete over. It's the world's tongue for all to understand and love. Frankly, I think at a certain level, you cannot say one person is neccessarily "better" than another. Rather, you prefer his or her interpretation and presentation of the music. In addition, I found that my repertoire was being limited by the competitions I participated in. I was playing pieces for the competitions instead of for my own enjoyment. It even got to the point where I allowed the teacher to refuse pieces that I wanted to play in favor of better-for-competition pieces.
Not any more! We agreed to stop doing competitions and instead, hold solo recitals where I get to play what I want. So today's lesson was basically spent overviewing the possibilities. I decided to go for playing many, shorter, easier pieces instead of partaking in the great endeavors of the more gandiose works. And here it is. My new program (recital scheduled for May):
Beethoven - Sonata No. 23
Liszt - 3 Concert Etudes - III. Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff (YEAH BABY!!!!) - Prelude No. 2, Op. 23
In the mean time, I hope to finish my Bach and Brahms and chip away at the other Liszt piece (Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2).
Although this entry was not as thought-filled and idealistic as I had hoped, I think the basic point came across. Sorry Juan. I'll work on a better version later.
And I actually practiced piano today.
Nam
Despite my being sick today (I'm feeling better now: thanks for the calls people) I was able to go out to piano lessons. There I heard that I had won my first two competitions with this most recent teacher. Quite acceptable on my terms because if everything goes to plan, they will be the last competitions I will do in my musical career. Yes, I send out my informal retirement from the competetive guild after 7 years of a successful ... career? This by no means saying that I'm quitting music. Doing so would just be suicide! In fact, my quitting is, I hope, for the BETTERING of my love for music. Here's the deal.
(NOTE: Those of you who've heard this before will be quite bored whereas those who have never read anything like it will find it refreshingly new. Not that complicated.)
Basically, I personally found that competitions were dulling my passion. Before, I used to love the idea of going out with whatever I had "practiced" and trying to beat others down musically. Now, I find doing so a big turn-off and a contradiction to what I believe to be, my character. Music is something to be shared, enjoyed, and cherished, not put-up as something to compete over. It's the world's tongue for all to understand and love. Frankly, I think at a certain level, you cannot say one person is neccessarily "better" than another. Rather, you prefer his or her interpretation and presentation of the music. In addition, I found that my repertoire was being limited by the competitions I participated in. I was playing pieces for the competitions instead of for my own enjoyment. It even got to the point where I allowed the teacher to refuse pieces that I wanted to play in favor of better-for-competition pieces.
Not any more! We agreed to stop doing competitions and instead, hold solo recitals where I get to play what I want. So today's lesson was basically spent overviewing the possibilities. I decided to go for playing many, shorter, easier pieces instead of partaking in the great endeavors of the more gandiose works. And here it is. My new program (recital scheduled for May):
Beethoven - Sonata No. 23
Liszt - 3 Concert Etudes - III. Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff (YEAH BABY!!!!) - Prelude No. 2, Op. 23
In the mean time, I hope to finish my Bach and Brahms and chip away at the other Liszt piece (Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2).
Although this entry was not as thought-filled and idealistic as I had hoped, I think the basic point came across. Sorry Juan. I'll work on a better version later.
And I actually practiced piano today.
Nam