I was 7, and I was sitting on the cold hard chair, slamming my fingers against the poor piano keys.
The keys didn’t know what they did wrong. But I did. They existed, and I hated having to practice. I never liked piano or anything that required effort.
So I aimed to frustrate my teacher. So much so that she would tell my parents that she couldn’t teach this crazy student anymore. I sulked, played all the wrong keys, and strolled into class late.
But my teacher was tougher than I thought. She kept giving my parents new ideas on how to get me interested.
I gave her ideas 0/10. Because none of them involved squashing slimes and killing mushrooms in Henesys.
So I continued. I also got all my theories wrong until I stopped doing it altogether. And that was when my parents decided to stop wasting their money on me.
My plan worked. I was finally free.
Today, I’m almost 30. My secondhand Yamaha U1J just arrived with 2 sweaty professional movers.
The piano was great. I checked thrice. It sounded like a piano, and there were no visible scratches. But they forgot something — my free piano keys cover.
How can I protect the keys from dust and air pollution in the room?
Along with the “new” piano, I’ve also got a new piano teacher.
She thought I was lying when I told her I’d learned piano for only over a year. But maybe I’m just talented. Nobody knows. Only I know I’ve been practising almost every day and doing all my homework.
I took so long to learn the piano because I thought my opportunity was gone at 7.
Everyone I know who plays the piano began learning when they were small, and their fingers couldn’t reach the next octave. And here I am with fully grown fingers, only starting to pick up the instrument. How am I going to catch up?
But I did anyway.
Turns out, it was one of my best decisions. I’ve since gone for 3 recitals, playing alongside kids less than half my age.
They’re all much better than me. But it’s fine because I’m not playing the piano to win. If I can play a range of anime and classical music, it’s good enough.
My point is—it’s never too late to learn an instrument. In fact, when you grow older, you learn better because you’re more motivated. After all, you chose to learn it yourself. Nobody forced you.
Now I can’t wait to attend piano lessons every week and learn new songs. I’ll share more about my piano learning in subsequent posts. Bye!