Monday, July 04, 2005
My piano
My baby grand has been standing there untouched for 4 months. Well, unlike my baobei , which i could pack up and bring to melbourne, Baby had to stay behind. I don't think my dad would have appreciated it if i cajoled him to bring it down.
I got it as a gift from my parents in secondary 2 because I was going to sit for my Grade 8 examinations. This was my 2nd piano. My first piano was an upright one that I got when i was 5 or 6 years old. Most parents in Singapore want their kids to learn an instrument and the instrument of choice is usualy... ze piano. I know my dad badly wanted me to have a music education because he didn't have the chance to get one himself when he was young. Pity tho', coz he is talented in music. Even without any formal education, he taught himself how to play the recorder. I still recall him teaching me how to play it when i was still in primary one. As a result, i was bored out of my mind during primary 3 music classes in school because I already knew how to play the instrument.
So, my mom signed me up for private piano lessons as well as group lessons with Yamaha music school. I enjoyed piano, but I recall being prodded and scolded quite a bit for not practicing. I suppose I was a little better than average, but I wasn’t outstandingly good in it. After finishing a one year JMC course at Yamaha, we all took a test. Didn’t do as well as my parents expected, but they cajoled the teachers into accepting me into JSAC. ( junior special advanced course) .
So started my nightmare. The kids in JSAC were seriously music prodigies. I was some kid who ( to put it mildly) .. couldn’t make it. We had to compose songs on the spot, improvise melodies, play back by ear… I enjoyed some of the activities, especially the group performances, where I could grab my favourite percussion instruments and boogie along to the flintstones. Though I did win acclaim for my dancing during the performance, the same could not be said for my solo piano playing where I missed out 2 pages of the piece. Needless to say, I was reprimanded and picked on by many of my teachers who couldn’t understand how the hell I managed to get into the course in the first place.
“ pull up your socks!” one teacher shrieked at me.
I bent down and pulled up my sagging socks.
I think she thought I was really a real retard at that point of time.
It was stressful. On top of 2 classes a week, I had to go for workshops, sit for 2 different exams, produce compositions and prepare for performances. And in every workshop or class, there would be a point of time where I would be completely lost in the activity. The music just didn’t speak to me. It didn’t flow in me, it didn’t appear at the tips of my fingers. My compositions were utter hogwash. One did managed to make it to Japan, and I received a card thanking me for my effort. But my friends got to perform theirs in other countries and on a public stage. And even if they didn’t, most of their competitions got through the 1st round of selections.
My teachers didn’t help either. I changed teachers 3 times. First one ( the sock lady) had stones in her gall bladder and quit. 2nd dude was a nightmare. He abused us ( especially me, since I was the lousiest student) I recall sitting in the studio, shivering from fear, while he yanked my hair, shoved me off the bench, slammed my head onto the keyboard and prodded my head. Bruises on my arms alerted my parents to my condition. My dadcalled him up and yelled at him. He actually dropped by my house to apologise and admit he had an anger management problem. I just hid under my bed.
So on to teacher no. 3., a nice dude no doubt.. but my limited capabilities drove him up the wall too. But the difference was that instead of slamming my head on the piano, he slammed his own head. Charming.
I threw in the towel at secondary 2. Opted to go for private lessons and finish my grade 8 examinations. Private lessons were a pleasant surprise. There was no stress, no improvisation expected, no compositions, no pressure from trying to survive in a classroomful of geniuses. I started enjoying piano again. I finished a diploma in piano and took music as a subject in secondary school. But then in sec 3, I realised I had had enough and dropped both lessons.
My piano has hardly heard any classical pieces since then. Most ppl expect me to be able to tackle those technically difficult pieces since I am a diploma holder. I regret to advise that I’m probably no better than a grade 6 holder. During JC, I took an interest in guitar and started playing that in preferance to the piano. I also joined the choir and my piano was used mostly for me to arrange accapella songs for my 2 accapella groups.
My siblings never really pursued piano either. So baby has been sitting silent in my household. It’s a real pity tho’, coz it’s a lovely instrument. I wanted to sell it, but my dad refused. I still bang out a few classical pieces from time to time, but I’m too lazy to try out new stuff. So I usually play pop songs and sing to it. But now that I’ve my guitar, I usually use that instead.
I came back to Singapore last week. While listening to my missy Higgins cd, I realised that some of the pieces sounded better on piano than on guitar. So I opened up the piano cover, plugged in my CD and started trying to transcribe the chords. Baby is quite out of tune, being a microstep flat from the correct key. But it was great to be able to play it again. I guess I don’t fear my piano anymore. I’ve come to love it, probably not as much as I love my guitars though. The love I have for my piano is more mellow, like the love for someone whom you’ve journeyed a long way with. I still suck at piano playing, but hey, at least no one’s head is gonna get bruised by the keyboard.
My baby grand has been standing there untouched for 4 months. Well, unlike my baobei , which i could pack up and bring to melbourne, Baby had to stay behind. I don't think my dad would have appreciated it if i cajoled him to bring it down.
I got it as a gift from my parents in secondary 2 because I was going to sit for my Grade 8 examinations. This was my 2nd piano. My first piano was an upright one that I got when i was 5 or 6 years old. Most parents in Singapore want their kids to learn an instrument and the instrument of choice is usualy... ze piano. I know my dad badly wanted me to have a music education because he didn't have the chance to get one himself when he was young. Pity tho', coz he is talented in music. Even without any formal education, he taught himself how to play the recorder. I still recall him teaching me how to play it when i was still in primary one. As a result, i was bored out of my mind during primary 3 music classes in school because I already knew how to play the instrument.
So, my mom signed me up for private piano lessons as well as group lessons with Yamaha music school. I enjoyed piano, but I recall being prodded and scolded quite a bit for not practicing. I suppose I was a little better than average, but I wasn’t outstandingly good in it. After finishing a one year JMC course at Yamaha, we all took a test. Didn’t do as well as my parents expected, but they cajoled the teachers into accepting me into JSAC. ( junior special advanced course) .
So started my nightmare. The kids in JSAC were seriously music prodigies. I was some kid who ( to put it mildly) .. couldn’t make it. We had to compose songs on the spot, improvise melodies, play back by ear… I enjoyed some of the activities, especially the group performances, where I could grab my favourite percussion instruments and boogie along to the flintstones. Though I did win acclaim for my dancing during the performance, the same could not be said for my solo piano playing where I missed out 2 pages of the piece. Needless to say, I was reprimanded and picked on by many of my teachers who couldn’t understand how the hell I managed to get into the course in the first place.
“ pull up your socks!” one teacher shrieked at me.
I bent down and pulled up my sagging socks.
I think she thought I was really a real retard at that point of time.
It was stressful. On top of 2 classes a week, I had to go for workshops, sit for 2 different exams, produce compositions and prepare for performances. And in every workshop or class, there would be a point of time where I would be completely lost in the activity. The music just didn’t speak to me. It didn’t flow in me, it didn’t appear at the tips of my fingers. My compositions were utter hogwash. One did managed to make it to Japan, and I received a card thanking me for my effort. But my friends got to perform theirs in other countries and on a public stage. And even if they didn’t, most of their competitions got through the 1st round of selections.
My teachers didn’t help either. I changed teachers 3 times. First one ( the sock lady) had stones in her gall bladder and quit. 2nd dude was a nightmare. He abused us ( especially me, since I was the lousiest student) I recall sitting in the studio, shivering from fear, while he yanked my hair, shoved me off the bench, slammed my head onto the keyboard and prodded my head. Bruises on my arms alerted my parents to my condition. My dadcalled him up and yelled at him. He actually dropped by my house to apologise and admit he had an anger management problem. I just hid under my bed.
So on to teacher no. 3., a nice dude no doubt.. but my limited capabilities drove him up the wall too. But the difference was that instead of slamming my head on the piano, he slammed his own head. Charming.
I threw in the towel at secondary 2. Opted to go for private lessons and finish my grade 8 examinations. Private lessons were a pleasant surprise. There was no stress, no improvisation expected, no compositions, no pressure from trying to survive in a classroomful of geniuses. I started enjoying piano again. I finished a diploma in piano and took music as a subject in secondary school. But then in sec 3, I realised I had had enough and dropped both lessons.
My piano has hardly heard any classical pieces since then. Most ppl expect me to be able to tackle those technically difficult pieces since I am a diploma holder. I regret to advise that I’m probably no better than a grade 6 holder. During JC, I took an interest in guitar and started playing that in preferance to the piano. I also joined the choir and my piano was used mostly for me to arrange accapella songs for my 2 accapella groups.
My siblings never really pursued piano either. So baby has been sitting silent in my household. It’s a real pity tho’, coz it’s a lovely instrument. I wanted to sell it, but my dad refused. I still bang out a few classical pieces from time to time, but I’m too lazy to try out new stuff. So I usually play pop songs and sing to it. But now that I’ve my guitar, I usually use that instead.
I came back to Singapore last week. While listening to my missy Higgins cd, I realised that some of the pieces sounded better on piano than on guitar. So I opened up the piano cover, plugged in my CD and started trying to transcribe the chords. Baby is quite out of tune, being a microstep flat from the correct key. But it was great to be able to play it again. I guess I don’t fear my piano anymore. I’ve come to love it, probably not as much as I love my guitars though. The love I have for my piano is more mellow, like the love for someone whom you’ve journeyed a long way with. I still suck at piano playing, but hey, at least no one’s head is gonna get bruised by the keyboard.
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