Why I Only Started to Enjoy the Piano After a Decade of Playing

Yes, I was one of those Asian kids whose parents forced them into instrumental lessons before they learned how to write.

Well maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, I don’t remember exactly at what age I started playing the piano but it’s been a long time since, and as always, I have some thoughts.

The Origin Story

My relationship with the piano was complicated. (Editing this I just realized how wrong that sounds but let’s keep moving)

When I was young, just like with most other things, I didn’t have a strong opinion about the piano. I mean it was just this thing that I had to do that I didn’t love or hate.

When I was eleven or twelve there was even a period where I thought that I had wanted to quit. This was not because I hated the piano or anything, it was simply because I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of my other hobbies and it required a lot of practice time.

It was only when I turned fifteen and started my Piano diploma that I truly fell in love with the instrument. And I fell fucking hard.

Let’s just say I was a little bit obsessed. For so long, I had been playing these pieces that I just didn’t really care for. Masterpieces such as the Moonlight Sonata, or the Hungarian Rhapsody that I had put on this godly pedestal were pieces that I had never thought that I would have played in the near future.

The Awakening

I remember listening to Hungarian Rhapsody №2 on this walk around the lake when I had just turned fifteen, just marveling at the haunting melody line of the Lassan which was quickly transformed into a frenzy of beautiful chaos in the friska. After having finished the piece I was transported back to reality with my mostly dull Grade 8 pieces that I had to perfect for my exam.

For those of you who aren’t into classical music and didn’t understand a single word of what I had just said, don’t worry, the main point was, it was damn good and I was sad that the pieces that I had to play for my grade at the time were kinda boring.

Anyway flash forward a few months. I ended up receiving a distinction for my Grade 8 Piano exam. I remember that I was staying at Movenpick that night for a holiday and getting the email. I was ecstatic. This meant that I could now confidently move on to my diploma…and yes, that meant I was going to choose all of the pieces that I loved.

I ended up choosing the Moonlight Sonata, Hungarian Rhapsody №2, and Debussy La Plus Que Lente for my Diploma and I couldn’t stop practicing.

Even when I was not at the piano, the melodies played in my head like a broken record, looping over and over again.

I remember some nights where my fingers wouldn’t stop ghost-fingering the pieces on my bed pretending as if I was still at a keyboard.

I had a history of being obsessive when it came to my work. But until then I had never experienced it with piano.

It was just a combination of loving the pieces and also the empowerment of taking on these pieces that a few months ago I couldn't even fathom learning.

Piano has always been a big part of my life and I am so happy that now I get to fully reap the joys of the instrument. Despite the prior pieces being dull, I can’t help but appreciate the skills that I was able to develop along the way.

Now playing the piano just like writing has become a creative outlet where I can let my emotions and thoughts run free. Sometimes when I can’t get on with my work or deal with anxiety, sitting at the piano for an hour just indulging in the music has been very therapeutic.

I am glad to say that my relationship with playing the piano is much healthier now (that’s to say that I’m no longer sitting and practicing for six or seven hours on end).

You might have come to the end of this article and wondered to yourself, did I just really spend the past three minutes reading about this random person’s hobby? Well, I think that there is a lesson to be learned here, even if it’s a pretty basic one.

Good things take time.

If I had never pushed through those ten years of boring grade pieces I would never have developed the skills and techniques needed to fully enjoy these more complicated pieces.

The start is always slow, sometimes even boring, but as long as you keep going at it, something good will happen, always and this applies to things outside of the piano.

It also taught me that some things need time until you are able to truly appreciate it.

This is not to say that if something is making you absolutely miserable you should just keep on going at it blindly until you somehow end up liking it, that’s crazy.

But there is definitely value in knowing that some things that may not appear to be immediately fun or of interest to you might very well end up being something that you couldn't live without- it teaches you to treat your life as an experiment.

To see what works and what doesn’t work for you.

There is so much that the world has to offer, don’t limit your ability to experience this by keeping yourself confined to what you think you want.

And with that, I’m signing off,

Keep hustling my little peppers,

stay savvy.

If you have enjoyed this article, you are free to smash that follow button for more content coming your way!

For more of Savvy Pepper, you can follow our Instagram @savvypepper :)

About Us

I’m sure that Leonardo Da Vinci, Steve Jobs, and other legends would agree with me that it is to stand at the intersection of different disciplines that separates the great from the good.

That is why we cover insights into psychology, money, business, and everything in between that will help you achieve whatever is your definition of success. What more could you ask for?

It’s all about YOU.

Through chaotic explorations and sarcastic narrations, Savvy Pepper aims to challenge the standards and norms imposed by society and look at things from a different perspective.

Join us on our journey for a better future!