Euphonic Rollercoaster Ride

I remember when I was in Level 2 for piano, I had an emotional breakdown because I thought the song I was playing was extremely difficult. I was probably around 7 or 8 years old at the time, and I really threw a tantrum. The tantrum was so extreme that I still remember feeling the hot tears rolling down my face, the fan that my mom turned on in an attempt to cool me down, and the cold, damp, and red Mickey Mouse handtowel that my mom used to wipe my tears. I was screaming that I wanted to quit piano.

I was lying on the living room couch, my head on my mom's lap, and my mom was stroking my hair, softly telling me to listen to her, to stick with the piano, because one day I will appreciate the fact that I did.

A little more than eight years later, here I am, writing this blog post, saying exactly that...

I'm very glad that I didn't quit at Level 2. For one thing, Level 2 became a joke compared to Level 3. And for another thing, if I had quit the piano, I would have never experienced the feeling of playing a song known by heart.

It's the best feeling ever.

From the video down below.

Sometimes when thinking about the song you're about to play, you might not know how the song goes. The middle, end, and even the beginning parts of the song might be blurry, or even lost, in your head. If you're playing in front of people, that feeling might make you panic... But once you ready your fingers on the keys and play the first note, the melody of the song just flows right out of your hands. One musical phrase carries you to the next; you don't even need to think.

Like your hands having a mind of their own... They remember what to do, which accents to play, which crescendos, decrescendos, and ritardandos are where, so your brain doesn't have to remember.

And once you feel more comfortable while playing, you begin to play around with the dynamics of the song, feeling that one part of the song should be played one way, and that another part should be played another way. You mold the melody easily, as if it were a piece of clay. And you have fun doing it.

I swear, your brain doesn't even think during that whole process. Sounds really cheesy, but when you memorize a song to this extent, it's literally as if your heart is doing all the thinking. Hence, knowing a song by heart.

Music may be just a bunch of arranged sounds... but making the music, it's sometimes like becoming blind to the physical world for a few minutes, and going on this... euphonic rollercoaster ride.

Kinda like this:

It would've been a shame if I had quit at Level 2, honestly...