The Hidden Pianist In Me

There’s 1 particular short poem that I like to read over and over again. It’s by Özcan Sh, titled If I Had 88 Keys In My Life.

If I had 88 keys in my life…
If I had 88 keys in my life
I could show you my world
Full of rain and sunshine

Let you feel my feelings
Flow with you through the river
And be together like black and white keys

But I can´t

My 55 keys wasn’t enough
To reach my song
Through your ear
To your heart

But I still love
To play with my keys.

The beautiful sound of piano music has captured the hearts of people since the early eighteenth century. Since then, many musicians have dedicated their lives to this instrument. Some players even play piano so well that it may seem that this instrument is easy to play. However, to be able to play the piano well isn’t easy; it takes a lot of skill. To become a good piano player, one must love music very much, have good finger techniques, and body flexibility.

I started playing the piano at a very young age. I first picked it up by playing by ear. I would listen a tune, hum it then start finding the exact sound on the piano. It was wonderful. A distinct sense of serenity.

It was later on that I learnt, to be able to play a musical instrument helps a lot in shaping the creative aspect of an individual. While writing, taking a couple of minutes to ponder, I would often tap my pen against the surface of my work area mimicking the keys on the piano. Without realizing that it becomes a tune playing in my head.

I’ve been interested in writing about the piano and piano music since my teens – about the process of learning and playing certain repertoire, what the music of Bach, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy or Messiaen feels like under the hand and the emotional responses it provokes in us. I have also long been fascinated by the pianist’s special connection to the instrument – how it commands an almost mystical attraction over us, an inexplicable magic which draws us back to it time and time again – and how certain chords, passages or entire pieces feel under the fingers and hand.

It is extremely difficult to put into words on how to explain the activity, both physical and emotional, of being a pianist, the complexities of piano technique or particular genres or styles of piano music, the psychological and emotional factors which lead us to spend hours and hours conjuring sounds out of that big black box of wood and wires, what motivates some of us to perform in public, why people go to hear live concerts and the special fascination with the pianist alone on the stage……

These are the things which fascinate me as a pianist and a writer.

I bet you could easily name a handful of classical musicians who have distinct identities. From vertiginous heels to extravagant physical gestures, hair tossing or audible muttering or humming, these individuals’ public artistic identities are evident whenever and wherever they perform. When was the last time you heard a classical piece?