Is there a choice?

[zfj]

Hello, I am new to the forums and I was wondering if one can have a choice in wanting to play the piano or does it come naturally. Were you born to love piano?

My mother was a concert pianist and also taught piano ages ago. She could have made the choice to continue and major in music in college however she decided to go elsewhere. She continued to love and play the piano even to this day. When she had kids, she really wanted them to learn and love the piano. She would even go as far as to play her favorite piece (Chopin nocturne E minor op.72) when I was still in her womb. For the first 11 years, I could care less about the piano even though we had a very expensive Steinway in our house. The she decided to force me and my brother to play the piano... And I absolutely hated it.

So at 11 years old, I started playing. My mother said that I only had to play 2 years and then I could quit. Along with my brother we completed the two years and my brother immediately dropped out really having a dislike to piano. I shared the same feeling however continued for another year because my mother wanted it. Another year later, I decided to continue because once again my mother wanted it. My dislike continued to grow for the piano especially when I was around 15 or 16 years old. I wouldn't practice, I cared less about the piano and my Teacher would break down in front of me because I cared less. I am so thankful that she stuck with me and continued to teach me even though she probaly hated it. By 16, I was playing Mozart sonatas. Slowly but surely, I started to actually enjoy the piano. Perhaps it was because I was playing more advanced pieces.

After playing schubert, mendolson and some of Chopin Mazurkas, I was finally able to admit that I did enjoy the piano. Finally by the time I was 18, I tackled the nocturne in e minor because I found out I enjoyed it when my mother played that piece. After playing that one piece, I really became passionate with the piano. Now I mainly play Chopin works but my little hobby became more of an obsession hehe. So after all those painstaking years, my favorite piece is the e minor nocturne. How ironic...

If you are still reading, yay... I didn't completely bore you with my life long story of Piano. So I hated piano and made the choice to continue even though I hated it and in the end I love it. Would this 'love' to piano remain locked up for all my life if I wasn't forced to play? I don't know... So that makes me think, when I have kids some day should I make them play piano to see if their interest comes about? Or did I just learn to love something I used to hate?

BTW- I like a wide range of piano pieces, however I truly only love the classical and baroque periods, especially Chopin. Because of my dislike of piano I am quite behind in theory...

I am completely new here, and I don't know if this is the right place to post this thread. Sorry if posted in the wrong area.

[lostinidlewonder]

Welcome to pianostreet.

What an nice story to read (for me as a teacher at least). I always have this dream that this will eventually occur in younger students of mine who are not completely interested in learning the piano. When you go through the ins and outs of the piano (which often has a long learning curve), things can be daunting, boring, an uphill battle.

If someone can play an instrument well usually they like it! It is when we struggle and sweat through trying to improve that we can get annoyed with it. Certainly there is not much joy practicing when you don't want to practice but that is how we develop our disipline. I think what is important is that you learn things you can enjoy (however this can be tricky for the developing stuent who gets frustrated with their limitations).

I have had students who are middle age and tell me that they learnt the piano when they where younger but hated it. Usually when I ask them what they went through it is extremely stale and boring stuff. Some of my students are so uninterested in the piano that they are constantly on my mind as I search how to find their interests. For example, one boy I taught played a lot of computer games and I asked him for his favorite games, so then I taught him piano music from the games he plays every day! I was very happy to see that he really got motivated to practice piano once we started playing his video game music!

I really think teaching piano in context of a students interest is essential, something which most teachers neglect because of lack of repertoire knowledge. Sometimes students do not know what they like, with these I can often spend one lessons just working out what pieces they want to learn. We play through a whole heaps of music and I take note of which peices interest them and which ones are boring. Some young students have no idea what they like and it is important to encourage them to generate some kind of taste for music.

[zfj]

Lostinidelwonder, thanks for the reply and the welcome. I am so happy that my piano teacher didn't quit on me. At the time, I am sure that I would have loved if she gave up on me but she didn't even after getting angry at me several times. After all of those years, I cant believe that I made such a huge transition from hate to love. Way back when, I even had this one disturbing dream that I was throwing Steinway grands off of tall buildings. How that disturbs me now...

I cant imagine how hard it must be to teach piano to a student that cant stand the piano and has very little desire to continue. The only thing that kept me was that my mother had hopes that I would love the piano, so I continued on.

Just this last year, I was a freshman at University of Oregon (now a sophomore) and we were in a dorm environment with a Piano in the common area. I would spend hours there each day making new friends. One friend really wanted to learn this one piece from a video game so I offered to help her since I had all that free time, in college how ironic... We would spend hours at the piano helping her learn a piece that she could only dream of considering she had spent little time at the piano. She learned that moderately hard piece within several weeks. Blew me away! That is the only experience I have had teaching piano.

Motivation is important but in my case I had absolutely no motivation outside of my mother wanting me to play. But in the end, many years later, I am glad she forced me. I am curious if I didn't pursue piano would I be wanting to learn now? I kind of have the feeling that this pleasure would remain locked for the rest of my life... Who knows.

I wanted to thank all teachers out there that suffer through teaching students, usually kids, that is not motivated. Many of them will realize in the future that the time spent learning was wise. It helped me in so many areas of life.

[mplim]

Iīm also new to this forum and Iīm having problems to send a message. So I try to do it this way.

I wonder if any of the teachers can help me. I have played the piano from a young age but had to stop taking lessons because I had no time for it because of my work. This was 25 years ago. Now Iīm older and have more time. Iīve started taking lessons again and really enjoy it. Also my teacher is a very good one and we can get along very well. But during the last lesson (Iīm his pupil for 3 months now), he told me that he has problems teaching me, because he canīt discover my "equilibrium". He asked me to help him by finding my equilibrium. But I really donīt understand what he means by the expression "equilibrium". Can anybody help me finding out what he means? Please help both me and my teacher.

Many thanks for any comment or advice.

[gyzzzmo]

i didnt like olives when i was a kid, now i love them. Same can happen for piano's i suppose.

[go12_3]

mplim: 

I've never heard of that term, "equilibrium" in piano teaching.  It's your teacher that needs an
adjustment in his mind.  Really!   I  feel you have a good attitude about learning to play piano and if your teacher can't work with you , then find another teacher.  You can ask him what the
problem is, and ask him specifically. Say:  "I don't quite understand what your meaning by
'equilibrium', could you explain that more in depth for me please?"   I am sure your teacher will answer for you.  It's all in the matter of direct  communication.   

best wishes,

go12_3

[mplim]

go12-3

Thanks so much for your pleasant reply. I often read your comments and I get a very good feeling about you. This is a compliment.

To give you a bit more information, I live in Portugal now. After reading all the comments about that there is no such thing as "equilibrium" in piano playing, I looked up the word "balance" in the dictionary. The direct translation in Portuguese is "equilíbrio". So my teacher did a direct translation from Portuguese into English. Thatīs where the confusion must have been.

Now knowing that he canīt find my balance in my playing, I still donīt understand what that means, a balance in piano playing (). I think you are a piano teacher, so maybe you understand. If so, maybe you can explain a bit more about this to me?

By the way, I tried to do what my teacher has asked me to do. I did an improvisation. This is a really really really eye opener for me, because I have never done this before and always thought I didnīt have enough talent for such a thing. But it is fun!! I enjoy doing this. My husband came into the room and asked: "Are you playing a new piece? Who is the composer?" I see his reaction as a big compliment to me and a very good encouragement. The only big problem is, afterwards I donīt remember what I played, so I had to write it down. Is this normal? I think I will stay with my teacher, even if there are some difficulties in the communication. Itīs also my own fault, living in Portugal and not being able to speak Portuguese, isnīt it?

Iīm looking forward for any comment or reply!

[go12_3]

Hello mplim

Indeed language can be a barrier in communication although understand can get ironed out about the concept of equilbrium and what your teacher would want from you as a student.  Just keep working together and an understanding will come along.

About your improvs, how about recording it while you play?  It would be difficult to recall the notes after you do an improvisation.  That would be my suggestion.  I hardly do any improvisation, and yet I can sing a melody but not do that on the piano.  Although I did compose a few pieces for piano and some for violin, but that's different than improvisation.  I'll hear the melody in my mind and write out the notes.

Good luck in your lessons, 

best wishes,

go12_3

[gyzzzmo]

I was kinda 'born' for the piano i suppose, i started at very young age without interference or stimulation of my parents. I just wanted to play that large black thing that stood in the room.

But other people start loving it at later age and learn to play it very well.
'Choice' though is a difficult thing, since your interests often do get formed by circumstances. Can you still call it a 'choice' then?

Gyzzzmo

[go12_3]

I was kinda 'born' for the piano i suppose, i started at very young age without interference or stimulation of my parents. I just wanted to play that large black thing that stood in the room.

But other people start loving it at later age and learn to play it very well.
'Choice' though is a difficult thing, since your interests often do get formed by circumstances. Can you still call it a 'choice' then?

Gyzzzmo

We all make choices whether we know it or not, even making that choice at a young age to play piano.  I know what you mean by being *born* for the piano.  I think you mean you had an aptitude and an innate ability for music in your mind in which enable you to play piano easily. 

best wishes,

go12_3