just another little feel good story

[leemond2008]

Started off I was feeling a little burnt out by all thee practice and christmas was coming up so I wasn't too well off for money and paying for my lessons, I told my teacher that I might need to cancel a lesson or two and she advised me that was fine but if I was going to be missing too many lessons she wouldn't be able to keep my slot open for me when I decided to pick up on my lessons again (hell its her living isn't it so I can't complain about that)
anyway I decided to persevere and just keep on trucking on, money will always sort itself out, as it happens though through no fault of mine or my teacher lessons got cancelled (the place where we normally have them was having some refurb work done so it was closed) that worked out pretty well for me but I was still feeling burnt out and a little frustrated when practicing at home.

Roll on xmas and after one drink too many I decided to carve a bit of ham, I ended up slicing into my thumb with the knife (really bad cut not far from needing stitches, I was getting a little worried that it may keep me from my piano for ages, I tried practicing with just my right hand but just couldn't enjoy it so I haven't touched my piano in well over a week whilst waiting for it to heal.

Yesterday I sat down and hooray, the thumb is fine and I can play again, the pieces that were really frustrating me I am now enjoying, I am getting out of bed early to practice before work and can't wait to get home to practice again and after feeling like I wasn't progressing at all I now have that little bit of zest in me again and the joy of playing is back.

I've got another lesson on the 12th of Jan so I've got a week to practice before seeing my teacher again.

Long story short, taking a break (even if it is forced) can do you good, I was worried that I might forget what I had learnt but nope, its all still up there

really pleased

[kawai_cs]

I am glad it worked so well for you! Cuts on the hands are always awful for a musician.
It is a good idea to take a short break from playing the piano when one feels very frustrated. I experience that too (more seldom recently, thank God), and then I quit playing for a day or two.  
However it is even better idea to not become frustrated - because it is a normal course of progress that you get worse at times when you practice a lot. I try to take it as it is because I know in a few days there will be a "click" and the progress will be evident.

[briansaddleback]

I'm real happy for you. I know how it is to have deep cut on a finger. Back then I didn't play piano so it just sucked on one level.  I haven't cut myself yet now that I practice knock on wood but last year I almost chopped my right fingers off.
How? I buy those roasted chickens from the grocery market whole ones I bring home and I usually get my butcher knife and cut into small pieces to serve dinner sometimes.
One night I wasn't focusing on what I was doing just on autopilot I guess I place the knife on top of bird w usually my right palm on top of knife for more leverage especially when it gets into a ligament area that is hard to cut through. I wasn't thinking and I press hard couple times down on the bird w the knife and right palm on top of knife but it doesn't crack through. I look down and realized to my horror my right fingers were curved underneath the bird this time ( as this chicken was slightly smaller at times) w the trajectory of the butcher knife to have supposed to go right through my right hand four fingers at the first knuckles ... If it were to have gone through.
I don't know if it were the angels or something but that knife didn't crack through two blows of my palms forces downwards.  Usually the knife is hefty enough to crack through these chickens on first or second force down.
Whenever I think of that incident, I break out in a cold sweat and think "what if??" I am in a cold sweat right now thinking and typing about it

[piano6888]

Wow, that must have been a very traumatic week and more when your hands are recovering.  Sorry to hear about your ordeal  I had a similar experience about 2 years ago.  I was working at a restaurant and was cutting onions.  I had to peel the skin off the onion, but the angle was bad and I accidentally sliced my RH middle finger!  There was some blood and the wound wasn't very deep, but deep enough to see a gash on the finger.  It hurt for over a week and pretty much my RH is out of commission for a week before being partially functional (and fully after almost 2 weeks).  Luckily, I did not have any performances or important events that require piano playing, so I was fine on that front.

Anyways, glad to hear that everything turned out ok for you.

@brian
Thank god you didn't cut yourself while serving chicken, that would have been horrendous! Well, I guess whenever doing something risky, there is never being too careful, especially for musicians (and people who rely on their hands, fingers for a living). 

[pianotv]

Yay for renewed motivation!

Stepping away is super important. And sometimes, instead of getting worse, I feel like I get better when I take a break! Maybe the mind is just more fresh and absorbs new ideas more easily. When you're frustrated, it creates all kinds of mental blocks which makes learning difficult.

Sorry about your finger though! Hand wounds are terrifying as a musician!