My Music Tale

Monday, September 25, 2006

It has been an enlightenment.

The journey basically started 15 years ago, when I was still 4. All began from piano lessons in a music school near my HK place. And everything started off with incorrect playing techniques - positioning the fingers flat on the keys. I didn't know it has such a big impact. But now it made sense when your arms grow longer.

Then I went to a very good teacher at the age of 5. The teacher was strict - asking me to play with my finger tips. Imagine there are two balloons on your palm and you inflate it. That's the shape that your hands are supposed to be. But I still continued using my own method - something that I'm comfortable with.

After migrating, I went to this teacher in Coronation Plaza. Thanks to the previous teacher I had a better foundation. It was all right in Grade 1. Things went for the worse when I slacked off and didn't find the fun of playing the piano. Moreover this teacher isn't as dedicated as the rest - using her phone during lessons. There was once I didn't understand how to write ascending scales (theory lesson) and cried. Learning music is becoming a burden and a waste of time. Things got worse and worse - until I just managed a pass at Grade 5.

My mum sensed things are wrong. And she asked me to change my piano teacher. Then I went to Christofori. Things got quite good - but I have to suspend my lessons because of this C programming course in Sec 1 that didn't allow me to be free on Sat afternoons. So I stopped.

I stopped learning piano during my PSLE and Os year. I have lost contact with piano so much.

Everything accumulated and things went haywire when I was taking grade 7. I failed quite miserably. After that I started to pick up again. Two years with grade 8 and just managed to pass it. My foundation isn't that good - and I have loved music too late. Those sessions in Esplanade - should have taken place so much earlier.

Things are different when I get in contact with guitar.

I figured that I didn't have many options for my JC CCA - and I got influenced by a friend. Guitar is another instrument that is not that difficult to learn. Playing in an ensemble is also a bit easier because you just need to practice your own part.

It was a good experience for guitar. It was quite easy to learn and you can just play it when you are bored. The 2 years - learning how to pluck, how to strum, how to perform...

But the 2 instruments made me love music much much more.