2023.11.07 Tuesday 1 hour 30 mins
20.00-21.30
· Bach French Suite No.5 -- Run through and a very rough and general practice at a few difficult spots
· Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata Op.19 2nd Movement -- Phrase 7 [First Learn + First Fluency]
To start with, I am trying very hard (maybe not very) to get in shape with my piano practice again.
After a total month of barely anything, I somehow felt lazy and lack of motivation.
So today, instead of practicing halfhearted, I went to my friend's recital.
Many people have asked me this question:
As a professional pianist yourself, can you still totally enjoy the beauty of the piano music at a concert?
Well, you all know I am an honest person and this blog is an honest place so I will just give you a very short and definitive answer:
No.
I couldn't help to compare myself with the pianist on the stage, no matter how good or how bad they are. And in fact, I find it a very useful way to get motivated. If you listened to a super good concert, like Sokolov, it makes you think "OMG I have to practice 10 hours a day from now on in order to be able to get to that level during my living time"; if you listened to a super bad one, it also makes you think "OMG I have to practice 10 hours a day from now on otherwise probably I will end up sound like that very very soon...".
Conclusively, listening to other pianists always provides the same result (at least for me):
PRACTICE MORE!!!
Don't misunderstand me. I love music, and I think maybe at certain points I love piano more than music. I enjoy and appreciate the good piano music, so I am still able to enjoy the beauty of the artwork of course! It's just that it would be hard for our pianist to simply enjoying it without thinking a series of questions subconsciously:
How did he or she do that?
How did he or she produce such a good sound?
What makes he or she do the shape of the phrase like that?
Why did he or she change to that wonderful timbre at that certain point?
I cannot stop my brain from keeping analysing the reasons behind everything. If it's super good, I want to steal it for myself; if it's not good, I want to make that I don't make the same mistakes. Observing other pianists are also interesting, coz you got to see a lot of problems from an objective view, and you begin to think, "Wait a minute, did I do this as well?"
Emmmmmm.... It's an absolute goosebump moment, IF you realise you have the very same mistake too......
I am not feeling very good today. Scratchy throat, low fever, tired everywhere. Normally I wouldn't do any practice under such a condition (because I still wish to be in half-holiday mode until the end of this year!) BUT, after I listened to the concert, I almost couldn't wait to fly back to home and sit at my piano doing something. It's a short practice. However, any practice makes a difference, so I am super glad that I got the motivation.
I know what you all want to ask:
Is it because the pianists was too GOOD or too BAD?
Emmmmmmm...
I think...
I really think...
I am too tired to feed your curiosity now.
Hope I could keep the motivation.
And hope I would physically feel better tomorrow to be able to actualise my motivation.
Good Night.
A XinRu who feels sad about her aching throat and feels even more sad for her empty stomach
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