uncollaborative piano

In the ~6 years I’ve been a full time accompanist I never learned much for solo rep. Early on I wasn’t a serious pianist, and I also figured why wear out my hands, and why practice that when I have so much other music to learn… Then the burnout started setting in, and I discovered how important solo rep is for pianists.

I rewatched Your Lie in April, literally to try and find some inspiration about piano or being a musician. Maybe the show would bring back who I was when I was student teaching and a student told me about it.

The show reminded me of being a kid, and what I used to value, but it also reminded me of the ethos and pedigree of being a real pianist. The mystique, the command of the repertoire, learning impossible things.

And recently having to learn some solo rep for grad auditions made me FULLY understand what solo rep means for a pianist. It’s a chance to play something for you, for your instrument, and to do something more than dip a toe into a piece.

Memorizing a piece is a slog. I forgot how careful you have to be about patiently loading the notes into your brain day after day.

But it’s refreshing because it’s written for the instrument. (What we call idiomatic). This goes beyond being smooth to play. The music is said best by the piano.

This week I decided to learn Tristesse because I admire the stormy B section. I want to be able to play that. It will be my first introduction to practicing music that requires extensive technical breakdown (the tritones ascend on an augmented chord. the 6ths are sets of dominant flat 9s). How will I move to play these duple figures?

I’m learning so much from this kind of practice. It’s imagining what the future technique will have to be and I practice that slowly. It’s the ultimate in preplanning so I don’t find out I learned the wrong fingering later. The fingerings are dependent on what the motions will be at the future tempo.

But more importantly, I feel inspired about piano again. I feel like a pianist instead of a flunkie. It makes me feel like an artist again. I’m doing what pianists do. I’m walking the path.