talent noun
tal·​ent | \ ˈta-lənt \
1a: a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude

aptitude noun
ap·​ti·​tude | \ ˈap-tə-ˌtüd , -ˌtyüd \
b: a natural ability : TALENT

This is what people mean when they say that one is talented. However, did I have a natural ability at the piano? Did I sit down at age 5 and immediately play the complete Chopin Nocturnes with my raw talent?

I think this cartoon by Sarah Andersen is the best description of how I feel about talent. 

Let's do away with our limiting beliefs and work hard towards our goals and interests, whether that be our relationships, careers, or hobbies. Everyone starts somewhere.  For an introduction to how I started playing piano, please check out my first blog post in my series of memoirs about my piano journey. 

What are your opinions about talent? 

Part 1 (You Are Here) - Side Quest - Part 2

My tired eyes lit up. While I was in swim class, she drove to an estate sale and immediately bought a spinet upright piano for $700. That evening, a warm night in June, the breeze wafting through the sheer curtains of the living room, a small walnut Acrosonic sat in our living room by the stairs. I was told that it wasn’t just my piano; my brothers would learn too, but over the next 7 years, I was the one who played it the most.

My approach to learning piano was unorthodox. Using knowledge from general music class, choir, and teaching myself flute, I taught myself to play the piano. I remember first learning Liebestraum by Franz Liszt from the Faber Classics 2A book. With hesitations, I deciphered the music while holding down the pedal, missing many notes and creating a murky, dissonant noise. I was learning piano, albeit alone.

I briefly took lessons at the local music store beginning that summer. I remember learning simple classical pieces from The Developing Artist Preparatory Piano Literature book. The music was pedestrian, but I still fondly remember Little March by Türk and Melody by Beyer.

At my first recital, I proudly and confidently played Send In the Clouds from Faber Popular 3 (they have since revised this book and it is now in the Adult Piano Adventures Book 2). I remember my former classmate, Lauren, being present and she complimented me. That performance was my first experience with the flow state while performing. I was in the zone and so calm and focused, loving every sound coming out of that baby grand. I felt elated when I left the stage.

Stumbling Block

One day during recess, my friends and I were playing leap frog over serpentine-shaped bike racks. After jumping over one hump, my foot caught a crack in the sidewalk and my right hand slammed into the pavement. I sustained black bruises at the base of each finger of my right hand and I had to cease piano lessons at that point. I got a custom brace from the doctor and I recall asking the nurse if I would be able to play piano after my hand was healed.

“No!” she said, annoyed, and left the room. As a sensitive 10-year-old girl, I began tearing up. My mom told me that it was an old joke. 

What is your piano story? Let me know in the comments!