REMEMBER :

*This blog is not a part of theory lessons or explanations about how to mastering piano, it just a story of mine studying piano from the very elementary level in my 22nd years old. Maybe it’s too late to be a professional or an expert pianist, but I’ll do my best at least I can play piano perfectly and have some fun with it.*

I have been studying classical piano for a year. There’re many improvement I’ve got, although my tecniques haven’t perfect yet. I can play some classical song that I learned by myself and many short version of songs that I learned with my teacher.

Yesterday, I was staying up all night studying a classical score (I choose fur elise by beethoven) while my entire family were sleeping. The song that I studied was really familiar and easy listening, but when I looked to the score it feel like WOW, this is the complicated one, especially for beginner like me.

To master this piece for beginner (who can’t read the musical score fast and perfectly) at first, it’s better practice with tutorial and hearing method instead looking the score. It could be more complicated if we forced ourself to read the score but we don’t even understand how to play that pieces. For the consequent, we have to spend a lot of time to play the song perfectly, maybe for months or years. Of course there’re many differences for ones who can read musical score perfectly or ones who have a “given” talent in music because their improvement will be better and faster. At the moment that we (as a beginner) can play the song clearly with no more mistakes, understand the notes and phrases very well, we have to take a look and studying the score in order to play beautifully with expression and deliver the essential meaning/feeling of the song to our listeners.

Okay, let me talk about fur elise. The first time I heard this song, I think it was more than 10 years ago, when I was child. That beautiful song came from my mini piano, the very old small piano with just an oktaf notes and can played songs by itself.

Fur elise is a master piece created by Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the famous composer in classical period. At the first time I studied this song, I had an interpretation in my own mind, whether it’s right or wrong, but I feel this is a song for a woman that he loved but didn’t destined to be together till the end of his life. Begin with soft melody (expression of love and dolce � ) then became hars in the middle (expression of dissapointed). Back to soft melody then hars melody (expression of anger) and ended with soft melody again (expression that his love would never end). That’s just my interpretation about this song. I don’t know it’s true or wrong, hehee.

At last, fur elise isn’t a simple and easy pieces to play in piano. There’re a lot of tecniques and changed of expression found from beginning till the end of song. Indeed the other classical songs, of course. There’s nothing more to do but practice more, enjoy the song, and believe that one day we can play that song perfectly.

I understand one lesson from practicing piano. There’s one formula to mastering piano or even mastering anything in life ; Just practice with patience, more practice, and practice until we can’t get it wrong!

“Enjoy your practice”

{2 Mei 2016}

Hello !

Actually I don’t really know what should I write to begin this blog, till I have something in my mind about one of my favorite thing. It’s a piano.

Talking about piano makes me remember one quote from anonim (I don’t know who the creator is), and it’s says, 

“Life is like a piano. The white keys represent happiness, the black keys show sadness. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that the black keys make music too.” -anonim-

Piano, sebuah benda yang belakangan saya tau ternyata sangat precious bukan hanya karena keindahannya tetapi juga karena harganya. Bagaimana tidak precious, untuk memiliki benda ini paling tidak harus menyiapkan kocek minimal 10 juta. Alhasil saya hanya bisa bermimpi punya piano saat ini, karena perlu menabung lebih dulu. Sejak kecil saya selalu kagum dengan benda ini.

Dulu sekitar umur 5 tahun saya dibelikan piano mainan (yang hanya punya satu oktaf nada). Berawal dari situ, saya makin penasaran mengapa benda sesimpel itu bisa menghasilkan suara yang begitu indah. Namun sayang, rasa ketertarikan saya pada piano tidak didukung dengan kondisi keuangan keluarga (yang pada waktu itu sedang terjadi krisis ekonomi) sehingga mimpi bisa bermain piano saya tinggalkan dulu (but, actually I don’t really give up  on it).

Beberapa tahun berlalu. .saya mulai lupa alias move on dari piano karena kesibukan kuliah, hingga suatu hari di akhir Januari 2015 (saat itu saya sudah berusia 22 tahun) keinginan untuk mempelajari piano muncul lagi. Kali ini rasa penasaran saya lebih besar dari sebelumnya, hingga pada saat itu juga saya mengajak salah seorang teman untuk hunting tempat les piano di daerah tempat saya tinggal. Ada beberapa tempat yang saya datangi seperti P*r*a*a*a*a, R*y*l Music, dan Y*m*h* Music. Secara umum, biaya les piano dari tempat satu dengan yang lainnya tidak terlalu berbeda jauh. Demikian juga dengan sistem pembelajaran termasuk jam belajar atau les yang tidak lebih dari 30 – 40 menit saja. Satu hal yang membedakan mungkin besarnya uang pendaftaran, karena fasilitas yang disediakan serta kualitas pengajarnya mungkin berbeda. Dengan berbagai pertimbangan akhirnya saya dan teman saya mengambil les piano privat di Y*m*h* Music.

Tepat pada 4 Februari 2015 saya mulai kursus piano klasik (privat) dan sekarang sudah berjalan hampir satu tahun. Perkembangan permainan piano saya terbilang cukup lambat karena tidak punya alat (piano) untuk berlatih di rumah. Saya hanya menyiapkan waktu satu hari (hanya sekitar 2 jam) untuk berlatih piano di tempat les, alhasil satu buku piano selesai dalam waktu yang lama (6 bulan). Februari besok saya baru memulai melanjutkan buku piano forte 3. 

Piano Forte 1 : Februari – Juli

Piano Forte 2 : Juli – Januari

Piano Forte 3 : Februari 

Sementara harus bersabar seperti ini dulu sampai uang untuk beli piano terkumpul. Slow but sure, pelan tapi pasti. Mungkin yang saya pelajari ini masih sangat dasar, tetapi nikmati saja dulu prosesnya. Sekarang yang paling penting adalah terus berusaha, belajar dan tidak mudah menyerah, karena hasil otomatis akan mengikuti proses. Tentunya akan sangat menyenangkan ketika hobi ini nantinya bisa menjadi sumber penghasilan di masa depan kelak. Semoga.

Anyway, remember the quote I wrote above makes me want to noted that :

Life is just like playing a piano !

Sometimes we need to use the combination of black and white to make a beautiful music.

In life, happiness and sorrow will always come and coloring our day.
Happiness represent a satisfaction and resolution, sadness represent perseverance and strength. Life is not always the way we want it to be. At times we are playing a perfect tune but other times we’re not playing good melodies. These are the times when we have to find the right pitch, the right keys and the right timing. These are life’s challenges. We have to accept them, then trying again and again to make it perfect. Surely, we’ll be able to play a perfect music.

For me, piano is not only about playing music but it also teach me some valuable things about life. That why I choose piano as one of my favorite thing in my life.