Piano – Waking up I smile

Who is playing the piano?

Was it you?

She asked politely.

That expression of beauty, serenading, masquerading in the form of sound?

Looking deeply, I search for an answer…

There is a piano before me.
But this piano is born of plastic, metal and wire constructed by people I’ve never heard of.

There is a sheet of music facing me.
But this music is born of genius, effort and persistence by people I’ve heard of but will likely never meet.

There is technique within me.
But this technique is born of lessons, guidance and feedback by people I’ve met but which are not me.

How can I say it’s me?
It’s more like the piano, the music and the technique played itself.

—

Day in the life: Deer Park 4/4

Continue from Part 3

4:45pm After walking meditation we enter the big hall for a 30 minute afternoon sit. The flavor of the afternoon sitting is different from the morning; for me it feels lighter…like a cool breeze circulating through the various recesses of my mind.

A friend once told me it took him many years before his daily sitting meditation transformed into just sitting to sit. If I examine my own experience of meditation (sitting, eating, walking), it has followed a non-linear progression that I’d guess some others have gone through as well. Continue reading Day in the life: Deer Park 4/4

Deepening my (piano) practice

When I was a youngster my parents signed me up for piano lessons, and then a few years later it was boring and I wanted to quit.

My parents were clever, they told me: “If you can find one adult who stopped playing the piano when they were a child and is glad they did, you can stop taking lessons and we’ll never mention it again”

How easy! (I thought). I cornered the first old guy I could find, Continue reading Deepening my (piano) practice