This week i ad my last piano class. Was quite sad to be leaving the class actually. i really really like my teacher and i've really enjoyed learning with her. She was always so patient (even when at times it seemed like i had to left hands) and she was fun. I really really hope when i come back after 1st year hands i can study with her again. that would be great.

Anyway, when i look back at my two and a half months of playing piano again and my classes a lot of things come to mind. You know, going back to piano even after 6 years of not touching it wasn't really so hard and getting the notes right when i played or acquiring the right speed was something i could handle. But, i have to say i seriously am lacking of the right 'mood' when i play the pieces. haha. Hmm..how do i explain this..Well, i guess when i play it looks like i'm not really feeling anything and i think that expression part is the hardest thing to overcome. For me, it's like breaking through a barrier cause i can be very self-conscious at times.

For example, i recently played this piece Ballade Pour Adeline which is a romantic song. And i think i played it ok enough but it's definitely not romantic...probably cause i didnt really what emotions were being conveyed at different parts of the piece. So during the last few classes my teacher goes through some intepretations of classical pieces with me. Turns out the Ballade Pour Adeline song was loosely i think about a girl in love and there's one part where you're suppose to play real fast as it reflected her feeling confused and anxious. And when she played it for me like how it was supposed to be, i actually could see what she means.

And after going through other examples, i guess if you have a better understanding of what the composer is actually trying to convey through the use of sound it helps you appreciate it more. There's this Beethoven piece, Symphony no.5 which i think is one of the most recognizable piece of music out there which i never really liked cause i felt it was a bit too perky for me. Then once, a friend of mine talked me through the whole 4 movements and he talked about how it was suppose to be an expressive journey starting from the conflict and moving into the glimmers of hope. Well, i never viewed it like that, but once i did and then i listened to it..i didn't find it so bad anymore.

I'm not saying that you need a whole load of classical history knowledge to be able to appreciate classical music but in some cases it helps.