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Lydia, why the piano calls her to return.

Monday, March 20, 2023 by Becky Reesor | Interview



Lydia, at her home in Manitoba.

Piano practice has become a heart-beat to your regular routine. 

Why is this?

Piano practice nurtures my inner core, my well-spring of life. Like sit ups, it lends stability. I love music, so it is a wholesome source of pleasure.

There's no quick fix. Throw out the successful, final dream scene. This is “never” going to be fast effortless flowing music as when I was younger. I accept it. 

I tell myself:

"Pick up your hands. Lay them evenly over the keyboard. Handle bar palms. Scissor fingers. Curving tips. Now practice. Practice again. This will take a long time, and lots of communication. No guilt. No knuckle rapping. Stay calm. Carry on."

New patterns become the norm: the power, the delight, the knowledge that I can make things happen. Careful attention to finger positioning is like being more objective with daily decisions. I pause. I think more carefully first. It's like a finishing school to polish you up: a perspective of listening and problem-solving.

I've come to drop my defences and just be present as I am. I'm discovering that less effort gives you more song. It's staying closer to the keys, rather than rushing and running away for errands. It's learning to accept the attention of someone listening to you play it again, again and again, soaking in the goodwill of being seen.