The Piano
Posted by Aarti on February 18th, 2013 . Filed under: Uncategorized .
The piano has been beckoning lately. In high school, it was as close to a bestie as an inanimate object could get. Since leaving Dubai, our friendship has gone stale, with small reconciliations here and there.
It’s hard to return to an instrument when your hands are so rusty; you know you were capable of so much better, but you have to start again. It’s an exercise in patience and humility.
And Lord knows I need as much exercise in those “muscles” as I can get.
With the sunshine streaming into the living room, I decided to pick an old favourite: Arabesque by Debussy. I’m so far from where I was, but I’m enjoying getting to know my old friend again… and touch a part of my heart that I haven’t touched in a long time either. How I’ve missed her!
-x-
aarti
February 18th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Hi Aarti! My name is Mia and I’m 12 years old. I’m glad you still keep this blog.I was wondering if you you can keep on doing your “Aarti Paarti” show on youtube because, well, i’m twelve, so it’s hard for me to watch your cooking show on Food Network because of school and everthing lately. Anyway, I would LOVE to see your show back on youtube, and thanks for inspiring me to love food,life, and cooking!
-Mia
P.S I’ve already made your sweet cakes, lassi (all three of them!), fish tacos, white gazpacho, ect, ect, ect, ect! My family and I loved them all!!!
February 18th, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Hi, Aarti. I’ve also had a love-hate relationship with my piano as well. I’ve since moved on to the pipe organ, but from time to time, I still revisit the piano. Have fun with the Debussy. I’ll keep plugging away at Ravel.
February 18th, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Hi Artie: I love reading your heartfelt relationship with your piano. I am an elementary music teacher in Los Angeles. Little Kids Rock has given me a grant for ten keyboards and 16 guitars and teacher instruction to teach my students. Music is always cut at budget time so this is truly a gift that will have long lasting effects in the lives of my underprivileged children. I love your honest feelings. It inspires me.
February 18th, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Hi Aarti! Since you had the ability in the past, it is still there. And easier this time, once your own instrument becomes more fluid. Much harder to learn it originally than to have it come back, don’t you think? You’ll be there is no time at all. Your friend was just waiting around patiently in the wings, happy for your new relationships, but still waiting for your return. Reunited and it feels so good….
February 20th, 2013 at 10:22 am
we have the same passion Aarti, i love to cook and play the piano.
unfortunately my hands are getting wrinkled from too much exposure to heat when cooking -something that is not good for a pianist..:(
could you post some videos of you playing the piano? i’d love to see youplay it
amping
February 20th, 2013 at 3:33 pm
How lovely that you play the piano! I can certainly sympathize with the challenges of going back to the piano sporadically over the years. I recently picked up a book called, “Playing the Piano for Pleasure.” (Highly recommend!) In it is a foreword by Michael Kimmelman who gave some words that have helped me with my frustration at not playing as well as I used to and the book gave me some ideas of how I can get back at it. Part of the foreword that inspired was this section, “It is obviously simpler to download the twenty-four Chopin Preludes than it is to learn to play even the easiest of them. But as anyone who actually has made the effort to play the piano knows, it is infinitely more satisfying and moving to make the music yourself, even if you can’t play very well. It’s the difference between watching a romantic movie and being in love. Love is not just professionals, after all. And what makes love so heartbreaking and beautiful is that we are not perfect, that it is ultimately beyond our control and that we must struggle for joy and wrestle with our shortcomings.”
Cheers, Junie