I love this quote.
It describes so precisely why music has been such an important part of my life. I’m not a very emotionally expressive person when it comes to saying or showing how I feel, but I have feelings swirling around inside all the same. Where do these feelings go?
For me, music has always been the answer. It’s the outlet for all the feelings that I can’t express properly in any other way. Singing and playing music have always been my go-to’s for self-healing and I’m not sure what my mental state would be in if I didn’t do these on a regular basis.
This pandemic and its effects on society have played havoc with our lives and I feel it keenly on a daily basis. It’s given me a lot of emotional and financial heartache and there have been days when I’ve either wanted to curl up into a ball or throw large breakable objects at the walls.
Needless to say, my piano is getting a real workout during this time.
Depending on what I’m feeling on a given day, this is what I’m playing to get me through:
- If I’m angry and just need to forget about life for a while, there’s really nothing better than playing scales. Maybe a little bit of Bach and Burgmuller for good measure. Anything that has a very set rhythm, requires a heck of finger movement and articulation, so my brain is 100% engaged and I can’t randomly start thinking about what to make for dinner for a lonely meal for one.
- If I’m missing people I love, I play sad, sad love songs. Mostly from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Maybe I venture into the 90s. But never beyond that decade. They just don’t get sad enough once you hit the 00’s. Current favourites are “Where Do I Begin”, “A Time for Us” and “Desperado”.
- If I’m feeling upbeat and looking forward in a positive way, it’s Disney and musical theatre for the win (with very loud singing accompaniment).
I’m so thankful to have learnt the piano growing up so that I can play myself out of any funk I get into. It’s basically free therapy, and we could all use some of that right now.
