Growing up I had a lot of hobbies. I rode horses and I was a Girl Scout. At one point I tried my hand (foot?) at soccer, and another time I gave making pottery a chance. Does reading count as a hobby? If it does, I did that too. I also wrote stories about magic carpets, about unicorns and about two little girls having a very serious talk in a sandbox.
But the only thing that really stuck with me was the piano. I started playing the piano when I was 7 years old, and took lessons until I was 18. When I moved away from home I didn't have the opportunity to continue with the hobby, and forgot all about how to play. I didn’t have a piano, and didn’t have an apartment big enough for a piano even if I had one. I resigned myself to never playing again.
And then came M. I moved in with him almost two years ago now, and one of the very first things I did in the bigger apartment was to buy a piano (read as: convince M to buy one for me.) There was a space in the apartment that was perfect for the piano, and when it finally arrived, I was over the moon. Since then I’ve slowly been getting back to playing. I still am nowhere near as good as I used to be, but I'm getting there. For this picture I drove to my parents' house and took a picture of the vey piano I learned to play on. After I took the picture I sat down to play. The keys were dusty, and the piano out of tune, but I know this piano by heart, all its quirks and kinks. I sat there and played for a long while. I forgot the time and was transported back to when I was good enough to play intricate pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Kabalevsky, and young enough not to appreciate the gift.
Today I do appreciate the gift. And I’ll try my very best to never let go of it again.
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Oh, Ziva, you do have a gift and you do play beautifully! I had lessons when I was a youngster and I'm now kicking myself for not taking piano more seriously then. Where my mother and sister excelled at graphic arts, I had to resign myself to music since I couldn't draw a stick figure to save my life, and most of the piano I played then was to notate riffs from recordings for musical friends. Yeah, I got lazy.
ReplyDeleteBut, keep at it! And beautiful composition on the photo!
Awwww.... it's a gorgeous photo and I love your story. I'm sure you will be back at it in no time at all.
ReplyDeleteJag tror att vi anlitar dig som 1-års fotograf åt N då det blir dags :) Så fina foton hittills! Fast pianot är kanske lite mindre rörligt, nå du får öva på Pepsi (Nej, du ska inte ha M att springa runt med ett glas...)
ReplyDeleteI love that pic, particularly the lighting. I took piano lessons when I was about 7. I even went to music school for a couple of years. Alas I gave it up and never went back. Wish I could lay today. My wife went much further with her lessons too, but also got away from it. We have a piano and she plays from time to time...she needs to practice more.
ReplyDeleteI think you play beautifully. I love the talent you have. And I'm sure M does too. That is a stunning photo! Really dramatic in the use of black and white with color and wonderful lighting.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to also have a great talent for photography!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
Lemmikki, you are one talented 3-armed green Finn! I love that picture and the story that went with it. Absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't do better than to hire Ziva to take portraits for you. From what photos I've seen, she not only has the professional eye that's required, but also understands lighting, composition and exactly when to press the shutter. She should be a highly sought-after professional photographer, in my opinion. And myabe she will be one day.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of things to like about this photograph, from the lighting and the composition to the subdued use of color. But what I really like is that you picked a piano that has obviously been played for many, many years. You can see the wear on the wood and the keys, and it makes it feel so personal. That's fitting, given that it's your family piano and the one you learned on. I would've guessed it even without the description, which was marvelous. And that's good photography, Ziva.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture! I'm so glad you had a moment with your old dusty piano and captured it with such an elegant shot. Now, you can move on and enjoy your new piano. Lovely story, Ziva.
ReplyDeleteThank you Double-O! My sister is the artist of the family, too, while I didn't know which end of the paintbrush was the business end and had to settle for the piano. Luckily I took it seriously enough to become good at it. Although, I might have to revise the statement about being good at it since I'm having some real trouble reading sheet music nowadays. :P Why not take it up again, by the way?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn, I hope so!
ReplyDeleteTack Dani! Det är ett rent nöje att ta foton av dina barn, jag gör det när som helst och helt gratis till och med. ;) Jag ska ha kattskrället att springa runt i lägenheten nu och börja öva. Och jag måste nästan be M springa runt med ett glas i handen också, bara för att det låter för roligt.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. Dufus, I'm glad you liked the picture. Playing the piano is good for the soul, perhaps you ought to give it a try again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Reffie, you're too kind!
ReplyDeleteJust for that fantastic compliment, I will put all of my three green arms to good use when you come over and play for you whatever your heart desires.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lauren! It was very nice to have a moment with my old piano, but I'm also very happy I have a new one now. The quirks and kinks of the old one were starting to become less quirky and more annoying.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michael. It's a well loved piano and I'm glad it shows in the picture.
ReplyDeleteM loves my talent whenever he doesn't have to listen to me practice the same three bars over and over again because I can't quite get the timing right. ;) I'm glad you liked the photo, Linda!
ReplyDeleteIf I should be a highly sought-after professional photographer, so should you. ;) Even more so, you take amazing photographs, Mike. And unlike me, you know what you're doing. I'm actually kind of amazed that you're not a published photographer.
ReplyDeleteI compliment you, and I get a form letter. Nicky compliments you and she gets a warm-hearted invitation to a private, three-arm piano concert at your house. Fine, I get it.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised I'm not a punished photographer.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture Ziva, the shadows and light are cool.
ReplyDeleteOkay, let's try again.
ReplyDelete"Thank you, Michael. That's such a fantastic compliment, I don't even know what to say. It was indeed a very personal photo, and I'm happy you get that feeling from looking at it. I'm a little disappointed in the light, it's a touch overexposed at the top, but it kind of goes with the picture, don't you think? Anyway, please accept my warm.hearted invitation to a private, three-arm piano concert at my house."
Thanks Madge! I was lucky to catch the piano in a sunny mood.
ReplyDeleteHa! I have the same problem reading music, too. So long as the notes stay within the lined clefs and not above or below them, I can generally figure them out.
ReplyDelete;-)
I don't have a piano but am looking into a weighted hammer electric/digital model (88 keys, of course), but they are a little pricey right now. I probably will get one eventually when the prices are more reasonable.
I commented (in another post of your's involving piano) about looking up Suzanne Ciani's "Pianissimo". She's generally a new-age artist but released some beautiful acoustic piano music CD's. I could e-mail you a couple of mp3's if you are interested.
What we have in our apartment is one of those weighted hammer electrical/digital things, and it's better than I thought it would be. I didn't want to spend too much money, and it was the next best thing. And you can record stuff directly to the computer, which is awesome.
ReplyDeleteYes, please send me the mp3's! I remember that you mentioned her, and I tried to find the CD's but I couldn't find them and then I sort of forgot about it. I have lousy memory.
I just sent the first one. Let me know if you got it and I'll send a couple more.
ReplyDelete;-)
I got it, and it's wonderful, I can't wait to hear the rest!
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks, Ziva! Do I need to wear a tux?
ReplyDeleteYes, please do.
ReplyDeleteyou're so freaking talented! Between taking photos, writing, and playing the piano, I'm highly impressed!
ReplyDeleteOh, don't be, it's all lies anyway. ;)
ReplyDeleteNOT.
ReplyDelete