Music – Page 2 – By the River

2021-07-012022-07-23

Piano Happiness

I have always been fascinated by the piano. Ever since I was a little boy, I was in awe whenever I saw someone play piano. I always thought that it would be nice if I could also play. Somehow I just didn’t believe that I could ever learn to play because it all seemed so complex.

I wasted most of my life loving the piano while procrastinating that one day I will take lessons. I suffered a horrific hand injury during my high school years which messed up my mind for years to come. I realized that I could never learn to play piano due to the partial severing of a digit.

The pandemic has left me in isolation for most of the time. I have had a lot of time to take on new hobbies but the piano did not cross my mind. I started this blog among others, and some web projects. I focused on my career at work. Work kept my mind off the doom and gloom of isolation.

To cure the boredom, I finally subscribed to Netflix last year. I am pleased that they show many foreign films. I much prefer watching foreign movies over Hollywood. I love to watch Korean dramas and started watching one particular drama called Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol which is about a pianist as described below.

From Netflix:

A riches-to-rags pianist who loses everything but her smile is guided by twinkling little stars to a small town where she finds hope, home and love.

https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81276344

Naturally I am enjoying this drama. It is set in beautiful South Korea, which is my second home. Whenever I watch Korean movies and dramas, I long to return to my “home.” I hope to visit in 2022.

One particular Sunday, I received a call from a dear friend in Korea. While catching up with her (we keep in touch 1-2x per week), I told her about the drama. She did not know that I love piano and said that she too loves it. She suggested I listen to some of her favourite pianists.

After the call ended, I found myself listening to piano music for the next several hours before cooking dinner then settling in to watch Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. I had dubbed that day, my Piano Day.

The following Tuesday, I decided to ask a colleague at work for some suggestions. I knew she was a pianist from back when we worked in the office. She suggested two amazing pianist from Japan. While chatting, she said that I should get myself a piano and learn to play.

After work, I started looking online for electronic keyboards since there is no way I could a) use a grand piano in my condo and b) afford a grand piano. The electronic ones are good because I can practice all night using headphones when it gets too late.

I spent several hours researching online and checking out different retailers. The following evening, I did the same. I finally set my mind on one and placed an order. The delivery arrived the next evening (Friday).

Friday evening after work, I set up my new piano and started playing around. I tested several teaching apps and lost track of the time.

I tested the Simply Piano application and was pleased with how quickly it got me playing a few notes and reading the score. Over the next two weeks, I tested several applications before settling on Yousician Premium+.

In addition to smartphone applications, I also enrolled in an online course via Udemy. I have since purchased several books on piano and music theory.

Since getting into piano, I have found that I feel much happier than I have in years. The isolation felt due to the pandemic is gone while I am playing the piano. Now that things are opening up and we can go out (with limits), I find that I am more interested in staying home playing piano.

I am looking forward to the return of live music to Toronto. I plan to attend piano recitals and performances at various venues throughout the city.

The piano truly has brought happiness to my life.

This post now lives on FanClassical, a site for classical music by yours truly.

Piano Happiness

2021-02-22

The Healing Powers of House Music

House music has been around since the 1980s and is still growing stronger today. It has spread its wings around the world from its humble beginnings in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and New Jersey. It is now a force to be reckoned with hailing from London, Berlin, Johannesburg, Central African Republic, Iran, and many other places in addition to its origins in the USA.

This form of music has the ability to uplift your spirits regardless of the mood you are in. I find this to be a very therapeutic genre of music. It has spawn dozens and dozens of sub-genres, my favourites being Garage, Soulful, Tech, Afro, Deep, and Ancestral Soul.

This evening, as I sat by my large living room window writing and viewing the city skyline, a song called Transitions featuting Ade Alafia (AfroKillerz Remix) by Boddhi Satva began to play as the last track on a 90-minute mix-set created by me a week ago Friday.

Despite the pain I have been experiencing all day, something made me jump out of my seat and start dancing around my living room. I found myself dancing in a traditional Yoruba style and simply enjoying this wonderful song. The pains which had been nagging me all day were completely gone as I danced to my heart’s content. I whipped up a good cardio pump in the process.

How many times have you found yourself feeling down and then found happiness when a certain song begins to play? Music can be uplifting. Music can help us relive good memories. Music can be comforting.

Around 2016, I decided to stop listening to negative music. I listen to uplifting music every day and it has done wonders for my psyche. I have now also discovered that music may actually heal us from our pains, both mentally and physically.

I am now listening to a song called In & Out of My Life by the legendary House diva, Adeva. This song contains strong, beautiful vocals along with an infectious piano riff. I absolutely love the piano. I enjoy listening to the piano in house, Korean ballads, and classical music.

2020-12-05

International Music Saturday

Okay, we are in lockdown part II. I am home, better safe than sorry. I chose to make the best of the situation by enjoying some good food and music. Tonight, yours truly cooked up some delicious hamburgers. After stuffing myself, I went out to the balcony to enjoy a cold beer while reading and plane spotting.

Did I say I went outside for a cold beer? Cold was not the adjective… more like freezing! It was so cold out there I could hardly hold my beer for too long. Eventually holding the table became a chore so I went inside.

Before cooking the burgers, I started my evening listening to old school hip hop from King Tee. I discovered that he had recently released a new album, so I started to listen…I could only get through two songs before giving up. It turns out that one of my favourite rappers from the old days has adopted the current style of hip hop which I have no use for.

I switched to Hall and Oats… a duo from the olden days famous for blue-eyed soul and adult contemporary music… music our parents listened to… and I always loved as a child. This fantastic duo also released a new album for 2020 which I had just stumbled upon. A few songs in and I realized, although the music was good, it could not live up to their classics from the 1970s and 1980s.

I switched genres to house… my go-to. I just love soulful house, garage house, African house, tech house, etc. I let this play while I cooked the delicious hamburgers. Yes, those hamburgers were delicious. I also realized that I had not eaten a restaurant burger in close to a year. Why bother when I make such good burgers at home?

After eating, I went to relax on the balcony while reading, drinking beer, and listening to house music. Remember I said it was too cold outside? Yeah it was. I went back inside and set up a laptop by the living room window.

I started listening to Korean ballads, then Korean trot, then Afrobeats, then songs by Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti (his son), and others in the Afrobeat genre. Yes, there is a difference between Afrobeats, and Afrobeat. Afrobeat is the original jazz-fusion-African sound made famous by Fela Kuti during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Afrobeats (plural) refers to the new hip-hop/reggae/African-inspired sound by artists such as Tiwa Savage, Wiz Kid, and Davido.

I really do love music from around the world. So far this week I have listened to Salsa, rock, house, Afrobeats, Afrobeat, traditional Yoruba music, blue-eyed soul, dance hall reggae, Korean trot, Korean ballads, and hip hop.

I just love music and I am sure that music loves me.