Piano
I learned Piano in Grade 2
Since I stopped playing drums, my parents wanted me to play another instrument, and apparently I, myself, chose piano. I thought piano was easy because keys are right there, if you want A, just press A, if you want B, just press B. From the retrospective, it is simpler than brass instruments like Saxophone because you don’t need to memorize combinations just to get one note; but the young me never realized that I was required to use all 10 of my fingers, sometimes all at once.
Anyways, I started playing Piano in Grade 2, and was forced to go to practice every day. It was fun at the beginning, but I was so sick of it later.
I learned Piano for 5 years, then no one cared about me playing piano
It is true, I learned piano for 5 whole years, before stopping completely when I started school in DAIS. It wouldn’t be logical to drive all the way to piano practice just to practice. So, I stopped practicing piano altogether.
It was interesting, that I played some bit of piano here and there while I was in DAIS, and people loved it. I guess because they don’t know how to play the piano? I mean what I played was kind of hard for beginners (level 10), but advanced players should be able to play that with some practice. Come to think of it, maybe these kids just didn’t know how to play the piano.
I practiced at Level 10, but never took the test
I never took any piano placement tests to place me in any levels, but my teacher, after maybe 4 years, wanted me to play level 10 directly. I was practicing some level 10 songs that I hated, for example, Chopin; but I only got to finish half of the required songs for level 10 placement before I stopped playing altogether. That’s why, whenever people in China ask me what level I’m at, I always tell them that I am at Level 10, but never went to get tested.
I received the “World Peace Piano Award” Gold in 2011
It was the first and only award I got for piano playing. I forgot the name of the song I played, but I got a gold reward for that. Afterwards we (the piano school students and staff) were basically traveling in Taiwan for fun.
Picked it up in my first YouTube video
Since I have not played the piano since 2013, it has been 6 years between me stopped playing and making my first video, I didn’t really have a piano in America. That’s when I bought the Yamaha electric weighted piano. I wanted to have some fun with piano. Really, never thought that I would really pick it back up and start playing songs to my choosing.
I actually surprised everyone with the first video I published on YouTube, “The Brightest Star in the Skies” (click to see more), when I played both piano and guitar together. That was when I realized, you know what, I am good with a piano. I can do whatever the heck I want with the piano.
Summer — My Favorite Piano Song Realized
“Summer” has always been the enigma of my life before I finally finished playing it by Spring of 2020. The truth is, I have always loved this song. It was too pleasing to the ear, like you know, an ear candy. I wanted to play it so bad, but I never did. My piano teacher wanted me to play it, but I never did. Before I stopped playing the piano, I really just got as tiny bit of the beginning down.
That is until the Spring of 2020, I finally got it down before Summer really came. Oh well, spring in California is like summer in other parts of the world. Little by little, in five days, after doing nothing else but practicing, practicing, and practicing, I finally completed a dream of mine ever since 2013. Seven years, did I finally finish the song to a degree that I can even add bits I like to the song.
This is the first time that I have learned a full song, a full, complicated piano song in my life. Read more by clicking here.
After I finished “Summer”, the biggest unresolved enigma in my life back then, it felt natural to continue the crusade by starting another song named “River Flows in You”. Click to read more.
Finally… My Own, Original, Piano Song, “Heaven to Earth”
It was the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. This is the first time that I can actually claim to be a musician, because I actually composed a piano song! Click here to read more!
