Tuesdays with Vlad

After lots of big talk, I've finally pulled the trigger and begun taking piano lessons again. I was in fourth or fifth grade when I first began to learn to play the piano, and I think I continued through middle school. But daily after-school sports practices in high school meant the end of lessons, and for some time now I have wanted to resume playing. On a whim about a year ago I bought a keyboard I found on Craigslist for $80 (allegedly brand new - it was still in the box). I tinkered around on my own for a while, but progress was slow. I found that I kept putting off practicing in favor of other things until I stopped altogether. Also, I was sure I was making mistakes even though the notes sounded right. So once I had healed sufficiently from my wrist surgery I went back to Craigslist in search of a teacher, both for instruction and motivation.

My "studio"

There were a number to choose from. Based on location and price, I narrowed it down and eventually found Vlad. From his name and the tone of his emails, I imagined him to be a slightly balding, kindly Russian man who probably wore spectacles and lots of button-up sweater vests. Instead I was greeted at my first lesson by a spritely, blue-eyed young man with a very subtle accent and a thatch of dark, unkempt hair. Vlad is probably no more than 22. He's a student at the Mannes School, the New School's music program. (Check out this video of him playing Liszt. His hair is more neatly combed than usual for the occasion.) We have our lessons in the Mannes building, where I can hear phenomenally talented trumpet players and opera singers rehearsing through the walls on all sides. Vlad is friendly, charming, and above all, very patient. I can still remember how to read the music fairly well, but I'm terribly rusty.

I have learned more during my two sessions with him (and practicing what he's taught me in between) than in a year of playing on my own. I'd been trying to learn a dumbed-down Bach piece. It sounded OK when I played it on my own, but it turned out that I was right about doing something wrong. My instinct had been to simply reach randomly for the right keys however I could get to them. Vlad has been helping me to focus on my fingering, which is irksome in the beginning but a lifesaver once I've got it down. Hitting the right key is only part of the game; you must also think constantly about setting yourself up to play the measures that follow as efficiently as possible. On top of the Bach piece, I work on scales as well; this is less exciting, but very important and I make time for it accordingly.

I would certainly not go as far as to say that I'm a natural, but I will say that my muscle memory doesn't seem to take too long to develop. I find that after I practice a section a number of times and then walk away from it, my fingers instinctively know where to go when I come back to it later. Although this happens again and again, it gives me a little thrill every time. I've been getting up a bit earlier than usual in order to put in 30 to 45 minutes at the ivories plastics before getting ready for work, and I've recently started keeping a tally of the number of minutes I put in so that I am under no illusions about how much I'm actually practicing.

My Craigslist keyboard leaves something to be desired. It's supposed to be able to teach you the piano, and so the keys light up every time they're pressed. This is so you can watch it play songs and then follow the keystrokes, though of course I'm not using it for this, so it's a little strange to watch the keys turn red every time I hit them. They also feel much lighter than the keys of a real piano, and I get the same volume whether I strike them hard or softly. In addition, I lack a pedal, though Vlad says I can buy a plug-in one, and because there are only 66 keys I sometimes run out of space when I go into very low or very high octaves. But one thing the keyboard does have going for it is the headphone jack. I can practice early in the morning or play the same scale 25 times in a row and Ed does not want to throw me out a window, which is a decidedly positive thing. It's certainly not an ideal situation, but it's working out just fine, and I was loath to spend a lot of money on a top-of-the-line instrument before I knew whether this something I really wanted to get into again. Perhaps someday I'll have a real piano, but for now the keyboard is working out just fine.

So far I have really enjoyed taking the piano back up. My goal is to be able to sit down and play well just because it's fun. I'm certainly a long way from there; each practice session feels like a lot of work. But it's pleasant work.