How to rekindle a love of playing the piano
The always-passionate artist—it’s one of the things I find most unrealistic and romantic about how creative people are portrayed in popular media. According to this myth, the artist/writer/composer/musician lives in a continuous creative fire—always rushing to make their art, always full of passion for what they’re doing. I wish it were so. Yes, I’ve had many days when I’m on fire for what I’m practicing or writing, but I also have days (or sometimes stretches of days) when I’m sick to death of what I’m playing, tired of my own thoughts, and am seriously questioning what purpose any of my activities serve—for me or for anyone else.
I’m not alone in this. Whether professional or amateur, we all have attacks of ennui. We may show up for our work each day, but not always with the passion that first attracted us to what we’re doing. For adult learners, the first drop in their passion for the piano is always the most traumatic. Professionals know that these days or weeks come and go and that once the initial storm passes, we find it easier to ride out any future rough emotional weather. All that’s required are a few ideas of how to rekindle the spark, and the patience and self-compassion to wait for our interest in music to return. Here are some of the things I do when I lose my creative drive. Maybe you’ll find them helpful as well.
Recognize that this happens to everyone
No one runs at 100% enthusiasm every time they sit down at the piano. No one. Knowing—and accepting—that the less-than-passionate days are part of the journey helps normalize the problem and allows us to be gently curious about what’s going on and how we might change things. In other words, relax. Smile.
Do you love the music you’re playing?
Sometimes all we need is a change of repertoire. Go ahead, put whatever you’ve been working on aside and go back to pieces and composers you know you love. Writer and pianist Dakota Gale wrote about his own experience with this in a guest post on The Cross-Eyed Pianist, “Rekindling the Piano Spark: a lesson from Bach”. In this post he chose one of the most effective ways to rekindle one’s love of the piano by returning to the music that caused him to fall in love with the instrument.
What expectations are you placing on the piano?
The piano can’t provide an identity. It can’t fix all the problems in our lives. It doesn’t offer self-worth. The piano is a voice through which we can create beauty and express things. Many times, if we examine why we’ve lost our passion for making music we may find a stack of unrealistic expectations that we’ve inadvertently brought to the instrument. Sorting through these extraneous things away from the piano can free us to come back to the keyboard without invisible emotional baggage.
What else is happening in life?
Are you busier than normal? Dealing with family issues? Excited about an upcoming holiday or other plans? Starting a new business or job? Struggling with health problems? Guess what—all of these things follow us to the piano when we sit down to play, and all of these things have the capacity to drain the life from what we’re practicing. My advice? Step back. Consider what you can realistically accomplish in the midst of your life as it is today and then let go of any other expectations.
As I once wrote about in my article, Music and the (Piano) Mirror, everything we are—all strengths and weaknesses, all joys and sadnesses—reflects back to us every time we sit down to play. This is why the ultimate way to rekindle my love for playing the piano always lies in examining myself. Sometimes I find I just need to take a day or two off, other times I’ve had to do the hard work of sorting through deeper issues that I’ve dragged to the keyboard. But no matter how many times I’ve wondered if I need to walk away for good, the piano always lures me back. That knowledge gives me hope when my own passion for playing flags.
Photo by Christopher Beloch, courtesy of UpSplash