So I wanna quit piano.
And you’re probably reading this right now thinking “Big deal, you want to quit. Why do I care?”
Well, I should probably give you some background info.
You see, piano was the first instrument I learned. My sister played it, and she taught me a few basics, before my parents eventually nudged me into taking lessons, and I complied.
When I was younger, I never liked practicing the piano. Like seriously, I would fake stomach aches and muscle pains just to avoid practicing. But at the time, it was the only instrument I played, and I didn’t really have anything to compare it to, so I just assumed that it was only natural to hate practicing.
But fast forward a few years to last year, when I decided that I wanted to learn the high pitched, squeaky, noise-maker that is the violin. My parents were pretty concerned at first, considering that first year violinists make the most horrendous sounds you will ever hear, but they let me rent one anyways, and I started lessons.
As the months progress, I started to realize that violin felt… different. When I played piano, I always felt that any new accomplishment was just for my teacher, or for my parents, or for an exam or festival. But when the violin came along, practicing and achieving new heights felt so fulfilling, and it was just this great feeling of self-accomplishment, and I honestly loved it, despite the fact that the violin was ugly and screechy and the piano was graceful and smooth.
And this year, when I got my clarinet, again, I started to realize that piano wasn’t something that I was doing because I loved and had passion for, but rather something that I was limply persevering with, in the foolish hope that if I stayed, things might get better. But they didn’t. Practicing piano was something that I would constantly put off, and piano lessons became nerve-wracking, and I started to notice how much it was hindering me from doing so many things I wanted to do
And at this point, you’re probably asking : Wow Ronica, why all the hate on piano?
Okay. Now, don’t get me wrong. Piano is a great instrument. It can do awesome things that no other instrument can, and I absolutely adore so much of the music that’s written for it. If you play piano, that’s awesome!
And I am so grateful for the piano. Learning it as my first instrument has taught me so much about music, and I’ve learned so much music theory from piano that has helped me to really progress in my other instruments quickly. But pure appreciation of an instrument doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be playing it. Take Beethoven for example. Although he was originally a piano player, he composed pieces for a large variety of instruments (violin, cello, string quartets, symphonies, etc). And I’m sure that he loved all of these different instruments, or else, why would he have composed for them? But that didn’t mean that he was going to suddenly start learning all of them because they were nice instruments. And I’m not going to continue learning the piano just because it’s a nice instrument.
And this decision is especially hard for me, because I’ve always had the mentality that if you start something, you should finish it. But if that thing is something that hinders your happiness, or is not something that you want to be doing, that is not contributing to you living a happy life, you shouldn’t be ashamed of wanting to quit, or to remove it from your life, whether that is an instrument, a person, a school program, or whatever.
There is a difference between persevering, even when it’s a challenge, and stubborn, (and, oftentimes, stupid) persistence. Just like there’s a difference between quitting of laziness and quitting because it’s what’s best for you.
Even famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma didn’t magically pick up the cello and immediately decide that that was his instrument. He actually started on violin, and tried viola before he fell in love with the cello. This may have shown a quitter-like attitude to his parents, who actually had their sights set on his sister becoming the professional musician, but because Yo-Yo Ma was smart enough to realize that violin and viola weren’t his instruments, he ended up becoming one of the best cellists in the world.
But essentially, my point is that if there is something, anything in your life that is not making your life better, and you’ve thought it out thoroughly, don’t be afraid to quit it, or get rid of it, or cut it out of your life.
So I’ve made my decision. I’m gonna do a few festival things, do a final exam, go out with a bang, but after that, I’m quitting piano. But as Steve Prefontaine once said : “Don’t be afraid to give up the good and go for the great”
