I’ve been working on this Chopin Nocturne (Op. 72 No. 1) since probably March of 2007, and I’m having some difficulty mastering some of the trilly runs on the 3rd page. I decided to look up some videos of other people’s renditions of the song to help me get an ear for how it should flow in that section. Sometimes hearing it can be that thing that really makes everything “click” for me. I feel like I’m making progress on the section, but I really have a lot more work to do because I learned a couple runs incorrectly the first time around, which means I’m doing a lot of reworking.
So here I am looking for professional renditions of the song online, and I find this 8 year old girl playing it. Not only is she technically correct for the most part, but she also masters the dynamics and overall feel for the song quite well. I can’t help but feel a bit jealous, as I had not even started playing the piano yet at that age. I feel that if I had started playing earlier I would be playing at a more advanced level right now. It’s almost as if I’ll never really catch up since I got a late start.
When it comes down to it, I really play the piano for myself. It’s a great feeling to sit down with some dots and lines on a piece of paper, work at interpreting it into a piece of music, and to play the final product. I feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Each piece, even though I didn’t compose it, becomes a piece of me. When it comes time for me to perform I tend to get jittery, and I don’t really play at my greatest in front of other people. That’s a shame, since all the work I put in isn’t obvious to my audience. It would be great if, like this little girl, I could sit down with a piece and just wow everyone that is watching. Maybe after much more work on this Nocturne I’ll be able to do just that. It’s too beautiful to keep to myself, even if I am no Horowitz.
