Listening

When people find out that I play the piano, the first question is always "How did you learn?" Sometimes I wonder if they believe me when I tell them that I learned by listening.

The house on South Ave. was small, but perfect in many ways for my dad, my brother, and me. It was set on a steep hill and part of the living room was underground. It was cozy, especially after the summer when you could look out from the windows and see the leaves falling into the woods or the cold air freezing the creek. In the cramped dining room was a rectangular space, just right for the size of a piano and that's what we put there. My dad called the used piano his post-divorce gift. Most nights, after my brother and I went to bed, my dad would sit at the piano and play for hours. He was self-taught by listening to his father play. My dad loved to play Beethoven, Bob Seger, but, especially, Van Morrison. The dining room happened to be situated just below my bedroom and as I hung out my window to sneak a cigarette before going to sleep, I would listen to him play. The next morning, I would try to imitate the sounds and found it to be successful, Beethoven being the hardest or impossible, of course.

I found that listening to music has a habit of making me better at a lot of things. I have especially enjoyed listening to music to improve my writing. Using music to enhance my writing is not just saved for journal writing either. I listen to instrumental jazz, light classical, or sound-scape type music when writing long research papers or more specific lyrical songs when trying to write a specific story for a nonfiction piece. Writing is hard work and not a stream of consciousness that reveals itself through dreams or the depths of the subconscious. We are aware of what we want to say and though the idea for writing may begin from a dream or a burst of inspiration, the act of writing - pen to paper or finger to keyboard - is a cognitive process that is conscious, deliberate, time consuming, and sometimes tedious. I use music to alleviate my writing anxieties and create a space for fluent writing. By listening, I have discovered new styles of music that I never knew I would love!

I'd be interested to hear about your experiences with using music to help with your writing.