Saturday evening, after the guests left*, I somehow got to thinking about my Dad and that one point while I was in college where he commented about how he missed hearing me practice the piano while he was washing the dishes in the evening.**

I guess that was the impetus behind opening up the Moonlight Sonata again. When I was at the absolute peak of playing, halfway through Freshman year of college, I had almost perfected the third movement. Saturday night, I only played through the first movement, clumsily reading the sheet music. Sunday night, I didn't bother trying to play, what with the fatigue from rowing and the rest of the day. I just thought my way through as much of the third movement as I could. Last night, I got through the first two movements, and was able to start the third movement again.

Freshman year of college was - what - 1999? Nearly twenty years ago? But extensive psychological experiments show that procedural memory lasts far longer than declarative memory. There are still a whole lot of cobwebs to clear, but some part of my mind feels that itch again.

I never made it very far beyond the classic classical music pieces on the piano, but then again, those are the songs I tend to like anyway.

Playing inevitably raises a lot of emotions associated with ageing, futility, expertise (or lack thereof), and death.


*securechannel hosted an afternoon gathering to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the chickens' hatching.

**I tried to make a tape recording for him, but of course the audio quality wasn't ideal. I sort of figured that was my only shot to capture things while at my peak, as I ran out of time and money for piano lessons after that first semester.

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