Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Reflection by Andrew Eales
This succinct and beautiful verse has set me thinking about the true benefits of learning to play the piano. It’s called Gazing At The Peak, and was written by the Chinese poet Du Fu, who lived from 712-770:
“Who can describe the Great Peak?
The province is not yet green,
yet nature gathers its divine beauty
and yin parts from yang at dusk and dawn.
I bare my chest to the living clouds,
strain my eyes toward the birds flying home.
I will climb to the very summit
and shrink many mountains within a single glance.”
Translation by Deng Ming-Dao,
from his book Each Journey Begins With a Single Step (2018):
So what does this ancient poem have to do with the benefits of piano playing, or with developing patience? Well, let’s explore and find out…
Setting out on the journey…
And so our journey at the piano begins, perhaps having been inspired by a musician we admire, or by hearing one of the mountain peaks of the piano repertoire. We set our sights on reaching towards the same heights, perhaps not quite appreciating the hard work and perseverance that will be required.
It’s become common to hear requests for shortcuts to playing. We know that Yuja Wang, Oscar Peterson, Einaudi, and Elton John all took years to learn, but perhaps we can be quicker! Some wonder if they can skip learning to read music, theory, and playing scales, and seem frustrated when advised not to.
The reality is that for those in the early stages of their piano journey, “the province is not yet green”. Our potential shines in the wakening light of the dawn as we commit to flying high, but pretty soon we begin to realise that the journey ahead could prove to be a long and, at times difficult climb.
Whether we quit at this point depends on whether we are willing to cultivate patience and persevere.
Why learning to play the piano takes time
Playing with fluency depends on the development of the neural pathways needed to coordinate the fingers and hands with precision. Hours spent in the practice room are vital so the brain can form and strengthen these connections.
Not only do our fine motor skills take years to develop, so too our brain’s auditory ability to discern and process musical elements, so that we might play with creativity and expressive control.
Meanwhile, learning to read music, understand theory, structure, and memorise music engages still other areas of the brain. These cognitive abilities develop over time, enabling us to learn effectively and understand music deeply.
All this may sound like hard work, and it is, but it’s also incredibly enjoyable and rewarding!
Arriving at the summit
The poet suggests that when we reach the summit, we can “shrink many mountains within a single glance”. Gazing down, those smaller peaks seem little more than easy hills, perhaps even boring compared to the Great Peak.
In our high-tech culture, we might choose to visit the highest mountain by helicopter, and thereby view the grand vista without breaking into a sweat. For the aspiring piano virtuoso, perhaps a brain implant will similarly one day allow us to bypass the foothills and jump straight to the impressive peak. But will those smaller hills really “shrink… with a single glance”?
I suspect not, and that in reality our view from the mountaintop will be an impoverished one. Unlike the great poet, we’ll have no connection to the landscape now in our view: neither experience of it, nor memories to enjoy. And having bypassed the satisfaction of conquering the smaller hills, we’ll have little sense of genuine personal achievement.
It gets even worse! As we notice further peaks in the distance, the realisation will dawn on us that we are no closer to developing the skills, understanding, or character needed to conquer them, either. We will still be unable to “shrink them with a single glance”.
Our shortcut to the summit may have provided the instant gratification or “quick win” we craved, but not the effective learning that is necessary for continuing success and lasting satisfaction.
The Greater Peak
Much is made of the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument, and rightly so. But perhaps the greatest of all these is this: the pinnacle of developing patience. In a recent blog post expressing my positive hopes for piano education I mused:
“While music lessons require an investment in time and money, parents don’t just look at cost, they look at lasting value. They prioritise activities that they can see support the cultivation of concentration, perseverance, their child’s developing personal identity and confidence.”
Adult learners should prize the same benefits. It is certainly wonderful to be able to play the piano with confidence, fluency, and expression. With an endlessly astonishing repertoire to explore, interpret, and extend, piano playing truly offers the adventure of a lifetime!
But perhaps as we travel this extraordinary pathway, pausing to enjoy each small delight along the way, the greatest treasure we discover is found within us. The inner transformation that comes from cultivating patience may prove to be the Greater Peak we should aspire to more than any other.
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