Colors of Music

Playing the piano isn’t just about how fast your fingers move, or how you can line up the notes to match the marching beat of a metronome. It’s not just about how long you’ve been playing, how many competitions you’ve won, or how much music theory you know. Sure, that’s important too. But what’s really important is the stories you tell as your fingers hit the keys. The emotions that cannot be portrayed in words or ink. The soaring harmonies from the first note to the last, all captured in one breath of song that seems to last an eternity and yet a second.

I’ve been playing piano for 8 years. Not that it counts, of course, but I am very familiar with the instrument. I started when I was just five, and I plan to keep music a part of my life until I grow old. Piano has its ups and its downs. Since it is one of my passions, it requires a substantial amount of my time. Every day, I must practice at least an hour of piano. This can be tight to fit in a schedule of homework, sports, and other extracurricular activities. But it is worth it. Even when it seems like you want to quit, if you really want music as a part of your life, you must persist.

Everybody has their different ideas of being “good” at a musical instrument. It could be judged it on how long someone has played, how many competitions they’ve won, and many other aspects of being a musician. I think a good pianist is able to transport the audience into a story, whether it be one full of joy and bright colors or one of painful loss and sadness.

a splatter painted horse that I did

a splatter painted horse that I did

Art is a lot like piano. Sometimes music is even considered an art. Art has so many different pathways to take, and each has its own techniques and challenges. All kinds of art are enjoyable, but painting with watercolor is one of my favorites. The way the colors mix together and run off the page can be difficult to handle, but can also be used to your advantage. When painting, there are no mistakes. There is no going back. If I feel like I have made a mistake, I form it into something else. We learn from our mistakes, and they give us experience in what we aim for. From my errors, I have learned many different methods of watercolor. One of my favorite techniques is splatter painting. Splatter painting is when you have paint on your brush and you knock the brush against another hard object, such as a pencil. The paint splatters onto the paper and creates many dots. This is great for capturing the speckled foliage of a tree. It is also excellent for any type of abstract art.

Piano and watercolor painting bring challenges and creativity to my life. Sometimes they can be frustrating, but mostly I am left feeling satisfied. Playing a musical instrument or creating art doesn’t just benefit you, but also all of your community that listens and sees your work. Music and art can comfort people in a way no words can. As the saying goes, the Earth without “art” would just be “eh”!

Sources:

Music Image
Earth w/o Art Image