An example of my regular day

It is a rare treat to have nothing on my schedule. Yesterday was one such day!

I do practice everyday, however crazy my travels get. I’ve practiced on tables at airports. Mental practicing – without moving my fingers – is also useful. Even five minutes can be useful, when I do have access to a piano. But when I am home with no appointments, I get to go back to the basics. I play my scales, and take my time with slow practice, listening to each harmonic progression, voice leading and the long-held chords decaying. My breathing slows down, and my hearing becomes more attuned. I go back to appreciating the physical sensation of playing that I tend to take for granted in goal oriented practicing. It is precious to get to do this once in a while.

I walked for two miles – it was a gorgeous day! I stopped by at the local, and picked out some books for my upcoming travels. I like flying because it forces me to take a break from my smartphone, and just sit/think/breath/be. I read better on the road. I think that’s a bit ironic.

I have been reading Jane Eyre from my last trip, for the very first time. I cannot believe what transportive power it’s had on me. I so identify with Jane’s resolve for independent thoughts. She is a phenomenal woman. I am also fascinated with how the lives of women in the upper class in the mid-nineteenth century was about contending with boredom and loneliness. And why is it that so many of the protagonists from this time period are orphans? It gives me a better insight into Chopin, Brahms, the Schumanns and the other nineteenth century composers and their music.

What I like to do on a day like today is to set a timer so that I can balance between the things I love to do. I tend to get so absorbed in whatever it is I am doing. So, I set my timer to twenty minutes, and I read for twenty, practice for twenty, and do my chores for twenty, and do that over and over and over.

There are always more emails to write. And also things come up in the day. Today, I went over to a nearby church to check out their pianos as a potential venue for recording sessions and future concert.

And unexpected projects and concert proposals come in the email, and all of the sudden, I am caught up in looking into those. My publicity photos from a shoot I did on my last day in Japan have been processed, after some back and forth about the selection, processing, etc.