To Lend Your Ears

/ Life of a Pianist, My musical mission / By /

This is an English translation of an article published in Nikkan San on Oct. 2, 2020, as a part of my column, “The Way of the Pianist.”

Every morning, I let the weight of my hands, shoulders, head and as much of my upper body as possible go onto the keyboard. Then, I become one with the resonance that rings out of the piano as a result. My eyes are closed. It’s like watching the water surface of an old lake gradually regain its stillness after a frog jumps into it. Focusing on the decaying sound calms my mind and breathing. I call this my “ear warm-up.”

I think lending an ear is an attitude and commitment. It is to accept whatever sounds/information that may come to you wholeheartedly with an open mind. They are different from listening, or hearing. To listen, you actively participate in the interpretation of the sound, projecting yourself onto it. To hear, you passively conceive the sound that exists outside of you. Lending your ear requires you to give yourself up, embrace without judgement to become the sound. This is difficult.

In a conversation, I often find myself tuning into what my response should be, after I figure the jest of what the other person is saying. However, when you lend your ears, the understanding of the content is not as important. You embrace his/her vocal inflections, pacing, breathing…everything that has to do with how the content is being expressed. That is where we can connect, even if the opinion expressed may differ from yours. That is where the humanity lies. That is one of the things I want to promote as a musician. I feel it crucial to speak out about this, in the age where most of our communications take place via IT platforms. Real listening can remind us that what we share is greater than our differences.

I will present for a benefit concert. It is for Restorative Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization based in NY. I will talk about the importance of listening and play some music.

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 5:30-7PM (ET)/ 2:30-4PM (PT)
  • The course of the event:
    • Intro of the organization, the concept of Restorative Justice, and “Dr. Pianist” (Zoom)
      • The power of aurality, and the importance of listening
      • Breakout Room for participants to meet and greet
    • Makiko’s performance (YouTube)
    • Q&A and discussions (Zoom)
  • To register, go to: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/2sfR3FJQZkbsKlBl9yDeBA