Paying Attention to Little Things

This is an English translation of an article published in Nikkan San on March 21, 2021, as a part of my column, “The Way of the Pianist.”

“Why do you keep talking about my left hand, when I am telling you that it’s my right hand I am struggling with in this passage?” Once, I could not hide my frustration from my teacher at a lesson. He was a legendary genius, but also a bit peculiar especially in the leisurely tempo in which he spoke. He had been going on for minutes about my accompanying left hand with a smile on his face, that I started thinking that perhaps he did not understand, or even hear, my question. Such a gentle man, the tone of my voice must have been shocking. His face immediately changed, to that of a scolded little child, and he defended himself by saying something I’ll never forget. ”

“If you relax your left hand, then your right hand will relax with it.”

When you focus entirely on a challenge, your body tenses up, you stop breathing, and you become myopic in your perspective. This is good for a short-term, momentary exertion, but it is not sustainable. You lose perspective of the context of the challenge. You lose sight of everything else but the challenge itself. In a way, this is irresponsible.

I have been learning so much in this year with COVID-19. One of the thing is how I was so singularly focused on my daily practice and the next performance, always. It was the first time in my life that I stayed home for a year, without traveling or performing. Now I know how to enjoy the seasons changing, the sound of the rain, birds chirping. I’ve gotten into fermenting things. Just combining flour and water, according to the wisdoms of our ancestors, creates a sourdough starter. It makes me realize how there are invisible life forces everywhere, in our food ingredients and in the air enveloping us. It makes me appreciate this world on a whole new scale.

I’ve been renewing my appreciation of the space/time between the notes in the music I play, too. It’s like this year gifted me with a fertilizer for my musicianship.