I played piano for about 4 years in my pre-teens. I have long fingers and as far as I can tell, that’s the only advantage I had. I could read music all right and had a definitive sense of mathematics. I could not, however, hear a few notes and then repeat them on the piano. Much less could I hum a random tune and then key it into the instrument. This frustrated me very much. Though I was a bit sad when I had to drop the lessons upon our move to Canada, I did not see it as a catastrophe. Do I ever intend to play the piano again? No.

Going to a piano recital is a bit of a blast from the past. I find it quite different than going to a string quartet or a brass band – instruments that I’ve never played. I ended up buying a CD at the Chamber Music Festival.

It is music of György Ligeti played by Lucille Chung with Alessio Bax backing up on the second piano. I am enjoying the CD quite a bit. It is a bit modern but still tons of fun.

* from The Queen is Dead by the Smiths