I hope that in writing these blogs it is obvious that I respect and appreciate the different styles and genres of piano music. I genuinely think that every genre and every style has its place and that just because I have a certain penchant for classical music, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other types of piano music.
In some ways it is hard for me to describe why I only choose to play classical music these days, but here goes. One of the easiest reasons to describe why I don’t play anything but classical piano is because of a lack of time. Clearly I am not of retirement age yet and my kids are teenagers, so they still take a considerable amount of my time. I don’t have a lot of spare time and energy, so therefore I don’t have a lot of time to sit down and play the piano. When I do get the time, I just play my favorites, which just so happen to be classical pieces of music.
Another reason why I like to play classical music, is because of the variety of music. What is commonly refered to as classical music can often refer to music from the Baroque, Renaissance, Classical and Romantic Eras, covering several centuries of music. For me, what is commonly refered to as classical music, really provides me with the variety of styles that I like to play.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for me to just play classical music is that it resonates with me and gives me the greatest pleasure out of all the genres of piano music – it can uplift me and allow me to express a myriad of emotions from joy and happiness to anger and frustration, and any other sort of emotion that you care to name. For me, its like playing classical music makes me extremely content.
While playing classical piano is my personal preference, my listening tastes are completely different. I really enjoy listening to all sorts of music ranging from medieval music right through to modern music. I also happen to enjoy listening to traditional Japanese music, which I first got exposed to when I was at University.
While playing classical piano might be my thing, I know that other people are just as passionate about their musical tastes, as I am of mine. I think that every genre is valid and no-one should denigrate what they personally don’t like.
My point really is that you should play the music you really want to play and don’t let someone try to convince you that something else is better.