My biggest challenge was playing trills and notes of shorter duration, like semi-quavers and beyond. My fingers just couldn’t move fast enough to keep up. The last teacher I had was more methodical and focused on maintaining tempo. He introduced me to the concept of foot-tapping to keep a consistent rhythm, which was helpful as playing with a metronome had always been a struggle for me.

We also ventured into Carnatic music, which made things somewhat easier since it often requires playing with just one hand. The notes followed the traditional srgmpdn (Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni) style, but with the added complexity of indicating the note values. The teacher would teach me around four lines of music per class, line by line, which I would repeat until I could commit them to memory. After the class, I’d type out the notes, send them to him via WhatsApp, and once he approved or corrected them, I’d proceed to practice.

This methodical learning, especially with the thaalam system in Carnatic music, was quite fascinating. The various jaathis (types) and gathis (rhythms) added a layer of complexity that required time and patience to master. But practice was the key, and although it was a struggle, we made progress, even managing to cover a few varnams (melodic exercises).

For Western music, he would teach me a maximum of eight bars at a time. The same process was followed, but the notations had to be precise for both hands, making it trickier but not impossible. The hours of practice, though, began to take a toll on my back, and eventually, I had to stop.

My entire learning journey relied heavily on memory. It was excellent exercise for the brain, as piano playing activates both sides of the brain simultaneously. But the body couldn’t keep up with the strain.

I write this not only to reflect on my journey but to offer hope to anyone who wants to learn music despite challenges or limitations. Solutions can always be found, and with determination, the rewards are worth the effort.

Continued in 208 - Touch-me-not