Could It Be Magic?

So I was set on going back to piano lessons -- it's one of those random epiphanies I've been having lately.

I started learning the piano in second grade. Piano lessons were an alternative to a certain other homeroom type of class (I forgot which, but I remember being thankful that my parents opted to put me in a music class instead). I took lessons only for a little over two years, I think.

I went through three teachers. But my last piano teacher -- who used to go to my family's house to give me and my sister lessons -- decided to focus on the Yamaha programs. So he informed my family that he would no longer be doing home visits and if his students were interested in continuing lessons, we would have to go to this large, sprawling hall full of pianos inside the Diwa ng Tarlac (which was a nice venue back then; I don't even know if it still exists).

I was also offered a Yamaha scholarship (supposedly, I was a fast learner). To cut the long story short, I refused, and I stopped taking lessons altogether (and so did my sister). My parents did not pressure me. They're very laissez faire as parents and never forced me into anything -- hobbies, school, nothing. (In retrospect, I wish they forced me to take the scholarship and further piano training.)

I continued to practice by myself. Then I started learning new music pieces. Eventually, I got to my big sister's pieces. I got through those, started learning newer pieces. To cut this long story short, high school came and my priorities changed (friends and shenanigans). I stopped playing altogether and the piano became just another piece of furniture (my sister had long stopped playing also).

So now, two decades later, I have this piano in my apartment that I barely played for the years I've had it, and I told myself: "I spend so much money on so much garbage, I might as well spend it on self-improvement, on things that cannot be taken away from me." The fact that I can't play much tennis or do much running this year because of knee problems put any counter-arguments to rest.

Now, one piece that haunted me a long time ago was the long intro to a Barry Manilow song, "Could It Be Magic?", so I looked up the song on Youtube.

And wouldn't you know it... The intro is actually Frederic Chopin's Prelude in C Minor. In fact, the whole song was inspired by it (based on another Youtube video where Barry Manilow himself explained how he came up with the song -- it was inspired by Chopin's work).

And it's a short, slow piece. I downloaded the piece already and, as slow as I am in reading, I can probably play it well enough with little practice...

So there. It must be fate, right? I'm having the piano tuned this Saturday and I'll probably take night lessons at Julliard (not alongside young piano prodigies, but with other older folks in the continuing education programs :).

And here's some mush for you, and be sure to listen to the embedded Youtube video (uploaded by another Pinoy, no less). The song sounds like it was pulled out of the playlist of my old college friend, Ralph Lumo (You sort of knew that was coming, right?).

Come into my arms
Let me know the wonder of all of you

And hopefully, this isn't another one of my wishy-washy seasonal hobbies. Wish me luck.