I Feel Sad About Giving Up Options

[the-shy-pianist]

Thank you for everyone's view.

It actually wasn't too hard to make the decision as there were no choice!

Leaving for work everyday at 7am and arriving home 11pm most days plus regular night and weekends shifts, I didn't actually have the choice. I often arrive home from work and collapse straight into bed without dinner let alone playing the piano.

Reading through everyone's comments, I don't think anyone could completely understand my situation.
However, one thing for sure: once I finish this post and rotate to another unit next summer, I will try playing again!

[trudihiggins]

I often arrive home from work and collapse straight into bed without dinner let alone playing the piano.

I will try playing again!

I think I know how you feel - I have the choice sometimes to either eat or play, I play ! Sleep or play, I play !
But then I get tired and hungry, are irritable at work, with the family etc etc,
But I don't care, I've played
I love my clarinet so much, I love my music so much, I could almost say it comes FIRST
Maybe mad, but I can't help it.
MAybe cos I was born in Wales, we welsh have music in our blood, our bones and our very existance !!!

This post has been edited by trudihiggins: Dec 19 2005, 09:23 AM

[Deborah]

Shy-pianist, what rotten hours! Whatever you do, don't sell your piano though. Even if you just pick up some pieces that you learnt ages ago and bash them through whenever you get the opportunity (annual leave is great for this!!!) , you'll still retain that link with your piano; otherwise, come next summer, having to buy a piano may well force you to give up forever.

[curacao]

I feel that you should play when time and inclination occurs. An earlier reply said you either want to play or you don't and in an ideal world that may be ok but one has to subjugate ones yearnings so often for something more necessary so I can't think there's a 'bottom line' to this discussion.

Simply, you play. You can't unlearn so it's there and maybe another day and another time you will want to play again.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Kflute]

Obviously I don't really know your situation, but it surely can't be good for you to be working those hours?

[janexxx]

Thank you for everyone's view.

It actually wasn't too hard to make the decision as there were no choice!

Leaving for work everyday at 7am and arriving home 11pm most days plus regular night and weekends shifts, I didn't actually have the choice. I often arrive home from work and collapse straight into bed without dinner let alone playing the piano.

Reading through everyone's comments, I don't think anyone could completely understand my situation.
However, one thing for sure: once I finish this post and rotate to another unit next summer, I will try playing again!

Well not sure what you do and how much of your time is spent travelling and how much of that is voluntary....but there is a law in the UK called the Working Time Directive, and this looks illegal to me!!!! It is a Health and Safety law and you would be well advised to adhere to it, even if you are doing this voluntarily.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/work_time_regs/wtr0.htm

What price your health???

[andante_in_c]

I seem to remember the-shy-pianist is a doctor. This would explain the working hours. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[janexxx]

I seem to remember the-shy-pianist is a doctor. This would explain the working hours. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Ah!!!! I think they are exempt!!!! How stupid!!!

[Jen W]

I seem to remember the-shy-pianist is a doctor. This would explain the working hours. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Ah!!!! I think they are exempt!!!! How stupid!!!

Yes, that's right, he's a doctor - no wonder he doesn't have time to have lessons!

[Jeanne]

[quote name='the-shy-pianist' date='Dec 17 2005, 10:28 PM' post='210472']
I feel very sad as I have made the decision to give up my favourite hobby- the piano.


I understand! I used to be up at 5.30am to commute and was in bed at 8.30pm. There is oviously no way you can fit in practising and it would only give you something else to worry about. You will always be able to play though and might take up lessons later on. That is what I have done. I took grade 8 before and at university and failed, but knew I would always come back to it. Now after having settled into my job as a teacher, 9 years later, I can "make" time and that is the one thing I look forward to all week, as I have such an inspirational teacher. I am a shy pianist, but am gaining confidence all the time now I have come back to it after a long break.

I wish you all the best and hope you keep playing, even if it is just for yourself.

Jeanne

[anacrusis]

Try doodling at the piano when you can. My first contract was for an 84 hour week, and that meant that some weeks I did more like 110, and I didn't get much music played over those dreadful first years in medicine. However, it is true that if the music is in you, it won't go away - your fingers may get rusty for a while, but they can bounce back. Remember too that if you don't look after yourself and meet your own needs at least some of the time, you will get ill and be less able to work well. I do count myself very lucky to have a part-time job now - admittedly I also have two children, who do dancing, drama, swimming and music outwith their school hours, and I am their taxi service....and I have an allotment as well - but once a year I take a week's annual leave when the sprogs are IN school, and have some "me" time. For me, music is my relief, and I am sure it has saved my sanity on many occasions.
Where there is time to do some fun stuff on the piano - do so. Play things which are not too taxing, but which still give you pleasure. And I wish from my heart that such awful hours become a thing of the past - and soon. I can't say I remember it well - because I can't remember much from those years...

[Semele]

Dear Shy Pianist

I remember you helped me once diagnose a problem I had with my arm....nerve entrapment....

You were spot on given the scant info I gave you. I would like to thank you for the help you gave me.

I am very sorry you have decided to give up lessons for the forseeable future and I'm not posting to offer any advice as the other members here have done that already. When your work commitments are more settled I'm sure you will return.

Just keep on playing the piano when you can.

Wishing you all the best for Xmas and 2006....and stick around here please.

(((hugs))))

S

[Silver pianist]

Dear Shy Pianist

I remember you helped me once diagnose a problem I had with my arm....nerve entrapment....

You were spot on given the scant info I gave you. I would like to thank you for the help you gave me.

I am very sorry you have decided to give up lessons for the forseeable future and I'm not posting to offer any advice as the other members here have done that already. When your work commitments are more settled I'm sure you will return.

Just keep on playing the piano when you can.

Wishing you all the best for Xmas and 2006....and stick around here please.

(((hugs))))

S

I agree. You may even find that the break is an advantage and that you come back to it with renewed enthusiasm. Nothing worse than keeping on when you are tired and it only makes for huge frustration.

[Tomosiano]

My friend is training in Osteopathy, he needs his hands to be soft so he can feel patients muscles and bones properly and has consequently had to give up guitar which gives him harder hands. He is gutted.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

At least yours is a problem of time rather than some inhibiting factor. Maybe when you get your own office you could put a keyboard in it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[AnotherPianist]

First of all I have to say that your dedication to your job is amazing; it sounds like you're very hard working and are doing a very worthy job. I recall a while ago you were having similar problems.

It's sad that you've had to give up and maybe some of this is to do with the fact that practice is becoming a stress to you: in the little free time you have you are forced to do practice so that you've done enough for your teacher. This is a position that prevents practice from being enjoyable and introduces yet more stresses into your life. You've probably done the right thing to stop formal lessons for now if you really don't have the time to do the practice for the lesson.

Perhaps to solve the problem of the time that you would play (in the absence of lessons) but don't without the motivation of a teacher you could find other, more distant, motivations that give you more time and less commitment. For example you could begin with the idea of doing one of the adult learners' concerts(without a teacher, these are informal events) late next year. That would give you a goal to learn one piece, in a long time frame, hence the motivation is there (if you can put aside procrastination (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)) but you don't need to do much work each week as you have a long time just to learn one piece. This way you have a motivational source without too much stress (at least not until nearer the time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)). Maybe if you're not confident in doing it without a teacher you could meet your teacher twice between now and then, evenly spaced (this also gives intermediate goals).

Another option is to use the recordings website as a motivational tool when learning on your own: learn a piece and when it's 'finished' submit it to the site; this will give you something to work towards without the pressure of a deadline (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif). When one piece is done start on the next taking as much, or as little, time as you like. Comments are always positive and you get the motivation to work without a lot of pressure.

I hope you do manage to keep your piano playing going, even if you only manage 10 minutes a week at the moment, because it sounds like you enjoy it so much. If you don't manage to do much piano playing whilst your working then you can always make up for lost time when your retire (which might seem a long time away at the moment!).

Best wishes for whatever you decide to do (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif).