MCIS

Teaching myself to play Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on our ancient Casio keyboard. When I was small we used to turn on the built-in accompaniments/beats and dance around the living room. It feels good to get back to piano after more than a year.

It's in F sharp major, which is kinda weird at first, but then you realise the black keys are easier to hit. I read somewhere about some famous musician (early 20th century?) who was self-taught and composed more of his songs in that key for that reason...can't remember the guy's name.

Links to the piano scores are available here. I'm using the version by Janna Hutz and Eric Agnew. It's a really pretty song. I'd like to hear my friend AT play it - she's an oddball pianist who doesn't like classical music. She's written some pop melodies...cool stuff. (Scroll down to "Compositions" to download some of her mp3s.)

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We don't have a guitar at home at the moment so my more musically-inclined siblings complain when they come home. We're going down to Seremban next Monday, and mum's thinking of picking up a cheap one. EK told me to get a small one for my hands.

My cousin Jerng gave me a Yamaha classical guitar when we were in freshman year of college, but somehow I never learned to play it. Dating a guitar geek didn't do anything either - apparently musical ability does not spread by osmosis.

It seems like the guitar is an autodidact's instrument, and I've always needed a bit of prodding to learn something new. I just tend to be nervous/easily intimidated when there are so many other people around who are better...so it's gonna be a while. Let's see how long I can go before I get bored and try to pick it up when I get back to Madison. Hope my new apartment's walls are soundproof.

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I also have a recorder but for the sake of public order and sanity practising that is OUT OF THE QUESTION. =D