Break on through ( to the other side)...

Music has always drawn me in. It pulls me tight like an octupus latches onto prey with it's tentacles of force. But instead of sucking me dry it infuses me and keeps my mind and soul moist. When I was overseas with my boyfriend (A), we spent some time visiting at my parents place in Toronto. We try to get home to my parents and brothers for as many of the jewish holidays as possible. Anyway, I have a gorgeous baby grand piano there that I hadn't touched in a good ten years. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and if I can't practice like an obsessive fiend than I tend to avoid playing with technical imperfection. I've started to play again. Just a little bit. Just enough to let the sound saturate me and let my fingers remember the patterns that they would skip through pauseless in their adherance to the sheet music. The rust slows me and my hands tire much quicker than they used to, but the piano remembered me well.

A is a professional musician. He's the consummate professional and takes his craft seriously with constant practice and consideration of all matters musical. I'm not a musician by trade but I'm constantly inspired by his playing and songwriting and expression through art. The sound of his voice is soothing for a rock/pop artist and he has a beautiful falsetto that he uses to great effect like Chris Martin from coldplay.

In Toronto, he took to my piano and began composing lyrics and improvising melody immediately. What's interesting to me is that most of rock and pop music on the piano is based on standard chords and simple patterns that change up a bit with variations in mood and key. My training is only in classical piano and I used to play a bit of jazz style that I had taught myself. Classical piano music is technical and a bit demanding and I think it was easier for me to stop playing than to do injustice to my favourite classical pieces. But, rock and pop pieces feel like fun days in the musical playground. Not intimidating for an unpracticed player at all.

Speaking of fun days in the musical playground... This past summer, during a camping trip, while some close friends of ours were making shakshuka on the beach, A composed a really funny and cute piece that translates as "allah makes shakshuka". It's become a cult favourite at shows in between his real set list. On wednesday during a little show A is having, we're making shakshuka to spice up the night a little bit. It's the funniest concept to build a fan base but we live in Israel and people here love food, so it makes sense to cook our way to success. hahaha...