 |
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums
Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments.
Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
|
|
37 members (bwv543, Cominut, Colin Miles, Andre Fadel, BWV846, Animisha, alexcomoda, Calavera, 10 invisible),
1,218
guests, and
278
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 374
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 374 |
That's great news! It will be like Christmas when you get back. 
Nothing is accomplished without enthusiasm. - Ralph Waldo Emerson ![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/1medal.jpg)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304 |
OT re smoking, but good customer service is absolutely worth a bit more money.
Also, glad you mentioned media mail. For those who don't know, this is a long-standing US Postal Service special, reduced rate for media, which includes sheet music, books, and the like (ask them about what's eligible). It can be as little as 1/4 of the regular rate, very handy for heavy books. It does travel more slowly, however.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24 |
After a number of cigarette-free years, last winter I got depressed and started smoking again. The unfortunate truth was that smoking did wonders for my mood, concentration & motivation (there's a reason why people take up such a nasty, stinky habit), and as a consequence, I'd been having a great spring/summer with my music practice, super motivated, very productive, lots of progress, lots of fun. But smoking is unhealthy, expensive, and antisocial, so I've been trying to quit. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided my local convenience store was just too convenient, so I came to visit a friend who lives out in the suburban hills outside Seattle, where one needs to drive miles to acquire anything. And I purposely stranded myself here without a car. It's actually been quite a successful strategy. I'm on my sixth day cold turkey and the intense physical cravings have pretty much tapered off. But... Quitting has put me into a major musical slump. I brought my starter keyboard up here to practice on, but its power cord is still coiled up in my suitcase. I got some theory and other music-oriented books from the local library, which I've been perusing in a desultory way, but my brain isn't absorbing much. Sometimes I do some theory drills on the computer (my dweeby version of computer games), but that's about it. Well, I'm also wasting lots of time on the forums here, of course (BTW, y'all need to post more, because I keep running out of stuff to read...  ) My friend/hostess assures me that I'm not being a cranky quitter, but inside myself I feel like a whiney little kid. My thoughts alternate between "I'm soooo bored!" and "But I don't wanna do that!" It's been so long since I"ve had to deal with motivational problems regarding my music, I don't quite remember what to do about it. I don't feel like it's a good time to take a vacation from my music, because its absence leaves a such big empty hole in my life. But I'm having the hardest time getting myself going with anything! Not sure what I'm looking for here... reassurance that my concentration and motivation will come back someday? Interesting music blogs or sites to read in the meantime? Suggestions of easy and amusing music-related activities to placate my cranky inner child? Strategies you've used to get cranky children to practice their music? ("No cookies coffee until you practice!" ) I stopped smoking about 5 years ago. I had to actually think about it. I was a very heavy smoker for 20 years. Smoked rolled cigarettes out of a tobacco pouch (50 grams). About 50 cigs a day and I inhaled with each intake. The reason I quit was that I hated to be so dependant or enslaved by a cigarette. First a reassurance: inspiration, motivation for playing piano WILL come back. Second listen to your body. It is your mind that craves nicotine not your body. Take a walk when you feel a crave coming up, focus on nature. It worked for me. I applaud your effort.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 806
500 Post Club Member
|
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 806 |
And on a much larger scale of anxiety and relief, there was an issue with my new PX-330, and after Casio was useless in even helping me fully diagnose the problem, Sweetwater swept in to the rescue.
Last time we ordered from Sweetwater, they sent hard candies along with the package - they might rescue you from a craving or two!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,862
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,862 |
try drinking a shot of molasses.
accompanist/organist.. a non-MTNA teacher to a few
love and peace, Õun (apple in Estonian)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 513
500 Post Club Member
|
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 513 |
All the greatest pianists were smokers: Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and Arthur Rubinstein smoked cigars. Rachmaninoff and Horowitz preferred cigarettes.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,352
4000 Post Club Member
|
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,352 |
All the greatest pianists were smokers: Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and Arthur Rubinstein smoked cigars. Rachmaninoff and Horowitz preferred cigarettes. And how exactly does this help Tangleweeds quit smoking?
Blues and Boogie-Woogie piano teacher.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
OP
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427 |
By giving me a mental image of myself sitting at a grand piano puffing on a cigar? Effective deterrent, that...
(visualization aid: I am a middle-aged lady with very long hair)
Please step aside. You're standing in your own way.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166 |
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Isaac_Alb%C3%A9niz%2C_1901.jpg
All theory, dear friend, is grey, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166 |
All theory, dear friend, is grey, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 95
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 95 |
All the greatest pianists were smokers: Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and Arthur Rubinstein smoked cigars. Rachmaninoff and Horowitz preferred cigarettes. awesome, hidden benefit of smoking, the best actors are also smokers, jack nicholson, johny depp, leonardo dicaprio... DON'T SMOKE! i myself am trying to quit.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304 |
And what of the great ones who didn't smoke? 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304 |
Had to add the tiki icon. I'm not trying to inflame a subject which is itself inflammatory 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,166 |
i don't think Chopin smoked. what with consumption and everything.
Last edited by TheCannibalHaddock; 08/26/10 02:27 PM.
All theory, dear friend, is grey, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,171
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,171 |
And on a much larger scale of anxiety and relief, there was an issue with my new PX-330, and after Casio was useless in even helping me fully diagnose the problem, Sweetwater swept in to the rescue.
Last time we ordered from Sweetwater, they sent hard candies along with the package - they might rescue you from a craving or two! I love sweetwater. I was so floored from the over-the-top customer service from my first order that I just go directly to them now for everything. My CS rep called after my last order to make sure everything was working properly. I told them the music stand I ordered (for my digital) was working as intended. You can't beat that kind of customer service. The candy is a nice little bonus too.  oops, sorry for the hijack. Stop smoking. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 170
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 170 |
Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I ever did. I think I might have had an easier time of it if I had been playing the piano at the time. One of the big attractions of smoking was that it gave me something to do with my hands. There was something about the manipulation of the package, removing the cigarette, striking the match, etc., all the way to stubbing out the butt when finished. Playing the piano would have satisfied that need for something to do with my hands. Mind you, there was also the oral aspect, which I calmed down with peppermints, and ended up gaining 30 pounds in 4 months. It's been a constant struggle with weight ever since. But I'm not sorry I quit. I wish I had invested the dollars I burned up every day for 10 years. I could have been retired by now. Or been able to buy a grand piano . . . .
Be strong. You can do it.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/forumpicts/MOYD_2011/MOYD_01.gif) Currently working on: Suzuki Piano School, book 5, second half
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
OP
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427 |
I've been meaning to check in with my progress. Tomorrow (Sept 13) I will have been cigarette free for a month (I celebrated my 4 week anniversary on Friday as well -- I'm going for all the positive re-enforcement I can get).
I wish I could report that it's been easy and wonderful, but in reality I've had a pretty bad musical slump since quitting. I've managed to entice myself to the piano most days, but my practice has lost the structure and momentum that it had before I quit. I've needed to step back and re-frame my assessment of my piano time, so instead of measuring the work I've done each day and judging it for quality and quantity, I now simply give myself a big gold star for any time at all spent at the piano.
Nicotine acts as a stimulant in mammals, and my body is still missing the energy that habitual use of this stimulant provided. I have had to accept that it will need time to re-establish a physiological equilibrium that allows me to feel energetic and motivated without regular doses of nicotine. I can tell that this has begun to happen, but unfortunately it seems to be a slow process.
Please step aside. You're standing in your own way.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
OP
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,427 |
Wow, what a depressing post. I should also mention the silver lining of this cloudy-headed month, which is that I've been doing more music reading than I've ever done before. The only piano activity I've been much interested in doing is reading/playing (stumbling through) my sheet music collection.
When I was up around Seattle detoxing at my friend's house, I kept missing sheet music I owned but didn't have with me. I'd brought a keyboard and some pretty well chosen music, but I kept having urges to test my improving reading abilities against music I had left in Portland.
So when I got home and was joyfully reunited with my sheet music stash, I decided that I needed to reorganize it all to make the currently readable/playable stuff easier to locate. And of course many items turned out to require more in-depth, at-the-piano testing of readability.
So that's how I got myself to play piano while I felt totally cranky and unmotivated.
I think I'm starting to come out of it now, since I find myself working on coming up with some sort gently structured study plan to suit my detoxifying brain.
Last edited by tangleweeds; 09/13/10 02:29 AM. Reason: grammar
Please step aside. You're standing in your own way.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 102
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 102 |
All the greatest pianists were smokers: Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and Arthur Rubinstein smoked cigars. Rachmaninoff and Horowitz preferred cigarettes. They're all dead, too. Just sayin' . . . Hang in there Tangleweeds. I'm green with envy. I've tried to quit a thousand times - and I will succeed - eventually.
99% of what I produce at the piano is simply noise, but that other 1%? That's music.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 7,088
7000 Post Club Member
|
|
7000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 7,088 |
Well you know it takes about 4 weeks to make or break a habit - you are now really on your way.
Hang in there.
As for encouragment whenever you need it.
My husband quite smoking 20 years ago and still, every now and then he wants a cigarette. I do my best to distract him with other treats.......so far so good, he's still smoke free.
Continue to detoxify - you can only feel better!
![[Linked Image]](https://forum.pianoworld.com//gallery/42/medium/12291.png) 18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,384
Posts3,349,173
Members111,631
| |
Most Online15,252
Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Linked Image]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Isaac_Alb%C3%A9niz%2C_1901.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/9medals.jpg)
<- 10+ ABF recitals
