Held Prisoner by the Score

It just occurred to me today that what I would really like to be able to do is play the piano like I cook, sort of inventing as I go. How I envy those who can sit down and play by ear!

I’m an adventurous cook. I love the idea of just dreaming up a recipe from what you have on hand. I love to experiment with different herbs and spices. I even love to come up with substitute ingredients when something is missing.

But when I play the piano, I have to stick to the music because I don’t have the training or the natural ability to stray from the printed score. It means I tend to make a lot of mistakes and I can’t easily finesse around a problem. It also means I can’t just sit down and jam with people. It’s so frustrating to hear it in your head and not be able to replicate it with your fingers.

I keep wondering if I really apply myself and learn music theory, will I suddenly be able to put the music aside or is there actually no hope for people like me?

Maybe instead I should just hone my cooking skills and stick to playing from the music as written.