"A Life of the Ear."

That's my new title for my autobiography. The old one was "Chasing Vibrations." Why the change? First of all, that first word: "A" as opposed to "The." Vibrations are there for the hearing. But who is listening? Does your listening match mine?

As young child I was sure it must. One of the first - and most lasting - things I learned on embarking upon piano study at age 7, is that it does not. Otherwise why would I be expected to practice the horrific-sounding garbage in John Thompson, Book I? And why should I believe that my teacher - a musician whose playing I adored - would find it in any way worth listening to?

Result: I vowed not to practice. Rather I played incessantly and read voraciously, always in search of something that matched my love of the sound of the piano. A few years later I found it, or rather it found me: Mozart Sonata in G. It haunts me to this day. It is the basis of Tonal Refraction, all my insight into the nature of the instrument and of composition for and with it. And at last I know I am not alone in the world of living musicians. Finding company is one of the greatest joys of my life.

It's not restricted to Classical music, by the way. Just the other day I was in heaven listening to Rachelle Garniez singing "Swimming Pool Blue" and playing "New Dog" blues on the piano.