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title: Foreword
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I'm Allan, and welcome to my humble book of memoirs about piano playing.

The idea of taking notes about my lessons with Sir Dingdong Fiel started ever since I met him on our
first sessions. He handed me a small notebook to put down notes as we go along the journey of technique
and expression upon approaching the instrument. I have since filled a lot of its pages, and we were
equally proud of what we've accomplished after numerous productive weeks. One of our sessions, I decided
I'd want to progress this even further, so with the still-evolving knowledge of authoring books combined
with my experience in computers and technology (I work as a software developer by trade), I embarked on
a project in order to manage my thoughts, as well as to produce a living document of our experiences,
learnings, and aspirations.

I have been playing piano ever since I was young, at a very nascent age of 2 years. One day, a family
friend brought a keyboard at our home in Valenzuela (it was a Casio CTK-330)--unaware of anything else
but enthusiastic, I decided to try playing the instrument with a short selection of folk songs that
were taught to me (_Sitsirit-sit_, _Ako Ay May Lobo_), as well as some timeless classics like _Ode to
Joy_ (I credit Casio for putting "song banks" in their keyboards). I hope the reader would not see this
as hubris to know I was considered a "gifted child" and that I drank the best milk formula to make me
smart (that was always the branding of milk formulae ever since). Despite all those, I still consider
myself not anything out of the ordinary, that I led a relatively normal life. I had a period where
I played less piano, either simply I was unable to, or that I felt clueless and lost with which way to
go. I got my first piano purchase (a second-hand Clavinova) with my first paycheck, but I was not
immediately aiming to develop my skills, but to rekindle my interest with playing. When I moved out and
got a place of my own is when I started to try expanding my skills and repertoire, and since then I
set my goals to become better at piano. A series of events had led me to Sir Dingdong Fiel from a
Facebook ad regarding his mentorship program. I contacted him during the later days of 2023, while I was
on a serene and relaxing vacation from Batanes with my girlfriend. As soon as we got back home, on New
Year's Eve, then I got into a video call with Sir. I have played Chopin's Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 for him.
We talked for a bit about music, and he told me I got into his program. I was glad and grateful, and
I anticipated our meetings in person.

The memoirs I present are a mix of experiences for the most part, as well as ideas that might be useful
to you, dear reader, that you could incorporate in your playing, or discuss with your peers when talking
about piano technique and musicality. This book, like any other material, serves to inspire instead of
forcing to a certain way of approaching the instrument. Each pianist will need to get accustomed to
various factors such as their physique and their mental workings in order to develop virtuosity in the
instrument.

If you found this book to add value to your playing, and ultimately to your life, then I am honored to
have given you a worthwhile experience. Thank you.
