Argh it was screwing with my head the past few days and being jet lagged doesn't quite either, all my motivation was stripped away for a few days. If you're wondering what I'm on about, it's a choice, not one that doesn't have to be made right away but soon. And it's pretty major for me.
I can take the road everyone else will take and go to study engineering or something at UNSW or USYD. Or I can fly to the otherside of the world to study jazz piano at the state of the art Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany. I just got to pick one or the other.
Why study all the way over there you may ask? I would be under the direct tuition of one of the best jazz pianists in the world who is unfortunately, criminally unknown. He really is a freak. Sorry it's out of sync. Watch here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ6ueTo4FA4&feature=related
His name is Leonid Chizhik and he severely underrated. He is seriously one of the best in the world, not just me sucking up. Now if you've watched that video you probably think "meh he's pretty good I guess". Now add the fact that he's making it all up pretty much. The only constant things are the chord changes. I don't know if you guys are able to be as amazed as I am but this but keeping the left hand moving and keeping in time and with chord changes and improvising with it AND improvising with the right hand. It's like looking left and right at the same time, and then some.
So I would get to study with him. Another advantage is that it's free. I'm not so certain about the way the system works but it's something like, if you're good enough to make it in then the German government sponsors you so I would only have to pay living costs i.e. a few hundred euro a month. It's also in the cultural town of Weimar, it's a fairly well-known place with a shady history as well as a celebrated one. The culture there is amazing. To put it straight out, Europe shits on Australia. Sorry, but it does. Especially Germany.
Disadvantages. To go over means leaving everyone and everything I've known my entire life. It's the equivalent of uprooting a tree. And what happens after I graduate? What work do I do? Do I stay overseas or do I come back to Australia and try to make living from music in Australia
At the moment it's playing over and over in the back of my mind. I think I'll just wait until after the HSC. See where my loyalties lie. I'd need some time to prepare before going over if I did; learn some Deutsch, practice some piano, and save some money. Say goodbyes.
This is a really tough decision, probably the hardest I've ever had to make.
We'll see.
