That's MY Song!

For as long as I can remember, it was against the rules at my house to play the piano music that one of us was currently learning, even if you innocently enough sat down at the piano and saw the music sitting there (who innocently sits down at the piano without being forced too at that age anyway?). I always thought the reason for this rule was obvious until this week I discovered that it is not in fact universal that people freak out when someone tries playing their song.

Let me clarify with an example. Johnny and Susy are taking piano lessons, much to their mother's combined delight and dismay. Although Johnny has never completed a real practice session in his life, he has been taking lessons longer than his younger sister and has somehow absorbed a few things. He discovers one day that it is quite amusing (to him at least) to play the songs Susy is currently struggling through as if they were the easiest songs in the world, and he even says so. It drives her crazy and a huge fight ensues. Susy is scarred for life, but that doesn't stop her from playing Johnny's songs a few times herself, just to bug him. Other siblings come along, and everyone knows that it is the ultimate goad to play someone else's songs, whether you play better than they do or not. Maybe Johnny and Susy's family has a competitive gene. Maybe not. At the very least, it's impolite, right?

Can you see how the no-playing-of-other-people's-songs rule makes sense?

Now what brought this up? I have been extremely jealous lately. I try so hard not to be, but I am. For the last couple of months, I have been going to the institute after classes four times a week, where I play the piano for sometimes quite a while and then work on homework. Now a new pianist is always around. I don't want to ask him if I can play, so I just wait. And wait. And wait. When I finally did get some time, he came in and stared over my shoulder for quite a while until I told him it made me nervous. Then he inspected my beloved classics book and even brought it to the piano and started playing some of the songs. The last blow was when he said he was going to buy the book too.

Am I going to be able to take this for two years? AHHHHHH!