This Is a Rebecca Reid Original Improvisation

Last Updated on January 24, 2022 by Rebecca

“Try and Stop Me”

*Video at bottom of post


Sometimes I struggle with finding the right title for my improvisations. Sometime I have to listen to an improvisation several times before a glimmer of “title inspiration” comes to me.

But coming up with the title for this improvisation was easy!

This improvisation paints such a vivid picture in my mind. Every time I listen to it, I see a strong-willed young woman walking through a crowd of nay-sayers with her chin held high.

She has big dreams, and a tough road ahead of her.

The odds are stacked against her. She's just one person, facing a world of opposition. There are challenges she will have to overcome. There are people boo-ing her, watching her every move, waiting for her to fail. People who will take pleasure in seeing her world crumble.

But none of that can stop her.

She has big dreams, and she believes in herself.

She knows the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (as the Chinese Proverb says), so she holds her head high, tilts her chin up… almost daring the world to try and stop her… and she takes that single step forward.

Then another.

And another.

One step at a time, she moves forward. And with each step, she forces the crowd of disbelievers to make way for her.

Will she stumble? Most likely. And she knows this.

But she also knows nothing will keep her down. She'll get back up, and take one more single step forward. And she'll do this over and over again, until she reaches her goal. Until she makes her big dreams a reality.

(Also… I say, “try and stop me!” to my dog, when she jingles her collar in the background of my music recordings! Just one more moment in piano improvisation where you encounter something unexpected and have to simply accept it and keep moving forward!)

Share Your Thoughts!

What do you see and feel when you listen to my improvisation? Do you feel the title I chose suits the music? Or do you experience it differently? I love hearing from my readers, so share your thoughts in the comments below! 🙂

Do you know someone just like the young woman I described above? Someone you really admire? Who never gives up? Who has grit for days? (Or weeks, months, even years?) Tell us about them in the comments below, then share this blog post with them to let them know how much you believe in them. To give them encouragement and let them know you're standing behind them every step of the way.

6 thoughts on “Try and Stop Me”

  1. I think your title and description are perfect! I could totally see the picture you described while you were playing. Also, you play beautifully!!

    1. blank

      Hi Amy! Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed my playing! Isn’t it funny how music can so clearly tell a story? I really get a kick out of situations when multiple people hear a piece of music and get the same story from it! 🙂

    1. blank

      Hi Buayifa! Thanks for the positive feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the music and the story it evokes for me! 🙂

Comments are closed.