Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum what made you take up the piano?

Depends on the distance between houses. Trumpets cut through walls a lot easier, for sure, but the embouchure doesn't last as long as the fingers of a beginning pianist. A kid banging on a piano can sound pretty darn bad after 2 hours.

(PS- I happen to play both instruments in question. )

So, my real answer, then? Mom took an old player upright from the 1830s. Player system was gutted, but I'm pretty sure Wild Bill put a couple bullet holes in it that were still there.

She used to play it while I was trying to sleep, and I could never go to sleep while the music was playing because I was mesmerized by it.

Next thing you know, I started learning trumpet. Learned how to read music. Asked my mom what "Middle C" was one day. Then, I put a piece of tape on it with the note name. Put a piece of tape on each note above and below it for two octaves, picked up a piece, and started figuring it out.

A couple weeks later, Mom came home and I was playing the same piece she was. That night, they asked me if I wanted to take lessons. The rest isn't really noteworthy history, but it is, as they say, history.

My friends daughter was taken to piano lesson and hated it. She refused to continue but wanted to learn an instrument, so they sold the piano and bought her a clarinet which she loves.

I love the tonality of it as well as it being a childhood dream of mine.

I bought a keyboard because I enjoyed an Android tablet app where you press the keys on the screen (like app on the Ipad mini commercial)

Have always wanted to play piano.
Piano allows a complete learning experience in music.
Piano is good for composing.
Piano stands on it's own like no other instrument.
To me, there is something about the sound of a Kawai Grand. Their taste in how a piano should sound is perfection to me. I lust for it. A Kawai Grand is not to be played. That is far too vulgar. It is to be made love to.

I won't bore you with a book about me.

I think, but I am not sure, it's because my mother played it.

I was a military brat. I have very, very dim memories, of when I must have been around 3 or 4, of my mother playing a piano (Summer of 42 and ... something else ... sort of a classical piano piece by a one-hit wonder, maybe with "summer" in the title, very arpeggiated).

But I got older, lived in a different state, and we didn't have a piano.

One state later, I asked my parents out of the blue if I could learn to play piano. I don't know why. I don't think there was anything that spurred the question. They bought a piano and I started lessons with the lady across the street.

I'm not at all sure why I kept up with it. I just did. I didn't stop, because I guess I couldn't stop. However, there were probably weeks and months at a time when I couldn't and didn't start.

But I'm still doing it now.

Sometimes I'm not sure why, but I can't not do it. Even though some days I can't start doing it.

For me its just the most versatile, dynamic and beautiful instrument. Im pretty big on classical music but my favourite pieces are for piano!

I had an app like that on my android phone, full 88 keyboard, scrolling or overlaid in layers.

I tried the trumpet in the school band my freshman year. I never practiced though, because when first learning, I was terrible of course, and so was embarrassed to practice because of the horrible sound! At least the piano has a "quiet" button haha!

I have always loved music. I started out dancing as a five year old (tap and ballet), then I started singing while dancing for anyone who would listen by the time I was five. I loved to perform. I guess my parents figured piano had to be next. I started lessons at seven and truly fell in love with the instrument. My parents gave me lessons until I was 12, and then we moved to a small town that had no piano teacher. I continued playing though. After I went to college, life intervened for three decades. When I rediscovered piano, the love was still just as strong. I get lost in the beauty of the sound. The ability to make music is a wonderful gift. The piano is the ultimate solo instrument. Unlike many other instruments, its song is complete, without the need of other instruments to accompany it.

As a small child I was trying to bang out tunes on every piano I ran across, church hall, other people's houses, etc. One of our neighbors persuaded my parents I should have lessons.

For me, the reason is the same as many others; "I always wanted to do it, but never took the time." I will be 50 in July, and last year decided it was time to quit talking and do something about it. I started last summer. I bought a Yamaha P95 keyboard, so in case I did not stick with it I would not have spent a large amount of money. I started on some online lessons, but quickly realized two things; 1) that I loved piano 2) that if I was going to progress like I wanted to I needed a teacher. I began lessons late last summer and have recently realized (with my teacher's encouragement) that I am ready for an acoustic piano. That search is quite an experience in and of itself. New or used? Are the Chinese pianos such as Hailun or Perzina going to hold up in the long term, or should I get an older more established and likely shorter Kawai? Of course, I bought "The Piano Book" and the supplement and am actively searching for a grand. This whole process is just fun and rewarding. My first grandchild is due end of September and I hope to introduce him or her to piano at an early age!

By the way, while I know this topic does not concern manufacturers, any advice on a grand piano purchase would be greatly appreciated. Looking to stay with around $15K range. I am new to the forum and glad to be here.

The piano is an orchestra at your finger tips ... compound sound ... however, with ten fingers going every which-way the sight-reading takes years.

String instruments read a single-note outline ...
making the reading easier.

But no one ever said it was easy to play a violin ... my neighbours started throwing stones when I attempted scraping cat gut.

Back at the ranch,
My pride and joy ... Grotrian Steinweg upright ...
want to hear me tinkle the ivories? ... perhaps not.

You'll get more response about a purchase on the Piano forum. The beginner's forum tends to focus more on playing and learning vs. buying. Also check out the buyer's guide (Buying an Acoustic Piano) on the sidebar or below.

http://www.pianoworld.com/Buying_A_Piano/Buying_A_Acoustic_Piano.html

Thanks for the information. I have the Piano Buyer supplement which is very helpful.

Good question. I started learning piano for two reasons
1) It is one of the easiest instruments to get a musical sound out of. In a very short amount of time, the complete beginner, old or young, can make music that actually sounds pleasant. Try that with a violin, a flute, or even a guitar. There's nothing like positive feedback to help you keep at it.
2) I think that piano will help me learn much more about music itself: the relationship between the notes. I'm a very visual, mathematical, person. Seeing the arrangement of keys on a piano really helps me understand the meaning of octaves, fifths, thirds, major and minor keys, etc., in a way that I don't think other instruments would. I am really trying to learn to understand music not just as a series of notes, but as an arrangement of patterns: piano helps with that.

That's how is was for me, but my family is Welsh and we have music in our souls so it was expected. And it was considered very good for helping you with your study skills and learning abilities - education was everything - very scientific approach. It was the beauty of the music that captured me and I never stopped loving the sound of the piano, though I have stopped studying science!

This is a re-hashed post just after I started playing dated October 2005. the title of the post was..."I clap for myself".



Okay, I'll admit, a bit of a strange thread title, but you need to hear my story (short version), as I feel that I need to tell someone!!

3-years ago, I had a very bad crash while motocross racing. After missing the landing pad on a very large double jump (40 foot gap), I crashed onto the ground from around 20-feet high. While I knew that this was going to "hurt", I was wearing full motocross gear and helmet to protect me as much as it could.

While I did get banged up and bruised pretty badly, I thought that I was going to be okay until someone in the crowd said "Dude, look at your hand"

It was at that point, looking at my left hand that I realized something terrible had just happened to me as my left hand was just "hanging" by some skin and tendons next to my elbow!!

"severe displacement" was the medical term used to describe my injury as the hand had technically not been completely broken off.

After months of an external fixator, tendon surgeries, nerve damage therapy and even a complete new set of skin (my hand turned black and all the original skin peeled off!), I was finally able to move my wrist and fingers just the slightest bit.

After many months of therapy, I was able to actually squeeze a garden hose nozzle half way closed and vowed that someday, I was going to squirt someone in the face with that hose!!

Several months (and bottles of oxycontine) later, I actually DID squirt my friend with the hose, (but not in the face....that's mean!)

It was at this stage of my rehab that my P.T suggested that I do some type of daily wrist and finger exercises. She had suggested that I do wrist movements up and down (after using a heating pad) and then to "strum" my fingers up and down, "kind of like a piano player would" she said!

Hmmmn!, That got me thinking as I used to play piano as a small child (the only deal I could strike up with my parents to also get a drum set!!)

Anyway, We had an old Weber grand piano in the house (that suffered from bad action brackets), but it was way to hard for me to play (physically), So I decided to look for the easiest piano to play (physically), which to me was a Roland digital piano.

While many members really "beat-up" these digital piano's and consider them to be a "joke", It was the pure joy of re-learning to play the piano and actually make some real "nice" music that not only helped my physical recovery, but also re-kindled a very long lost passion for music.

I really love my Roland digital piano (KR-7) as it has brought me from barely being able to squeeze a garden hose, to now being able to play claire de lune and cannon in D major.

Sure, when I play, there are lots of missed notes and mistakes, almost every time!, but the progress I have made in the last year and a half is remarkable! I truly owe a large portion of it to the wonderful sounds of music I can play via my piano!

Fast forward to today, I no longer race motocross motorcycles, (however, I did by a new Yamaha rhino 4wd off road cart) as I never want to risk my hands again!. Losing the ability to play piano is not worth it anymore.


I seem to have really gotten "hooked" on piano playing as I just bought a brand new Mason & Hamlin "A" a few weeks ago and am already looking very seriously at the "BB". (Yes I know this is getting a bit out of control!!)

Anyway, I felt like now would be a good time to not only introduce myself a bit, but also give just a tad of my history.

I am in NO way an accomplished piano player,and probably never will be, however, I have come a long way from not being able to squirt someone with a garden hose!!

So,like I said, sometimes you just have to clap for yourself!!

Yeah, you bet!

That is a truly spectacular story, Mr SH. Thank you for sharing.