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Hi, I’ve been a member for about 5 months now and after a little rocky start am now wanting to learn a little more about members that play DP’s and enjoy reading and posting here as I do. I’ll start with myself.

I am now 65-years-old and retired and returning to the piano after many years of non practice. My piano life started around the age of 5 and was classically trained until my early 20’s. Summers were spent inSwitzerland, where I had the privilege to study with an amazing pianist and teacher. Then we would come back to the States and studied with top teachers during the academic year. During those years I attended the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In my twenties I left the musical world to start a career and played piano less and less. Now I’m eagerly returning and finding things that were child’s play grew more complicated. During the years without piano I became interested in early music and learned the recorders or blockflote. I continue to play them and now perform on occasion.

Now I play a Casio GP-500 non-hybrid, lol. It is an amazing instrument once you find the correct settings (and this is no easy feat). As much as I enjoy the Casio I’ve decided to purchase an acoustic grand, trying to decide between a Bechstein and a Fazioli. Oh I will still keep and play the Casio because of the modern wonder of the headphone (I like to play at night!).

I’ve continued to play and love classical music and relearning things from years past. I LOVE Debussy, Ravel, Beethoven, Bach and Schumann and in that order. My last big classical piece to study was the Rachmaninoff Concerto #1. Alas never performed it and never will at this stage, lol.

What about you?

Well I am here from 2016 may, but I have first to learn English, and it is not completed !

I am near 58, and I have 7 years piano study (from my 51).

I am not a real beginner from my 51 years. I first studied music theory and classical clarinet when I was a child, from 7 to 15. I learned the main two keys G and F and even the 4th Ut key (but I cheated... :-) )
And I begin the keyboard with an organ (and a teacher) with two keyboards and one pedal with one octave and a half (Crumar 203). It was designed to play easy music (not classical). But I had to read three scores (one more than for the piano). And it was wonderful to play bass (for example when playing "A whiter Shade of Pale").

But I always wanted to play the piano, but for many reasons I didn't start. I first take some fun lessons during the 80's, and I had a long period without playing anything.

Then, seven years ago, after talking with a piano teacher (in a fitness room !). I begin to look after a second hand acoustic, and finally buy one and begin to take lessons.

And I don't know why, but I worked hard and didn't stop.

I like all music, if it is good ( ;-) ) : classical, Boogie, Ragtime, Jazz, songs, pop, and I like to play some improvisations (during my "fun lessons" in the 80's I learned the magical world of chords and begin to think C7 Am Gm7, D7/F etc.). I would like to create some songs but I find it very unpleasant to write down scores.

It is not so easy to play and learn as when I was younger, I need to warm up the hands (boogie is very hurting), and memory is not my stronger skill. But I progress a little bit.

Playing the piano is magic

It's nice to read your story Back To The Future. You finally found your musical path. For many years my path was "playing above the escapement" so to speak.

I want to say that you should have no type of pain when playing the piano. You are doing something wrong with your ergonomics. Please ask your teacher to check your posture and the position of your hands. You don't want to develop an injury that could cause some real problems.

Well it's only if I play boogie without warming. And only the left hand because there's a lot to do without any break.
If I play more often it doesn't hurt.

I'm a piano student. In 5 days, I will have completed my 2nd year of learning piano. I'm 55, a businessman and company owner, and based in Washington DC where my company is, but my wife and I have homes in Amsterdam Netherlands and Moscow Russia too.

I started piano to learn a certain goal piece which I thought would take 2 years to learn, as an indication of what a babe-in-the-woods I was then. I've now upgraded to needing 13 years for my goal piece, of which two are now past. Hence, I now hope to learn my goal piece in 2030. 😲 😲

I'm mostly interested in classical music since I was a kid, and don't know much about pop, rock, jazz, or contemporary minimalism, but am open to learning something about these. I've been a classical opera lover for many, many years and am a patron of the NY Metropolitan Opera. I'm also a sponsoring member of the Kennedy Center here in DC. For the Met, I was the "Met Ambassador" DC/Virginia/Maryland area in 2014-15. Before I took up piano, I used to travel all over the world for opera - my peak was 2014 where I attended 70 classical and contemporary opera performances globally. With piano now, this number of opera performances attended has dropped drastically as all my free time is spent practicing.

In trying to broaden my musical horizons to popular music, I'm currently working on learning a jazz song called Georgia on My Mind, among the other pieces I am working on, mostly classical. I also learned and played this contemporary minimalism Ludivico Einaudi song for a tribute to an Einaudi-loving, long-time PW member who died last year:


With respect to my piano learning, I almost don't want to count in my total the first 4 months of my 2 years of piano, where I was self-teaching using a software called "Piano Marvel." I do think it's a useful tool and I still have a subscription to PM and I even got my daughter a subscription, but without a teacher, I personally developed a lot of bad piano habits. Some of my bad habits are still a work-in-progress to break, such having wrists that don't move fluidly and not using arm weight. So in late June 2018, I started over from the beginning of a method book with a private piano teacher for one-on-one video messenger lessons. Things have been going much better ever since I did this. In less than a week, I will have completed about 18 months of piano lessons with about 2 months off for vacations/breaks.

In December 2019, I took the RCM Level 4 piano exam from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto because I wanted to, and according to current plan, will also take the RCM Level 6 exam when I am ready for that.

My current plans are to continue in this fashion with piano exams until RCM Level 10 at which point I will re-evaluate since it will be around the time I plan to sell my company. I may still continue on then, or might even do as PW hero Sam S has done and go back to school after retirement for some piano-related degree. In the meantime, I am practicing my piano from 1-2 hours per day.

Back in February 2018, I started with an entry-level Roland FP30 digital piano and subsequently upgraded to a Yamaha Avantgrand N1X in May 2019. I may ultimately upgrade to an acoustical grand, but would only consider this when I permanently move from Washington DC to Europe, and if have adequate space and also understanding neighbors for a grand piano. Until then, I plan to stick with hybrid pianos and I will be waiting to see what new hybrid models that Yamaha and Kawai will come out with.

I'm an adult beginner (46 years old) and started learning to play 5 years ago. However, similar to Tyrone, I don't don't consider the first two years very productive. It wasn't until three years ago when I purchased the Duane Shinn 52 Week Crash Course that I feel like I actually began learning how to play the piano. I'm self-taught with the Shinn materials and I'll start more courses of his (Praise and Gospel and Pro Secrets) when I'm done with the 52 week course (I'm currently on lesson 47).

I enjoy many genres of music (except for Rap), but my musical goal is to learn how to arrange hymns. Traditional hymns are what inspires me the most. I've owned one Yamaha and three Kawai slab pianos, and I currently own a Yamaha N1X since may of 2019.

I've served as a full-time pastor within the Christian community of faith for just over 20 years now and I'd love to eventually (maybe someday) lead a congregation in worship while playing the piano and be able to make an appeal while playing the piano. I accept that the reality of those goals might be unrealistic and I am therefore content to play hymns for myself and family. I've been married for 21 years and have two children (13 and 8).

Pianoworld has had a very significant influence on my musical experience and on my bank account. I'm thankful for the opportunity to benefit from so many experienced payers and for the friendly community Pianoworld has been. I'm grateful to have the function of all my mental and physical faculties and to enjoy the blessing of music while learning to play the piano at this stage in life (although I lament the fact that I didn't start as a child). I think leaning to play the piano will be my last great hobby until my life on this earth is over (hopefully I have a few more years and can actually learn how to play).

God Bless,
David

I am a deeply uninspiring, insignificant person. I am also repressed and an experienced liar. Therefore I don't like to share and anything I say is probably false. What I can reveal is that Kawai James is actually an elderly Spanish lady called Concepcion and she has no formal association with Kawai.

There should never be any pain at all. Please look at some Dorothy Taubmann videos on You Tube. She was a teacher of mine just to learn piano ergonomics. She is amazing.

That’s a fantastic recap of your love of music! I am also an opera fan and attend the MetHD broadcast. I am also part Russian, my mother spoke fluent Russian. It seems your pianos progress is pretty amazing. Even though you have a great hybrid, there is nothing quite the same as an acoustic piano. I recommend auditioning brands now so you know what works best for you. I’m having a tough time between a Bechstein and Fasioli. Bechsteins have a different sound now as to when I was growing up playing them. That’s my big issue. I went to the Fasioli factory during the holiday and was VERY impressed with the line. I wanted to get an upright Bechstein for a weekend house, but now reconsidering because of the temperature fluctuations when it’s empty. I think it would be bad for the instrument and it would need tuning every time I play it. So I’m thinking a DP would be the way to to and I saw a clip of a new Italian one that has 6 different grand piano sounds, one of the being Italian! It has a fake escapement in the keyboard. I’m eager to check it out.

Hi David, I saw your installation of your new piano the day I joined here. I was impressed watching that setup! I sung in my church choir for about 40 years and retired from it at this point so I have the flexibility to travel. The Christmas and Easter commitment is just too intense and we never wanted family to visit at the holidays because we were committed to the choir. Now we go and visit family for Christmas. Good luck with your piano goals.

You are SO funny! Please share some of your tales with us.

I may have told my piano story a few times but I've never officially introduced myself, so why not

I'm a 40 years old software engineer from Bulgaria, father of a 2.5 years old girl (who, unlike me, has perfect pitch!). Many of my relatives play music instruments or sing, professionally or as a hobby. My mother plays the piano as a hobby and she also plays the hymnals at the church (Seventh Day Adventists). There's something like a widespread tradition in this church for people to be involved in different music activities (mostly classical music) which is why I've been exposed to classical music since I can remember but I also used to actively refuse learning the piano, despite my mom's insistence. I was mostly interested in math, science, electronics, computers, etc. When I was 12 or 13 I heard my mom play some piece by Bach and this was a turning point. I asked her to teach me the piece, then another one and I become hugely obsessed with Bach! So, I started lessons with a grannie that was my mom's first teacher. I learned how to read notes in a month but since I wanted to play Bach and the grannie wouldn't allow me, I quit. I started lessons with another teacher who also taught at the music school in my home town. She was pretty good, as far as I remember and she insisted on me playing etudes, and supported my Bach obsession to a certain degree but after another month or two I was not very happy with having to play other composers, so I quit and continued on my own and haven't had other teachers ever since. My sight reading was already pretty good and I progressed quickly which is why I started playing the hymnals at the church, accompanying singers, rehearsing the choir, as well as playing in a chamber orchestra at the church where the director (and a first violin) used to arrange popular classical music for us. I was so much in love with the piano at the time, I would spend my entire days outside school at the piano, doing nothing else. I also thought I would prepare for a conservatory exams but sadly I wasn't good enough I guess, especially without a teacher. And my mom thought it would be a better idea to keep studying math and science and ultimately she was right when I look back from my current standpoint At that time I also discovered jazz and started reading jazz theory books, improvising at church, reharmonizing hymnals, etc. Here's one of them:

Amazing Grace

Then I moved to the capital to study physics at the Sofia University and found myself without a piano, which was slowly killing me After three years I realized I had no future with physics and also I wanted a well paid job that would allow me to buy a digital piano which is why I found a job as a software developer (I used to write computer code at 9, so I was already good at that) and the plan really worked: I quickly earned enough to rent a flat and buy my first digital piano. It also become my profession. At the piano I quickly regained my skills and started playing in a jazz band with no huge success but it was nevertheless a good experience. I started experimenting with VST-s, changed many digital pianos... I used to compose jazz-based solo piano pieces but I also kept playing and listening to classical music, discovered Chopin. Here's a waltz I composed around that time which was supposed to have Chopin flavor with some jazz harmony:

Waltz

I applied for a piano jazz masterclass and surprisingly was approved. It was led by the biggest Bulgarian jazz piano player, the late Milcho Leviev who was famous for combining typical Bulgarian odd meters and jazz. Here's a jazzy composition in odd meter I recorded around that time on a theme of traditional Bulgarian folk dance:

Ratchenitsa (7/8)

But I gradually realized I was not as good as I would have liked at jazz improvisation and at the same I grew tired by jazz. So, 10 years ago I switched back to almost entirely playing and listening to classical music with my main interest being now Chopin and romanticism (and recently Scriabin, Bortkiewicz, etc.). I divorced in 2011 and so having a lot of free time started playing for many hours after work to ultimately reach a level where I learned the Chopin's Ballade No.1 in Gm that I could play from memory pretty decently. But then I met a girl in 2013 and couldn't play as much anymore 😄 Then we married, had a kid... So, nowadays I try to find an hour at the piano every night when the family is asleep, but it doesn't always work, especially since I also try to work on my own DIY hybrid piano controller (see the signature) and also battling my Internet obsession (reading Wikipedia and learning new stuff), so it's been a mixed bag recently and my technique isn't the greatest I've had but I try to make up with learning how to play lyrically, how to apply proper pedaling, how to make beautiful tone, etc. This has ultimately led to me realize only proper acoustic piano action would allow me to do so and so I ultimately purchased a N1X a year ago and, well, I guess that's about it (A few months ago I also started playing synths and Rhodes in an amateur pop/funk/electronica/chill band and we jam every Monday but that's not too important).

A few interesting similarities with you CyberGene. I had a more traditional piano lessons as a child, but Bach was definitely my favourite composer. I got distracted by trying to be cool as a young teenager and started learning the guitar which went nowhere. My piano break was 40 years. I also did Physics at University, also ended up as a software developer. Also been divorced. I am also now far more interested in romantics, though I haven't yet reached out beyond, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Give me time though.

Cheers, Kevin 🍻

What a beautiful metamorphosis in your musical life! You certainly are a Renaissance man. Thanks for sharing your musical clips, there are all beautiful. I’ve always envied jazz players having the ability to sound so spontaneous. We studied to form a little, but I never felt I had that flow so needing with jazz. I have a Gliga violin, which is from your city. It’s a decent instrument.

The opposite of you and CG, I HAD to play lots of Bach and at that time hated it. Now I love it. My recorder group starts every session by playing 10 Bach chorales from the 371 book and I love to sing his bigger works. I LOVE Lobet Den Hernn.

I still adore Bach, I can hardly think of any piece that I don’t like. Ironically, I started my music journey in the church and at the time preferred mostly Bach’s secular works, whereas I’m currently rather an agnostic and have distanced myself from religion but have recently started appreciating Bach’s religious works the most. For instance the motet “O Jesu Christ, mein Lebens Licht” BWV 118 is something that gives me peace (as music though, I don’t listen too much to the text, which is in German )

Musically? Well, let’s see then …

Played saxophone grades 4-5, 7-12. Occasionally noodle on it, but it never really inspired me.

Took up electric bass at 16, upright bass about 6 months later. About a year and a half after that, auditioned for music schools, accepted and started my college career, but had some severe RSI issues and had to change course. Took a couple of years off completely, got back into electric enough to play in some rock bands for a couple of years, then a long break during grad school, etc. About 12 years ago, decided to start again, electric first, then upright a couple of years later. I’m decidedly mediocre, but good enough to play in a jazz quartet (with my wife on drums, which is cool) that gigs locally semi-regularly.

Piano, hmm. Took lessons for two months when I was 14. It was during the summer when a woman who taught piano lived in the rental house next door. Once school started up, I didn’t pursue it, and she moved away around then anyway. Took one semester of piano tech during my short stint as a college music major, pretty much covered the same ground as my lessons. Fooled around on keyboards on and off, but never seriously. Finally decided about 8 years ago (at the age of 41) that I wanted to learn for real. The first half-dozen years were pretty half-assed, but a couple of years ago, I got bit by the piano bug pretty bad, and I’m putting in 10-12 hours of practice a week regularly, with rare breaks for travel and such. Right now, I’m working on RCM level 4 classical stuff and devoting a little time each day for some other genres (blues, jazz, rock / pop, etc.). Mostly I play for myself and the occasional video to share with family and friends. At some point, I’d like to get good enough to do a little more with it, but I’m not sure what exactly. Mainly I’m just enjoying the journey right now.

Oh: I’ve also messed around with guitar here and there, but I’m pretty bad, and haven’t touched one in years …

Sure love your discipline once you got back to the piano. It’s funny how life gets in the way of what you probably wanted all along. There’s just not enough hours in the day to do everything.