Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum OT, Tell us about yourself

Hello,

Just a short introduction, i registerd this month when I was looking for a new piano.

I´m 27 years old and live in holland, the hague with my boyfriend. I work as an IT-Consultant.

When i was 7 I had lessons for a year but stopped because my teacher was not nice and had a scary and smelly dog. She had to lock him up everytime I came. That did not really motivated me. I had a little keyboard.

When i was 14 I started all over again with a new teacher in school. She was really nice, but when she graduated from the conservatorium she also quit teaching. Then I also quit. Still don´t know why? I practiced on the piano in school and at home on my new keyboard. Yamaha psr250

Now i´m 27 and starting over again! I had a really busy life (working, dancing, surfing, snowboarding and jogging) and then broke 4 of my ribs while snowboarding. The healing didn´t go so well and I had a lot of time to think in bed.

That´s when I rediscovered my old hobby. This time i´m really serious. I have been taking lessons for 2.5 months now. For the first time in my life I can afford and have the space for my own piano, wich will arive this week So I am really happy about it! It´s a Yamaha Silent B1
I have a really nice teacher and i´m confident that I will not stop in a year this time!

The reason I joined this forum is that there´s really no one I can talk to about piano´s, pieces and practicing! And I really miss that. So I hope I can share it here.

Oh.. it´s not that short haha.. but oh well..

Ok, I'll talk. I live in Canada, in Scarborough/Toronto to be exact. I am 17 years old. I took lessons for a few weeks when I was 8 or 9, not enough to really learn anything except the basic C Major scale, then left it, and then went a few years without it, then started to dabble in music again and soon music had become so important in my life. So, about an year ago, I went back and got piano lessons, this time armed with confidence and a desire to learn. Now I've made some great progress and I'm taking my grade 8 examination this summer after an year of lessons! However I still don't have a piano at home, and practice on a cheap digital which doesn't have weighted jeys.

Hi, just found this thread. I joined a couple of months ago after "lurking" awhile before that. I have learned so much already, thank you all!

I am 60, looks like I'm one of the oldies around here. As a little girl, I was begging for piano lessons as far back as I can remember, but wasn't able to take them until mid-high school when my grandma gave in and provided an ancient upright. I did start clarinet in 4th grade and played it very seriously through college. Took piano a couple of years in hs, and 2 sememsters in college (where I was majoring in clarinet). Then, alas, marriage, kids, jobs, etc. took precedence over music. Several times in my adult life, I would hang around the piano dealers booths at state fairs, always thinking, "Someday, someday."

Well, my mother passed away in 2000 and I inherited a little money. So guess what I bought?? Got a studio piano in late 2001, put it in the dining room and got out my old books to see if I could still play at all. Two years later I upgraded to a grand and took about 4 months of lessons, which helped trememdously. I knew by then that piano could be my passion for the rest of my life. We have since moved to our retirement location and I am again taking lessons. And yesterday, I played the Steinway B that will be mine soon. After a career that took several twists & turns (including horse training, real estate agent, veterinarian assistant, and mortgage banking), I now feel like me again, all because of the piano. My spouse is disabled and I do a lot of caregiving, so the piano is very important to me. And I love these forums, they connect me with all you other piano addicts!

I currently am trying to get up enough courage to play some at our local nursing home, as suggested by my current teacher. I have read the other threads about that and am greatly encouraged. I just have a really nervous time playing in front of anyone -- but I AM working on it.

I have been an on and off visitor to the Piano Forums. I guess it's kind of like my piano addiction. I can go without touching a piano for 2 weeks, and then I'll go into a frenzy where I practise 8 hours a day. I'm not saying that I spend that amount of time in here, but you get the point... ;-)

I enjoyed reading what y'all have written, so I felt kind of compelled to tell you a little something about myself as well. Here goes..

I'm 31, married and I've been tapping the ebony and ivory keyes for about 20 years now. By that time anyone should be a master at the keyboard, but I'm not. I guess I haven't been devoted enough. I haven't practised regularly, and I haven't had the longing to either.

I've played the piano at my local church for the last 10 years or so, just punching out the old-school hymns and playing the rebellious contemporary tunes with a bit more enthusiasm. But then I rediscovered the world of classical music. Franz Liszt, Sergeij Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, they all seemed eager to make my aquintance, so I invited them in. I saw the movie Shine, wonder if that had anything to do with it...?

Since then I have been listening to Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto almost daily, I have practised Franz Liszt's La Campanella every day, and am still struggling with it. I am certain, though, that I will pass the finish line and be able to perform it to perfection by the time I die...

Well, all jokes aside, I am happy that I rediscovered the joy of classical music, both at the keyboard and at my stereo. The world of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Liszt is a wonderful world to be a part of.

The great thing about classical music is that you don't need to be able to press down the keys yourself to be able to enjoy it. Sure it makes you kind of proud to be able to follow the sheet music as Evgeny Kissin keeps punching the keys, but that's not the soul of classical music.

If you can hear the sounds of Beethoven playing his famous Moonlight Sonata, see Franz Liszt as he enters the stage about to dazzle the audience with a new transcription or let Frédéric Chopin confound you with his modern style, then you are on the right track.

Now I'm practising the piano daily. I have put up goals for myself to reach. I feel very much inspired by what I've read here in the Piano Forums, so thank you sooo much people. I owe you a whole lot...

With regards,

Thomas

Oh, I'm rambling, I am so sorry.

No need to apologize, Thomas! I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoyed your story and your ability to put in words the great appeal of music and piano.

...I just saw you registered in 2004! So, with only 3 posts to date, I think you're entitled to ramble a bit.

I am glad this great thread is still alive after over a year. Thanks to Mr. SH for starting it. I have read through about half of it but really need a break, so decide to jump in instead.

My name is Rosanna and I am going on 47. I started posting a month ago when I was looking for info to buy a digital piano. I used a pseudonym for the Public Name since I have never participated in any forum before and was a little wary about using my real name (identity theft and all these days.) But everyone here is so friendly, informative, supportive and interesting, all my unfounded fears are gone.

My family is not musical, unless you count karaoke. I took lessons from age 6 to 16. My mom had me take ballet and French too - as Asian parents, they start preparing you for Ivy League when you are 3! Anyway my teacher was a patient but uninspiring old lady. She taught me solid basics, but by my early teens I got totally bored and rebellious, and essentially just sight-read my pieces during lessons. (This may explain my decent sight reading skills, and less than stellar techniques!) It didn't help when my friends (with other teachers) were playing popular tunes like Fur Elise and I wasn't. I took the Royal British exams through grade 8, but flunked that one by 4 points! I actually felt like it served my mom (who forced me to practise) and my teacher right - so went the mind of a teenager

Since 16, there was about a year in the early 80s when I shared a rental piano with my housemates who all played, but that was it. Very recently, a serendipitous event (another story) got me to play some easy duets with a stranger and I was surprised that I had a great time. Until then my association with playing the piano was one of pressure and meeting parents' expectations. I realize I can play again simply for my own enjoyment. Besides I figure it would do me good to play fewer computer games, and develop my right brain a bit! Now I sometimes practice 2+ hours a day, and sometimes none at all for several days and that freedom actually keeps me more interested in playing.

As a surprise bonus, this forum also has become a great source of info and inspiration after my initial posts on piano-buying. I am currently reading CCChang's book (discovered it thru this forum) to make up for my lack of learning during my rebellious years!

I enjoy Broadway pieces but find playing them on the piano not as satisfying as hearing the whole orchestral arrangement along with the singing. Instead I play classical pieces (which was my training.) I absolutely love listening to Indian classical music and have the good fortune to be able to attend live concerts by such legends as Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain several times a year.

I have been living with my boyfriend (sweetest man I know) for 9 years and don't plan to have children. I don't see how I can ever bring up a child when I am so non-grown-up myself

I have a graduate degree in software and worked in the silicon valley until I got disillusioned and quit. I travelled around the world for 4 years on a backpack before settling back in the US.

My first passion is actually ballroom dancing which I started during college days. I subsequently competed for a little while (ever watch those occasional PBS broadcast?) Unfortunately the partnership didn't work and I haven't picked it up since. The lack of a partner, the time/money/energy commitment make it a big hurdle to get back into. I really miss it.

I enjoy read a lot (thrillers, mysteries, travel writing, various non-fiction), like cooking, and I play tennis and downhill ski.

Incidentally, I notice a lot of us are about 40 to mid-50s of age. Does it mean something? More interestingly most younger posters (18-25 years old) are not from the US (e.g. UK, NZ, Spain, Netherlands, etc.) Is it a reflection of the US culture and educational system (lack of funds for arts and PE in schools)?

Well, turns out to be a longer post than I thought. Hope you enjoyed reading it as I have enjoyed really all of yours.

Hi, I started piano lessons 5 years ago. I'm 28. In college I envied my friends who could play the piano but my parents never accepted to pay me lessons because of the price of a piano. They bought me a guitar instead. At least I learned the basics.
So when I left home and got money I went to a piano school. I started with a clavier, then I bought a digital, and 4 months ago I bought a Kawai upright. Practice every day and I would like to play chamber music one day.
Beside that I work in a drugstore (pharmacist). I love to read (waiting for my copy of Harry Potter 7). And I attend to karate lessons, and I want my black belt one day. :p

=) My name is Serena, I'm 21. I took piano lessons as a child, hated it, and quit after maybe 7 or 8 years of lessons. I came out having learned really nothing. I picked piano back up later in late high school because I enjoyed playing for myself, not for my parents/teachers. Because I am so far behind where I want/need to be, I am using this forum to gain as much valuable knowledge as possible.

Besides piano, I love going fishing as much as possible, shooting (both pistols and rifles at my gun club), playing tennis, and spending time with my boyfriend as we dress up my fat cat, Biggles, and make him play the piano and bongos. =)

SunnyR, I can't believe you have time to play the piano with all those interesting hobbies!

Capsule1979, I hope you've finished Harry Potter by now. We were there Friday night, but the line was too long and we had to go Saturday morning to find one. I have three 11-year old boys, and my biggest Pottermaniac finished the book today.

Serena, you also have a lot of interesting hobbies. I play tennis and my husband is an avid fly-fisherman. In fact, we just came back from a long trip that was mostly dedicated to him going from one good trout stream to the next.

Welcome to everyone! I have tried to read back through June while I was gone, and I look forward to reading more from everyone.

Nancy

Hi my name is Glenn. I'm 43 and started piano lessons in June. I love piano music and learning to play has been on my to-do list for decades. I'm having a great time learning both theory and technique. Certainly is different approaching music as a self-motivated adult. Practicing/playing piano is an excellent diversion from daily stresses that I'm sure exercises parts of my brain that don't get use in engineering/project management.

I played clarinet for 4 years or so from 4th to 8th grade. I enjoyed playing, but not practicing so my progress was somewhat disappointing. Dropped out when the only alternative in school was to join the marching band and commit to 5 practices a week and games on Saturday.

We bought a Roland HP 535 digital piano several years back. Chosen specifically to be able to play MIDI from a computer in a house without a player. My son (13) and daughter (11) played for about two years and have since dropped piano for drums and flute and other hobbies and sports.

Looking forward to reading and hopefully posting more to the forums here. Thrilled to see a forum devoted to my situation.

Glenn

Hi Glenn,

Welcome. You're in good company here. It sounds like you have a lot of music in your life!

-RF

I just want to bring this thread back up towards the top of page 1. I have noticed a number of new members in the last 2 weeks, all posting their first questions. (Sorry I can't remember all your names.) If you are reading this, I would love to know more about you, so please post your little bio in this thread. And if you have the time to read this thread, you'll enjoy getting to know many who may have responded to your posts recently.

And if you are brave, you can post your pictures on this related thread.
http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/32/1981.html

The thread below gives you instructions for loading your pictures and posting them.
http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/1/7839.html

Hello everyone, My name is Matthew and as you can see in my displayed name i do love Beethoven. He is my favorite composer/musician overall. if we were to focus only on piano, then Liszt would take that title. My other top pianist in no particular order would be Chopin, Alkan, Monk, James Booker, and Debussy.

I've was born in Colorado Springs, CO before moving to Big Flats, NY. From there we moved to Wilmington, NC and it was here i had about 3 mos. of lessons from my dad. then he moved ahead of us to charlotte, NC and we followed him 5 mos. later. we never picked it back up. Finally, 2 weeks before my sophomore year in high school, i picked up piano again after 2 years of saying i would and never did. I think it's good i got this done early. i was self taught with advice given to me by my father for about a year before i finally got a teacher last september. so far, everything is going pretty well, but i think recently i've slacked a bit.

along with my parents, i have one brother who is double majoring in film and theatre and is about to start his 2nd year of college. My other personal interest includes film and consider myself a decent movie buff. I have a friend who shares this love with me but to a much higher degree. together we make some short films which aren't anything to be ashamed of but don't quite achieve good independent work to be taken 100% seriously. I'm an avid comic book collector and love art. in middle school i wanted to become a comic book artist but then my love for film intervened. i met them halfway and i am now pursuing a career in animation. so in the end, i would love to write, direct, and score my own animated films. Since i love the arts, i would like to learn how to do an assortment of mediums including painting, sculpting, watercoloring, and anything else that could be art.

In less than two weeks, i'll be starting my senior year in high school and 2 classes im really looking forward to are Music Theory AP and Art AP for obvious reasons. And well that's a little bit about myself and i'm glad i found these forums with a simple google search. the people are seem really great and i learn a lot and open my mind to new worlds of music that i may have never found otherwise. anyways, i'll shut up now, i'd hate to take up too much of your time.

Alright, I'll bite. My name is Michelle and as you see from the location on the bottom of all the posts, I am in Atlanta. I'm a recent transplant to the city, having grown up in New Jersey.

I'm 23 years old and graduated early from Carnegie Mellon University with a combined degree in piano performance and developmental psychology. I spent the last semester finishing out my pedagogy certification, and have been teaching piano for a few years now.

I've been playing piano ever since I was 5 and I am so lucky to have this ability to sit down and play whatever it is I feel like. I can't imagine living my life without music. And of course I think piano is hands down the best instrument ever. As of right now I don't have a teacher, but I am searching for one as I am preparing graduate school auditions and I frankly do not do a good job of interpreting music composed after 1875.

Other interests of mine involve lots of reading and gaming. Aside from teaching and playing, the thing I spend the most time on is World of Warcraft, though my addiction is getting much better and I don't play as much nowadays. I also love cooking, especially making desserts. Just a month ago I made tartufo for the first time. At least it tasted delicious!

My baby is a Baldwin 5'2" R model grand (353671) purchased in what, 2000 or so. I just had it revoiced and it's lost a lot of the brightness that draws people to Baldwin. This is fine by me as it actually sounds like a piano now, except for this one F#.

I have a fiancé and two cat babies that occupy my time, and freelance write for a WoW website (http://www.azerothwn.com) in the meantime.

I'm Tuan, just like my username. I'm 20 years old and a current student at UCSC studying psychology and computer science. I absolutely have no clue what to do in life after college. I could probably get a psych and/or computer science degree, but sometimes I fear that my college experience has been a waste. The truth is that I love web design. It is my passion in life and I could make a design a day if I must. So far, it's what I see myself doing for a living. Starting next month, I begin my 3rd year at the university. After I graduate, I'll be paying back around $70,000 back through loans I pulled out. However, I'm not sure that I'll be doing anything related to the topics that I study. I've been doing web design since middle school and it feels like that's all I'm good at. Art schools sound intriguing, but I doubt I'm cut out for that and it's not like I can switch now anyway.

Besides that, I enjoy multimedia creation and editing. I like to take pictures and retouch them on my computer and make designs out of them. I made a music video, posted it on YouTube, and got good feedback for it so that encourages me to do more of that stuff later. Just last year, I played around with this software, Fruity Loops, a music sequencer and had a little fun with it. That was when I found out that I wasn't good at making music or even thinking up simple tunes. After listening to my favorite songs, I was inspired to compose something. That's when I decided to learn some music theory and take up piano. I don't really know why I chose piano. I was probably under that impression that the piano would be the best instrument for me if I wanted to learn how to compose, since it's the only instrument I know of that makes you play both bass and treble.

I think taking up hobbies like piano helps me stay calm. Usually, I'm worried about school or my future, but whenever I go to my university and sit in a piano room, I forget all about the stress and worries that I face in life. At the piano, it's just a world with me and music. When I improve on the piano, I feel empowered.

Woodcrafting and interior design also interest me very much. Those are things that have been stuck in my head for the past month, but I don't really know how I can start those things as hobbies. I can't be buying loads of wood and just mess around. My dad probably wouldn't allow me to do so anyway. I was inspired after seeing a thread here about how people have their piano keyboards set up. Many people posted pictures of desks and stands that they have made themselves just out of wood, a hammer, and nails. The thought of building my very own furniture sounds very exciting. Also, I saw an episode of Oprah on interior design showing how to turn a small apartment in New York City into beautiful paradise through careful furniture picking and space maximization techniques. I really enjoyed watching that.

My current goals (besides piano) include: learning to swim, be a better public speaker, manage my time better, and learn how to cook. I probably should try and travel more. The only places I've ever been to in my life are: Miami, Florida during one summer, Las Vegas when I was young, Vietnam when I was 4, and San Francisco to drop my brother off when he was accepted to UC Berkeley. Lastly, I wouldn't mind getting into better shape and shedding a few pounds.

Some stuff I use to do were: excessively playing videos games, excessive television watching, and sleeping in. I'm glad that I dropped those habits or at least kept it to a minimum.

I think that's all I have to share for now.

This is the second time i have posted about me if i recall correctly. Im 25 work for an industrial psychologist and have just finished my degree in I.Psyche through distance education at the same time.

Because you only have one life you have to make it count and do something that will make you happy.

That is why i am going to study law full time next year. I am focused on a career in law, where as i was not focused on a career in industrial psycholgy when i started studying.

I live in south africa, its not a great country, for example i missed being caught in the cross fire of a shoot out on saturday night by one minute. So im likely going to emigrate soon. In fact ive applied for EU citizenship on the grounds that my grandprents all came from Lithuania. Im probably keen to go Austarlia or London one day.

I love life. Its the most beautiful thing in the world. I love people, they make life beautiful.

I love playing the piano.

Im listening to Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata right now. It my favourite of his sonatas.

I very much enjoyed learning about all of you. You are all so multitalented.

Beethoven Fan, I would love to see your animation work someday, with your own artwork and original score, (performed by you of course!)

Michelle, you are so young and already a piano teacher! I had to google tartufo, and it sounds deeeelicious! I love sweets and ice cream is a favorite.

Tuan, I have encountered many of your posts since you joined. You have so many diverse interests. The woodworking and interior design sound neat. I also saw the Oprah episode on decorating small (as in tiny tiny) places.

gilad, I totally second your attitude on life!

Having grown up in a poor village in China, I moved to the US at the age of 9. Here I started a new life. Now I am only 17 years old, but I feel that I am too late to start playing the piano. I live in Sacramento for 8 years already, and this is the only city in America that i have lived in. I will be a senior in a high school in a few weeks, and summer is coming to its end.
I am just a newby piano player (hence the name PianoN00b) who wants to be a professional some day. I want to be able to read notes and play instantly, and also play by ear. I don't think i am asking for too much because I practice very hard each day.

PianoN00b, It's not too late at all to start!!! If you've been around the forum for just a little bit, you must know by now there are many who are starting in their 40s and 50s. Listen to the recent recitals - there's your proof right there that there is not such thing as "too late".

You are sooooo young still. Instead of thinking that you didn't start 10 years ago, think of it this way: you have some 60, 70, even 80 years *ahead* of you. With alllll that time, you'll be able to play anything you put your mind to. Positive attitude, young wo/man!

I agree with Rosanna, you feel it, but you're not

I'm 23 years old french boy (living in France), playing trombone for 15 years. I studied and then started working in computer science world, but I hope it won't last too long, I'd prefer work in music or sport related business