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

I think it's "Off Topic," meaning not necessarily piano related.

Nancy

Oh boy!! :b:

Hey MSH, I'm gonna be in Avondale for the next four days!

(I know it's "Off Topic", BTW.)

You'd think I was interesting...

You know what's really funny? I can't remember if I've actually told about myself on this thread.



[edit] I just checked. I did.

Well, OT (OperaTenor), we would love to hear all about you... And also , OT, show us your pictures .

Ragnhild

*Bump* Just thought some of the newbies might wanna read about OperaTenor, um I mean us here at the Adult Beginners Forum. :p

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!! As if I don't already spend waaaay too much time on this site when I should be working or practicing! Now I will not be able to go to bed until I work my way through this thread so I can then get onto the work I was supposed to get done today

Isn't it funny how your mind makes assumptions without you realising? Mountain Ash, I thought you were a girl!! The only reason I can think of for assuming this is your avatar (which I thought was a woman playing the piano but now I can see is a man (I think) and, of course, it really has nothing to do with what sex you are anyway .... OK ...I'll just stop now... ). Thanks for the bump.

Lol! My avatar is Glenn Gould! I thought it was appropriate cause he used to sit on a ridiculously low chair and I'm in the process of trying to find a lower piano bench.

[Edit] I gotta stop changing my avatar.

I blow life into thee!


Once upon a time I googled piano and forum and it sent me here because I felt lucky.

And then I went into a piano class at my wonderful public high school and realized that I really should have played the piano instead of the trumpet when I was younger. If I played the piano instead of the trumpet, my instrument wouldn't have spent several lonely years in a small closet, since it wouldn't fit in a closet. Poor trumpet.

Anyway, I went and looked up things relating to the oxymoronic pianoforte and found this place again. I'm going to go ahead and introduce myself, because I haven't really found a thread to do that, and I feel like I must. It's so awkward to just lurk around and post little blurbs when no one knows who I am.

My name is Charles, and I'm technically an adult beginner.

I just saw this thread when Monica pointed it out in another topic (thanks Monica!) and thought I'd take a moment to make a belated introduction. This is perhaps much longer than you might wish to read, so feel free to skim, but its the story of how I came to be playing the piano again. My story takes place in Windsor, Ontario (in Canada!) where I grew up, and still live today.

My enchantment with pianos began at the wise age of 3, watching my disgruntled older brother pound out a sad rendition of 'Chopsticks' on a monstrosity of an upright painted in that dull, putrid green that was so prolific in the 1970's. The old adage 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is no truer than in the eyes of a child filled with wonder at the sight of something only a child could love. Certainly few others saw the beauty in that old clunker that sounded like it was earnestly strangling every string... least of all my brother who was being forced to take lessons. This may sound like the beginning of a beatiful friendship between myself and a semi-musical green coffin, but alas, I was told I was too young to take lessons (despite my most heartfelt pleas!) and the piano did not belong to our family; we were simply storing it for some neighbours. And alas, hideous or no - the neighbours took it back. I, however, remained smitten.

Over time, I never gave up on trying to get a piano. As with so many other things in my life, my wish for something fantastic for Christmas was granted in the strangest way. My prayers for a piano for Christmas in 1981 were answered in the form of a recalcitrant pony named 'Ginger' whom I now in retrospect believe was bipolar. Now, I'm quite certain that no one has ever been bucked off a piano, but if anyone ever has, they likely fell with more grace than the countless times I was thrown from that pony. Surely, I thought back then, a paino would have involved fewer bumps and bruises and probably would not have sneezed horse-goo in my face each time it was groomed.

Through sheer miracle, I somehow managed to survive Ginger, and my brother and I showed horses for many years. It was not until high school, when our blooming social lives took precedence over mucking out stalls, that we finally sold the horses. It was then that I was reaquainted with music, in ninth grade beginners' concert band. You're thinking perhaps that I took up the piano here, right? Well, I wish I could say yes, but something about the 'spit valve' on the French Horn got my attention (don't ask!), and for several years my musical life could be described as one long whole note. Oh - now and again things would get really exciting because they'd throw in a half note or something, but by and large all the French Horn music consisted of 3 whole notes and then 24 bars of rests.

As I eventually felt that I had mastered the whole note, I set my sights on bigger things. The quarter note, for example. I felt I needed a different instrument to do this. I borrowed an alto-saxophone from the school one summer, and after attracting quite a few mating geese (they're just everywhere in Canada!), managed to learn the basics, and eventually take first chair in the school's competitive jazz band. I also dabbled on the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and tenor sax. Everything but the kitchen sink... and the piano.

Where is all this going, you might be wondering at this point? Did the French Horn's spit valve make some perverse claim on me, or is there a piano coming up? Well, finally, in my last semester of high school, I got a piano!!! This story would be really interesting if I told you I found my long-lost pea-green monstrosity at some random yard sale... but I didn't. My family, now convinced of my love for music with all the different instruments I had taken up, finally caved. We bought a tiny little Weber console (the one made in Ontario, Canada). It was no Steinway, to be sure, but it was mine and I loved it, and I promptly took lessons. For seven months.

What!?!!? you ask? All this for seven months of lessons? Well, I learned fairly quickly, but I cut a lot of corners (to my current regret!), and then university struck with its midterms, papers, and keg parties. You clearly see how my priorities changed. I dabbled now and again, played a lot of Enya, but otherwise was occupied. After university, I set out into the world with all the aplomb of twenty-somethings everywhere trying to carve out a path in life. I landed a good job and was doing well for myself, and consumed with advancing my career. Well, until I realized that to truly advance, I'd have to go to graduate school. So at age 29, I quit my job and went back to school full time. There's a piano coming up... I promise (for those of you still reading!).

While in graduate school I saw a flyer for an elective course to take piano lessons from graduate music students, for full credit. This was during my last semester, on a cold March day in down-town Detroit (I attended Wayne State in MI). As the steam from the sewers drifted accross that flyer stuck on lamp-post, I noticed it had been grafitti'd in putrid green. An omen, I thought. I then recalled that I had just considered trying to barter away my leather belt for a sandwhich at the Barnes and Noble's cafee... grad school was expensive, and I was broke. No money for any extra elective courses.

Graduation came and went, and I soon found myself working in a new job that I absolutely love, but that can be very taxing and draining. A senior coworker took me aside one day last fall, and hosted a mini-intervention. I had to take up a hobby, she explained, or I would quickly burn-out. She told me that she had recently taken up horse-back riding. Although she did not quite understand the look of horror that streaked accross my face, I understood her message.

I wish this story had some triumphant climax, like "I then made my debut appearance in Carnegie Hall" Sadly, this ending, which is really a fulcrum for my piano playing, is much less grand. Baby-grand in fact. I just traded in my tiny little Weber for a Yamaha GC1!!! It comes on Friday! Perhaps not the piano of champions, but more than enough piano for me!

I've been back taking lessons since the beginning of February, studying a classical-only curriculum (that sounds really snobby but really it amounts to me turning my fingers into pretzels trying to play Bach's inventions!). I've been practicing daily for at least two hours(although not improving all that much!)... but most importantly, loving it!

So you see, my long-winded tale has a moral. The piano has been with me in some small way for most of my life, and although I have been a tad (okay very) unfaithful it has taken me back... and I've come to see that my piano will always love me... and will never sneeze in my face

What a great story! Thanks for taking the time to write it and congratulations on your new piano! Just don't paint it green!

Thalamus .. loved your story. Anything you've waited that long for is definitely worth waiting for.... putrid green or not!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Nick and I am 57 years young. I live on Long Island with my partner of 29 years and our black lab named Cleo. I was a teacher for 35 years, and recently retired.I was also an Asst. to the principal for 12 years. I currently work a few days a week as an adjunct for a local college where I supervise student teachers. I studied piano as a young man and let life get in-between so I've been away from it for a while. I enjoy llistening to and playing classical music. I recently, thanks to Mr. Hunky, learned to enjoy Neo-classical music where I have become a fan. I recently started piano again and bought my Vogel as a gift to myself for retirement. I stumbled upon the forum one evening while surfing the net and find it addicting. I have made wonderful contacts via the forum and enjoy corresponding with various piano enthusiasts around the world.
Along with piano and music, I study painting at a local studio where I am trying to master watercolor. I enjoy reading, this time for pleasure and especially enjoy reading French literature and culture. I speak French as well as some Italian and also enjoy the culture as I AM Italian. Love to cook and eat!
Cleo and I enjoy long walks in the New England woods. We have a home there in New Hampshire and love the quiet and serenity of a slower pace. Living in NY can be quite hectec, so time away is always welcomed.
My playing puts me in the Intermediate catagory I guess. I am hopeful that I will also be able to participate in the on-line recital.
I appreciate your time and interest in reading my mini bio. My best wishes to all of you and I look forward to corresponding with you on the forum.

Best Regards,
Nick

Thanks so much for reading it I do have a bad habbit of going on (and on [and I use a lot of brackets]). Hehe and yes - no painting it green!


Thanks Shimmer! I probaby would have taken the green clunker back just for sentimental reasons hehe!

And hello there Nick - I've also really enjoyed the great neo-classical recordings from Super Hunky, Monica, kawaigirl1 and others... enough so that I've started to learn a couple because they sound so nice! (shhhh! don't tell my teacher!). Welcome to the forum!

Hi everyone,

My name is Donna, I'm 50 years old, English by birth, a naturalized US citizen, and I live in Massachusetts with my husband of 24 (almost 25!) years and my 7-year-old Norwegian elkhound. I work part-time as an admin assistant at Harvard Medical School, and spend the rest of my time maintaining the yard, raking leaves or shoveling snow, depending on the season, cleaning the house,
and making meals from scratch as my husband's on a special diet (fortunately I like cooking). Oh, yes, and playing the piano. I started last year after many years of thinking I'd learn to play when I retired. Then I decided that if I waited that long my arthritic fingers might have seized up too much, so I seized the day instead, dragged a small Casio keyboard out of the closet where it had been languishing since my husband bought it on a whim, found the books he'd bought at the same time, and started teaching myself to play 'Ode to Joy'. A month later I was still at it, so we bought a piano. After a brief period with a digital Yamaha 213, I acquired a Kemble Empire vertical that I love - it has a mellower tone than the Asian-built pianos and has held its tuning remarkably well through the challenges of a New England winter.

I'm very much a beginner - still working my way through elementary pieces in the hope that things will eventually get easier. I'm working on the Minuet in G from Anna Magdalena's Notebook (excruciatingly difficult - please don't laugh), Shostakovich's Waltz from 'Six Children's Pieces', (not quite as difficult, but still a challenge), Gurlitt's 'Music Box' from 'Album for the Young' (ditto), and Judith Strickland's 'Sail-Away Sonatina' (my morale-boosting easy piece). Sometimes in the evening I accompany my husband, who's taken up guitar again after many years of not playing. We do a stellar 'Silent Night' (pun fully intended) and are getting nowhere fast with 'Stairway to Heaven'.

I discovered the Forums when I was doing my research before buying the Kemble and lurked for a while before joining. There's so much support and knowledge here - you've already helped me out a lot.

Thalamus, give up your demanding job and start writing novels. I loved your story.

And vogel54, you don't know how much your post made me long for retirement, even if it does mean even creakier knees. You're living the kind of retirement I hope to have for myself some day.

You and I were posting at the same time, Kemble88! Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum Donna! It's great that you decided to "seize the day" and start piano sooner rather than later. It must also be a lot of fun for you and your husband to play together, no matter how good or bad, it's the sharing that makes it special.

Welcome again!

Forgive me for not introducing myself before my first post(it was last week in the teachers forum...oops. i think I started a bruhahah about non-teachers posting)I'd better hang out with my own kind over here

My name is Mike. I just turned 40 I'm just starting to play piano but have played guitar and sung for years. I stumbled into these forums a month ago, and this interesting bunch has been tremendous help.

I have a wife and three sons and we live in Wilton CT. I'm a history teacher (second career) who used to work in advertising. Besides the piano obsession, I love to spend time with the family, cook, drink, play a little golf, work on the house, throw some paint on the canvas and call it art...

We are looking for the right teacher for each of us, but in the meantime we're just breakin it down...I'm working on the Moonlight Sonata, the Entertainer, and some blues tutorials that came with a CD.

Pleased to meet you all!

Just noticed this post so I'll introduce myself as well...

I'm Anna. I'm 39 and live in AZ with my husband and our two greyhounds. Currently I work for a very small import company. This is my "third career" if you will...worked many years in retail development for some of the biggie retailers...developing their international business. Burnt out went to cooking shcool and cooked for a while. Recently came across this opportunity with a very small business so took it. Miss the kitchen a lot though...

I played for about 11 years as a kid...from about 5 to 16 or 17. I really enjoyed it at the time but for whatever reason fell away from it(much of my 20s was spent overseas and that has a lot to do with it I'm sure...workaholic with no piano in sight). Married my husband who himself has a musical background...he's wanted a piano for years so I bought him one for his birthday in Feb as a surprise. We've both really enjoyed having a piano in the home...and are trying to find the right teacher for each of us.

I've been lurking around here for a bit - before the buying process and since. Enjoy this site alot!