Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Why Do You Play The Piano?

I was speaking to some guys offshore about how in time travel films they always worry about going back in time and making some minor change like drinking a cup of coffee or killing a bug that has a massive effect on the future but people don't really consider making a tiny change and how that could have a massive effect on the future.

Fast forward a few weeks and (it was quiet) I ended up watching the various pianist on YouTube with the syntesia show going on. Very pretty and it was at that point that it kind of dawned on me for the first time that there were patterns to music. Thought "I wish I realised this 20 years ago and learned and instrument".

It slowly dawned on me what I was actually doing.

Bought a piano a week after I got back. Going to see a tutor on Monday (hopefully). Very VERY excited.

Want to get good strong fundamentals. I'm trying to understand music theory as best I can. I'm finding it all very fun. Even the newbie songs are good. I spent an hour playing with On top of old smokey playing with dynamics, the pedal, using chord instead of broken chords, playing stacatto on the left legato on the right. Its just entertaining. I've been trying sort of swaying into chord changes if that makes sense. Not trying teleport my hand to the next chord change, but just trying to be fluid. Seems to help too.

Koombot, learning to play the piano isn't exactly a 'tiny change', it's huge LOL And so much fun to be able to make 'sound' yourself.

I have trouble with seemingly conflicting adjectives ('quietly loud", etc) which seems to especially occur in 19th century musical scores. I also have problems with most 19th century instructions as most 19th century musicians and music critics and analysts seem to have transcended our humble plane of existence. 🤣

For example, the following commentary is written by a contemporary associate of Liszt's. The words are understandable. Half the meaning is either mush or transcendent. I can't figure out which.

(The below article is being cutoff for some reason. Here is a link to the full thing.)

🙄

Welcome to PW, Koombot! Music theory alone is not as helpful as music theory tied to the instrument. In fact, my teacher has me working through a series of workbooks called Fundamentals of Piano Theory, which underscores this linkage. Enjoy your piano journey!

I think I can actually make some sense of your article, though some parts definitely sound like mumbo-jumbo to me... It reminds me of a jocular observation by a former colleague of mine, who had just got her PhD degree: "You know, if you're giving a presentation about your research, you just need to blather about some complicated-sounding nonsense. You'll look smart and your audience will assume they are dumb because they won't understand anything."

Lina Ramann is only one example of this. The more "artsy-fartsy" the 19th century musical composer, performer, appreciator, critic, etc. was, the more exoteric the vocabulary and usage, describing things which are quite logically impossible. 🙄 By the beginning of the 20th century, musicians and critics appear to have largely gotten over themselves....

I studied in the piano class for 5 years when I was a schoolgirl. These were great times. Then we sold my instrument and I didn’t sit down for the game anymore. Actually, I really miss the piano. I think that in the next couple of years I will definitely resume my lessons

Hi everybody.

This seemed the obvious place to make my first post.

This is the third time that I’ve taken up the piano over about 25 years and this time I think it may work. I’ve moved my piano into a room where it faces a window. It’s now a pleasant environment to practice, as previously it faced a wall.
The main reason that I took it up this time is because now I'm of an age where I want to improve myself and to be better tomorrow than I am today.
As I already have a piano, this seemed to be the obvious choice.

I had lessons many moons ago. He was a great pianist but now I think that he was not such a great teacher. For now I’m going to go it alone for a while and see how I get on.

After a couple of months I feel that I am now beyond where I left off and feel that I am progressing faster and enjoying it more than ever.
I’m slowly building a productive practice regime comprising of scales, Schaum books for beginners for my sight reading, finger exercises and some music pieces.
But this time, thanks to youtube, I've also added some fun elements at the end of my practice sessions like learning the theme from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', fast arpeggios and crossovers - basically show-offy stuff. The internet has given me invaluable information like the importance of accuracy over speed, not letting mistakes fester, not over-practicing and how important the time is between practice where the brain continues to digest and process what it has learnt. I now find it quite exciting when I start a practice session, seeing how much I’ve improved since the last. Muscle memory is quite fascinating.

I do however have an ultimate goal in mind and that is to be able to play the theme from 'On Golden Pond' by the wonderful Dave Grusin - I think that it may be the most beautiful piano piece that I’ve ever heard.
I've vowed to myself that I won’t buy the music or practice the piece until I can do it the justice that it deserves and I mean the original version and not a simplified interpretation.
I’m not sure how long it’s going take me but I’m in no hurry and with all the resources that I have at my disposal, this time round I’m optimistic that I can do it.

Ok, you peaked my curiosity. I'm listening to the theme from OGP now. Good luck with your studies, and welcome to the forum!

Welcome to PW, treefrog, and good luck!

Welcome treefrog! I like your attitude - we all have to find our own way.

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome.

I took up trombone in junior high school playing in the marching and concert bands. Continued that through high school and marching band mostly through university. Never took lessons or studied theory. After university, I played in various community wind bands and a couple of big bands. I was not very good but enjoyed it. Had to give it all up when my career started requiring lots of travel and I just couldn't keep up.

I always wanted to learn piano and guitar. Bought both keyboard and a guitar. When I wasn't travelling, I worked at home, so figured I could work on piano/guitar during slow times and kinda teach myself. Well, that didn't work out so well.

I was always kinda of jealous of my music major friends. They knew so much about music that I had no idea.

So, when I retired in Sept 2016 I immediately enrolled in the local community college. Took four semesters of theory, guitar class for three semesters, class piano for four semesters and private piano. Now, I'm concentrating on taking the piano ensemble class and a private lesson. And I'm forced to do recitals for each every semester. I finally had a decent solo recital this semester.

I've been playing on a Yamaha S90ES keyboard at home. The piano ensemble practices on Roland digital pianos, so that transition is not too bad. My private lesson is on a Yamaha upright and I'm finally getting somewhat used to that. Recitals are on grands but we usually only get one chance to play on those just. I still struggle a bit with that transition.

So, I'm in the process of getting a grand hybrid. Looking at the Kawai NV10 which I just spent an hour with this afternoon at the Kawai dealer. Hoping to get to the Yamaha N1X sometime this week.

So looking forward to having an instrument that plays and sounds like a real piano.

Welcome, Andy! I think it's fantastic that you decided to go back to college...seems like a nice way to keep yourself occupied after retirement. I've been eyeing a ukulele class at my local college, but I'm already overwhelmed with piano and multiple clarinets. I'm a band geek as well.

I can tell you why I could not play the piano firstly . I had an accident with an electric drill that twisted my left thumb and made it impossible to grip anything like a door handle for a month. Just bad luck I thought but it had a happy ending.
Before the accident I could never reach an octave with my left hand. I used to play violin as well . After the accident and when my hand had recovered I found that the time off and relaxation has allowed the hand to open much better and now the reach is about one inch longer than it ever was .
My right hand has always been able to reach an octave. Now my left hand reaches much further than the right .The left was always shorter even when I tried stretches. That just hurt my fingers .
So if you have a short reach in one hand ---give it a months holiday and see what happens .Tape it up and don`t use it for a month . It was not planned , but I like the change .

I started to play piano to help maintain my finger strength as I get older.

I will also use it to input music directly into my DAW.

I took some piano lessons when I was a child but gave up later. Now I want to start them again as I love this kind of music so much.

First want to say I really relate to Koombot's experience at the top of the page- I was slowed on piano by largely conceiving it as something I absolutely had to READ music- note by note and a score of music EXACTLY as it is written- and as I got into that I thought myself very POOR at it and it hurt my enthusiasm- it was when I started playing my left hand rhythmically and adding the right hand melody that it became more fun, and opened up my own belief in expanding my own abilities

Why do I play piano? Because I love listening to piano.

I loved carols at school and songs in class- there's always been something about piano. I was turning the radio dial late last night and came upon Billy Joel and "I Love You just the Way You are" and thought- Geez- what a great song and great TIME that was- I had three or four Billy Joel albums and the mid to late 70's and late college days were special- even if I couldn't play a note- well except a crude version of Summer of 42- a track and film I found incredibly moving.

My freshman year my roommate and I played INCESSANTLY Emerson Lake and Palmer, my first semester in the dorm. and my favorite parts were piano- but what CREATIVITY- where did they CONCIEVE of that kind of music I wondered. I also found the Moody Blues in college and tracks like the piano in Burn Slowly the Candle of Life are still precious and special.

Even before in High School- it was Elton John- the very early classical stuff- and the Friends soundtrack- God I had that record and LOVED it. Elton was the first concert I ever saw- my second year of college in 1974 and I also saw Billy Joel, Emerson Lake and Palmer and even RAY CHARLES at the Hollywood Bowl back in the '80's.

Got into old pop music too and love Hoagy Carmichael. I'll probably recall more later, but can't just fuggin write all night. Gotta practice!

I was offered free piano lessons by a music teacher when I was 27, and I thought picking up the instrument would be a good way to redeem myself, after failing to learn the guitar at 15. I kept at it for almost 10 months, and then quit temporarily. I went back to playing in 2012, and since then I haven't stopped.

im in my early 30s.
ive always wanted to play music, but i was crap at my first instrument.
3 months of trying with no progress.
partly because i could not practice it silently, so i did not practice at all.

however, the moment i switched to the piano my progress was ... quick.
my digital piano had headphones and the anxiety of anyone hearing me play evaporated.
i finished the Alfred level 1 method book in a month.
and im 95% through Alfred level 2 with 4 months, with a few hard pieces left.

i look at the pianists on Youtube and find my playing still lacking in so many ways.