Music

Home
Music Musings
Piano Lessons

Anna and I (fortunately) both enjoy the same kinds of music; mostly Jazz and instrumental Classical music. As a child, Anna took piano lessons and convinced herself and apparently everyone else around her that she just didn't have any natural ability as a musician. I suspect that with the right approach she might surprise herself, but I haven't been able to convince her to try.

I started experimenting with my mother's piano during my early teen years and when I was 14 years old began taking lessons from Don Shaw in Elgin to play by a method that entails learning to interpret the guitar chords written along the top of the staff on most popular music in conjunction with the melody line. This is considerably easier than learning to read all the notes in both the F (bass) and G (treble) clefs as required for playing classical music. It also provides a good foundation for improvisation and playing Jazz music. However, it is limited to playing popular music written with the chord notation above a melody staff (the stuff of "fake books").

I have played jazz piano for most of my life, but I have always felt limited by my relative lack of formal training. I tried taking lessons along the way, but as a working engineer, I never seemed to have the time and energy to follow through with the dedicated discipline and practice that is required. It seems I used up all that kind of mental energy at my workplace, so I tended to come home and play the piano for relaxation rather than really "practice". As a result, my progress as a musician has been limited.

After retirement one of my goals is to make significant progress as a pianist. To this end I have added Piano Lessons to my agenda.

This Page last modified on Monday, September 18, 2006