| I can remember sitting down at my Dad's old | | | | accumulated in the 5 years I'd been learning |
| Wurlitzer organ. I knew nothing about playing | | | | to play by ear. It was so foreign to read |
| it, I was just impressed by its appearance. | | | | from a page and translate that to the |
| All those black and white keys and the | | | | keyboard. I just couldn't coordinate reading |
| colored buttons, just looking at it sparked | | | | and playing. |
| an interest and sense of excitement at such a | | | | |
| young age. But the real magic came when I | | | | If I can share a thought with you: |
| turned it on and played a couple notes...I | | | | |
| was hooked! | | | | - If you've shown an interest and even the |
| | | | slightest ability, take lessons - the younger |
| I would rush home from school every day just | | | | the better. Don't give yourself the chance to |
| to try a new song I'd heard. I probably drove | | | | pick up bad habits. Sure it's easy and music |
| my mother crazy, fumbling through song after | | | | comes naturally to you but take that gift and |
| song note after note. She never said | | | | start honing and shaping it early. Aquire the |
| anything, she could see the joy and sheer | | | | tools and skills that well structured lessons |
| concentration on my face. I would start a | | | | can provide. There are so many resources |
| song over dozens of times if I made a | | | | today that weren't around when I was young. |
| mistake, slowly learning which key made what | | | | The internet, of course is probably the best |
| sound. It was a labor of love for me and an | | | | place to start. Google music lessons. Local |
| exercise in patience for her. | | | | papers are another avenue. At the very least, |
| | | | look into it. |
| When my Dad learned of my interest in music | | | | |
| he beamed. He shared my love of music and | | | | Another suggestion: |
| admired those who could play well. We would | | | | |
| sit together on Saturday nights and watch the | | | | - Keep it fun! It's hard to learn when you |
| piano players Big Tiny Little and Jo Ann | | | | find it boring. Even if you find lessons |
| Castle on the Lawrence Welk show and marvel | | | | sheer drudgery and your teacher smells of |
| at their talent. My Dad had a natural talent | | | | furniture polish, find something you like |
| and although he never learned to read music, | | | | about the experience and focus on that. |
| he enjoyed playing, mostly the old | | | | Concentrate on the end result, it'll make the |
| standards... for him it was just for the | | | | lessons go faster. |
| pleasure it brought. | | | | |
| | | | One last piece of advice: |
| As I grew older and became more adept at | | | | |
| playing, at my parents request I would | | | | - Stick With It! Develop this trait and it |
| perform for family and friends. At family | | | | will carry through even the toughest lessons |
| gatherings, we'd sit in the living room and | | | | and steepest learning curves. It's a |
| people would shout out requests. I had come | | | | characteristic, that if deeply engrained, |
| to the point where I could play many of the | | | | will improve your music and your life. Too |
| popular songs of the day. Noting this, my Mom | | | | many people, including me, start things only |
| and Day decided it was time for music | | | | to find themselves running into the |
| lessons. They set me up with a local teacher | | | | inevitable bump in the road and they quit, |
| at a music store downtown and I was off. The | | | | often just before an unforeseen breakthrough. |
| teacher was extremely nice and like my Mom, | | | | Stay the course!... Even the smallest success |
| showed the patience of Job. I loved the idea | | | | might give you the motivation to keep going. |
| of being able to read music but that's where | | | | |
| I ran into a problem. If I new the song, my | | | | As an adult I still love playing, but still |
| natural ear would take over and I'd play | | | | can't read music. I even tried picking up a |
| faster than I could read the notes and would | | | | guitar and found myself falling into the same |
| quickly become lost. It soon became a lesson | | | | old habits. I opened a book, learned a half |
| in frustration for me. | | | | dozen chords and began playing, though not |
| | | | well. I still enjoy playing and like my Dad, |
| I'm sure many musicians out there have run | | | | I play for the sound of the music and sense |
| into the same problem. They probably picked | | | | of fulfillment it gives me knowing that music |
| up an instrument at a young age and figured | | | | is coming from me. |
| it out on their own. When it came time for | | | | |
| formal training they fell into the same | | | | I know there are many musicians who |
| category as me and lessons became a chore. | | | | reportedly don't read music and are very |
| | | | successful but I imagine those are the |
| I stopped the lessons, taking from them what | | | | exceptions and I'll always wonder where it |
| I could and always regretting that I didn't | | | | might have taken me if I'd had the |
| continue. At the tender age 12 years, it | | | | perseverance to stay with the lessons. |
| seems I couldn't unlearn the habits I'd | | | | |