I wanted to do a little 'show and tell' about my Christmas gift from my lovely husband. This is the digital piano that he gave me. It's not as expensive as a traditional piano, but the sound is very good. And the keys feel like the ones on a regular piano. We had been talking about getting a piano for long time and I'm glad we decided to go ahead with the purchase. I had a perfect corner for it, though that is the corner where the Christmas tree resides during the 'season'. We'll see what happens next year.
Here's a little background on my music life and journey over the years. When I was 7 years old, there was a big suitcase-looking thing under my grandmother's Christmas tree that had a tag on it with my name. I was so excited about it. What could it be? It was big (or so it seemed to me). On Christmas morning I eagerly snapped open that 'suitcase' and there was....what was it? An odd looking thing with some piano keys on one side and some round button things on the other. I was very disappointed. Ha! It didn't look fun and it was not something I had asked for or wished for.
It was a child-sized accordion. I've placed a link in case you don't know what that is. Anyway, my mother (who apparently always wanted accordion or organ lessons - who knew?) thought it was a perfect gift. Well, I took accordion lessons until I was 12 and my Mom 'made me' share my music with all kinds of people. Mom was a dear woman and we visited a lot of older relatives in nursing homes and things like that. She always brought my accordion and I had to play. It was pretty much a horror for this book lover who liked hiding in the corner reading. Ha!
Happily, I outgrew the instrument (literally) and when I was 12, I asked for a piano. My parents purchased an organ. My sister and I had to take lessons for a few years. The happy part was we didn't have to transport the organ around with us playing for random people that we really didn't know. The thing is that when you play the accordion or the organ, you learn the right hand or treble clef notes. Your left hand doesn't learn the bass clef as well - you play with chords. So, I can play up a storm with my right hand (even still), but not my left.
One of my quests this year is to teach myself to play the piano - with both hands - and no chords. I could take lessons, but I'm going to try to do this with music books and possibly a few lessons on YouTube if I need to. I think it will be fun and no pressure involved. I've been a bit behind in starting because I have had a cyst on my left index finger that had to be 'frozen' by my dermatologist just before Christmas. This cyst is caused by a bone spur (probably) that comes from the arthritis in my fingers, plus I am left-handed and so this is my dominant hand. I've been healing and hoping it won't come back. If it becomes bothersome again, I'll probably have to have hand surgery, but we won't borrow trouble in that regard.
Playing the piano will be good for my hands and fingers, just like typing on a keyboard is good for them. My arthritis is not awful, but it's progressing and I've been looking for ways to keep my joints a little more supple. I think that making some music will do just that. Thanks for listening to my long story. So, do you play the piano (or even the accordion or organ)? Do tell - I'm curious how many of us took music lessons and how many have kept up with it over the years.
I think this is wonderful, Kay, I really do. I'm one of those frustrated people who's always wanted to be able to play some instrument or other but have not done anything about it. As a child I played the recorder at school and absolutely adored it. Possibly I should start looking around for opportunities to do something like that again. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteCath, you could play the recorder again. Truly. Ha!
DeleteOh God, Kay, I've just finished The Beautiful Mystery! 'Horrified' doesn't even start to describe it!
DeleteHmmm...I get it, Cath, totally. All I can say is soldier on and continue with the series. And remember that Louise Penny has some very long story arcs. :-)
DeleteI will soldier on but need a little break as I'm a trifle traumatised now. LOL!
DeleteWhat a perfect gift... I'm very happy for you, Kay! I took piano lessons for several years as a child, also played clarinet and bass clarinet throughout high school (band, pit band for musicals, and jazz band). My family is full of athletes but, though I am the world's best sports fan, I'm not one myself. We used to joke that my most series sports injury was when I slipped on the ice coming out of piano lessons and sprained my arm!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would love to pick up a clarinet again or take a few piano lessons. Enjoy rediscovering your musical talent!
Thanks, JoAnn! I guess rediscovering my music is a good way to put it. :-)
DeleteI’m so excited for your new music learning journey! I took piano lessons while I was growing up, but am not great at it. I did love my lessons, though. I made my son take piano lessons, but when he decided to quit in the 6th grade, I took his time slot and had piano lessons for a few more years as an adult.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I was in elementary school, I had a friend who played the accordion. We all thought she was awesome! Enjoy your new journey!
Wow, Robin! I'm impressed that you actually knew someone who played the accordion. Our daughter took piano for a very short time when some relatives loaned us theirs (we were actually storing it for them), but she didn't care for the teacher, the lessons or anything about it. I didn't insist that she continue. Ha!
DeleteI've always wanted to play the piano so I think this is very exciting!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy! I think it will be fun.
DeleteThis is a great gift. I contacted my daughter's choir teacher before Christmas to ask her for a keyboard recommendation. One that would be closets to a piano and she gave me what I needed but in the end, my daughter wanted an expensive pair of boots over a keyboard. BUT, turns out her friend got a piano for Christmas and her family gifted her expensive, high quality keyboard to my daughter and she has been using it non stop. She leaned how to play from YouTube. Can play almost any song by ear after a few tries. She learned the ukulele the same way. Every day she is singing and playing. It's lovely. She sometimes puts her stuff up on Instagram. She is pretty well received. You are gonna have a blast with that piano. Love the accordion story too.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty poor as a kid but my school would loan you an instrument for a few months at a time but never the same kind so I learned to play all the wind instruments, violin, which I was horrible at and percussion but wasn't too great at that either.
Ti, that's a great story about your daughter. I hope she really enjoys her keyboard. She's so talented. Nice that your school did loan instruments. I wouldn't have been good at percussion either. Ha!
DeleteHow wonderful, Kay! Thank you for sharing. I took guitar lessons in high school and always wish I had kept up playing. I was really more about the singing though. I sang in various choirs from childhood through college. My husband played the saxophone and other instruments in his high school days. He was in the high school marching band. Mouse received a keyboard for Christmas. It was the one thing she really wanted. I would like to get her lessons at some point. With dance though, we just can't afford it right now. We may try You Tube. Maybe we can teach each other.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your piano, Kay!
Yes, I think if you see Ti's comment above, she talks about her daughter learning to play from YouTube. Bet you and Mouse could try that. I love to sing too. Actually, my husband and I sing with our church worship ministry and so this will be a good thing to help with songs that we're not so familiar with. He wants to work on learning it as well, but he's had no music training whatsoever. He's got a really good ear though for the correct pitch and note when he sings. He also kind of taught himself to play the guitar when he was a teenager.
DeleteThanks so much, Vicki! Did you take organ lessons? Inquiring minds...
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you're taking up the piano. I love the piano. I don't play much any more, but I really enjoyed it growing up, and every once in awhile I dust off the keys and play a song or two. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat to know that you share a love of music too, Lark!
DeleteI took piano lessons for several years when I was young, but never really took it seriously. Although I can play music at a grade 6 level, I have no theory. Still, I'll be forever grateful to my parents for spending the money for me to learn: being able to read music is one of the joys of my life.
ReplyDeleteAfter I left home at 18, I didn't have a piano until my husband bought me one after a 30-year hiatus. I am thrilled to have it but don't play often enough. It breaks my heart that it will likely end up in a landfill when we downsize because no one wants actual pianos anymore, even though it's not a whole lot bigger than your new one.
I wish you years of enjoyment playing beautiful music!
Thanks, Debbie! I love to sing and also am glad that my parents insisted on my music lessons. Even if I wasn't so happy with their choice of instruments - ha!
DeleteAwesome Kay. Nope. Never took piano or any kind of music. I wanted to play an instrument in 5th grade but there was so much discussion about what instrument it could be, that I lost interest pretty quick. Probably a good thing. I don't think I would have stuck with it.
ReplyDeleteYou might have surprised yourself, Gayle, but I will say that the phrase about practice and perfection has a lot of truth. Ha!
DeleteHow fun, Kay! I hope you have a blast playing the piano!
ReplyDeleteI played flute from 3rd through 11th grades, and while I loved playing, I never thought I was super-great at it and I HATED playing in school concerts. So nerve-wracking being up there! However, I did have an aunt that was so inspired by my love of the flute that she started playing, too, and she has been playing for years now, in small groups, too.
My mom played the organ growing up and actually still has one, but I don't think she plays much anymore, although with her grandkids getting old enough to perhaps start getting into instruments soon, maybe she will!
Oh, I always thought that playing the flute would be wonderful. I had two friends in high school who played the flute and were in the band.
DeleteMy grandparents had a piano in their basement and I taught myself how to play a few songs, by ear only. I couldn't read music. My heart wasn't into practicing so I switched from tinkering on the piano to a few years of playing the clarinet.
ReplyDeleteI hope your hand heals quickly and you're able to have fun learning.
My college roommate played the clarinet. I always thought that would be fun.
DeleteThat's a lovely post and thank you for sharing, Kay! I'm afraid I've no talent when music is concerned; and I always admire those who know how to play musical instruments. Hope your finger gets better!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melody! Music is not that hard to learn. Maybe you'll try it one day.
DeleteI grew up in a family with a love of singing and listening to music but with absolutely no musical talent outside of that. I gave it a whirl a couple of times, but I have to admit that my heart wasn't in it (which is not exactly a recipe for success). Have fun with your endeavors!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's good to try things, but if they don't work for you (like knitting for me - ha!) then we move on to something that does. :-)
DeleteOh, Kay, I am so happy about this! I love thinking of you playing your piano! I think it is such a gift to be able to make music. I did take piano lessons as a kid, but quit before I was a teenager. I'm not very dextrous, and though I did okay, I never really "got" it. Sorry about your arthritis. You know me - I went looking for foods, and came up with this: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-foods-for-arthritis#section10 Exercising your fingers will be very, very good, I think. And you hear beautiful music. Really just thrilled about this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nan! I looked at the list and I already eat several of the foods - fatty fish (I eat salmon at least once or twice a week), grapes, and berries (every day). I don't do garlic or spinach and am not very fond of broccoli. I do use olive oil (sparingly) and eat a few nuts (sometimes walnuts - again sparingly). And, yes, exercising the fingers however is good. My fingers don't hurt all that much - a little stiff in the mornings - oh, I also shelve books at the library at least once a week. It's amazing how much finger dexterity you get from that. Ha!
DeleteWhat a wonderful present and I can't wait to hear how your music journey goes this year! I did play the violin for several years and actually still have my violin but haven't picked it up since college. I keep thinking one of these days I may try it again. Hope your finger gets better!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that you played the violin, Iliana. Maybe you should try it again in days to come. And thanks - my finger is doing better.
DeleteLovely, thoughtful gift. I hope it brings you pleasure Kay.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. I think it will.
DeleteOh Kay, the accordion paragraph made me laugh out loud :) My grandmother was an LPN in a nursing home and every Saturday when I was little we would go and visit her favorite residents and I would sing songs, my ABCs...I can't imagine what would have happened it I'd had an actual skill like the accordion! Did you read about Jason's 30 day challenge to learn the piano? He did it all by You Tube. In his wrap up post he shared a video in what he managed to learn in 30 days. Good luck!!! http://my30daychallenges.com/category/piano/
ReplyDeleteStacy, you made me laugh too. I wouldn't actually call my accordion playing a skill. It wasn't all that good and I can only imagine what the residents thought. Ha! I remember that Jason did that piano challenge. I'll take a look again. :-)
DeleteI HATED taking piano lessons as a kid, but I've always wished that I had stuck with them. I liked playing songs I wanted to play; I just DETESTED having to practice scales and other boring stuff. I thought about re-teaching myself as an adult when we inherited a family piano, but I never did and now it's been a few years since we gave it away. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goal. I'm sure it will be a fun, no-pressure pursuit. Have a great time with it!
Yes, those scales and practice were tiresome. I finally got to the point that I didn't mind so much because when I was practicing, my Mom wouldn't be making me vacuum or clean the bathroom, etc. Ha!
DeleteHooray for you! I'll bet you have great fun learning how to play and entertaining yourself with your new toy. I have always admired those who can play the piano, but have never learned myself. I can sit down and fool around with a couple of songs, but I usually just play by ear since I'm terrible about reading music. I still have to say Every Good Boy Does Fine to figure out the notes. :) Good luck and have fun!
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you mentioned 'Every Good Boy Does Fine'! And the other reminder is 'F A C E'. Takes me back...
DeleteNow that is a fantastic gift. How wonderful! I look forward to hearing about your progress.
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to see this post. My husband has had one eye surgery -- right after Christmas -- and has another scheduled tomorrow and I haven't been very attentive to anything lately.
It is a nice gift. Oh, you want progress? Ha! No worries about seeing the post and commenting. We all come and go as we're able. Hope your husband's eye surgery goes well and that he recovers fully. Take care.
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