“I can see you’ve been working really hard†Sam enthused encouragingly, his sincere expression belying the truth: “you haven’t really worked all that hard till now, have you?â€. I grinned sheepishly and took the compliment like the eager student that I am. It’s hard going, and slow going, but I am determined to succeed. “Jingle Bells†my new nemesis, “She’ll be comin’ ‘round the Mountain†my stretch goal.
Being able to play the piano has always been a latent goal of mine but it’s always been something I’ve left in the “I’ll do it later†bucket. I picked it up recently out of necessity: I need to know how to read music in order to join a good choir. Once started, however, piano has become something of a goal in and of itself.
I guess that having a gym instructor has taught me the truth of the platitude: you’re never too old to learn. I know more about biceps than I ever really expected I would need to know. Another truth is that you learn far easier with instruction. I’ve taken to getting lessons for things I’m not so good at so that I can improve. It really does work.
Sam (my piano instructor) and I have discovered that my wrists are all bent out of shape from my keyboard at work: so out with the old keyboard layout that has served me well all my life and in with the natural keyboard I have shunned until now. I have even started finishing work on time so that I can have time to practise. Like anything that requires a modicum of discipline, this piano playing goal has started having a positive influence on other areas of my life.
The video below shows my progress at playing “sailor’s hornpipeâ€.