I always wanted to learn the piano. I envied my friends who had to go to piano classes after school, even if they hated it. I loved watching their fingers skate across the keys with such confidence and deliberation. It seemed so magical, how those beautiful sounds came out of their taps. However, piano lessons, and a piano, cost money my parents didn’t have, so I settled on learning the saxophone in fifth grade but ditched it the next year.
Now, as an adult with the means, I decided to finally learn to play the piano. I was nervous about finding an instructor who only taught 8-year-olds and wouldn’t know what to do with a student in his 30s, so I convinced a good friend and colleague of mine, who has played the piano for nearly three decades, to teach me.
Our first class was just introducing me to the instrument and helping me become more comfortable with the keys. I thought I would be playing Heart and Soul by the end of the first session, but that was far from the case. It actually took me at least three sessions before I could put a string of notes together, but I eventually got there.
Then, my friend fell very ill and was no longer able to help me, so I had to figure something out on my own, and that’s when I found online piano lessons. This instruction was extremely helpful, and actually gave me motivation to practice every day, rather than once a week with my friend.
At the end of 21 days, not only could I play Heart and Soul but I could also play a few other tunes. With other arts to discover, I haven’t played my piano as much lately, but sometimes after a really rough day at work, I come home and mess around with the keys. It’s soothing, and something I hope to do more someday.