Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum OT, Tell us about yourself

Hi,
As my handle states, my name is Mark. I'm 52, married with 3 sons. 24, 19, and 10...The oldest is an Architect. (Proud Dad). I coach my sons little league team each spring which keeps me busy. I also do lots of running as a form of exercise.

I live down by the Jersey Shore and work full time as a paramedic and part time as an RN working in a cardiac cath lab. I'm on call for emergency angioplasty most of the time.

As for my piano. I have always loved the sound of piano and bought my first acoustic back in the early 70's during my Elton John years. I took lessons then but never really progressed.

I'm back now for the past few months and practicing 1-2 hours a day. I finally hooked up with a teacher recently and have progressed more in 3-4 months than I did in the 1-2 years from my past.

I like Classical, rock, and pop music as well as blues and Jazz. It's all good. I really like music that hits that sweet emotional spot in people souls. Especially mine.

I plan on giving the piano all I have for a year or two and see if I can play it finally. I believe I have no natural talent except the will to want it very badly.

I use this place for my daily motivation as well as a learning tool...

Mark

Hi Monica,
Thanks! I was a bit nervous about retirement but quickly got over that!
Stay Well,

Best Regards,
Nick

Thalamus,
Isn't Neo-classical wonderful! What would you recommend I learn to play?

Best Regards,
Nick

Yes! Some really nice and simple pieces that sound beautiful! I downloaded a really easy Jim Brickman sheet music because I wanted a nice song that I could learn pretty quickly. But I think I'm at a much lower level than you're at right now - I think I might be lucky to call myself an enthusiastic begginner. For some more intermediate pieces you might check the Ludovico Einaudi thread - I think his big 'best of' song book has some really nice pieces. I'm looking forward to hearing the piece you choose!

Thalamus,
Thanks for the info regarding neo-classical pieces. LOVE Ludovico Einaudi but I think his work would be a little too difficult for me. There are a few according to the thread that are easier to play. I will certainly look at the Jum Brickman sheet music. Are you familiar with John Tesh or Yani? Would you consider them neo-classical pianists?

Best Regards,
Nick

Hi Nick!

I'm also only recently introduced to neo-classical , so it might be best if someone with more knowledge were to answer your question about Yani and Tesh.

I do remember once long ago (over 10 years ago) learning a song by John Tesh and being pleasantly surprised (had a bit of trouble getting the Entertainment Tonight image out of my head LOL!) but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. I've never played any Yani. I haven't started any of the easier Ludovico Einaudi pieces, but I've looked at two of them and they seem like they'd really be good pieces to tackle at earlier levels (hehe but I think it might take me a bit to get through them!).

By the way... have you thought of painting a watercolor of your piano?

Quote

Originally posted by Monica Kern:
Thalamus, give up your demanding job and start writing novels. I loved your story

And thanks Monica! thats very nice of you to say

Thalamus,
Do you paint? I have found water color very difficult to master. Right now I'm working on birds using water color pencil. If I get good enough, I will paint my piano and post it.
What music do you enjoy playing besides neo-classical? I studied music in the past, was a music major, turned teacher in college. Took a wonderful class in college regarding Beetoven's work. We would analyze various works of his. I am currently reading about Chopin's life and work. I posted a thread regarding the dissonace in his work and how it creates harmony. I got a few replys. It helps you understand the person when you analyze thier music.

Don't you just love Monica!

...aw shucks... [blushes] thanks, guys.

Everybody here loves Monica, Monica, everybody here loves Mo-ni-ca...She's the brightest, she's astute, sitting infront of her piano, she's so cute...We adore you, we applaud you, thanks for being here, that's the truth!

(sung to Momma's Little Baby..."

Monica I do have to agree that you're one of the nicest people! Your contributions in this forum have made me, and I suspect many others, feel very welcome, so thank you!

Nick I've never tried my hand at painting, although in the past I've enjoyed using chalks/pastels. I can only imagine how tricky watercolor must be! But I bet you'd get great satisfaction from completing a painting, similar to working through a nice piece on the piano - it would be great to see some of your finished pices!

Right now, I'm primarily working on classical pieces - with my teacher some Bach inventions (I really like Bach!) and I'm trying to polish the ever popular Chopin prelude in e (minor I think). I may be tackling a Beetoven sonata next. I've also started a really nice sounding piece from Jim Brickman because with the new piano coming tomorrow I know friends and family will expect me to be able to play something on it hehe!

And I agree! Knowing something about the composer really helps in understanding a composition - I've always loved listening to classical music but now I'm starting to learn about it!

Congratulations on the piano!!! Do we know the make and model? What did you get?
Bach? I remember many years ago studying his work and found it very difficult. I love to listen to him but I don't like to play Bach. Two part inventions? Yuk! It must be as a result of my piano teacher forcing me to play. "Nicholas, you Must be able to execute a Bach invention if you want to be considered a true pianist." I never understood that one!

I might as well do this now, since I'm bored at work and I never really introduced myself to the PW comunity.

My name is Justin and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am 24 years old and happily single (more practice time!!!). I played piano for 2-3 years when I was in elementary school. I picked up the saxophone in 5th grade and played it until I got to college. Minus one semester with a jazz band, I took a hiatus from playing musical instruments in college. I graduated in December 2006. With a steady income, and too much free time, I decided I would start taking piano lessons again. I started last March so, it's been about a year.

My teacher and I are focusing on classical styles, although I do like to dabble in composition and jazz, and will probably get into that more as I progress.

I practice anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours a day on my Technics (forgot the model) digital piano.

[Frazzled married mom who doesn't get nearly enough practice time sighs with envy.]

Welcome, ckcornflake!

Haha, you asked for it…well…

I was born in 1970 (which makes me 37 this year) and I have been married for 8 months and 1 day! I have been with (now hubbie) since 1990, I never rush into anything!

I am a philomath but totally lazy, so I lounge around, dreaming about being knowledgeable! My favourite quote (apart from almost anything Oscar Wilde said) is;

"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then— to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn." – T H White “The Once and Future King”


We love to travel and will possibly be making our first trip outside Europe this year to NY. Which brings me on to my current obsession- Billy Joel! (I have this dream that I bump into him in NY- yeah, fat chance! I’m not a stalker by the way and am not going to NY to stalk him or anything! )

My ambition is to be able to play Piano Man on the piano and play the harmonica bits too! But I’ve also spent a small fortune on 'easy to play' songbooks by; The Beatles, The Carpenters, Simon & Garfunkel, Melanie (Safka) and I think I even bought a Burt Bacharach one at some point- then I realised how sexist some of his lyrics were! My husband also pointed out that if he has lots of friends in San Jose then why doesn’t he phone them and ask THEM the way?

I write poetry and am hoping to one day combine my 2 loves (Piano and poetry) and try my hand at songwriting. I have a web site www.liverpoolpoet.talktalk.net which has some of my poetry on it, plus my blog.

So, if you wanted to know more about me and what I get up to, you can go there.

Oh yes, my name is Justine- I'd like to say I was named after a character from a Marquis De Sade novel but my mum used to watch Justine Lord in the TV series "The Doctors"!

Anyone who quotes Dorothy Parker, loves Oscar Wilde, has read the "The Once and Future King" and is from the culture capital of the world...is, well, deserving of a big welcome! So

WELCOME!!

I detect a bit in this Brit,
Of a charming and hilarious wit,
An egg-head to boot
What a glorious hoot
She's sure to be a King-sized hit!

Kathleen

Okay, I'll jump in -- better late than never.
I'm 49 and a high school librarian to 900 boys in a private school in New York.
Played and studied piano from age 10 to 18.
Inherited the family piano 10 years ago.
Decided in January to start playing again and am having a marvelous time.
Was recently told by the music teacher at our school (WHO HAS NEVER HEARD ME PLAY) that the Hanon exercises were too advanced for me.
Am having still more fun by ignoring him.
-- susi

Hi, everyone. Other than playing drums in a rock band years ago, I wasn't much into music. Looking for distraction after my husband died, I bought a cheap used spinet and signed up at the local music store for 1/2 hour lessons. That was 4 years ago, when I was 66. For a year playing was sort of a half hearted sideline. Then one night, driving the 80 miles home from the university where I'd been also half heartedly working on a PhD in medieval medicine, I heard a broadcast of Jon Kimura Parker and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1. I was so stunned by the power, majesty and beauty of the performance I actually pulled off the highway to sit and listen. Wow! I gave away the spinet, bought a Yamaha baby grand, dropped out of school, got a private (wonderful) teacher and am now a confirmed pianoholic. Other things in my life: I was an RN for 35 years, raised 6 children, 5 daughters, 1 son. I love them all dearly despite the fact that they hate classical music. All you kind people at PW forums have been my support and strength with your ideas and insight and I thank you and appreciate you!

Wow...that is interesting.

When I was a kid, I spent 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th grade in Japan as an MK.
(missionary kid).
We were EXTREMELY lucky and had an old upright piano for me to dink around with.
I'd hear those McDonalds melodies and other commercial jingles and plink em out
on that ole piano. My Mom was pretty impressed, so I grew to like that.
In 5th or 6th grade I took a piano lesson at school.
It really sucked.

The dang teacher wanted me to play scales, scales, scales and yet even more
SCALES!
And I was getting frustrated with all this music where my left hand had to be
playing notes AT THE SAME TIME as my right hand.
I QUIT !!

I just stuck with those commercial jingles.
My Mom was just as happy and so was I.

Soooooo, I grew up, got through high school, college and hit my first real job.
My Gramma always told me I should get BACK to playing the piano.
I ignored her. Well, tried to. She was pretty tough to ignore.

THEN i found out there were these things called SYNTHESIZERS.
And I now had the kind of money to buy one.
And you could hook em to your COMPUTER !!
And the COMPUTER could play the music FOR YOU !!
That was it.

Computers were my first love.
See <a href="http://shazware.com/me/pcPast.html" target="_new">here</a>
But, well, I'd found somebody new.

Well, not like that, really. I'm afraid computers are still my first love.
But music is my second.
Well, ok, stick my wife and kids and family in front of those,
but you get the idea...

So I tool around with ditty for a while and discover that, hmmm, the computer
CAN play the music for you. But you really don't want IT making the music.
You want IT -helping- you make the music.
Otherwise, well, the music you get out will be EXACTLY the music you put in.

You're still gonna have to learn the piano, Steve !!

Well, my kids are mostly grown now (youngest in 6th grade!).
I seem to be getting more time for ME lately and it's NICE and, hmm, how can
I put it to good use...?
Let's seeee...

Then BAM!
stumbleupon.com got me to pianofundamentals.com got me to pianoworld.com

Meet Mr. Adult Beginner !!

...Steve