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

Welcome to the forum, Jedi! Is that your photo in your avatar, btw?

What kind of music do you like to play?

Ah my avatar is a guy lighting a cigarette with a lightsaber (not me, I don't smoke)

As far as music I have a pretty broad taste, mostly rock and heavy metal music, not alot of piano in it as far as playing, I am pretty new to the whole affair but I would love to be able to play your well known rock and pop type songs for friends and family, this guy was my inspiration for finally going out and getting lessons after months of telling myself I must get around to it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PVlMTCG-BI

I have since heard Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata though and have changed my goal almost completely Still a noob I guess.

What a great link to start my work week! Thanks for posting it. (The piano was fantastic... his vocals, well, another story. )

That was impressive...wouldn't suggest he give up his day job on the voice part but great chops....
btw...Jedi...welcome to the forums...

Hi everyone!
I'm 41, married to a beautiful woman and have two great kids. I started taking piano lessons with my son two years ago when he was 5. My daughter(10)plays violin. I'm hoping exposing and educating my children to the beauty of music will make their lives as adults more fulfilling. As for me, I started messing around with my sons lesson books and haven't looked back. I practice daily and I love it. I gave up golfing this year to spend more time practicing! and I really love golf!
Anyway-I look forward to getting to know everyone.
Thanks!

I'm 18 years old and I currently reside in Chicago ill. I enjoy composing music, have been doing it for awhile now. I picked up a bootleg les paul by epiphone, and a cheap-o casio in order to help develope my understanding of instruments, It wasn't untill I touched a real piano for the first time that I realized it was the instrument for me; the guitar is an awsome instrument no doubt; I love to hear it, but seriously hate playing it. I still live with my mother, I actually Started School very late and I'm in my junior year of high school currently. I don't really have a strong social life, just tons of associates; I'm not shy or anything, I just prefer to be alone most of the time.
Aside from all of that, my interest and Hobbies are drawing, writing, creating maps in various video games, and indoor basketball.

Hi,

I've been lurking in these forums for awhile and thought it was time for an introduction.

I had a couple years of lessons 30 some years ago but then largely gave up piano, save for terrorizing my family with the only songs I remembered, The Little Drummer Boy and the first few measures of the Entertainer. Over the years the impulse to return hit me, but never quite that hard. Until a couple of months ago when an impulse turned into a burning need to buy a digital piano and learn how to play it. I'm sure for the rest of my life I will recall what triggered me to invest all this money and time -- driving in my car listening to the intro to Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time". Yes, an unlikely source, but I wanted to play it!

I picked up a Casio PX-320, a couple of books (Fabers, Alfreds) and went to work. It's going to be a long haul, but I sure am enjoying it. I also started picking up some books on music theory. While I was happy to have retained some (minimal) playing and reading ability from my 2 years of lessons, I was disappointed how little my teacher had given me with regards to music theory. Within an hour of reading I was picking up more theory than 2 years of teaching provided me. Perhaps she thought I was too young.

My tastes are geared more towards Rock/Pop. I might expand that to a little bit of Jazz and Classical. Some day I'd love to be able to play by ear although I'm skeptical it will happen.

I went looking for this forum and was surprised it's really the only one of it's kind. It (and all of you) are a source of great knowledge and inspiration.

Thanks,

Dave

Hi,

I've also been lurking for a few months. I am primarily a bass player and laptarist, but recently took up the piano. I had a few semesters of piano in college, but never really took to it. My wife started playing about 6 months ago.

She and I got a 1928 Chickering as our Father's/Mother's Day present for each other, and our tuner just brought it back to life. Much to my suprise, I have been playing it every day and enjoying it.

Outside of music, I run a database marketing and analytics company, have a fantastic wife and 2yo son, and 2 large and fluffy GSD/Chow mixes.

Currently working through Mikrokosmos Book 1 and the Real Book. Listen to all different kinds of music, although the piano seems to be bringing more classical music into our household.

It's been so nice reading about everyone! I feel as though I have a whole bunch of new friends.

Me; well, I'm 50, married (for a loooooong time) have a daughter, 19 and a son 17. I took piano as a kid, and like most adult restarters, dropped it as a kid. (My teacher was really weird; picture the Addams Family's living room with a grand piano wedged in the corner.) I've been taking lessons again, with my daughter, for a total of about 5 years now. Kate & I have been known to have 'friendly' competitions over who can play better. Son takes guitar, husband was a high-school band geek who is still known to drag out his cornet on occasion and give the dogs coronaries. Our other interests are camping, keeping our little British car running, and lots and lots of yard work! I work as a technology teacher in an elementary school; I teach all 7 grade levels, K-6.

I love most kinds of music, and am currently working on pieces as diverse as a Bach two-part invention, my first Beethoven sonata, and Green Day's "Good Riddence (Time of Your Life)." I guess I'm improving, my measuring stick is Christmas music; it seems easier to play from the same music books each year when we drag it out.

So that's me!

PS: today (9/19) is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Just wait till I send a whole bunch of school kids home "YARRRRing" and "ARRRRing" all over the place! Fun is where you find it! ;-)

I left a short description of myself in the Alfred Book 1 thread and just saw this one so I will respond to it.

I live in Birmingham, Alabama and am 60 years. I have been married to a wonderful lady for 40 years and we have 3 children and are now empty nesters.

I took piano lessons as a kid for a couple of years. I have played by ear through the years and I can play anything I hear as far as the melody and chords are concerned. My fingering is terrible and I don't know what to do with my left hand other than play the cord. So it makes for boring songs.

I decided it was time to learn the piano correctly so I bought the Alfred Book 1 for Adults and started working on it. I am up to about page 70, currently working on the G songs, Marine Hymn, etc. I am really struggling with these. I have ordered all the supplemental books and I hope they arrive in the mail tomorrow. When they arrive, I am going to go back to the biginning of the book and play in the supplemental books as it indicates.

I am a corporate pilot and fly 3 different model Cessna Citations, corporate jets. I love my job and am so forunate that I get paid to do something I love.

I also play the bass guitar in our church Praise Team and sing in the church Choir. I love music and have always wanted to be able to play the piano correctly and to site read the church hymnal and other sheet music. I am hoping that by the time I am 65 I will be able to do that.

I also exercise regularly, walking, using the elliptical trainer, and riding my bicycle.

As much as I have been on this web site, I missed this thread. I live in Hampton, VA and am 53 years of age. Happily single and am a Coordinator of Christian Formation for a church in Chesapeake, VA. Also, finishing up Grad school with a Masters in Theology. (three more classes!!)

I have always sung in choirs. or for fun! My claim to fame" was singing at a piano bar on my last cruise. always wanted to learn to play an instrument and couldn't as a child. I taught myself how to play a small organ, now I wish I had stayed with it!

Just started over five years ago taking lessons and am attempting to get more involved in playing for the Formation programs that I coordinate and for special events. Plus, I would like to learn how to play organ!

I love what I'm doing with piano!

Greetings all!

I am presently fulfilling my lifelong dream to learn to play the piano. At this post I have been actively taking private lessons for a little under two years. The biggest problem I have is that I rely too much on playing by ear. It has really hampered my ability to learn to read music well.

I have played acoustic guitar since I was in high school and other than a few basic lessons on that, I am completely self taught. Early on I developed my ear to the point that I can easily pick out the chord progressions and fingering of most any song quite easily. Therefore I never learned to read music.

Now I want to learn to play the piano the correct way, so I am forcing myself to learn music by rote, but it's been a struggle. Any tips for me on how I can overcome this problem?

I have gotten much better but I still find myself relying more on my ear than the notes written on the page. What can do to overcome this?

Welcome to ABF Annalaise,

Hmm, "forcing" yourself to learn by rote? That doesn't sound like too much fun? Sounds like you are blessed with good ears. The link between written music and playing by ear can be found in music theory. If you start learning some theory, it would give you a framework to understand what you are doing naturally by ear. That same theory will also let you see that written music is also composed with the same underlying principles. That way, you won't be learning the music by rote. You may then be able to use your ear playing skill to play written music, because you'll start to see the common link.

Feel free to start a new thread in the forum to explore this "learning by rote struggle". May be there is a way to make things more fun.

Hi, all,

I just joined yesterday. I live in Central Ohio with my husband of 30 years, and have two grown children. We've moved around a little; I am a native of Northern California but moved east to Virginia at age 30, and we've stayed in the east (Ohio being "sort of" east, but with a midwestern sensibility).

I am a retired editor and now serve as a volunteer and political activist. I am really a political junkie. When it isn't election season, there's still political stuff to do, but it's pretty intense now.

In my spare time, I spend too much time online. I like to play with my 4 kitties and garden, and read, but since my youngest moved out I have been a little restless, and so I took an opportunity to learn piano. A friend mentioned she had just started, and her teacher was looking for new students AND goes to her students' homes. So I finally got off the dime.

I've been weeping over Chopin since I was 4, and I love all things classical. The earlier, the better, I say. I took a class in medieval music once, and it was just fabulous. But the piano wasn't invented until well after that, and I do love piano music. I also like jazz piano. I do like New Age music, and rock, and folk songs and show tunes and such but I don't want to play any of that. One of my daughters plays Chopin and anything with a lot of emotion in it; the other plays for speed (Beethoven), so I know that we all have differing preferences for what we want to play.

Now I'd better get off the computer, for cryin' out loud, and get a few things done.

Hi Rosanna,

Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice. My piano teacher (a very skillful and talented player) has been very patient. She tries not to inhibit that ability, because as someone who had to work very hard to develop it in herself, she knows it's a gift.

I on the other hand, feel that my progress as a musician can't really go much further until I become proficient at the basics. Once again I'm my own worst critic.

She has included theory with the lessons and I do feel that it has helped a lot. I do need to work at sight reading though. It's just very difficult because after I've played a piece through a few times It just kind of sticks in my head, and I tend to want to play it by ear. The problem is my fingers don't remember it as well as my head does, so it's not a very accurate way to play.

I"ll keep practicing the sight reading. Eventually it will come together I guess.

Hello all,

Just thought I'd introduce myself.

This is me

It's been a pleasure so far

Regards

Blackbird

Mmm been lurking for a long time so I haven't properly introduced myself...

The song that inspired me to learn piano was the ultra famous over played song on youtube "To Zanarkand", Its so beautiful =(

I play on the YAMAHA YDP-151.

Age 17 finishing high school next year yay!, self taught for roughly 10months now.

When I first started I used to watch those "piano tutorials" on youtube where they show you what to press and whatnot and you just copy them.

I wanted to grow out of it so I learnt how to sight read. God!!! it was one of the most frustrating things in my life but now that I can sight read I feel like i've accomplished something

Anywho.. nice to meet you all, I love how this forum is so helpful

Hi I think it is good to know something about each other. I live in the south east corner of Michigan and enjoy most forms of art. I am 62 and just retired from my job in the home care industry. I have been trying to learn piano for a year or so now some minor success .I also mess with trying to learn guitar.( ADD any one). So all the best to every one on the forum.

What at the same time, that is impressive

Welcome from another PW newbie

Well i just saw this ... i'm 36, live in Madrid, basque origins. Absolute beginner although i've played flamenco guitar for the last two years. I work as a (don't kill me) a bond trader, and would like to move on to something else; this industry has done me good but makes me sick to see how far things have gone lately and how badly this will affect real economy.
I'm finishing a degree in economics that i left unfinished years ago, i studied Business in my college days, and may be doing an mba soon in order to be able to change jobs. Hopefully all that won't keep me away from the piano.