Friday, November 2, 2012

Piano Dreams


piano

This week, I decided to write about my long time desire to learn how to play the piano.

I think the piano is the most beautiful instrument ever. It's so amazing to watch one's fingers fly over the keys, creating such gorgeous music.

A few years ago, my family got a keyboard. For the first couple months I didn't use it. Then one day I was watching music videos on youtube and I found this guy David Sides who does piano covers on popular songs. I liked him a lot and thought it was so crazy, the way he recreated the songs.

After that day, I vowed to learn how to play the piano. I bought a learner's book for 3 bucks and taught myself the keys. I learned how to play a couple songs like Fur Elise and Boston by Augustana. I never knew how to read music in treble clef. I played the viola for 5 years and that has it's own clef. I never bothered to learn to switch over, so everything I learned, I learned by ear which probably isn't the best way to learn.

But when I got to high school, my dream to learn to play the piano was pushed aside. There was so much else to focus on with sports and school. I cut corners when I tried to learn, which probably contributed to the fading of my dream.

I wish I hadn't stopped, but I can't spend my whole life looking back and wishing I had continued to learn. I think I'm going to take some time to re-teach myself. I really want to be able to play an instrument. I think music is the key into a totally new dimension, one that I want to be able to control.

Learning an instrument can really help you understand your learning style and teach you that to be good at something, you have to work. It's really beneficial to your mental health.

So, this is why I'm going to learn to play the piano again. My first goal is to be able to play Apologize, which is the first song I watched David Sides play. But ultimately, I want to be able to play Variations on the Canon in D that George Winston plays. I have the sheet music for that, so it will be a good way to learn to read. I know that song is really hard to play, but I will push myself to succeed!