{"id":1823,"date":"2010-05-23T09:46:54","date_gmt":"2010-05-23T14:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/?p=1823"},"modified":"2019-06-07T13:42:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T17:42:00","slug":"baby-steps-toward-learning-to-play-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/baby-steps-toward-learning-to-play-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby steps toward learning to play piano (and it's grand!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I should really get back to practicing my major scales ...<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nThis morning I’m practicing piano.
\nI am a total beginner so that means lots of playing scales, slowly, sometimes hitting the right keys, sometimes missing.
\nEven though it doesn’t sound good, and probably won’t for a while, I’m giddy.
\nI have wanted to play piano for almost as long as I can remember.
\nWhen I was maybe 6, a friend of my mom’s played piano and I would beg him to show me where to put my fingers, what to do next.
\nMy first elementary school crush was the boy who played piano better than anyone in our school — I’m not totally sure what the chicken and egg is, if I got mesmerized by piano because I had a crush on him or, more likely, if I had a crush on him because he could make music like I wanted to.
\nFor whatever reason, my parents never got me music lessons. I’ve tried before to learn as an adult, but twice I’ve started lessons and twice I’ve gotten a new job that meant leaving town within weeks of starting.
\nMy college boyfriend bought me a keyboard because he knew how much I wanted to play and I’ve toted this thing around for lo these many years, wanting one day to do something about it — but being too intimidated to get started.
\nBeing an absolute beginner at something as an adult is tough if you’re a perfectionist. You have to get comfortable with the idea that you’re going to be terrible before you’re mildly tolerable before you can hope to get good.
\nIt was a lesson I had to learn in business school and I’m reminded of it again as a newbie piano player.
\nSeveral things finally pushed me over the edge:<\/p>\n