I started piano lessons when I was six. It all made perfect sense to me. You looked at the notes on the page, you played the correct piano keys, you made a song! As soon as I learned 3 notes, it was time to make up my own tunes. The easiest start was playing every measure backwards, but as soon as I learned five notes it was time to play whatever I was hearing people sing. I was one of those annoying kids who spent hours playing all the pieces I had already mastered, just to be sure I had not forgotten them. But I'd often neglect the current week's lessons because the music on the radio was far more interesting than the assignments, which were based on Your Hit Parade, 1929.
Jump in at the turnaround for another community music discussion.
The following year, my school had violin instruction available so I was sent to take lessons. My folks figured since I loved piano so much that a second instrument would be a snap. They were right about a second instrument, they just picked the wrong one. I don't think anything sounds worse than a violin being played badly unless it's a low-quality rental violin being played badly.
It took me four more years to attempt another instrument after just two months of having to hear myself play. And I must admit, that was because my brother took up guitar first, so I tried it too just because I could. Guitar was a lot easier than violin because wrong notes don't sound like shrieking cats.
Join in the discussion on any topic about music and musicians (yes, singers and drummers are included!) Last week I asked for musical jokes and stories. This week our starting point will be lessons, both what you had in childhood and what you're doing now. But any musical topic is always welcome.
UPDATE: I did put a poll in the diary, but some bizarre bug kept it in Edit form until I deleted it and started over. Sorry.
This is Diary #2 in a long-established series.
Previous Music Room discussions
#1: The Music Room - Musicans Welcome! 3/18/07 - Music jokes and stories