There are a thousand ways to be interested in studying an instrument, but I am pretty sure it almost always start because we love the sound of it. When you listen to music, are you drawn to the voice or the bass, the drums or the piano? The piano, you say? Keep reading.
Piano is among those few that are considered a complete instrument because it can play the melody as well as the accompaniment at the same time. A lot of devices in the keyboard family from the grand father Harpsichord to the brand new Digital controller have that ability. If we go in very general and broad term we could even say that the right hand does the melody while the left hand takes care of the accompaniment. Does anyone know of another instrument that can perform both melody and accompaniment at the same time? Anyone? Yes? No? Ah! You over there, yes? The accordion! That’s absolutely right. It was called the poor man’s piano in France.
Let’s move on.
I remember I started being interested with the piano because of Murray Perahia. You might not know his name. He is an American pianist and conductor. He has been considered one of the greatest living pianists. I was listening to his interpretation of a piano concerto of Mozart. I don’t remember which one. It doesn’t matter, they are all beautiful under the care of Mr Perahia. I recall being completely charmed by the delicate touch, the subtle nuances, the complete control of the keyboard that he displayed. Oh! if one day you have the time, try Mozart Concerto for Piano number whatever played by Perahia. You won’t be disappointed.
After I’ve heard that little tit bit, I kept looking for the piano in my musical environment. There is, of course, a gigantic library of classical music to chose from, and I explored a bit of that (I still do!). Famous composers have dedicated almost all of their output to this instrument. People like Chopin, Liszt or Schubert have written an enormous amount of music for the piano.
That’s for the classical composers, but what about Jazz? Oh, well, you can pull the ladder, because it doesn’t get any higher than that, from Scott Joplin to Cecil Taylor, from Art Tatum to Chick Corea, Jazz has claimed some of the best key ticklers in the world for a long time. If you’ve never heard songs played by Teddy Wilson or Marian McPartland, you’re missing out on some gorgeous music. As I was discovering those great artists, I was falling in love deeper and deeper with the piano, that ever ubiquitous beast that can whisper the most beautiful lullabies or spit out the hottest fire.
Rock n’ Roll it needs to be said, has contributed its shares of great authors and players too. Who can ignore people like Elton John or Billy Joel? These are two giants that command attention both with their composing and their playing. Do I need to mention Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder? Their melodies endure, both genius of songwriting as well as the way they play the piano.
So, I guess, as we progress into what is needed to begin on the piano, the first thing is to listen and just let your taste take you to wherever you will go.
The second thing is to stop resisting the urge and decide that it’s time to look for a teacher and study. That’s when you call me.
P.S: Yes, I know the ending is a little abrupt, but sometimes you have to jump into it with both feet.
