In the past month I have been attempting to recover the little music skill I once had, years ago.  It has been my endeavor to practice the piano and violin for at least 10 minutes a day each.  Now, as a certain reader of my blog knows, I have not always been able to stick with this schedule *wink*.  Some days I am at work and return to exhausted to pick up the bow, or I've been away from home, or I've been sick.  Life doesn't always go according to plan.  Needless to say I have at least played each instrument 4 times a week, and with that I'm very happy with myself after being nearly dormant for years.  In fact I hadn't picked up or even moved my violin in so long from it's residence in a corner of my room that I found something I'd thought I'd lost forever behind it and tuning the old instrument was a test in patience if I've ever had one (ever had a bridge play with you?  haha).
   There is something about sitting down to play that is just peaceful and relaxing.  And I'm talking about the piano, NOT the violin!  *laughs*  I have yet to play well enough on that to keep from cringing myself.
   The piano I play is an old upright, brought here to my great grandma on a train, then by wagon to her old homestead.  I believe the date on the label is something like 1909.  It is such a beautiful instrument, worn by time, many of the keys out of tune, some part inside are missing or damaged so that once in a while a couple keys stick and have to be played around with to work again.  But it is an instrument full of memories.  The ivory keys are stained in spots, the old dark wood is patinaed with age, and the pedals are a dull brassy color.
   Ever since I can remember the piano has sat down in my grandparents’ basement, seldom, if ever used.  My grandma would sometimes play for us, and my mom showed me and my sisters how to play Heart and Soul when we were still in single digits.  Whenever we’d go down to the basement to play Pool or Ping-Pong I’d always be drawn to that piano, even if it was just to pick out tunes or play Heart and Soul over and over until grandpa or grandma called into us to keep it quiet!

   In my teens I really took a strong interest in violin and piano, and finally bought an old violin and practiced the two until I wasn’t half bad.  I taught myself how to read music, and then bought a bunch of sheet music to practice.  Being here, out in the middle of nowhere, music teachers were hard to find, and during my teens our family was so busy with business that we didn’t have the time anyway.

   To practice the piano I still walk over to grandma’s house and down the stairs to the basement to play.  Someday, I hope, it will have a place in my own home, and I can tell its story to my children.

   Did you know that the saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” is true?  I’ve realized this in a new way.  I’ve completely lost all my old ability on the violin.  I’m so bad I make the cats run out of the room and my dog, Mollie, cocks her head and tries to decide which is worse: leaving my side or staying and bearing the awful noise.  I’m not sure if the violin was EVER meant to be the instrument for me.  It frustrates me more than it ever gives me pleasure.  It’s as if it’s holding all these beautiful sounds that I’ll never find.  Funny how your idea of something is far different from the reality of it.

   Also, in picking back up with the piano I realized that, while I remembered how to read the right hand side of music almost perfectly, my skill in reading the left hand part was almost to nil.  It had never been perfect, but in those first real days of practice I saw that I’d forgotten so much.  So, as part of my practice I made a point of learning how to read the left hand all over again.  I still make stupid mistakes, but it’s coming along.

   I thought about trying to once again add guitar to my repertoire, but the minute I picked it up and tried to play and saw I was very wrong.  No guitar for me, it’s just crazy to try.

   I’m awaiting an internet order of some new sheet music for piano, one of which is a beautiful song I’ve been practicing by ear.  It’s called, The Lover’s Waltz, by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.  If you haven’t heard this song, you should really take a moment to log into your iTunes music store and download it real quick for a mere $0.99.  It’s so beautiful.  (you know, I really should get credit for all the mentioning and recommending I do of iTunes…)

   And now… to wake up the cats once again…