I was one of those people who always dreamed of playing the piano but never thought I could. At least I was until I came across some short, simple lessons on the basics of piano playing. I decided to give it a try, and I have been practicing ever since.

Right from my very first lesson, the way I viewed the piano changed. I realized suddenly that the keys on the piano make a pattern and that pattern allows the keys to be separated into sections. When you break the piano down in such a manner it suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting or confusing. I never realized that the keys could be looked at individually rather than as a collective group.

With those first lessons, I was able to start practicing the basic principles of piano playing. I started clapping out rhythms, writing and playing individual notes, and eventually I was tapping out simple melodies. Each lessons taught me something new and I would practice over and over, later on testing myself on each new skill to see how far I had advanced.

I developed my own practice schedule, finding time between my work and daily chores. It was satisfying to accomplish so much so quickly. The slow pace of formal lessons may be good for children, but as an adult, I appreciated the ability to go at my own pace.

Eventually, I wanted to play music beyond what I was learning through these lessons. I wanted to play something recognizable and familiar. That is when I headed to the store and purchased exactly what was suggested in my lessons: one Easy Piano Book and one Fake Book.

I went through the Easy Piano Book, learning to sight read without too much difficulty. That was when I began playing songs I had heard all my life. This particular Easy Piano Book was based on Broadway musicals. I knew most of the songs already, so it was great to be able to play them.

My Fake Book on the other hand was filled with modern tunes that I heard a lot on the radio, and I found it more difficult to master these songs. I had to look up new chords before attempting each song because I didn’t know them all yet, so it was a new challenge to learn from the Fake Book.

Yet, I was able to catch on quicker than I would have ever imagined and I started to actually play songs my friends and I loved to sing along with on the radio. It turned into something enjoyable for all of us as I played and they sang along these songs we all loved.

I am so glad that I took the time to learn the basics of piano playing. I am not a pro by any means. It does not matter to me. I never wanted to take the world by storm. I just wanted to learn something that would make me personally a little happier. And that is just what I did.

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