Have you ever learned to play an instrument?
Yes, I have. First it was the piano, when I was quite young. I resisted it at first. I have a faint memory of sitting on the stairs, pouting, and one of my parents gently coaxing me into giving it a try. I ended up really enjoying it. My favorite thing was to sit at the baby grand and just hit the keys, just make stuff up. Is there anyone who hasn’t done this? You will be amazed at both the pleasant and the eerie sounds you can make if you pay attention to the patterns in the keys. I wasn’t destined for greatness with the piano, but I am very glad for my time with it.
Next came middle school, where everyone was required to select one instrument to study, out of virtually all the classical instruments. I remember feeling overwhelmed by this decision. There are so many options! I selected the oboe. Why? Pretty much because it was not a popular choice. I felt bad for the oboe. And I found it interesting. A few months of dealing with those nasty reeds (the mouthpiece) and the painful squeaking noises and I was feeling like I’d made a huge mistake.
Mercifully, the band and orchestra gods teachers allowed me to choose a new instrument. And being the clever girl that I am, I realized that this was also an opportunity to escape the band geeks (and the weird band instructor) and move over to the stringy side.
But everybody plays violin. Everybody. I know: cello. So cello it was for something like five years. And I really loved it. It is a beautiful instrument. Towards the end I wasn’t half bad, even holding the “first chair” seat for a while. Before my Junior year I had to choose between continuing with the cello or trying out for higher level choir ensembles. I’ve never really thought about it before, but part of me regrets choosing choir. The cello will always have a special place in my heart, though my fingers have long forgotten her.
Photo by Aesmin12
This is part of my Get To Know You series.
I’d love it if you answered this question in this comments below.
Christina.
Hehe you felt bad for the oboe. I know the feeling. Also, thank you for the Arrested Development gif. Amazing.
For me it was piano and then clarinet. Never really enjoyed either of them but I’m glad I took the time to learn how to read notes. Then out of my own volition (rather than being told I had to learn an instrument by parents or teachers) I decided to learn to play the guitar, and I loved it. I never got that great at it, but good enough to be able to figure out the songs I loved and sing them to myself when no one was home. Then when I moved 900 miles away I had to downsize on everything, and unfortunately had to sell both my electric and my beautiful black Martin acoustic/electric, so now I am guitar-less, unfortunately. Sometimes I miss it a lot.
It’s so weird how we give things like this up over time. I’ve had this perception that adults only play an instrument if they’re like really amazing at it. Like it’d be super weird for an adult to just casually play the cello at an intermediate skill level. But that’s silly. I don’t know, maybe when I’m retired I’ll pick it up again.
I learned the piano as a kid and always regretted giving it up. I started lessons on the clarinet around 18months ago and Love it!
The poor oboe lol!! It does have a lovely sound though. :)
That’s awesome that you’re learning the clarinet. Playing an instrument is such a singular experience. I hope you continue to enjoy it! And yes, the oboe does have a lovely sound. :)