One regret I have is having to stop piano lessons.

Dallas, Texas
May 24, 2016 7:01pm CST
As a young boy my mother enrolled me in a private piano class. She knew I had potential as I played piano at age 2. I was always playing stuff on the piano since I could reach the piano stool. The class was sometime in grade school when I think it was around 5th grade at about age 8 or 9. I enrolled in the class and took several lessons and learned just enough to know what the middle C or the key of B flat, I can't remember but was based on the Middle C on the piano keyboard. I also was able to play some interesting chords and some of Beethoven's songs. Based on what my oldest sister had played I began to play by ear. Why did I do this? Simple. My mother could not afford to let me continue taking piano lessons, probably due to a conflict with my father thinking it was too much to pay for my lessons. In any case I never stopped playing but because I had to stop my piano lessons by learning how to read from real music scores I was not advanced enough to understand all of the stuff that was on the paper to transpose it on the keyboard. Much later I took band and it was free except the trumpet was not. My mother bought me a second hand trumpet which was fine with me. it was in good shape. From that moment on I played trumpet from 7th grade to 12th grade year after year in the Key of C playing what is called the b flat trumpet, whatever that means. I forget now. I haven't played my trumpet in so long I can't even blow a note on it. But the thing I regret mostly was that my father did not have enough interest in my musical ambitions and I was essentially deprived of the opportunity to learn formal lessons in piano and for that reason I never realized my full potential as a pianist. I remember now. We all had to play the C scale up and down the chromatic scale, which includes all sharps and flats and the basic 8 notes in a normal scale up and down to warm up every day before band practice. The key of C. Yes. That I do remember. If only my lips would be as good at playing trumpet as before when i stopped in 1975, I could now be playing some Chuck Mangione music or maybe even some music by Chris Botti. I was that good at one time. I am not kidding. I used to be able to articulate very high notes like high C and higher. I could play music to Santana by going along with the songs that included trumpet solos. There was a time I thought I would be lead trumpet for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra but life happened while making other plans.
2 people like this
4 responses
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
25 May 16
It is nice to be able to play any musical instrument, but the piano seems to be especially nice because many enjoy hearing it. Wonder how many here really got to do what they thought they might do? Just guessing-may 10%. Might be interesting to take a poll!
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
25 May 16
If onl;y parents would be more interested in a childs talents it would be so good/
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (141905)
• Philippines
25 May 16
When I was a child, I wanted to learn piano. But then, my mother enrolled my younger sister instead. I felt bad at that time. I am thinking to learn how to play violin. But I am not young kid anymore.
@cherigucchi (15932)
• Philippines
25 May 16
Its not too late to learn I think.