Setting sail for exploration of something completely new

[Skybird]

With 55 years I felt the need and interest to start something very new and see how far I could get. Old familiar interests are fading a bit, its all known by now what I did in the past 30 years: chess, photography, martial arts, archery, flight simming, photography, its all getting a bit stale now, the thunder is gone, one starts to feel used, and older, and less interested.

So I decided to pick up some playful toying-around from my youth years, and this time, hopefully, will have the endurance to follow it for longer, and more systematically, than back then.

I got up my lazy back and ordered an electric piano.

I do not play an instrument, my father is the active musician in the family, my mum also knows a lot about music, and I always liked music, though not as exclusively classics only as my parents, my taste is much wider than theirs, but certainly includes classical music. Time to change from the passive to the active side of things.As a teen, I played around a bit with our piano, an accordeon, a flute - and every time when it became difficult, I left... On the other hand, I had little time anyway, I trained a lot in fighting, and played a lot of chess, and had daily meditation with my master additional to training.

The times could be in my favour, because there now is all this modern technology, communication links and so much software helping an anti-social personality like me to bring structure and systematic effort into it without leaving the house and meeting nasty foreign people who could teach - or bite - me.

I got a Roland FP-30X, because it is said to have an excellent action being very close to the hammer action of a real piano, the action is also weighted and has escape, and the white keys have an invory-like coating; it has very good sounds, its affordable, and I can (and must, I do not have that much space) store it away, or get it out for daily practicing easily (which I think is very recommended). Then, it has a line-out, MIDI, double jacks for headphones (small and big plugs), and blutooth. Internet material I could directly feed into the machine, internet software could recognise what I do on the keys. Also, I could secure a very good price on one display piana, but the local - or better: a neighbouring small town's - shop needs to re-order it, the one they had in store had a technical issue. They will sell the replacment for the reduced price although it will be not formt he shop-display, but will be factory-new.

I checked the app and software market, and there is really plenty of stuff to chose from, its hard to know in advance what may suit your taste and what not. I doubt there is the one-solution-for-all-needs. I plan to go first with a very much hyped app named Pianoforall. It definetly does not seem to be "for all", but is limited on certain "target purposes" - but these it seems to approach and teach very well and in an attractive way wo which I immediately connected when seeing it in videos. Its limited in scope and reach, but for a beginner and with my intentions it sounds to be the exactly right thing for launching and reaching L.E.V. (laziness escape velocity). I will see. It also is very cost-economic. If I endure to complete all that material, and see the need, nothing must hinder me to then turn towards another course of different things and targets, in a year, or two, who knows.

My parents, especially my father, are stunned a bit.

Lets see what will come of this. Age can or can not be an issue. Some say its late to learn an instrument, and I would be a fool to expect that in three years I could go onto a stage. But many doctors would say (and neurology supports them) that the brain starts rewiring within days once you start actively playing an instrument, and that you can only benefit from it. My expectations I think are realistic, and reasonable and not too high, and I do not plan for a concert tour any time soon. Just fooling around a bit, with some more discipline and systematic effort than back then. I once juggled a bit with three and four balls, it took me an eternity to hear the "click" in my head when suddenly it worked and I could let those small sandbags endlessly dance in the air. I think something like this lies ahead of me again, when it comes to playing the keys with both hands sooner or later

So, a toast on the Click-experience - and the path leading there!