Learning Music, All Over Again

As a child I studied ballet, piano, and flute. Not much stuck. I never owned a piano as an adult. When I am alone in a room with a piano, I'll always play a few tunes from distant memory. A few months ago I went wild one day, improvising stuff on an upright at a deserted recreation center. I have acquired several flutes and sold them when times got tough. When I decided to buy an enormous 12-string guitar at a garage sale this summer, I never realized how much I had been craving real music and the simple joy it brings. One Craigslisting and I connected with expert guitarist Andrew Reissiger, and I have been taking baby steps back into learning music ever since.

Andrew has taught me some of the basics of musicology my childhood instructors, Henrietta Wendt (a strict piano teacher in search of a child prodigy) and Mr. Koenig (a good jazz flute player, from Benny Goodman's Orchestra), never did, and I am approaching my strings from a whole new perspective. My friend Judy gave me an old guitar belonging to a friend who passed away, and I finally got it restrung the other day. Today in mere seconds, Andrew figured out the basic chords for my little rendition of Abbey Lincoln's "Afro Blue," and he was so right when he said that just by being able to accompany myself with these few chords, I would improve my singing. For the "Firstborn" audition soon I will sing something, possibly "Afro Blue." I doubt I'll bring the guitar, though - too much to think about for a newbie - but playing it while I rehearse will surely have helped.

I found this personal statement by Andrew about his approach to teaching music:

Although music is a language that we can all learn to "speak", music is a highly personal and spiritual language. I like to try to help students learn theory and approach but also connect to their "voice".

HERE'S ANDREW'S CURRENT AD: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/muc/1541983945.html


Q: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
A: "Practice, man, practice."