Musical Update

I've never been extremely good with musical instruments, though in saying that I'm of course comparing myself to my youngest brother, who could pick up almost anything and master it in a few practice sessions (He played the flute in middle school, and the quad-tenor drums, the glockenspiel, the oboe, and a few others in high school).

I took Clarinet lessons in 5th and 6th grade, when my local middle school had a program that allowed 5th graders to take Beginner Band lessons first period, before the Elementary school started. I was pretty good at it, but in 7th grade I moved to a school closer to where I lived, and their band program was famously the worst in our district, so stopped practicing clarinet. I still have my clarinet, and with a bit of practice I'm sure I could play it, but what I really gained taking that band class was an understanding of music theory. I can read the music staff (though it takes me a moment to translate), and I understand sharps, flats, time signatures, and scales pretty well.

I don't quite remember where it came from, but we've also had a piano in my house since I was in elementary school (I think it was a gift from someone who was moving and couldn't take it with them). Before taking my band classes, I had no idea how to play it, except for a basic C major, since anyone can find C on the piano. After taking the class, it still took me a while to find which keys corresponded to which notes, but with a better understanding of the music I could figure things out.

Recently - in the past year or so - I've been picking up piano practice again. Not conventionally, as I dislike playing the piano, or any instrument, where others can hear me, but when I have the house to myself I'll tinker out whatever I have. If we're practicing a song in church, I'll play my part so I can get it down better, and lately I've been printing out video game sheet music. I have to admit, I'm sounding pretty good.

At least with things I've practiced. It still might take me an hour to get a flow for something I've never played before, and that's not even considering the bottom hand. It takes a lot of concentration, or skill, or practice, or whatever, to get the bottom hand on the piano working. We never learned bass clef in band class (Well, some of the other instruments did, but us clarinets never learned it). Combine that with the fact that, once I've figured out what I'm playing, I have to play two different chords at different times on different locations on the keyboard.

I've got the bottom hand accompaniment figured out for a few of the video game songs I'm practicing, but I'm not exaggerating when I say all of the notes are next to each other, in order, repetitively. If it gets much more complicated than that, I start to lose it.

I am proud of what I've taught myself, however - it sounds like a real song! - so I don't mind playing it when my parents are home anymore, and even at church, on the new electric keyboard we have in the Young Women's room. Unfortunately, this gives people the impression that I actually know what I'm doing, so when my mom suggested they make me play the music for the opening song, the Young Women's leaders happily agreed.

So now they're making me learn a song out of the hymnbook to play in two weeks. Because I've got enough time on my hands to figure out another set of bottom-hand notes.

I'm happy that I have the musical training that I do - I can sing Alto now while a few others who purport to be more musically inclined can not, and I can lead the music as well. I'm a bit annoyed on this fact - leading music is really easy, yet I seem to be one of only a few who can in my youth group, and possibly the only one who can do more complicated time signatures like 2/2 or 6/4. I volunteered to attempt to teach everyone else, though I'm not sure how willing or how easily they'll learn. But actually playing music, while fun and endorphin-releasing, is really only a pastime for me.


(Because you truly care, these are the songs I've learned:
Pokemon Route Theme: Piano (Simplified, no chords)
Majora's Mask Clock Town: Piano
Zelda 1 Dungeon Theme: Piano (Simplified, still working on bottom hand)
Monkey Island Scumm Bar: Piano (Simplified, bass clef only on ending)
I'm also attempting the Wind Waker Ocean Theme (Piano, tho' my sheet music is different), but I'm having trouble with the bottom hand, and the chords during the second part. Especially hard since this song is supposed to be a call-and-repeat, and you can't call-and-repeat with one instrument.