Music
There is music of the staves and there is music of the spheres; music of the world and music of the people. Then there's music of God; but perhaps it's all of God.
Overture
My life has been threaded through with music of different kinds. I started to have piano lessons at about age 7 with a blind teacher in Llandaff, Cardiff (where I was brought up). Scales. Phrasing. Correct fingering (how could he see?). And practise, practise, practise. We had a piano at home and Mum played it from time to time - Brahms, Chopin. It travelled with us through all our moves of house, with piano lessons continuing with Dorothy Turner, the wife of the Llandaff Cathedral Organist. She was a lovely lady and he was round and full of fun. Through her I took my first exams and got RSCM grades 2 and 3. At boarding school (aged 13-19 : Rendcomb College, Cirencester) I carried on, but eventually stopped (it didn't seem to be enjoyable or helping any more); that was as far as I got in exam-piano.
So any further skills in piano-ing came solely from 'messing about' on the keys; I enjoyed that and found I had an ear for melody and harmony, so I messed about more and got better and so the spiral upwards continued - as (hopefully) it still does today.
There is music of the staves and there is music of the spheres; music of the world and music of the people. Then there's music of God; but perhaps it's all of God.
Overture
My life has been threaded through with music of different kinds. I started to have piano lessons at about age 7 with a blind teacher in Llandaff, Cardiff (where I was brought up). Scales. Phrasing. Correct fingering (how could he see?). And practise, practise, practise. We had a piano at home and Mum played it from time to time - Brahms, Chopin. It travelled with us through all our moves of house, with piano lessons continuing with Dorothy Turner, the wife of the Llandaff Cathedral Organist. She was a lovely lady and he was round and full of fun. Through her I took my first exams and got RSCM grades 2 and 3. At boarding school (aged 13-19 : Rendcomb College, Cirencester) I carried on, but eventually stopped (it didn't seem to be enjoyable or helping any more); that was as far as I got in exam-piano.
So any further skills in piano-ing came solely from 'messing about' on the keys; I enjoyed that and found I had an ear for melody and harmony, so I messed about more and got better and so the spiral upwards continued - as (hopefully) it still does today.