When I started playing musical instruments at a young age, I started because I liked music. My dad played the guitar a little and I guess that’s what got me interested. I played the guitar then and still do.

Playing music is something that a lot of people miss doing. It’s not just the activity of playing the instrument, though that’s a big part of it. Some people just don’t seem to find the pleasure in playing one.

It’s probably a genetic thing but it could be that there was no real emphasis on music as they were growing up. I guess one could say that “some have it and some don’t. Whichever it is, I’m glad that I play. I get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

I like to listen to people who can play the piano well and I have a few favorites. One is Floyd Crammer of Country music fame. He developed a style of piano playing that changed the way ballads are played on the piano, and you can still hear that “sound” in some of today’s recordings.

When he played the ballad “Our Last Date”, you could sense the emotion he must have been feeling when he played that for the recording. It was truly awesome. His style was that his fingers would sort of a roll off the keys to give that lonesome sound that enhances that song tremendously.

Talented people like that who play the piano in that fashion are not rare by any means but they are certainly in a class by themselves. I can think of several others who have that kind of talent but I won’t discuss them here.

Taking piano lessons is the very best way to learn the piano properly. These lessons do come in many forms. They could come from a friend who wants to help you learn. They could come from a certified teacher or they could come from experience.

Playing by ear is a popular way of learning but I don’t believe you get the depth that a teacher or some kind of instructor can give you. It really doesn’t matter where you get the lessons, but taking piano lessons can teach you faster and give you a broader range of musical ability.

When you take lessons for an instrument, especially a piano, you have to understand that it will take quite a while before you can really play with confidence. But with practice and a determination to continue learning, anyone could play well. Don’t quit. Visualize yourself as playing in front of your family because you can if you persist.

Practicing helps you to become familiar with reading musical notes, and passing that information from your brain down to your fingers. It helps you get familiar with how your arms need to move and how much reach in either direction you need to get comfortable with.

Practicing helps you to know how to posture yourself on the bench so that you won’t feel awkward. You will need to get the feel of the pedals and know and memorize where they are, and which one top push and when.

All of this is what you learn when you practice. It’s not just playing around on the keys. It’s way more than that and until you get acquainted with all the parts of the piano, you’ll delay your learning time until you do.