Should Owen go on with his piano lessons?

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by laura
yup i swear its mad they encourage me to unicycle but the 1st thing that get threatened or taken away is my uni

Lxx

Yep, we parents are evil, fascists, the embodiment of 666! I could get in trouble for saying this, but while the common wisdom is that there's no manual for parents, the fact is that every hospital offers a secret parenting class on the arbitrary making of rules, pyschological torture, and the infliction of embarassment. I know I for one benefited.

BWAHAHAHAAA!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

[laura]

you evil laughed at me

l xxx

parents suk!

[Murde Mental]

Now, now! let's not forget they give us free room and board....

[sarah.miller]

Last night I lit* a really good jazz singer in concert ( Clare teal) but the point of this post is that my fellow techie on the sound desk turned out to be a pretty good pianio player himself, he used to play in a youth jaz band, hes now in his early 20s. I was kinda jelous , I wish I hadn't given up on the piano so easy. This chap had leasons to grade 5 then stopped classes but kept on playing and playing what he liked to play. Now he enjoys it AND it sounded great while I was up in the rig focusing the lights before the band arrived.

Sarah
* I'm a lighting designer and operator by trade.

[xtremeskier_]

If you plan on ever picking up a different instrument, stick with the lessons, as having good piano skills will help you learn other instruments much faster. If not, then get out of the lessons. It is a waste of time. I would guess your parents just want you to have a hobby/talent that will stick with you and so you always have something to do/improve at/show other people, but unicycling is really the same thing, plus it is keeping you in physical shape too.

[PopeSamXVI]

I play banjo and am curently learning a lot of theory (and rolls. One day I'll be Scruggs good). I find the piano is great visualization for some of the things I'm learning and sometimes I need visuals. I'd say memorize the keyboard and some theory and then pick an instrument you like. Concertina is a good choice. I taught myself how to play the one I found backstage in my school's theatre. I also played an old Celtic tune on it while riding my unicycle.

Final summation-use the piano for your own purposes than leave it to die.

[paco]

Stick with piano. It's good for you.
I wish I'd stuck with it now. I, like 95% of the population, took piano lessons for a little while and I hated it. Now, I wish I'd stuck with it (or I wish my parents had 'forced' me to continue). Like everyone says, it gives you a good basis for any other musical instrument. And it gives you something else that no one has mentioned. Leverage.
Your parents know that you want to give up the piano. They want you to continue. Your mom knows that you have her at a disadvantage, and so she's using the classic guilt trip approach (JJuggle, I'm pretty sure that this trick is in the book, although I personally have never read it). She doesn't want you to know that you have the upper hand.
Feel out the situation. See what you can get out of it. Tell your mom, "okay, I'll keep on doing piano lessons, but only if you pay for guitar lessons and get me a guitar and buy me a new unicycle and..." etc. If she thinks the piano lessons are so important, she will be willing to compromise.
I'm probably giving away trade secrets, but not being a parent, I can speculate all I want.
The other side of things is that playing the piano teaches you discipline. If all you ever do is what you want, you are missing out on some huge growing experiences. Stick with something you dislike. Then when you move out of the house you can quit and resent your parents. Seriously though, I think more damage is done in our society by parents being too permissive than too demanding (although too demanding causes problems as well). I doubt you taking piano lessons is going to seriously scar you for life.

[Murde Mental]

<<UPDATE>>

I quit! meaning I quit piano and am gonna go on with another instrument of my choosing: The Banjo.

I was thinking guitar but everyone seems to play the guitar and since I like to be different. You know, swimm against the current and everything I decided to learn something new and different.

After listening to Bela Fleck and other bluegrass musicians I've really taken liking to this often overlooked instrument.

I still haven't got my instrument yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Yup, I took the right decision.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by Murde Mental
<<UPDATE>>

I quit! meaning I quit piano and am gonna go on with another instrument of my choosing: The Banjo.

Yup, I took the right decision.

The Banjo Rocks!

I am no expert on the instrument, but if you want to hear a song with an incredible banjo line, get ahold of Dolly Parton's version of Silver Dagger.

Good luck and enjoy!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

[PopeSamXVI]

Awesome. The banjo is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Don't get discouraged when you can't pluck like Scrugg's immediately, I've been playing for 3 years and am still working on it. Are you going Tenor or 5-string?

[john_childs]

Banjo.com

[Murde Mental]

5 string most probably but I'm still thinking if I wan't to go bluegrass or clawhammer... cause apparently clawhammer is easier to accompany (meh to the spelling!) with vocals.

And playin and singing is the ultimate in campfire experiences. (I hope you know what I mean by that)

I think I'll be playing bluegrass style cause I also really like the attaking feel to it. In fact I love it.

Can't wait to start learning.

[uniextreme]

What happened to the bag pipes?

[Murde Mental]

They're really awesome but yeah, they're loud. we live in a condo and it would make practising very hard. And I was also thinking how nice it would be to be able to play something next to a campfire after telling some stories with your friends.

[PopeSamXVI]

I was going to do bagpipes before banjo too...how weird. I didn't because they cost so freaking much.

Clawhammer is a 5-string, it's just the playing technique. Clawhammer is really easy to learn, don't worry. If you're doing bluegrass don't go Tenor. Well you coulkd, but it's better for Celtic banjo tunes.